Somerset County, Maryland · 13,565 acres
Deal Island Wildlife Management Area Hunting 2026: Species & Access
Deal Island Wildlife Management Area covers 13,565 acres near Deal Island in Somerset County. Eastern Shore tidal marsh built around a roughly 2,800-acre managed impoundment, with flat trails through the marsh popular for hiking and off-road cycling alongside the hunting.
01 — What you can hunt here
| Species | Notes |
|---|---|
| Waterfowl | The impoundment is the whole reason this WMA exists in its current form — ducks and geese are the primary draw. |
| Deer | Huntable on the upland portions outside the managed impoundment. |
02 — Access rules specific to this WMA
- The 2,800-acre impoundment itself runs a controlled-hunt lottery, not plain license access: a permit is required on every open hunting day during the regular duck season, drawn through an annual application (deadline early September).
- Impoundment hunting is limited to specific days per segment — opening day and Saturdays in the October segment; opening day, Saturdays, and the Friday after Thanksgiving in November; opening day, Saturdays, and (from Jan. 1) Wednesdays in the December-January segment.
- Upland areas outside the impoundment follow Maryland's standard hunting-license rules, without the lottery.
04 — Facilities
Camping: No camping facilities. No shooting range on-site.
Flat marsh trails are used for hiking and off-road cycling outside of hunting season.
05 — Where to go next
Deal Island is Maryland's clearest example of a two-tier access system on a single WMA: the 2,800-acre impoundment that makes the area famous for waterfowl runs on an annual lottery permit with a fixed weekly hunting schedule, while the surrounding upland acreage (of 13,565 total) is open to any licensed hunter without that extra step. A hunter chasing ducks here needs to plan around the September application deadline; a hunter after deer on the uplands doesn't.
Maryland hunting license costs and permits →
Verified · Maryland Department of Natural Resources · Last verified 2026-08-13
Publisher's note. Read from DNR, retrieved 2026-08-13. Review due 2027-08-01. WMA-specific rules and closures can change between seasons — confirm before you hunt.