Oh, Deer! Activists Speak Out Against Deer Hunts in Fairfax County

Several people spoke up against Fairfax County’s deer management program at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

The program allows bow hunting in county parks as one method to alleviate the deer population.

“[We] still love our woods, but we have gone from laughing with delight at the creatures and plants, to treading carefully," said one Fairfax County resident, Elissa Myers. "Officials from manage deer killing program have assured me that we have nothing to fear...but I'm not so sure.... Accidents do happen."

The program began in 2009 because , become road hazards and may transfer diseases to humans.

According to Fairfax County wildlife biologist Vicky Monroe, about 60 to 100 deer per square mile live in Fairfax County, which exceeds the area’s biological carrying capacity of 15 to 20 deer per square mile.

Many of the speakers disputed the county’s statistic on the deer population. A local representatives from the animal right's group In Defense of Animals, the Humane Society of Fairfax County, and the Wildlife Rescue League were among those who spoke.

One spoke out in favor of the program, though Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova noted that additional residents wanted to speak but could not since the board is limited in how many speakers they have per session.

“I have used the trails by two of the parks more then anyone else. I speak in favor of this program,” said Craig Burns, who lives in Vienna. Burns went on to give several reasons for his support, including that “the archery program gives other animals the right to survive in our county.”

A with 193 indicating that they support the deer management program.

The county will not be taking any action on the program in the near future, however, that does not mean that officials are not exploring other options.

"I would ask our staff to always be in search of controlling the population in ways that are as humane as possible," Bulova said.