Public land that may allow hunting in Maryland
50 named public land units in Maryland from PAD-US 4.1: 12 state wildlife & game areas, 6 forests & grasslands, 4 wildlife refuges & WPAs, 1 lake & reservoir project lands, 27 other public land units. The largest are Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Jennings Randolph Recreation Area, Chesapeake Forest Lands.
Regulations & licenses: Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service
This site does not list seasons, bag limits, license or permit rules. Those change every year and differ by area. Check them with Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service (hunting information) before you go, and confirm the specific area is open to the hunting you plan.
PAD-US 4.1 contains relatively few state-managed wildlife areas for Maryland, so this list is likely missing many of them. Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service publishes the official list of areas it manages.
All 50 areas, largest first
| Area | Acres (approx.) | Manager | Access | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | 33,722 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Restricted access | Dorchester County, Wicomico County |
| Jennings Randolph Recreation Area Army Corps of Engineers project land | 11,976 | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Open access | Garrett County |
| Chesapeake Forest Lands State forest | 11,455 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Worcester County, Dorchester County + 2 more |
| Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 10,259 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Dorchester County |
| Pocomoke River State Forest State forest | 8,363 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Worcester County, Wicomico County |
| Savage River State Forest State forest | 4,974 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Garrett County, Allegany County |
| Martin National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | 4,174 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Restricted access | Somerset County |
| Idylwild Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 3,240 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Caroline County |
| Mattawoman Natural Environment Area Other state land | 2,433 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Charles County |
| Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | 2,129 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Restricted access | Kent County |
| Mount Nebo Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 1,882 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Garrett County |
| Green Ridge State Forest State forest | 1,598 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Allegany County |
| Nanticoke River Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 1,357 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Wicomico County |
| Garrett State Forest State forest | 1,067 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Garrett County |
| Pocomoke River Corridor Heritage Conservation Other state land | 815 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Worcester County, Wicomico County |
| Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area Other state land | 807 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Cecil County |
| Parker Creek Heritage Conservation Other state land | 782 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Calvert County |
| Indian Creek Natural Resource Management Area Other state land | 739 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Charles County, St. Mary's County |
| Savanna Lake Lodge Heritage Conservation Other state land | 565 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Dorchester County |
| Belt Woods Heritage Conservation Other state land | 512 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Prince George's County |
| Aaron Straus Heritage Conservation Other state land | 497 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Allegany County, Washington County |
| Nanjemoy Creek Project Area Other state land | 387 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Charles County |
| Lower Marshyhope Swamp Heritage Conservation State wildlife / game area | 378 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Dorchester County |
| Turkey Camp Shale Barren Heritage Conservation Other state land | 369 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Allegany County |
| Marshyhope Creek North Heritage Conservation State wildlife / game area | 341 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Caroline County |
| Hickory Point Heritage Conservation Other state land | 310 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Worcester County |
| Nassawango Project Area Other state land | 287 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Worcester County |
| Severn Run Natural Environment Area Other state land | 286 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Anne Arundel County |
| Strider Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 239 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Montgomery County |
| Savanna Lake (Adkins) Heritage Conservation Other state land | 222 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Dorchester County |
| Chicone Creek Hertiage Conservation Other state land | 211 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Dorchester County |
| Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | 176 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Restricted access | Worcester County |
| Hollingsworth Pond Heritage Conservation Other state land | 167 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Caroline County |
| Deal Island Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 154 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Somerset County |
| Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 149 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Charles County |
| Warrior Mountain Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 146 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Allegany County |
| Nanjemoy Natural Resource Management Area Other state land | 129 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Charles County |
| Seth Demonstration State Forest State forest | 123 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Talbot County |
| Big Mill Pond Fish Management Area Other state land | 117 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Kent County |
| Merkle Natural Resource Management Area Other state land | 109 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Calvert County |
| Ridenour Swamp Heritage Conservation Other state land | 77 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Frederick County |
| Urbana Lake Fish Management Area Other state land | 70 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Frederick County |
| Gravel Hill Swamp Heritage Conservation Other state land | 60 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Frederick County |
| Nanticoke Corridor Heritage Conservation Fund Other state land | 50 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Dorchester County |
| MD State Highway Administration 1 Other state land | 49 | State: other or unknown agency | Open access | Frederick County |
| Billmeyer Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 48 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Allegany County |
| Devils Island Area Other state land | 48 | State: department of natural resources | Open access | Worcester County |
| Patuxent Oxbow Heritage Conservation Other state land | 47 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Anne Arundel County |
| Islands of The Potomac Wildlife Management Area State wildlife / game area | 46 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Washington County, Montgomery County |
| Pride Finance Natural Resource Management Area Other state land | 40 | State: department of natural resources | Restricted access | Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County |
Acreage is calculated from simplified PAD-US boundaries for the portion inside Maryland. “Access” is the PAD-US public access field, not a statement about hunting. National wildlife refuges are generally coded “restricted” in PAD-US because of seasonal or area closures.