DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. — Bow hunters in Dorchester County could soon have more room to hunt deer if state lawmakers approve a request to shorten the distance archers must keep from homes, churches and other occupied buildings.
The Maryland Bowhunters Society is asking the state to shrink the “safety zone” for archery deer hunting in the county. Hunters must currently stay 150 yards from occupied buildings. Under the proposal, bow hunters would need to keep only 50 yards. The 150-yard rule would not change for hunters using firearms.
Because the state sets hunting rules, the change would require legislation specific to Dorchester County.
Some hunters say it would open more land
Pat Hughes, a lifelong Dorchester County resident who has hunted with a bow since he was 14, supports the request. He said archers take their responsibility seriously.
“Bow hunters practice a lot,” Hughes said. “They’re very knowledgeable of their equipment and what their equipment is capable of. The majority of hunters don’t take unethical shots or shots that would put the animal in a position to not be harvested cleanly, or for anyone else to be in danger.”
Hughes said the change would benefit more than just hunters.
“I think for the hunters, it gives us more opportunity to hunt areas that we previously weren’t able to hunt,” Hughes said. “For the homeowner, maybe they have an issue with deer maybe coming in and eating their garden or eating their flowerbeds or something like that. If we can get into a better area to harvest them, it would be highly beneficial.”
More access helps control deer numbers
Maribeth Kulynycz, president of the Maryland Bowhunters Society, said the change would help hunters keep the county’s deer population in balance. She said deer tend to settle in small sanctuary areas, especially in populated places, where hunters often can’t reach them.
“This allows us more access and to be able to do it safer,” Kulynycz said. “And also archery season is the longest running season, so it allows for more opportunities and more access to be able to help us maintain a healthy number of deer in our state.”
She said unchecked deer numbers can damage farm fields and gardens, including her own, which she has fenced to keep deer out. She said overpopulation also pushes deer into yards and onto roads, where they can cause car accidents.
Safety concerns
Kulynycz said archery is considered the safest form of hunting. She said archers can identify their targets and know what is around them because shots are taken at much shorter range than firearm shots.
“The distance for a shot in archery is much less than what it would be for a firearm,” Kulynycz said. “...Like with my bow, I don’t shoot outside of 20 yards, so absolutely, I’m not going to be shooting anywhere near a building or anything like that.”
She also said many archers hunt from elevated platforms, which she said lowers the risk of an arrow continuing its flight. She said when you hunters shoot from an elevated platform, the arrow goes into the ground, stopping the flight of the arrow.
Kulynycz said 50 yards is “definitely more than enough.” Hunters who are 50 yards from a dwelling would be shooting away from it, she said.
“You're not going to be shooting towards the dwelling at all,” Kulynycz said. “That's one of the rules of safety in all hunting is to know what your target is and what is beyond your target at all times…So we would never take a shot that would compromise any buildings or people or anything beyond that, including livestock or animals.”
Landowners decide who hunts
Kulynycz said landowners have the final say over who hunts on their property. She said allowing a hunter the landowner knows to be safe and ethical is one of the most responsible ways to manage deer, and that turning hunters away can leave a property open to trespassers.
Archery season and other counties
According to Maryland DNR, the 2026–27 white-tailed and sika deer archery season runs from September 11, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
Kulynycz said Baltimore recently adopted the 50-yard archery zone and also approved Sunday hunting this year. She said that reflects a recognized need to give archers access in heavily populated areas.
Kulynycz also said that over the past ten years she could not find any record of a two party related archery incident report in the entire state of Maryland. She said archery accidents are usually related to tree stand falls or issues within the weapon itself.
The shorter safety zone distance is already in place in 12 Maryland counties, including Wicomico and Worcester.
