Blood Tracking Dogs of Maryland Blood Tracking Dogs of Maryland (443) 293-2395 BaltimoreCarrollFrederickHarfordHoward Free Howard County
Blood trackers and deer recovery in Howard County, Maryland
4 vetted trackers cover Howard County: 2 tracking dog handlers and 3 drone operators. Call or text them directly. Searching this registry is free.
Region B No Sunday deer hunting CWD Management Area
Who can help in Howard County
Closest trackers first. Every listing is reviewed before it goes public, and each tracker sets their own fee, so check the profile before you call.
Blood Tracking Dogs of Maryland Blood Tracking Dogs of Maryland (443) 293-2395 BaltimoreCarrollFrederickHarfordHoward Free 
Thermal Trace Drone Services (443) 338-3747 BaltimoreCarrollFrederickHarfordHoward $ 
Stewart Drone Operations (667) 201-8553 Anne ArundelBaltimoreHowardMontgomeryQueen Anne's $ Local rules
Hunting Howard County
Howard County sits in Region B, which covers the rest of the state, from Frederick and Montgomery east to the Eastern Shore.
Region B deer seasons, 2026–2027
- Archery
- Sep. 11–Oct. 21, Oct. 25–Nov. 27, Dec. 14–18, Jan. 3–7, Jan. 11–31
- Firearms
- Nov. 28–Dec. 12 and Jan. 8–10
- Muzzleloader
- Oct. 22–24, Oct. 26–31, Dec. 19–Jan. 2
Sunday deer hunting
Howard County does not allow Sunday deer hunting.
Safety zone
Howard County keeps the full statewide safety zone. Nobody may hunt or shoot within 150 yards of an occupied building, or shoot at a deer standing inside that ring, without advance permission from the owner or occupant. That applies to archery here too.
Archers hunting under a county deer management permit, or in a hunting program the county runs, work to 50 yards instead. Between 50 and 150 yards those hunters have to be in an elevated position that lets them shoot on a downward angle.
Chronic Wasting Disease
Howard County is inside the Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area, which covers Allegany, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties. A whole carcass may not leave that block of counties unless it is going straight to an approved processor or taxidermist, or to a landfill inside the area. To carry deboned meat or quarters out, you have to check the deer in and get a confirmation number first. Worth sorting out before a late recovery turns into a long drive home.
Maryland DNR: chronic wasting disease and approved processors
Rules that only apply here
These are the Howard County specifics that catch people out. They sit on top of the statewide rules, they do not replace them.
The dog ordinance names tracking
Howard County has the clearest language in the state for a handler. A dog is not at large when it is under the control of someone able to restrain it immediately and is being trained or used in herding, hunting or tracking. That settles the leash-law question before it starts, though it says nothing about permission to be on the land.
Unlimited antlerless deer with a bow
The whole county sits in the Suburban Deer Management Zone, where there is no cap on antlerless deer taken with a vertical bow or crossbow during archery season. Muzzleloader and firearms seasons keep their normal limits, and the zone does not add any extra days. It does mean the archery pressure here is heavier than anywhere else in the state, which is a big part of why suburban tracking calls cluster in these five counties.
Guns stay 100 yards off any public road
The county code is unusually tight on firearms. No gun may be discharged from, onto, across or within 100 yards of a public road, which on Howard County parcel shapes rules out a lot of ground on its own. Inside the metropolitan district you need at least ten acres and a shotgun; outside it, hunting is allowed on your own land or with prior written permission. The practical result the county states itself is that firearms hunting is limited to the rural district and to metropolitan parcels over ten acres.
No bottleneck rifles or handguns
During firearms season this county allows shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles and handguns, air guns, muzzleloaders and archery equipment. A rifle or handgun firing a bottleneck cartridge is not legal for deer here, which rules out most of the classic deer calibers. Straight-walled rifles are legal in every Maryland county, so a .350 Legend or .450 Bushmaster travels anywhere.
Dates and rules here are a summary of the 2026–2027 season and may contain errors. Always verify with the Maryland DNR before you hunt. Full dates, legal light, and Sunday details are on our season calendar.
Before you call
Give the tracker the best chance
Back out and stop grid searching. Walking the area spreads scent and turns a clean line into a puzzle. Mark the hit site and the last blood you found, note the time of the shot and what the deer did, then call. In Maryland the tracker also has to notify the Natural Resources Police before the search starts and close it out when it ends, whether they are running a dog or a drone, and a tracking dog stays leashed the whole time.
Losing the light is not a reason to give up. If the deer was hit during legal shooting hours you may keep after it and finish it after dark, with a weapon legal for the season and a light on the animal, so long as you call the Natural Resources Police before you carry on and again when the search ends. A bear is different: that one has to be finished in legal light.
Not sure whether a dog or a drone fits your situation? Our dog or drone guide walks through when each one wins.
Nearby
Counties next to Howard
Trackers travel. If nobody in Howard County is free, try a neighboring county.
Join
Not on the list?
We welcome experienced handlers and new trackers. If you are just getting started, reach out early for guidance during training and testing, and help finding a mentor who can guide you through your first season. Email info@mdbloodtrackers.net or join the Facebook group.
Applications are closed. We will reopen next summer, July/August, after the testing season, to join for the 2027/28 season.