Archery Q&A
Welcome to Bow Hunting Maryland’s Archery Question and Answer section. We recently had a lot of readers email us asking questions about bow tuning, treestand information, etc. so we decided to create a location on our site where you can ask your questions and we will try to answer them to the best of our ability. After spending 3 years working as a bow tech and selling everything hunting related, I gained a large base of knowledge and now I want to share with our readers to help answer your questions.
We will try to give you the best answer, and if we do not know the answer we will try to find it or someone that does for you and get that information to you in a timely manner.
If you have questions, please leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
Please clarify for me if it is legal to hunt with a bow on private property in Silver Spring MD, and if it is, what are the requirements in terms of size of property, permission from neighbors, distance from occupied houses etc. thanks very much
Mike
Mike,
Silver Spring is part of Montgomery County, and as far as I know bow hunting with a compound, re-curve, long bow, or crossbow is legal in all counties in Maryland now. Unless you are dealing with a neighborhood or community that has it banned, which i have run into in several parts of Maryland. You can bow hunt on private property with written permission from the land owner. As far as the distances from houses and other property and such, here is a little info out of the guide to hunting trapping: It is unlawful ( illegal) to hunt, trap, or shoot at wildlife within 150 yards of an occupied structure or camp without permission from the owner or occupant. This distance is 50 yards for archery hunters on private land in Fredrick County only.
To my knowledge there is no minimum for the amount of land you must own to bow hunt, you just have to maintain the 150 yards as stated above unless you have permission from the land owners adjacent to where you are hunting.
If you think you might be hunting somewhere in question, I encourage you to read the regulations section of the Maryland Hunting and Trapping Guide which you can find here:http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/pageFlip/ or call DNR at 1-877-620-8DNR (8367).
Please remember, we are only providing the knowledge we have and our interpretation of the laws. Should you want to make sure you are not doing something wrong or want to find out if what you want to do is legal, you need to call DNR to verify as they make the laws, we all just follow them.
Hopefully this helps and if you have a particular circumstance that you are trying to find out if it is legal and cannot find the answer, shoot us an email at info@bowhuntingmaryland.com or leave another comment with the info and we can try to find out the information you are looking for. We are always happy to help any way we can!
The MD hunter education states that it also covers archery. However, it does not state that any place on the cirtificate so it is not able to be used as proof of Bow Hunter Safety course for other states that require Bow Hunter Safety training to hunt with a bow. I have a bow hunting safety certificate from NY, but my son who took the MD hunter safety does not. Is there a Bow Hunting Safety course in MD that he can take to get a cirtificate to be used in other states? How do others in MD deal with this problem since lots of other states require a certificate that states Bow Hunter Safety training has been completed? Thanks, Craig
Craig,
The Maryland hunting education course does cover an overview of bow hunting, which I know covers you to hunt in some other states with a bow and most all states with a firearm. I personally have never hunted outside of Maryland so was unaware of the fact that some states require you to take the Bow Hunting Education course as well. Maryland does offer a Bow Hunting Education course, here is the link to the course listings: . I know there are not many courses listed, but it is still early in the year and would thing more would be added. I am honestly not sure if this would cover you to hunt in NY or other states, mostly because I am not sure if that is what those states are looking for as a certification. I know it is a separate certification Maryland offers and does not cover you to hunt with a firearm here or other states as I already researched that for myself. I will do a little digging for you and see if this will satisfy the requirements that you are looking for and get back to you. My guess is that yes this course will cover your son for the requirement he needs and it is a shame this is not better explained when you take the hunter education course since many people hunt in different states.
Let me see what I can find out and I will try to get a concrete answer.
Thanks for the question, it is a good one, since a lot of people could run into the same problem.
Yes I found the MD Bowhunter course and emailed the individual who is hosting the course. I have not heard back yet, but I think this course will work. If you hunt archery in Montana, New York, or New Mexico, and some other states they require a bow safety certificate number to hunt in their state. NY where I own a couple of farms requires that you actually fax them a copy of the certificate (which is why my son can not hunt bow on my farms without a course). The following site offers training and you can see the states that require it, but MD is not on it: http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/ I hope we can get this done in MD, but if not I will take him to NY to get it done. Thanks for your help. Craig
Craig,
From what research I have done it should cover you. But the person teaching it should know for sure. Once you get it all worked out if you could, let us know if the Maryland bow hunting course does satisfy that requirement, it will be helpful for many including myself as I said in my first reply. Hopefully I can get a trip planned this year to another state!
Good luck and good luck to you and your son this fall, I am happy to hear of a new bow hunter!
How long would the bowstring of a 62.5″ fiberglass recurve bow need to be?
Tony,
Great question. This one takes a little more than just a simple answer. Since I do not know anything about the bow other than how long it is, I am going to give you a couple steps to follow to find out the answer.
First thing to try is look on the bow for it’s Archery Manufacturer’s Organization (AMO) length, if you do not have an old bowstring to measure. The length should be printed on the inside of the bow’s limb.
If you do not have the old string and it is not printed on the inside of the limb, we move to step two.
Step two is to take the bow and get a tailors tape measure, or as I call it the old fabric ones that you use for measuring clothing. Once you have the bow and tape measure in hand, Measure from string nock groove to string nock groove, keeping the tape flat on the inside of the bow. I know this can be hard, but do your best.
Once you have that measurement you then would subtract 3 inches from that length and it would give you your string length.
Past that, there are not a whole lot of other ways to find out the proper length other than calling the manufacturer themselves or taking it to your local pro shop to find out. Sometimes a simple phone call will allow you to find not only the correct length but a lot of times the manufacturer can provide you with the best information on where to purchase the correct string that you need.
Hope this info helps and please let us know if we can help with anything else!
Wow, thank you so much, I really was not expecting an answer other than to take it some where, much less recieving the answer so fast, thank you so much.
Tony you are very welcome. We try to get back to our readers as fast as possible with the best answer we know.
Again in your case, I would start with calling the manufacturer because that will give you the real answer. Otherwise you can attempt to measure yourself and order the string or of course as you said take it somewhere if all else fails.
Again, we hope you are able to find the correct string!
From what I understand (correct me if I’m wrong), most laws in Maryland regarding bows are regulated by individual counties and municipalities, not the state, specifically those NOT involving hunting. So my question then is what are the laws governing the discharging of a bow in Howard County, MD for purely purposes of target shooting and not hunting? Thank you!
Chris,
You are correct and incorrect all in the same. Yes, most counties and cities have their own rules and laws regarding bows. However, DNR also makes regulations for the state regarding bows as well.
I am not familiar with Howard county rules and laws, the best way to find out would be to give DNR a call. Either that or call your local police station and ask them to be sure. Always better safe than sorry.
However, the way I understand the laws in most counties in Maryland is that they follow the hunting laws which would mean you have to be 150 yards from an occupied dwelling. If you own the occupied dwelling or have written permission from the owner than you can be closer than 150 yards. Not sure if Howard County follows these same rules or have their own.
If you cannot get an answer we will be happy to track down the answer for you. Just let us know!
Good Morning, I am in desperate need of info. Over the weekend there were 2 gentleman setting a a barrel of feed for about 15 deer that were born in a wooded area across from my home the distance is about 50 yards from my home. This wooded area is on my neighbor property. He claims he owns it all but I am real sure that is not true. This wooded area backs up in a community that I live in. These gentleman plan to use a bow and arrow to kill these deer. Now I know this can’t be legal. I live in Baltimore County on the line of Baltimore City.I am working on getting the last name of home owner that claims he owns this propery so I can check the propery records.Meanwhile what can I do so this shooting does not happen until I can learn otherwise.
Charlene,
You would need be sure of the distance between buildings and where the gentleman are planning to shoot. The law in Maryland says you must be 150 yards from any occupied dwelling in any direction that you DO NOT have permission to hunt from, it is called the 150 yard safety zone. This means if they have permission from the homeowner and are more than 150 yards away from anyone else’s house they are legal. However, if what you said is true and they are only 50 yards away from your home that is illegal because they do not have permission from you.
You can call DNR police 24 hours a day at 1-800-628-9944 or 410-260-8888. Or you can call your local police department and they will either deal with it or contact the DNR police.
Hope this information helps.
How old do you have to be to bow hunt in washington and wicomico county with a bow? and do you have to complete a hunter safety course to use a bow?
Reid,
Maryland has no set age for using a bow or hunting with a bow. Only requirements are on the bow itself. To hunt in Maryland with a bow you must be have a minimum of 30lb draw weight and use broadheads that are 7/8″ of larger.
The other requirement is yes, you must complete a hunter education course before you are aloud to hunt with a bow, that requirement is state wide. The other thing to note is if you are under 16 years of age, you purchase a junior license. When you complete the hunter education course normally anyone under 16 receives their first junior license free.
Please let us know if you have any other questions!
I am new to archery and just purchased a Samick Red Stag 68″ longbow (40lb draw). I need to purchase some arrows, but I’m not sure what size to get, what the shaft length should be, and what weight I should get for a field point.
Brain,
The bow your purchased is good for learning with a long bow. As for your questions there is no simple answer. Here is the basics, your bow is designed to be 40 lb draw at 28″. So first thing you need to know is your draw length, if you do not already know it you can have it measured at any local pro shop. Once you know your draw length, you add or subtract 2.5 lbs per inch you are above or below 28″. This means if your draw length is 26 you are really only shooting at 35 lbs and if you are shooting at 29″ you are shooting 42.5 lbs. So, lets stay your draw length is 28″ and you are pulling back 40 lbs.
You can pick any type of arrow, carbon,aluminum,wood, or fiberglass. If you want to stay traditional you would want to stick with wood or fiberglass, if you are just looking to get into the sport carbon or aluminum will work just fine. You would make this choice based on how traditional you want to be and what you plan to do, IE target shoot or hunt.
Next once you pick a type of arrow you have to find the correct spine of an arrow which is the thickness of the wall of the arrow. there are many charts available from the arrow makers that tell you based on the type of bow, IE compound, long bow, or re-curve, your draw length and weight, and weight of field tip what the correct spine is for your bow. Again look at each manufacturers chart because each company uses a different number or system to determine what the right arrow is that they make.
As for the length of your arrow, normally you add 1″ to 1 1/2″ onto your draw length and that is your arrow length. However, this depends on if you are using a shelf, rest etc. and even know rare on a long bow not unheard of if you are using a overdraw this too would change the length of your arrow. The general rule of thumb is always better to be too long rather than too short.
Finally, as far as field tip weight, in general the best thing you can do is use a 100 grain it is the most common. But for your bow depending on the arrow you pick you can shoot anything from 85 grains up to 125 grains. The heaver the slower the arrow, but the more punch or kinetic energy it will have on impact of the target. the lighter the field tip the faster. However, this also means less kinetic energy and your arrow is more impacted by things such as wind, impact with little twigs and such. That is why more recommend 100 grain because it puts you in the middle. So really it will again depend on your desired use, hunting requires more kinetic energy whereas it is of much less concern if you are just target shooting.
Hope this info helps and please let us know if you have any other questions!
I’ve decided I’d like to get back into archery. Ihaven’t nocked an arrow since Boy Scouts and have only ever shot a recurve bow. I’m leaning towards a compound bow. I’d like to be comfortable enough with my skillset to be able to go white tail hunting by next season. Where would you recommend I start, and do you have anyrecomendations for a good compound bow that won’t set me back a HUGE chunk but will be good enough I won’t need to replace it. Upgradeable is a huge plus. Thanks for your time and answer!
Chester,
Great to hear from you and glad to hear you are getting back into the sport.
I would say you are doing the right thing by starting now, if your shooting a bow for the first time it would be good to say leave yourself at least 1 – 2 months to get used to it and good with it. Hunting this upcoming season should be no problem since you are starting early.
As for recommendations, a bow being upgradeable is something less common these days. Finding a bow that has a wide range of draw length and weight isn’t as common as it was say 5 – 6 years ago. Most bows have a 5 inch draw adjustment and 10 lbs in adjustment in the draw weight. As these are the only two things that are really important when looking a “upgradnable” or what I commonly call a versatile bow. All your accessories can be changed at any time.
I have a couple suggestions that wont break your bank, will be a good bow that will last a long time, and be versatile for you. Granted they are not the cheapest out there, but you had said you want something that will last.
My three suggestions:
1. Martin Archery Bangal- Great bow, has 6 inches of draw length adjustment and will adjust 35 lbs from peak weight. Pretty fast and average length and weight for bow’s these days. Not badly priced at $499 msrp
2. Bear Archery Legion – Great all around middle class bow. 5 inches of draw adjustment, and peak draw of 50,60,70. Priced at $399 msrp
3. Diamond Archery Core – Another great middle to upper end bow. Average speed, weight and length. It has 5 inches of draw adjustment and is very adjustable in draw weight going from 40 – 70 lbs. Which is a great plus for this bow. Priced at $499 msrp
After you purchase the bow you can expect to spend anywhere between $100 – 300 on arrows, accessories, etc. depending on what you choose. Unless of course you buy a package and then it will vary but normally add around $100 – $150 to most bows.
Hope these suggestions at least give you a good starting point.
Please feel free to comment back or email us any other questions at all.