The Fairfax County Deer Management Archery Program will begin on Saturday, September 6, 2025, and continue through February 14, 2026. The program operates under the oversight of the Fairfax County Police Department in partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority, NOVA Parks, and other public landholders.
Signs are posted at park entrances and trailheads to indicate areas where the archery program is active. The initiative started in fiscal year 2010 as part of a broader effort to manage the white-tailed deer population in Fairfax County. The aim is to reduce safety and health risks such as deer-vehicle collisions, potential disease spread, and environmental damage caused by an overabundance of deer. The program was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2000 and has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) as a safe and effective method for controlling deer populations.
According to county officials, archery is considered a suitable management tool because it can be used safely near residential neighborhoods and community parks. Since Virginia began recording hunting injuries in 1959, there have been no reports of bystanders being injured by an archer hunting deer anywhere in the state.
The archery program covers more than 100 properties throughout Fairfax County. Last season, hunters using archery harvested 547 deer, accounting for 91% of all deer taken through the county’s management efforts.
County wildlife staff monitor herd health as part of their work, including surveillance for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. In the previous season, samples were collected from 368 harvested deer across 92 parks and properties; most samples came from hunter-harvested animals via archery. No new cases of CWD were detected during the 2024-2025 hunting season. Since fiscal year 2020, staff have tested a total of 1,626 deer through this program.
All participating archers must meet state licensing requirements and pass education courses focused on safety and marksmanship. Additional training through the International Bowhunter Education Program is required along with a criminal background check before approval from the Fairfax County Police Department. Only those who complete these steps may hunt within designated parks.
Parks remain open to visitors while hunting takes place. Fluorescent orange signs identify authorized hunting locations. Hunters may only shoot from elevated tree stands—not from ground level—and must keep their stands at least 100 feet away from property lines and at least 50 feet from established trails. Hunting is allowed Monday through Saturday during legal hours but not on Sundays or without landowner permission on private property.
Further details about the program are available at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/wildlife/deer-management-program
