Wildlife

CONTACT INFORMATION: Our office is open 9AM-5PM M-F
703-246-6868 TTY 711
8855 Lorton Road
Lorton, VA 22079
Dr. Katherine Edwards
Wildlife Management Specialist

Department Resources

Archery Program

Deer Management iconArchery is the primary deer management tool used in Fairfax County to help manage high density deer herds.  Archery has been shown to be a safe and effective deer management tool to control deer populations on public lands in Fairfax County and other high-density jurisdictions.

Qualified bowhunters with superior skill, ethics, and experience are able to efficiently and discreetly hunt deer in areas where firearm use is restricted or prohibited, or not an effective or sustainable deer management tool.

Authorized archery hunting is conducted in partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and other public landholders. All archery activity is closely monitored by the Fairfax County Police Department with assistance from the Park Authorities.

Since Virginia began tracking hunting injuries in 1959, no bystanders have been injured by an archer hunting deer anywhere in the Commonwealth.

Learn more about the Fairfax County Deer Management Program and why deer management is conducted. 

 

Archery Program Season

Dates: Saturday, September 12, 2026 - Saturday, February 13, 2027

Archery Groups are permitted to conduct deer management at their assigned site Monday through Saturday during the Archery Program Season. Legal hunting hours in Virginia are 30 minutes prior to sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. Sunday hunting is not allowed in the parks. Safety measures have been put in place to allow parks to remain open to the public for continued park visitation and recreation while the archery program is conducted. Archery hunters go through a screening process and qualifications with their bows to be eligible for the Fairfax County Deer Management Program, and must follow strict rules of engagement, standards of conduct, and reporting requirements. Archers must comply with all requirements for licenses, permits, and Hunter Safety Education as mandated by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Only archers that have gone through this special screening and qualification process and are selected for the program by Police Department staff may hunt within the approved county parks in accordance with program rules. 

If you have questions, concerns or comments, please contact:

Dr. Katherine Edwards, Wildlife Management Specialist, 703-246-6868, katherine.edwards@fairfaxcounty.gov

Sergeant Earit Powell, Program Manager, 703-324-0280, earit.powell@fairfaxcounty.gov

Archery Program Locations

County Deer Management Program GIS Map

screenshot of GIS Deer Management Map

View the Full Map

Park List for the 2026-2027 Archery Program Season 

Archery Cluster

Parks

Acres

Accotink Stream Valley ClusterAccotink Stream Valley Park

656

 Eakin Park (Mantua Section)

72

 Sally Ormsby Park

40

 Eakin Community Park

33

 Brookfield Park

19

 Carrleigh Parkway

10

 Hunter Village Park

20

Bull Run Marina ClusterBull Run Marina

258

 Hemlock Overlook

392

Bull Run Regional Park Cluster
 		Bull Run Regional Park

839

Clifton ClusterConfederate Fortifications

150

 Johnny Moore Stream Valley

342

 Bull Run Regional Park South

447

Colvin Run Cluster

Shortened archery season at
Lake Fairfax due to sharpshooting in late season. Archery will end at Lake Fairfax ONLY on Saturday, 1/9/27.

Colvin Run Stream Valley

44

 Difficult Run Stream Valley

285

 Colvin Run Mill Park

58

 Wolftrap Stream Valley

48

 Lake Fairfax

244

Cub Run ClusterCub Run Stream Valley

626

 Ellanor C. Lawrence Park

458

 Flatlick Stream Valley

60

 Rocky Run Stream Valley

190

Elklick Cluster

 

Elklick Preserve 

1388

 Halifax Point District Park       282
 Mountain Road Park

201

 Sully Historic Site 

31

 Poplar Ford Park

441

 Hickory Forest Park

95

 Horsepen Run Stream Valley

64

 Merrybrook Run Stream Valley

11

 Rock Hill District Park

169

 Cub Run Stream Valley North       138
 BOS Property Hunter Mill   40
Fairfax Station ClusterPatriot Park

122

 Piney Branch Stream Valley

179

 Popes Head Park

38

 Willow Pond

66

 Rocky Run Stream Valley (Portion)

30

 Fairfax Villa60
Fountainhead ClusterFountainhead Regional Park

2075

 Sandy Run Park

330

Great Falls ClusterRiverbend Park

394

 Scotts Run Nature Preserve

379

 Hickory Run School Site

11

 Lexington Estates Park

15

 Langley Oaks Park

102

 Windemere Park

24

 Pimmit Run Stream Valley

41

Huntley Meadows Cluster

Shortened archery season at Huntley Meadows and Dogue Creek SV due to the addition of sharpshooting in late season. Archery will end at Huntley Meadows and Dogue Creek SV ONLY on Saturday, 1/9/27. Holmes Run acreage does not include Luria Park.

Huntley Meadows

933

 Woodlawn Park

9

 Dogue Creek Stream Valley

21

 Amberleigh Park

18

 Island Creek Park

96

 Fairchild Property

8

 John Byers Park

25

 Little Hunting Creek Park

10

 Mount Vernon District Park

19

Holmes Run acreage does not include Luria Park.Holmes Run Stream Valley

80

 Lillian Carey Park

54

 Mason District Park

80

 Roundtree Park

61

 Deerlick Park

19

  Franconia Park76
 Ridgeview Park22
 Pole Road Park47
 Loisdale Park37
 Gristmill Park48
 Groveton Heights Park12
 Paul Springs Stream Valley (portion)20
 Kirk Park (portion)7
Lake Accotink ClusterLake Accotink

407

 Wakefield Park

161

 Americana Park

4

 Long Branch Stream Valley

90

Laurel Hill ClusterLaurel Hill Park & Golf Course

1149

 Old Colchester Park & Preserve

144

 Newington Heights

47

 Mason Neck West

44

 Pohick Bay Regional Park

525

 Noman Cole Plant

103

 BOS Mount Vernon

135

 Occoquan Regional Park200
 Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area649
Pohick Stream Valley ClusterBurke Station Park

15

 Pohick Stream Valley

570

 West Springfield Village Park

10

 Kings Park West

19

 Shannon Station Park

13

 Crooked Creek Park

12

 Middle Run Stream Valley

169

 Huntsman Lake

26

 Cherry Run Park

4

 Greentree Village Park

19

Reston ClusterDifficult Run Stream Valley

258

 Fred Crabtree Park

208

 Garnchayne

21

 Little Difficult Run Stream Valley

135

 Foxvale Park

25

 Waples Mill Meadow

18

 Oakmont Park58
 Tattersall Park35
 Kemper Park   15
South Run ClusterBurke Lake Park

323

 Lake Mercer Park

195

 South Run District Park

115

 South Run Stream Valley

319

 Sandy Run Stream Valley

39

 Brimstone Park

5

 Poburn Woods Park

11

Sugarland Run ClusterSugarland Run Stream Valley

200

 Shaker Woods Park

14

 Folly Lick Stream Valley

32

 Upper Potomac

646

 TNC Fraser Preserve

233

Vienna ClusterClarks Crossing Park

124

 Difficult Run Stream Valley

237

 Lahey Lost Valley Park

23

 Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley   33
 Raglan Road Park    8
 Tamarack Park

21

Excerpt from a letter sent to a Fairfax County resident by Molly Joseph Ward, Secretary of Natural Resources of the Office of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia on August 27, 2014.

“Regulated hunting is considered to be the most practical and cost-effective means to control free-ranging deer populations in most settings. Hunting is also strongly supported by the public (75%-80% in recent national surveys). Since 1960, there have only been five archery incidents statewide involving a victim other than the hunter, the last one occurring in 1996.

Archery hunting is compatible with other land uses, including parks and residential areas. No safety incidents have been reported during the urban archery season, which started in 2002 and now includes 42 cities, towns, and counties throughout the Commonwealth. It is noteworthy that several of the larger, more populous localities participating in this season (e.g., the City of Richmond, Fairfax County) have reported no safety incidents despite having no acreage or distance minimums for discharge of archery equipment. Fairfax County allows archery hunting on private parcels, resulting in over 1500 deer killed each year and utilizes archery hunting in community parks because of the inherent safety of this method. Last year, 848 deer were safely removed from the parks by over 800 hunters that participate without the need to close the parks to the public during the hunts.

Hunters utilize tree stands which allow the hunter to engage the target from above. The resulting downward trajectory of the arrow means that the ground acts as a natural backstop. Additionally, archery tackle is only effective at short range, which means that the hunter is close to the target, allowing clear views and easy identification of the target. These two factors combined result in the exceptional safety record archery hunting has amassed.”

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