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During
their meeting on October 2000, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
approved a pilot archery program for the purpose of reducing the
County’s deer herd population. Prior to this meeting, the Fairfax
County Park Authority Board also approved the use of archery pending
completed research to determine the most appropriate sites for
conducting this pilot. After several months of research and planning,
Park Authority Staff will be implementing this pilot in cooperation
with the County Police Department, the County’s Wildlife Biologist,
and representatives of the State Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries.
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This County’s
pilot archery program will be conducted within park areas closed
to the public. These areas will be clearly marked and surrounded
by wide, well-posted buffers to prevent accidental entry. Within
these areas, expert archers will use tree stands located from
10 to 15 feet above the ground that will provide excellent visibility.
All arrows released from these stands will be at a downward angle,
severely restricting the distance that arrows can travel. Any
person entering into a restricted area will be easily seen by
the archers and will be asked to leave the property immediately.
Archers participating in this program are skilled marksmen who
have been trained and certified in range of subjects pertaining
to field protocols and safety.
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Archery has
been shown to be a safe and effective tool for controlling deer
populations on public and private lands in Fairfax County and
across the Country:
- For many years, archery has been used in
Fairfax County to reduce the County’s deer population:
- Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge
- Fort Belvoir
- Private property
- During 1998 and 1999 hunting seasons, archery
was used to take over 70% of all deer taken in the County
- In jurisdictions throughout the United
States, archery has been safely used to control deer populations
in urban and residential areas as well as in areas difficult
to access through other means
- Archery has an advantage over firearms
in that it is quieter and provides the benefits of close proximity
of the hunter to the deer
- Most deer are taken by archers less than
twenty yards away – the close proximity of deer to archer
helps promote visibility and accuracy
- Expert archers are able to quickly and
humanely take deer in areas where firearms are not safely
or effectively used
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Two managed archery hunts will
be conducted during the fall of 2002. The first managed
archery hunt will be coordinated by Northern Virginia
Archers (NORVA) and will be held at Fountainhead Regional
Park. The hunt dates will be October 21 through October
24, 2002. To participate in this hunt you must contact
Irene Stocksdale, Secretary Treasurer of NORVA at (703)
670-5003 or via email at istocksdale@rcn.com.
The second managed archery hunt
will be coorindated by Belvoir Bowhunters and will be
held at Fairfax County's Huntley Meadows Park. The hunt
dates will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of every
week (excluding Thanksgiving week) starting October 15
and ending December 12. To participate in this hunt you
must contact Belvoir Bowhunters via email at bbhunters@yahoo.com
or go to their website.
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| The County and
Park Authority staff welcomes your questions. Please call Todd
Bolton at the Fairfax County Park Authority at (703) 324-8555
or David Lawlor, County Wildlife Biologist Assistant at (703)
324-0215. |
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