Oh hell no. If you've read any of the previous threads on the subject that went nuclear, you know where I stand.
"... and never the twain shall meet." Hence, the dead horse/
Ah, ok. The OP may not have read the 'amish guy shoots rangers dog' thread and not be familiar with the history here.
For the OP: If this is DNR administered land open to hunting, you are typically free to use it for other recreational pursuits like hiking, collecting psychedelic mushrooms, metal detecting etc. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the different seasons for hunting in the state. Southern MD has an extended deer season (because we have so damn many of them) so you may encounter particularly bow-hunters at times outside of the traditional 'deer season' in early december. Having your dog off-leash in a hunting area is a bad idea for two reasons:
- a hunter may accidentally shoot your dog because he mistakes it for a legal game animal
-
some deer hunters are mouth-breathing idiots who think they can shoot any off-leash dog on public land
- if your dog is seen to chase deer, you may end up with a stack of tickets from NRP for interefering with lawful hunt, chasing wildlife etc.
But yes, DNR administered land (wildlife management areas, cooperative wildlife management areas, state forests etc.) are open to the public. Just be considerate to other users.
Edit: Looks like someone found the correct name. Salem State Forest.