Laurel Hill a Prime Spot for Archery Hunting

Beginning October 16, managed archery hunting of white-tailed deer will begin at select Fairfax County parks.

The archery hunting is a controversial deer-management technique aimed at keeping the deer population under control. Many residents and animal rights activists feel that deer should be undisturbed, while others feel they are a nuisance and destructive. White-tailed deer populations have soared to more than 100 deer per square mile at some county parks, such as Colvin Run. A sustainable ecosystem number is 20-25 deer per square mile.                   

Deer can be an environmental nightmare in overpopulated areas. They carry diseases, damage property, cause auto accidents and ruin ecosystems. In the past two years, more than 400 people in Fairfax County were diagnosed with Lyme disease. Lyme is a tick borne bacteria illness carried by deer ticks. It is potentially devastating to its victims both, financially and physically. When deer are in residential areas in the numbers that they are now, the chances of this illness and other tick borne illnesses spreading is increased dramatically.

Most anyone with landscaping on their property knows the havoc deer can wreak on plants and trees. Numerous auto accidents involving deer occur in Fairfax County every year resulting in millions of dollars in damages to vehicles and their occupants. Deer also destroy ecosystems by overgrazing areas leading to erosion and loss of biodiversity.

To control the Deer population, Fairfax County began the Deer Management Program in 1997. The goal is to maintain a healthy number of deer herds while minimizing personal injury and property damage to residents. The program implemented three control methods: Public hunts, sharpshooting, and the Archery Program. Managed hunts are four days in the fall in two areas. Sharpshooting is carried out by Fairfax County Police officers using rifles. The Archery Program is the most common method to control deer and has one of the lowest wound rates, with only 3 of 78 deer being wounded. The rest were killed.

As mentioned, on October 16, the 2011 Archery Program hunting season begins. To participate, citizens must be a member of an archery group. Application for archery groups expired on September 10, so if you're interested you'll have to wait until next year.

Hunts are conducted at 13 different area parks this year. In South County, Huntley Meadows and Laurel Hill Park will be participating. Thirty-six of the 75 total deer harvested through archery were at Laurel Hill during the 2010 season.

Hunting is only allowed in defined areas of the parks. Participants must hunt from tree stands 20-30 feet off the ground. No tree stands are allowed within 50 feet of park paths or 100 feet of residential property. All deer that are harvested must be weighed and measured, and that information must be given to a county wildlife biologist. All efforts possible must be made to find wounded deer. A mandatory two hours before the day of hunts, notices will be posted in and around parks as well as posted online.

For more information on Archery Hunting in Fairfax County, visit the county website here.