These signs are posted in archery program areas.
The Fairfax County Deer Management Archery Program begins on Saturday, Sept. 10 and runs through Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. Overseen by the Fairfax County Police Department and in collaboration with the Fairfax County Park Authority and NOVA Parks, the archery program is conducted in parks and other locations throughout Fairfax County.
The archery program began in 2010 to reduce and stabilize the white-tailed deer population in the county to minimize safety and health hazards related to an overabundance of deer. These impacts include deer-vehicle collisions, potential spread of diseases, and environmental damage attributed to deer. The program was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2000 and is recognized as a safe and efficient method of deer population control by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Fairfax County’s Archery Program requires that all archers meet state hunter education and safety requirements and must pass qualifications to demonstrate skill and marksmanship, in addition to carrying program identification. All archers participating in the program must pass a criminal background check. They are approved to hunt at assigned sites Monday through Saturday during legal hunting hours, 30 minutes prior to sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. Fluorescent orange signs are posted in parks where hunting is authorized. Harvest attempts will be accomplished from elevated tree stands; ground blinds are not permitted in county parks. Tree stands must not be located closer than 100 feet from property lines or closer than 50 feet from established park trails.