Deer hunters in Maryland and Virginia have lots of opportunities available throughout the month of December. In Maryland, hunting opportunities for whitetail deer also continue through the month of January, 2005. Virginia has several different deer hunting seasons dates and locations where antlerless deer (does) can be harvested. One of the best ways to keep up with where and when you can deer hunt across the Commonwealth is by visiting the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) website at, ; http://www.dgif.state.va.us/ . The telephone number for the main DGIF office in Richmond is (804) 367-1000. Virginia’s DGIF also has a 24 hour line available to reach their Law Enforcement Division at (804) 367-1258.

     For hunting information in Maryland, visit the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife and Heritage Service website at; http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide . Reaching the main office of Maryland’s DNR is done by calling (410) 260-8540. The Maryland DNR Natural Resources Police can be reached 24 hours a day at (410) 260-8888. There are now only two deer management regions within Maryland identified as Regions A and B. Within Region B, there is a special “Suburban Deer Archery Zone” which allows for an unlimited harvest of antlerless deer within 5 counties.

     Those who are successful when deer hunters in Virginia have an opportunity to help those less fortunate. “Hunters for the Hungry” (HFH) accepts deer donated from the Commonwealth’s hunters and has them processed, wrapped and delivered to food banks, churches and social services who then gets the nutritious meat to those in need. It costs approximately $35 to process and distribute a donated deer, so HFH is also grateful for any cash donations provided by those who do not donate a harvested deer. Mail your checks with tax deductible donations for the HFH Program to; Hunters for the Hungry, P.O. Box 304, Big Island, VA. 24526. When you purchase your 2004-05 Virginia hunting license consider donating the optional $2 to HFH. This amount may not seem like much but it goes a long way if all those buying hunting licenses participate. For additional information on  Hunters for the Hungry, call 1-800-352-4868. Visit the HFH website at; http://www.h4hungry.org to see the list of where you can drop off a deer for the program

     Maryland also has a program which coordinates the donation of deer for processing and distribution to those in need. “Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry” (FHFH) can be supported by bringing your harvested deer to a participating location or by donating funds to cover the cost of processing venison. To donate funds to cover the cost of processing donated deer, send you tax deductible check to, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, 216 N. Cleveland Avenue, Hagerstown, MD 21740.  Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers the option of donating $1 to FHFH when purchasing a Maryland hunting license. The FHFH Program in Maryland can be reached by phone at, (301) 739-3000. The FHFH website which includes locations where donated deer can be dropped off in Maryland is; www.fhfh.org . Once at the Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry homepage, Select Maryland, for that State’s local programs. 

© 2004 Steve & Chelly Scala All Rights Reserved