Maryland Complimentary Lifetime Hunting and Fishing Licenses

The Department of Natural Resources issues complimentary lifetime licenses to a Maryland resident in one of three groups: a 100% service-connected disabled veteran, a veteran VA determines is unemployable, or a former prisoner of war. Bring a VA letter and the signed application. The lifetime license is issued at a Licensing and Registration Service Center. It is not sold online or at a retail agent. The hunting license includes the bow stamp, the muzzleloader stamp, the sika deer stamp, and the furbearer permit. It does not include the Maryland migratory game bird stamp or the federal migratory bird stamp. Those are bought each year. Deer and turkey hunters still keep a harvest record. The fishing license, as the department military page describes it, includes the nontidal angler license, the trout stamp, the Chesapeake Bay sport fishing license, and the recreational oyster license. A former prisoner of war, a veteran VA finds unemployable, and a 100% service-connected disabled veteran are the same three groups. A nonresident can receive the lifetime license only when that person certifies the same status and the home state offers a similar license to Maryland residents. Ask the service center before assuming a nonresident qualifies. The rating filter follows the 100% rating and the unemployability finding. A former prisoner of war can qualify with no disability rating. A Purple Heart discount on ordinary annual licenses is a separate entry.