Glossary of Terms

The following definitions are for use when reading this guide:

Antlered sika deer: a sika deer with at least one antler visible above the hair line.

Antlered white-tailed deer: a white-tailed deer with 2 or more points to one antler, or a white-tailed deer with one antler 3 or more inches long, measuring from the top of the skull in a living deer.

Antlerless sika or white-tailed deer: is any sika or white-tailed deer not antlered.

Bag limit: the number of game birds and game mammals that can be legally taken.

Blind: any man-made or natural material that conceals a hunter from full or partial view but not worn by the hunter.

Blind site: a specific location in the water where a person may hunt wild waterfowl from a boat or raft which is tied to or anchored at a stake and is not a permanent structure.

Bow: includes vertical bows (compound, recurve or straight limb bows) and crossbows.

Closed season: the time period when a person may not hunt a species of game bird or mammal and includes any period of time not included within the open season.

Dark geese: Canada geese and white-fronted geese.

Falconry: hunting with the aid of birds of prey (falcons, hawks, owls).

Furbearing mammals: beaver, bobcat, coyote, fisher, gray fox, long-tailed weasel, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, raccoon, red fox, and skunks.

Game birds: brant, coot, crow, ducks, gallinule, geese, mergansers, mourning dove, pheasant, quail, rails, ruffed grouse, snipe, swans, wild turkey, and woodcock.

Game mammals: black bear, deer, fox squirrels (except Delmarva subspecies), furbearing mammals, gray squirrels, rabbit, and red squirrels.

Hunting: capturing, catching, gigging, killing, pursuing, shooting, or trapping or attempting to capture, catch, gig, kill, pursue, shoot, or trap or in any manner take any bird or mammal into personal possession.

Hunting devices: a term used to describe legal equipment for hunting during certain seasons or for certain species of wildlife, e.g., a type of bow or firearm.

Jaw spread: the distance between the inside of both jaws of a trap when measured across the trap jaws on a line perpendicular to a line drawn through the jaw pivot points when the trap is in a set position.

Light geese: snow geese and Ross’s geese.

Muzzleloader firearm: a handgun, rifle, or shotgun which is loaded from the muzzle or a revolver which is loaded from the front of the cylinder.

Nighttime: the time beginning one half hour after sunset and ending one half hour before sunrise the following day.

Nongame birds and mammals: every wild bird or mammal not classified as a game bird or mammal.

Open season: the time when a person can lawfully hunt or trap.

Place of kill: the immediate and specific location where a harvested game animal is recovered.

Protected birds and mammals: any wild bird or mammal not included within the definition of game bird, game mammal, unprotected bird or unprotected mammal.

Riparian owner: the owner of shoreline land.

Snare trap: any device constructed of cord, cable or other material, which forms a loop and is designed or set with the intent of capturing a furbearer by the neck.

Stationary blind: a permanent offshore structure built on pilings or stakes and used for hunting wild waterfowl.

Unprotected bird: house sparrow, European starling.

Unprotected mammal: nutria, woodchuck.

Waterfowl: ducks and geese.

Wildlife: any living creature, wild by nature, endowed with sensation and power of voluntary motion and including amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles which spend a majority of their life cycle on land.