Hunting - Nonlead Ammunition, Fox Chasing, and Deer Management

HB 741 redefines "hunt" to include fox chasing and creates a Deer Management Assistance Program within Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources to help farmers manage deer on private land. The bill requires the Department of Budget and Management to add a full-time employee by July 1, 2026, to administer this program. It mandates a phased transition to nonlead ammunition for all game hunting, requiring full compliance by July 1, 2029, with earlier deadlines for specific game types (e.g., pen-raised birds by 2026, upland birds by 2027). Unarmed fox chasers must hold a hunting license but are exempt from certain hunting regulations, while all hunters must use nonlead ammunition for game species by 2029.