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Parks staff open discussion on adding hunting locations; Elms Beach and Myrtle Point remain bow-hunting sites
Summary
A citizen's request prompted an advisory-board discussion at the December 2020 meeting about whether to open additional St. Mary's County park lands to hunting. Staff said Elms Beach and Myrtle Point Park currently permit bow hunting under DNR oversight and described next steps for review and recommendations.
Leonardtown — At the Board of Recreation and Parks' December 2020 meeting, staff introduced an advisory discussion on whether to make additional St. Mary's County parklands available for hunting following a citizen request.
Parks staff said the county currently allows bow hunting only at two county sites: Elms Beach and Myrtle Point Park. “One thing is bow hunting only, so we only allow bow hunting. ... They need to fill out mainly of all of his permit. You need to go to Rex and Parks board and get permission and fill out a permit. When you're there, we have a sign in board,” staff member Roy Kopsey told the board, describing the county permit and sign-in practice. Kopsey said Myrtle Point hunting is administered through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which limits the site to a small number of permit holders at a time.
Kopsey said DNR provides enforcement and safety oversight at those properties: “DNR covers day police. And it's only certain areas that they can allow to hunt. Right. And they have safety zone signs and all that stuff up.” He also told the board that he had not heard complaints about hunting at those sites during his roughly 18 years with the department.
Board members and staff framed the Dec. meeting as an introductory review. Staff said they had prepared background documents about Elms Beach and Myrtle Point Park rules and that the advisory board would examine other public lands, state lands and federal lands where hunting is permitted, then return with recommendations. The board noted that it would coordinate with the county legal department, allow public comment and prepare recommendations to the County Commissioners in the spring.
No formal policy change was made at the meeting; the topic was an introduction and staff said the advisory board would return for a fuller discussion before advising the commissioners. The conversation identified safety, signage, permit procedures and coordination with DNR as the main factors that would determine whether additional county land could be opened to hunting.
