Deer Controversy in Fairfax County

There's a controversy in growing in Fairfax County over deer control methods. The county is using its archery program again to help cull a growing deer population. The program hasn't been widely used in several years.

Now, wildlife groups and others are up in arms. On Thursday night, several dozen packed a meeting room at the Fairfax County Government Center to voice their concerns about the two-month long bow and arrow kill.

The deer are being hunted in the Colvin Mill Stream Valley Park, which rests within a densely-populated residential area and is bordered by three major commuting roads-- Route 7, Baron Cameron and Hunter Mill Road.

The Wildlife Rescue members say their concern is about the inhumane way they believe deer die at the hands of archers.

Jeff Snyder, is a member of the group. He says, "A lot of times the deer are struck, they stumble around or they run away and they die a slow terrible death."

Kim Sisco, another member adds, "When you hunt in an area, you increase the risk of deer and vehicle collisions five fold, so all you're doing is augmenting the problems we have."

Eric Huppert is a professional archer and he disagrees.

He says, "The fear out there exists mainly because misunderstanding about how this works."

Huppert is the president of Suburban Whitetail Management. It's a conservation group with over a 100 highly skilled members. The county has hired the group to kill deer.

He says, "I can only speak from experience and I know when you shoot a deer with a razor sharp broad head at close range, it will die quickly.

Fairfax County officials say they use sharp shooting, shot guns and archery to help cull the deer population. They say archery is the safest for areas near residents.
Charles Smith is with the Fairfax County Parks Authority. She says, "They hunt in a stand and shoot into the ground. No one in Virginia has been killed by an archer—27,000 deer have been killed and no injuries to anyone."

Wildlife groups say county officials need to explore alternative methods to manage deer like herding, or birth control. County officials have promised to listen to their concerns, but say the bow and arrow kills will continue.

Smith says, "We feel it's a safe program. Fairfax County has an excellent record.

Fairfax County officials say the majority of residents who live in the effected areas support the archery method. The Humane Society has said the method is savage and several states including Texas no longer allow it.