Must Know: Hunters need to be in pretty good shape to do some walking. Rabbit hunting requires lots of walking unlike other hunting sports where you can sit still. Rabbit hunting season runs from November 7 –February 27. For a hunter to participate they must purchase a hunting license and must have a picture ID along with the DNR safety courses. Maryland’s limit is 4 rabbits per hunter per day which is very generous. Written[...]

In the spring, Maryland’s Chesapeake swells with silver: shad and river herring. Like salmon, these fish are anadromous: the adults run upstream into fresh water to spawn, then return to the Atlantic Ocean to live for the rest of the year. The new generations develop from fertilized eggs suspended in stream currents to swimming fry and then juveniles, feeding and growing over the summer before migrating to the ocean, where they somehow meet the adult[...]

There are few things that bring me as much joy as a squealing child as he or she hoists a gyrating sunfish up on the bank. The fish is flopping, and the child is giggling as they try to immediately pounce on this incredibly interesting form of life we know as a “fish.” By my own claim, I caught my first fish, a humble bluegill, at the age of five…and I haven’t been the same[...]

Hunting is a wonderful way to get the whole family outside together and to see some naturally beautiful parts of Maryland. Youth Waterfowl Hunting days in Maryland offer a great chance for young outdoor enthusiasts to master their skills. Saturday, Feb. 10 is one of two days offered each year with this special designation for ages 16 and younger. An added bonus to this month’s Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day is that at this time of[...]

Starting the Day Right When I wake up, the first thing I do is plan my day by checking various apps. I look at the wind forecast, live wind speed and direction and predicted tide times. If the forecast calls for more than 10 mph winds, I focus on wind direction and plan my day for an area where I can get some shelter. A sheltered location just makes fishing easier and much more fun[...]

It’s hard to imagine somewhere more quintessentially Maryland than the lower Eastern Shore. Deeply connected to both its past and a sense of place, it’s the source of most of our iconic blue crabs, the home of our remaining skipjacks and the center of some of the region’s last working maritime communities. It’s also a place where the land and water are so intertwined, it’s hard to know where one starts and the other begins[...]

“Citizen science? Not for me. I just want to go fishing.” That’s an understandable reaction. Sometimes all of us want just to kick back and relax on the water. But most of us anglers also want to learn to “think like a fish,” to hone our skills and catch more, even if we plan on releasing some of that catch. It turns out that the more we learn about ecology in our favorite waters, the[...]

I am very fortunate to have been born into a family of avid outdoorsmen. Although I have few memories of my grandfather (his nickname was “Pop Daddy”), as he died when I was 6 years old, my father told me that he had a reputation for being a knowledgeable, self-taught naturalist and avid hunter and fisherman. Folks used to say, "If Pop Daddy isn’t catching them, there is no reason to go." I have wonderful[...]

Hunting is a wonderful way to get the whole family outside together and to see some naturally beautiful parts of Maryland. Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days in Maryland – held twice each year for hunters aged 16 and younger -- offer a great chance for young outdoor enthusiasts to master their skills. The most recent youth waterfowl hunting day was Saturday, Feb. 8. An added bonus to the February hunt was that many of the ducks[...]