The Department of Natural Resources recently released its proposed 1992-93 hunting and trapping seasons, bag limits and regulations for upland game, forest game and furbearers. The majority of changes in these proposals seem to center on the deer seasons and ways to increase the yearly take by hunters.

According to a DNR press release, in the past 10 years the increase in the state's deer herd has been dramatic. According to wildlife biologists interviewed in the past several months, that dramatic increase may be loosely translated to mean that the herd is on the verge of being out of control.

According to DNR secretary Torrey C. Brown, "The only way we can maintain the quality of our deer herd and stop further expansion is to increase the harvest of antlerless deer."

Antlerless deer, of course, are those that produce the young -- often singles the first year, twins the next and perhaps triplets the following year. So, the rationale seems simple enough: Take the deer out of the population before they can increase the population.

The Wildlife Division of the DNR proposes the following options for increasing the kill of antlerless deer. In a telephone interview last week, Joshua Sandt, director of the Wildlife Division, detailed why the options are being proposed and what impact each might have on the hunters and the hunted.

Option 1

A two-day season for antlerless deer in select counties on Jan. 22-23, 1993.

The deer regulations have included an option for a January season for a number of years, and a two-day season in Worcester County this year produced a kill of 546 deer.

The proposal for 1992-93 would allow for a January season in counties where hunters have not met a loose quota system.

"What we are trying to do statewide is stabilize the growth of the deer herd," Sandt said. "The targeted deer harvest would be 40 percent of the antlerless deer population per county. If we didn't reach that from the bow season through the gun and muzzleloader seasons, then we could come back with a January season."

A rule of thumb, Sandt said, is that the antlerless harvest needs to be about 50 percent greater than the antlered harvest. However, Sandt said, in most counties the antlerless harvest usually is lower than the kill of antlered deer because hunters traditionally prefer the trophy possibilities of an antlered buck.

The January season does have some drawbacks, Sandt said, including taking antlerless deer already carrying plainly visible fetuses.

Another obstacle would be that some bucks would already have shed their antlers and "even though you can make it an antlerless season, you are still going to kill some of the older bucks."

Option 2

A two-week firearms season from Nov. 28 to Dec. 12, 1992.

Although public hearings on these proposed regulations will not be held until the third week of March, Sandt said DNR already is receiving mixed signals from the public.

"Some of the people think it is great because it is going to give them more opportunity," Sandt said. "One of the problems we are having is that people are hunting weekends only and not hunting during the week. This would give them a third weekend [Friday and Saturday] to hunt."

However, a two-week firearms season likely would be opposed by waterfowl hunters who see a change in their hunting dates or a conflict between deer hunting and waterfowl hunting on the same or nearby farms. Small-game hunters also might object to losing another week to the deer hunters.

"Traditionally we have closed the waterfowl season for that week firearms season," Sandt said. "But if we went with a two-week season we would not necessarily keep the waterfowl season closed for that second week because that is going to push the whole waterfowl season farther back into Janaury."

Pushing back the waterfowl dates might not be practical because of federal guidelines on duck and goose hunting.

In the past, the state's Farm Bureau has opposed a two-week firearms season. Sandt said that this time around the Farm Bureau is supporting the possibility. "They realize there is a growing problem and they need to address it," Sandt said.

Crop damage complaints are the responsibility of the Farm Bureau, and firearms season annually is responsible for the greatest number of deer kills in Maryland.

An advantage to hunters during a two-week firearms season would be a chance to beat the weather, which has been warm or wet or both in the one-week firearms season the past couple of years.

Option 3

An early muzzleloader season on antlerless deer on private land, tentatively the last weekend of October 1992.

Virginia is a couple of years into a similar program, Sandt said, adding that an early season is something that Maryland muzzleloader hunters have wanted for a long time.

Traditionally, muzzleloader season begins in the middle or latter stages of December. This proposal calls for a two-day season in addition to the traditional dates.

As Sandt sees it, there are two reasons to make this an antlerless season. One, of course, is the need to harvest antlerless deer. The other is aimed at keeping the number of hunters down.

"What we would probably try to do is [have the season in] late October, prior to the peak of the rut, because we want to have the least amount of interference during that rutting period with the bow hunters," Sandt said. "We know the bow hunters are going to object to any sort of early muzzleloader season. But I think we can minimize that, and a two-day hunt isn't going to take that much away from them."

If there are drawbacks to this proposal, they could be timing and location. During the rut, when deer are expressing their sexuality, they are more active and less concerned with the presence of hunters.

"They [hunters] would like to be able to get at bucks at that time of the year, but what we are afraid of is that then it would become just an early firearms season . . . " Sandt said. "There would be a whole lot of people that would get into muzzleloader hunting just because of that."

To make this proposal work, landowners would have to be willing to allow hunters on their land. Sandt said he believes the attitude of landowners is changing.

Among the other changes proposed for deer seasons this year are a move to limit the harvest of antlerless deer on public lands, a return to two deer per day except in the western counties, and the elimination of antlerless permits in Carroll County and the farmland zones of Washington and Frederick counties.

The limitation of the antlerless kill on state lands is interesting because it is in opposition to the harvest needs on private lands.

"Right now, with the season structures and so on that we have, we probably have controlled the antlerless growth on state lands," Sandt said. "We don't want to do any more controlling than what is necessary. We want to keep a good deer population on state lands."

Proposed hunting regulations for 1992-93

The following are selected from a working list of the Department of Natural Resources' proposed dates, bag limits and regulations for upland and forest game in the 1992-93 season:

UPLAND WILDLIFE

* Eastern cottontail rabbit -- In Garrett County, Oct. 31-Jan. 30. All other counties, Nov. 14-Jan. 30. Bag limit four per day; possession limit, eight.

* Snowshoe hare -- closed season.

* Quail -- Closed in Garrett and Allegany counties. Nov. 14-Jan. 15 in that area of the state west of I-83 from Pennsylvania to I-695 to I-95 to Virginia. Nov. 14-Feb. 27 in that area of the east of I-83 to I-695 to I-95. Six per day, 12 possession.

* Pheasant (males only) -- Closed in Garrett County. Nov. 14-Dec. 31 in all other counties. One per day, two possession.

* Woodchuck -- Open year around, including Sundays. No limit.

* Crow -- Aug. 15-March 21 on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in all counties. No limit.

FOREST WILDLIFE

* Gray, black and eastern fox squirrel -- Oct. 5-Jan. 30 in all counties. Six per day, 12 possession.

* Red or piney squirrel -- Oct. 5-Jan. 30 in all counties. No limit.

* Delmarva fox squirrel -- closed season.

* Wild turkey (fall season) -- Nov. 5-Nov. 10 in Washington County west of I-81 from the Potomac River to Pennsylvania and in Allegany and Garrett counties. One turkey per season.

* Wild turkey (spring season) -- April 19-May 17 in Allegany, Calvert, Dorchester (south of Route 50), Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Kent (east of Route 50), Montgomery, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Washington and Worcester counties. One bearded turkey per season unless no turkey was taken in the fall season and then one bearded turkey per day and two per season. Note: In Dorchester, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne's and Somerset counties, only one turkey may be taken in the spring.

* Ruffed grouse -- Closed in Charles County. Oct. 5-Jan. 30 in all other counties. Two per day, four possession.

* Black bear -- closed season.

DEER -- BOW SEASON

* White-tailed (antlered or antlerless) -- Three sessions in all counties, Sept. 15-Nov. 27, Dec. 7-Dec. 18, Jan. 4-Jan. 30. One per season. Note: in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties, one additional deer (antlerless only) may be taken during bow season.

* Sika (antlered or antlerless) -- In Dorchester County only, three sessions that coincide with white-tail dates. One per season.

(Note: One additional deer may be taken by a person possessing a bonus deer stamp-bow.)

DEER -- FIREARMS

(The following assume that a standard, one-week season is implemented)

* White-tailed (antlered or antlerless) -- Nov. 28-Dec. 5. In Allegany and Garrett counties and zone 1 of Frederick County and Zone 2 of Washington County, an antlerless permit will be required. In Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick Zone 2, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot, Washington Zone 1, Wicomico and Worcester counties, an antlerless permit is not required. One per season. (Note: In Dorchester County, one additional antlered or antlerless white-tailed deer may be taken without a bonus deer stamp-firearms.)

* Sika (antlered or antlerless) -- Dorchester County only. Nov. 28-Dec. 5. 2 per season.

(Note: One additional deer may be taken by a person possessing a bonus deer stamp-firearms. In Allegany and Garrett counties and Frederick Zone 1 and Washington Zone 2, the second deer must be antlered. In other counties, the second deer may be antlered or antlerless.)

DEER -- MUZZLELOADER

* White-tailed (antlered or antlerless) -- Dec. 19-Jan. 2 in all counties. One per season. Note: One additional deer may be taken by person possessing a bonus deer stamp-muzzleloader.

* Sika (antlered or antlerless) -- Dec. 19-Jan. 2. Dorchester County only. One per season. Note: A second deer may be taken by a person possession a bonus deer stamp-muzzleloader.

* Daily bay limits, all deer seasons -- Only one deer may be taken per day in bow, firearms and muzzleloader seasons in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties. In all other counties, no daily kill restrictions apply within the guidelines of seasonal bag limits.