Alert:
Hunting and trapping of wildlife is prohibited in Fairfax County Park Authority parks. See the Park Authority Regulations, §1.10 Hunting and Trapping.
The lone exception is when there is expressly written permission as part of an activity controlled by the Park Authority.
The Fairfax County Deer Management Program is implemented in public parks and overseen by the Fairfax County Police Department. The program manages the abundant local white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. It has strong oversight and regulation to ensure that it is conducted safely.
The primary objective of the program is deer population control on public parklands. Other goals include human safety, protecting human health, reducing environmental damage caused by browsing deer, conserving biodiversity and maintaining healthy deer herds.
The program includes managed volunteer archery and managed shotgun hunts within select county parks.
To report suspected illegal trapping or poaching, please contact the Virginia Conservation Police with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. You may also contact the Park Authority's Park Operations Division at 703-324-8594.