§ 10-404. Hunting, possessing, importing, and selling game venison, birds or game mammals

   (a) "Officially inspected" defined. -- In this section, "officially inspected" means venison inspected and passed in accordance with standards established by the:

   (1) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); or

   (2) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

(b) Venison. --

   (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (c) through (e) of this section, a person may import, sell, offer for sale, purchase, offer to purchase, barter, or exchange domestically raised, officially inspected, and processed venison that the person lawfully obtains, other than white-tailed and sika venison.

   (2) A person who imports, sells, or offers for sale venison shall maintain records documenting the lawful origin of any venison imported or sold, including the species of deer, country or state of origin, the person from whom the venison was obtained, date of delivery, by whom the venison was officially inspected, and quantity of venison.

   (3) These records shall be kept by the importer or seller at the importer's or seller's place of business for a period of 1 year following delivery of the venison.

   (4) The importer or seller shall allow the Department to inspect these records at the importer's or seller's place of business at any reasonable time.

   (5) This subsection does not exempt a person who imports, sells, or offers for sale venison from applicable provisions of Title 21, Subtitles 2 and 3 of the Health - General Article.

(c) Hunting or possession of game birds or game mammals during closed season. --

   (1) A person may not hunt or attempt to hunt any game bird or mammal except during open season.

   (2) Except as provided in this section or as authorized under Subtitle 5 or Subtitle 9 of this title, a person may not possess any game bird or mammal during any closed season whether hunted in the State or in another state, territory, or country.

   (3) A person may possess:

      (i) A dead game bird or dead game mammal legally acquired for use as food;

      (ii) A mounted specimen of a game bird or game mammal legally acquired for personal use;

      (iii) Hair, antlers, feathers, feet, or skin of game birds or game mammals legally acquired for personal use; or

      (iv) Deer antlers that have been manufactured into an article of commerce.

(d) Game birds or mammals imported into State. -- A person may ship or bring into the State by express or as baggage any game bird or game mammal the person legally killed in any other state, territory, or country. The game bird or game mammal shall be accompanied by a copy of the hunter's license and any necessary permit of the state, territory, or country in which the game bird or game mammal was killed. If the state, territory, or country does not require documentation, then the game bird or game mammal shall be accompanied by a statement indicating the owner of the specimen, the owner's address, and the state, territory, or country of origin.

(e) Selling or exchange of game bird or mammal taken from wild. --

   (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection or § 10-512(a)(2)(ii) of this title, a person may not sell, offer for sale, barter, or exchange, at any time within the State any game bird or game mammal taken from the wild, in the State or in another state, territory, or country.

   (2) The prohibitions of paragraph (1) of this subsection do not apply to the:

      (i) Meat, pelt, carcass, or mounted specimen of any beaver, coyote, fisher, fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, otter, raccoon, skunk, or long-tailed weasel legally taken by the person;

      (ii) Hide, hair, tail, or feet, excluding a mounted specimen of deer, squirrel, or rabbit legally acquired;

      (iii) Feathers, skin, or feet, excluding a mounted specimen of upland and forest game birds legally acquired;

      (iv) Except as prohibited by federal law, feathers of wetland game birds legally acquired; or

      (v) Antlers of deer legally acquired in another state and manufactured into an article of commerce in another state.

(f) Deer farming. -- Nothing in this section may be construed as allowing deer farming for the purpose of selling deer meat.

(g) Purchase prohibited if sale prohibited. -- Except as authorized under Subtitle 5 or Subtitle 9 of this title, a person may not purchase, offer to purchase, barter, or exchange any game bird or game mammal or any part of a game bird or game mammal if the sale, offer for sale, barter, or exchange is prohibited by this section.

HISTORY: An. Code 1957, art. 66C, § 132; 1973, 1st Sp. Sess., ch. 4, § 1; 1974, ch. 145; 1975, ch. 89; 1986, ch. 805; 1990, ch. 6, § 2; 1993, ch. 424; 1995, ch. 572; 1996, ch. 451; ch. 689, § 1; 1998, ch. 200; 2000, ch. 690; 2012, ch. 66, § 6.