Archers take 26 deer in local parks so far during 2015-16 hunting season
Since Fairfax County’s deer hunting season started Sept. 12, 26 deer have been “harvested” in parks in the Annandale/Mason area.
According to data provided by Katherine Edwards, wildlife management specialist with the Fairfax County Police Department, archers certified by the county have reported the following results for local parks:
Accotink Stream Valley Park: 5 deer harvested
Bren Mar Park – 7
Eakin Community Park – 1
Lake Accotink – 2
Lillian Carey Park – 1
Long Branch Stream Valley – 4
Roundtree Park – 2
Turkeycock Run Stream Valley – 2
Wakefield Park – 2
Mason District Park – none
During the first two weeks of the 2015-16 season – Sept. 12-14 – a total 159 deer were harvested by 109 archers throughout the 48 parks countywide in the deer management program. A total of 379 archers representing 22 hunting organizations have been approved for the program.
As of Sept. 24, archers have logged 1,239 entries in the electronic database to document deer management activity in authorized public parks. Three-quarters of those entries report hunting attempts that yielded no deer. About 13 percent reported deer harvested, and the rest of the entries report non-hunting activities, such as installing a deer stand or scoping out an area.
Residents near Annandale Community Park are expected to receive notices in mid-October about a first-time sharpshooting operation to occur in the park as part of the county’s deer management program. Sharpshooting will occur on up to three evenings between December and February; dates haven’t yet been determined.
7 responses to “Archers take 26 deer in local parks so far during 2015-16 hunting season”
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Maybe next the county is going to allow AK-47s in the neighborhood's parks to "manage" the deer population.
Ha! Ha! So amusing, this joak!
Stupid Troll Alert – Anonymous 10/13 6:58AM – certainly qualifies as an arrogant ignorant troll.
Expect Karma to address this situation by having the Troll be in a moving vehicle/deer collision. Then the Troll may begin to understand why it is necessary to "harvest" excessive number of deer from local green spaces.
Arrogant Ignorant Trolls have the luxury of living in their stupid bubbles and making up their own realities that are amazingly science-free.
Thinning herds to sustain a healthy wildlife population based on the "carrying capacity" of the land is entirely sensible and should be applauded. The resulting venison provides a healthy alternative to fatty beef for county-run
food services. Everybody wins, including the deer population.
As long as its in a large park, away from homes and playgrounds, and with plenty of notices hung up for safety, I see no problem with this. I just don't want some 'yahoo' with a bow and arrow shooting deer in my neighbor's yard or in some small park right down the street…
A friend of mine, a skilled bow hunter, has worked with Hunters for the Hungry for many years now, in other parts of the county. (Note: HFTH won't accept carcasses that have been illegally "harvested" or from unlicensed hunters.) I personally am not exactly a fan of hunting, but he's definitely not a stereotypical "yahoo" with any sort of blood-lust or the idea that his ability to kill another animal makes him some sort of macho dude. He completely understands the impact that people (and the absence of natural predators like wolves) have had on suburban ecosystems and cares about providing a quick and even dignified end for the animals, as well as a healthy source of food for those who have few other resources.
However, I live right next to the Annandale Community Park and am curious to know why I haven't heard about the hunt here until very recently–but thank you, Blog! My community association seems to be atypically unaware.
Saw two in Wakefield tonight, right by the tennis courts. Easy pickins for dem hunters. Wish there was some sort of app to help Fudd out.