On Wednesday, January 21 members of the Howard County Council will meet to discuss CB1-2009; new hunting regulations that will effectively ban all firearm and muzzleloader hunting within Howard County.

The measure would double to 300 yards the minimum distance for shooting near a building. The minimum remains 150 yards for those at least 10 feet off the ground in a stand and shooting downward.  The state statutory minimum for all hunting is 150 yards.  In addition, shooting within 100 yards of a public road is prohibited.  These two provisions together will prohibit many forms of hunting on thousands of acres of traditional hunting lands throughout the county.

Incredibly, the measure would also make it unlawful for a hunter to shoot in the direction of a building or camp if the distance to the building or camp is within the “maximum range” of the firearm or muzzleloader (arguably up to two miles for standard hunting loads depending on who’s doing the math).  This radical and subjective provision will ban virtually all firearms and muzzleloader hunting within the county.  If a provision like this were in effect nationwide, hunting would be restricted to only the most remote locations in America. 

This proposal is an unfortunate knee-jerk reaction to an isolated incident that occurred in the county.  The fact is that hunting remains one of the safest forms of recreation in the country according to the National Safety Council. 

This proposal will be discussed at a public hearing on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Howard County Board of Education Building’s Board Room located at 10910 Route 108 in Ellicott City.

Please attend this public hearing and voice your opposition to this attack on Maryland’s hunting heritage.  If you are unable to attend, please contact the members of the County Council TODAY and respectfully urge them to OPPOSE this anti-hunting measure.

The general phone number for the County Council is (410) 313-2001 and the fax number is (410) 313-3297.

District 1:
Courtney Watson, Council Member
Email: cwatson@howardcountymd.gov

District 2:
Calvin Ball, Council Member
Email: cbball@howardcountymd.gov

District 3:
Jen Terrasa, Vice Chairperson
Email: jterrasa@howardcountymd.gov

District 4:
Mary Kay Sigaty, Chair
Email: mksigaty@howardcountymd.gov

District 5:
Greg Fox, Council Member
Email: gfox@howardcountymd.gov