How's the deer hunting in Montgomery County?

[remrug]

...and there in lies the rub. Non hunters swear "they're all over the place!" except where we hunt them every weekend. Even the legend of urban deer being used to human scent and thereby easy to kill is BS. I've hunted them as well for over 30 years. I always felt I would have done better if I had warn my father's cologne while sitting in my tree. I did manage to make my dent in the population though.

They are stupidly tame where they are not pursued. They'll walk up and eat out of your hands.

Everything you said is true. I hunt a small place where deer hear,see and smell people everyday. If they hear,smell or see me going to my stand, they are gone in a heartbeat. If the wind is blowing towards them, I never see them from my stand. I usually kill 2 per year there. Once I do that, I rarely see any coming through there for the rest of the season except button bucks

 

[dist1646]

Montgomery county is straight walled cartridges or shotgun slug only.

That's according to the published state DNR book. Not sure if it has changed but, there are/were areas that are exceptions. According to the last Mo Co local regs I saw, portions of the county allow/allowed rifle, as long as they were 25 cal or smaller. As I recall, it was in the less populated western part of the county. Admittedly, that was some years ago when I saw the regs. It would be interesting to find what the current local regulations are.

 

[outrider58]

That's according to the published state DNR book. Not sure if it has changed but, there are/were areas that are exceptions. According to the last Mo Co local regs I saw, portions of the county allow/allowed rifle, as long as they were 25 cal or smaller. As I recall, it was in the less populated western part of the county. Admittedly, that was some years ago when I saw the regs. It would be interesting to find what the current local regulations are.

Was that for deer? There are places in MoCo where center fire guns can be used on varmints and such. Never deer(AFAIK).

 

[leomort]

For you guys who do hunting in Montgomery County. What's your preference in firearms? Something like a 350 Legend in a rifle, or perhaps 44mag revolver? Or perhaps 44mag lever action rifle? So what your advice been in regards to firearms? I am southpaw. I do reload/handload so it's just a matter of getting components which at this time, primers would be the main challenge. Thank you for your feedback!

 

[Brickman301]

For you guys who do hunting in Montgomery County. What's your preference in firearms? Something like a 350 Legend in a rifle, or perhaps 44mag revolver? Or perhaps 44mag lever action rifle? So what your advice been in regards to firearms? I am southpaw. I do reload/handload so it's just a matter of getting components which at this time, primers would be the main challenge. Thank you for your feedback!

Ok, let me start with I don’t hunt deer in Montgomery Co.
Unless something changed this year( which I don’t believe did) you can’t hunt with a handgun.
I know, it’s dumb. You can hunt with a rifle in 44 mag, but not a handgun. Idiots!

As far as what caliber, we’ll that’s a lot of personal preference. If your shots are going to be 75 yards or closer a 12 or 20 gauge slug is hard to beat. Maybe you will be in an area that further shots will be taken? Then any of the straight walled cartridges will do.

 

[outrider58]

For you guys who do hunting in Montgomery County. What's your preference in firearms? Something like a 350 Legend in a rifle, or perhaps 44mag revolver? Or perhaps 44mag lever action rifle? So what your advice been in regards to firearms? I am southpaw. I do reload/handload so it's just a matter of getting components which at this time, primers would be the main challenge. Thank you for your feedback!

Savage 220 with 20g 2 3/4" AccuTips. Deadly accurate. I actually use this gun in Fredric Co(a rifle county).

 

[308Scout]

Ok, let me start with I don’t hunt deer in Montgomery Co.
Unless something changed this year( which I don’t believe did) you can’t hunt with a handgun.
I know, it’s dumb. You can hunt with a rifle in 44 mag, but not a handgun. Idiots!

As far as what caliber, we’ll that’s a lot of personal preference. If your shots are going to be 75 yards or closer a 12 or 20 gauge slug is hard to beat. Maybe you will be in an area that further shots will be taken? Then any of the straight walled cartridges will do.

Unless I'm reading the above incorrectly, you can absolutely hunt with a handgun in MD and it's been legal for a number of years. Unless I'm mistaken, any place that allows SWC allows SWC out of a handgun meeting the following requirements. Is there a MoCo pre-emption?

https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/general-deer-hunting-rules

https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/deer-regs-for-archery-muzzleloader-firearms-airguns

 

[outrider58]

Unless I'm reading the above incorrectly, you can absolutely hunt with a handgun in MD and it's been legal for a number of years. Unless I'm mistaken, any place that allows SWC allows SWC out of a handgun meeting the following requirements. Is there a MoCo pre-emption?

View attachment 382475

https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/general-deer-hunting-rules

The way I read it(take that for what it's worth...), I believe you are correct.

 

[308Scout]

The way I read it(take that for what it's worth...), I believe you are correct.

I'm solidly in bottleneck territory. I know a few folks who are into hunting with handguns. I stick with .308 or 30-06 in a rifle during firearms season for simplicity and a complete lack of desire to bring effective range closer in.

 

[Brickman301]

Unless I'm reading the above incorrectly, you can absolutely hunt with a handgun in MD and it's been legal for a number of years. Unless I'm mistaken, any place that allows SWC allows SWC out of a handgun meeting the following requirements. Is there a MoCo pre-emption?

View attachment 382475

https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/general-deer-hunting-rules

https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/deer-regs-for-archery-muzzleloader-firearms-airguns

I was wrong, you are correct. I was thinking about the laws in the past. Before straight walled were allowed, Frederick co, was the only “shotgun area”, you were allowed to y use handguns in.

 

[Brickman301]

I'm solidly in bottleneck territory. I know a few folks who are into hunting with handguns. I stick with .308 or 30-06 in a rifle during firearms season for simplicity and a complete lack of desire to bring effective range closer in.

When Frederick was shotgun only, I used a TC contender in 30-30, for years. I also used a AR pistol in 300 blackout, a few time as well.

 

[outrider58]

I'm solidly in bottleneck territory. I know a few folks who are into hunting with handguns. I stick with .308 or 30-06 in a rifle during firearms season for simplicity and a complete lack of desire to bring effective range closer in.

I've taken a few deer with pistols...

 

[308Scout]

I've taken a few Nice deer with pistols...

View attachment 382483

FIFY. No need for modesty.

 

[outrider58]

FIFY. No need for modesty.

Lol! I hunted that guy for a lot of years. I guessed him to be 8 when I finally caught up to him.

 

[308Scout]

Lol! I hunted that guy for a lot of years. I guessed him to be 8 when I finally caught up to him.

Damn... what did his molars look like?

 

[RRomig]

According to the last Mo Co local regs I saw, portions of the county allow/allowed rifle, as long as they were 25 cal or smaller.

To my knowledge that’s a MoCo law just about shooting in the rural area’s and not about hunting.

 

[lazarus]

Everything you said is true. I hunt a small place where deer hear,see and smell people everyday. If they hear,smell or see me going to my stand, they are gone in a heartbeat. If the wind is blowing towards them, I never see them from my stand. I usually kill 2 per year there. Once I do that, I rarely see any coming through there for the rest of the season except button bucks

Oh they know when they are getting hunted for sure. I can walk within 30yds of them with my trash can and they just stare. I can go feed my chickens and walk within 15yds of them. Usually they’ll run off after a minute, but I can stand around and talk to them before they run off.

But crossbow in hands and no where to be found. A blind works okay, and from my sideyard it’s close enough to the house my smell doesn’t bother them a bit. I’ve had them within 10yds with the wind blowing towards them and at most they are slightly nervous.

From my stand 60 or so yds away and if the wind blows towards them they either run or are very agitated. They know it doesn’t smell like me down in the woods by the creek.

I did see 8 or 9 of them on my game camera by my feeder down there. A couple days later one of the big does figured out she could nuzzle the spinner and get corn. She did that 3 days in a row until she knocked a bolt loose and the spinner tipped down off the feeder dumping 20# of corn on the ground.

It was kind of funny because my game camera caught the moment of action as it starts dumping corn and the next picture is 3 blurs sprinting off.

Deer and raccoons have been making pigs of themselves from yesterday morning till this afternoon when I found it. I tack welded the nuts on the bolts holding the spinner to the can holding the corn and raised it up about 2’ further off the ground so they can’t reach it.

 

[lazarus]

Unless I'm reading the above incorrectly, you can absolutely hunt with a handgun in MD and it's been legal for a number of years. Unless I'm mistaken, any place that allows SWC allows SWC out of a handgun meeting the following requirements. Is there a MoCo pre-emption?

View attachment 382475

https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/general-deer-hunting-rules

https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/deer-regs-for-archery-muzzleloader-firearms-airguns

But of note, SWC in a handgun. No 7.5FK Bruno’s for you!

 

[leomort]

Outrider58,

Nice buck! What handgun did you get him with?

 

[TheBert]

Oh they know when they are getting hunted for sure. I can walk within 30yds of them with my trash can and they just stare. I can go feed my chickens and walk within 15yds of them. Usually they’ll run off after a minute, but I can stand around and talk to them before they run off.

But crossbow in hands and no where to be found. A blind works okay, and from my sideyard it’s close enough to the house my smell doesn’t bother them a bit. I’ve had them within 10yds with the wind blowing towards them and at most they are slightly nervous.

From my stand 60 or so yds away and if the wind blows towards them they either run or are very agitated. They know it doesn’t smell like me down in the woods by the creek.

I did see 8 or 9 of them on my game camera by my feeder down there. A couple days later one of the big does figured out she could nuzzle the spinner and get corn. She did that 3 days in a row until she knocked a bolt loose and the spinner tipped down off the feeder dumping 20# of corn on the ground.

It was kind of funny because my game camera caught the moment of action as it starts dumping corn and the next picture is 3 blurs sprinting off.

Deer and raccoons have been making pigs of themselves from yesterday morning till this afternoon when I found it. I tack welded the nuts on the bolts holding the spinner to the can holding the corn and raised it up about 2’ further off the ground so they can’t reach it.

Used to work across the street from NIST. Never saw a deer until it was deer season. They would be all over the fence eating the grass.