Blood trackers and deer recovery in Somerset County, Maryland
No vetted tracker covers Somerset County yet. The closest help is in Dorchester County, and trackers travel. The season dates, safety zone and local rules below still apply here, and searching this registry is free.
Call a tracker from a neighboring county
Nobody has claimed Somerset County in this registry yet. That does not mean you are out of options. Handlers routinely drive an hour or more for a good call, and a tracker two counties over who picks up the phone beats a local one who does not exist. Start with the closest county and work outward.
You can also scan the whole registry on the home page or browse every county. When you call, say up front that you are in Somerset County so the handler can judge the drive before they commit.
Hunting Somerset County
Somerset 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
Sunday deer hunting is allowed on private land, and on public land only where that land is leased to a hunt club.
Safety zone
Somerset 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.
Rules that only apply here
These are the Somerset County specifics that catch people out. They sit on top of the statewide rules, they do not replace them.
Chesapeake Forest Lands have their own setbacks
The state manages Chesapeake Forest Lands in tracts throughout this county, and the rules there are stricter than on other public ground: no hunting within 150 yards of an occupied building or camp, and none within 150 feet of any outside boundary of the tract. Because these are small scattered parcels, that boundary strip covers a lot of the edge cover deer run to. Tracking counts as hunting, so a deer that crosses in near the line lands in the one place you cannot follow it.
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.
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.
Counties next to Somerset
Trackers travel. If nobody in Somerset County is free, try a neighboring county.
Track in Somerset County?
Somerset County has nobody listed at all, so a handler here would be the only name local hunters find. If you run a tracking dog or a recovery drone in the county, apply to be listed. Every application is reviewed and verified before it goes public.
Start your application