George Meyn of Harford County asks: I read your recent column about the proposal to thin the deer population at Baltimore County parks and saw a reference to the Maryland marksmanship proficiency card. I couldn't find anything about it on the Maryland government or Department of Natural Resources websites. Can you please explain?
Outdoors Girl is happy to shed some light on a program that has helped jurisdictions reduce the number of deer in a safe and responsible manner. The Shooter Qualification Card, good for one year, is offered by the Department of Natural Resources through local sportsman's clubs, shooting ranges and other facilities as proof of marksmanship. The card is required to participate in managed hunts on state lands and some local jurisdictions require it as part of the screening process for their own hunts. The proficiency test requires participants with a shotgun or muzzleloader to hit a 9-inch target at 40 yards multiple times.
If you have an outdoors question in search of an answer, send it to candy.thomson@baltsun.com