Bow Hunting Permit Applications

[Sharon]

Recreation and Parks Accepting Permit Applications for County-Managed Elms Hunting Area

The Board of County Commissioners for St. Mary's County and the Department of Recreation and Parks announce that applications for bow hunting permits are now being accepted for the County managed Elms hunting area. This area is part of the overall 1,020 acre Elms property which is owned by the State of Maryland and of which 476 acres is leased to the County for an Environmental Education Center and Elms Beach Park. Eighty-five (85) acres of the County managed area is being made available for bow hunting.

To apply for an annual permit, hunters must provide a 2011-2012 Maryland Hunting License number, address, date of birth, telephone number(s) and vehicle tag number(s). Hunters may download an application at St. Mary's County Government - Department of# Recreation and Parks and mail in or fax or apply in person to St. Mary's County Recreation and Parks, P.O. Box 653, 23150 Leonard Hall Drive, Leonardtown, MD 20650, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. There is no fee for the County hunting permit.

Some facts to remember:

-- Only bow hunting for deer will be allowed on this 85-acre site. The annual deer bow hunting season is generally between September 15 and January 31 each year. Check the State DNR website for specific dates for bow hunting.

-- Hunter access to this site is from the Elms Beach Park entrance road only. Hunters information board, kiosk and small parking area near Bay Forest Road are available for hunter use. Hunters are not allowed to access the site from the State of Maryland managed hunting area.

-- No more than six (6) bow hunters are allowed on the site at any given time. This will be monitored by a daily hunter sign-in sheet, on an honor system basis, and will be monitored periodically by R&P staff.

-- To hunt on this site, hunters must have a valid Maryland hunters' license; a permit from R&P displayed on the vehicle dash; and sign-in and sign-in out at the information kiosk.

-- Permission to hunt does not include permission to trap, target shoot, build tree stands, camp, build fires or litter. Failure to comply with these rules may result in a fine and/or suspension from the program.

For more information on registration, please call the R&P main office at (301) 475-4200 extension 1800 or 1801. For information on the site or rules and regulations, please call (301) 863-8400, extension 3570 during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

 

[limblips]

I have taken many deer off the Elms but that was before they closed 90% of it to hunters. There is no reason for it to be like it is except a few people in the Environmental Center don't like hunting. There was a break-in and vandalism a few years ago and it was voiced that it was probably "those hunters". One woman (I have a different word for her but don't want to get banned) was/is the major moron behind all of the crap. Even the landowners surrounding it did not want to see the majority of thge land closed off to hunting.

 

[bulldog]

I have taken many deer off the Elms but that was before they closed 90% of it to hunters. There is no reason for it to be like it is except a few people in the Environmental Center don't like hunting. There was a break-in and vandalism a few years ago and it was voiced that it was probably "those hunters". One woman (I have a different word for her but don't want to get banned) was/is the major moron behind all of the crap. Even the landowners surrounding it did not want to see the majority of thge land closed off to hunting.

If you and I are thinking about the same woman, her name is Mary (we'll leave the last name out) and she used to run the Environmental Education Center. When she retired, she was placed on the Elms Advisory Committee as a "citizen at large"...one of two new citizen at large positions they added to the committee after much gnashing of teeth between an active group of hunters, Department of Land Use and Growth Management and the BOCC. One of the hunters (retired Navy Captain) got the other position, but it did little good. Her vote still went as it always went and the other vote was a lone voice among the group.
I attended many meetings on this issue, dating back several years. Our (the hunters') argument was that they (the Ed center) had WAY more land that they would ever use for the program. They came to meetings armed with maps indicating what their dream was for the property, but in fact, there was no funding to support the dream. They then argued "safety of the children" as the reason for the half mile safety buffer between the center and the authorized hunting areas. This went round and round and round. I will say that Dan Raley tried to help us out and actually agreed to go on a windshield tour with me to see the area and exactly how much the Ed center had claim to. To my knowledge he was the only one who ever did take a real interest.
The 85 acres being talked about now is "additional" area that was added on as part of a compromise between the two groups. It made the county feel good about itself, but did little to please the hunters.
ALL that being said, bowhunting the Elms can be very productive as there are...or at least were...very few who bow hunt it. Doing away with the call in reservation system may have lured a few more hunters down there, but all in all it was always under hunted during bow season when I went there. Thankfully I have found private land and no longer need to deal with it.

 

[somdshootnet]

Maybe the county should just turn the property into a public skeet/clay/trap shooting ranges. Open a 200-300 yard rifle/shotgun shooting range, offer a 50 yard pistol shooting range, throw in a nice archery range and really cash in on the profits. Build nice multi station shooting ranges and they will come since Southern Maryland has nothing like this.

 

[blacklabman]

Maybe the county should just turn the property into a public skeet/clay/trap shooting ranges. Open a 200-300 yard rifle/shotgun shooting range, offer a 50 yard pistol shooting range, throw in a nice archery range and really cash in on the profits. Build nice multi station shooting ranges and they will come since Southern Maryland has nothing like this.

Ever hear of Sanner's Lake Sportsman's Club? Or are you just being sarcastic? Granted, it's not public (some of the time).

 

[desertrat]

Maybe the county should just turn the property into a public skeet/clay/trap shooting ranges. Open a 200-300 yard rifle/shotgun shooting range, offer a 50 yard pistol shooting range, throw in a nice archery range and really cash in on the profits. Build nice multi station shooting ranges and they will come since Southern Maryland has nothing like this.

That would be nice.

 

[Merlin99]

Ever hear of Sanner's Lake Sportsman's Club? Or are you just being sarcastic? Granted, it's not public (some of the time).

How long is the waiting list to join now?

 

[desertrat]

How long is the waiting list to join now?

No new apps until April. When I applied I got accepted the first April. Apply now if you want in. You do need two sponsors though.

 

[blacklabman]

How long is the waiting list to join now?

I would guess about two years. Not everybody made the cut on 1 May.

 

[Gilligan]

I would guess about two years. Not everybody made the cut on 1 May.

Not public to start with AND a two-years waiting list = non-existent/irrelevant for all practical purposes of discussion.

I belong to a private club that has about 30-40 acres on an island . The membership has dwindled over the years, especially the members who actively hunt, and now the deer population has grown so large (I estimated 50-plus last year) that they are generally sickly and pretty poor looking animals.

Problem is...the only access is by water and a fair distance of it at that, so the club can't really solicit any help from non-member hunters to control the problem. Access is by permission only and by club vessel so that's expensive too.

I'm going to put together a couple groups to work the problem this season (again) but I do not bow hunt so it will be during black powder and shotgun seasons.

 

[Merlin99]

Not public to start with AND a two-years waiting list = non-existent/irrelevant for all practical purposes of discussion.

I belong to a private club that has about 30-40 acres on an island . The membership has dwindled over the years, especially the members who actively hunt, and now the deer population has grown so large (I estimated 50-plus last year) that they are generally sickly and pretty poor looking animals.

Problem is...the only access is by water and a fair distance of it at that, so the club can't really solicit any help from non-member hunters to control the problem. Access is by permission only and by club vessel so that's expensive too.

I'm going to put together a couple groups to work the problem this season (again) but I do not bow hunt so it will be during black powder and shotgun seasons.

Is this over on the eastern shore, right outside of the Blackwater refuge?

 

[Gilligan]

Is this over on the eastern shore, right outside of the Blackwater refuge?

No, its on the Potomac. But the limited/difficult access combined with the political issues associated with gaining general membership agreement have always made it diffcult to organize some serious and regular hunting 'expeditions' that would really cull the herd.

I'm working the problem though.

 

[Merlin99]

No, its on the Potomac. But the limited/difficult access combined with the political issues associated with gaining general membership agreement have always made it diffcult to organize some serious and regular hunting 'expeditions' that would really cull the herd.

I'm working the problem though.

I was wondering because the daughter in laws father has the same issue over there.

 

[Inkd]

I would guess about two years. Not everybody made the cut on 1 May.

The list at Sanners is directly related to how many people renew their memberships.

If 75 people do not renew, they take the first 75 applicaions in waiting and start contacting them to see if they are still interested in joining. They keep going until all 75 slots are filled. This year was a small turnover, I believe there were only 52 open slots and over 100 people on the waiting list.

It would be great to have a public range like Myrtle Grove here in SOMD. Before I got into Sanner's I drove up to the grove every weekend and that got old quick.

Wasn't the majority of the land at the Elm's reserved for use as a nuclear power plant location??

 

[ylexot]

I was about to say that the 2011-2012 guide wasn't available from DNR yet, but it looks like it is:
The Official 2011-2012 Maryland Hunting & Trapping Guide from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources | Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping | eRegulations.com

 

[thatguy]

The list at Sanners is directly related to how many people renew their memberships.

If 75 people do not renew, they take the first 75 applicaions in waiting and start contacting them to see if they are still interested in joining. They keep going until all 75 slots are filled. This year was a small turnover, I believe there were only 52 open slots and over 100 people on the waiting list.

It would be great to have a public range like Myrtle Grove here in SOMD. Before I got into Sanner's I drove up to the grove every weekend and that got old quick.

Wasn't the majority of the land at the Elm's reserved for use as a nuclear power plant location??

I beleive the county purchased it as a potential site, but then BG&E prefered the site/deal they got with calvert cliffs.
I dont think there are any more plans to make elms a nuclear plant site.

 

[bulldog]

The list at Sanners is directly related to how many people renew their memberships.

If 75 people do not renew, they take the first 75 applicaions in waiting and start contacting them to see if they are still interested in joining. They keep going until all 75 slots are filled. This year was a small turnover, I believe there were only 52 open slots and over 100 people on the waiting list.

It would be great to have a public range like Myrtle Grove here in SOMD. Before I got into Sanner's I drove up to the grove every weekend and that got old quick.

Wasn't the majority of the land at the Elm's reserved for use as a nuclear power plant location??

I forget her name, but there is/was a lady on the Elms Advisory Committee who represented the power plant issue. She never said much so I don't know the degree to which they have/had rights.

You can Google "Elms Advisory Committee" and the second document that comes up is a long, but interesting read into the history.

 

[Inkd]

I forget her name, but there is/was a lady on the Elms Advisory Committee who represented the power plant issue. She never said much so I don't know the degree to which they have/had rights.

You can Google "Elms Advisory Committee" and the second document that comes up is a long, but interesting read into the history.

I was following it for awhile, some good friends of mine own property that butt right up against the Elms and were pretty involved with the retired Captain, I met him a couple times but can't remember his name. I was supposed to make the meetings but travel kept getting in the way and I never made it. I never hunted it but my friends always had some good luck there. Man, I would love to have a place where I can walk a few hundred yards out my back yard and be in a stand.

 

[bulldog]

I was following it for awhile, some good friends of mine own property that butt right up against the Elms and were pretty involved with the retired Captain, I met him a couple times but can't remember his name. I was supposed to make the meetings but travel kept getting in the way and I never made it. I never hunted it but my friends always had some good luck there. Man, I would love to have a place where I can walk a few hundred yards out my back yard and be in a stand.

I assume your friends are S & C. Know them well. Very good folks and they sure did put a lot of effort into the situation...mostly to no avail. She is a fighter and I remember one meeting where she was running a little late. Seems the committee thought (much to their liking) that she was not going to show up, but when she walked through the door, the wind went out of their sails. It was pretty funny.
This was back before the captain was part of the committee and we were just a group of hunters trying to fight for what we thought was right. At one of the meetings I began to say something and he (the captain) turned around and told me to be quiet. Seems he thought he carried the authority of his rank into the private sector (i was active duty, but not in an official capacity at the time). We had a little chat after the meeting and he admitted he messed up. More than anything it pizzed me off because it made us look divided on the issues.

 

[somdshootnet]

Ever hear of Sanner's Lake Sportsman's Club? Or are you just being sarcastic? Granted, it's not public (some of the time).

Yes I have actually, but with all due respect, most people have no desire to join a club with high expenses that they don't need. They don't have time to wait to be accepted in a club house. They have no desire to find some one on the inside to bring them in. People like to go shoot and be done.

What is the currently membership fee for Sanners ?
What is the waiting time to get in the place now ?

How many guys want to go shoot for fun but absolutely know noone who is a current member? A lot.

The "clubs" present the atmosphere to the general public that you have to be a social clique in order to be a member of one. People don't want to be in a clique to go shoot their guns.