Q: What can be done to reduce the number of collisions between deer and vehicles?Ī: The number of collisions between deer and vehicles can be reduced through smart driving. There is an increase in deer-vehicle collisions in the fall due to increased activity associated with the deer breeding season. Deer naturally move more during the fall as mature bucks and does travel to find breeding partners. Q: Will the fall hunting season cause an increase in deer-vehicle collisions?Ī: No. You can find out more by visiting or emailing Will deer population control affect the number of collisions between deer and vehicles?Ī: Reduction in numbers of deer through proven management techniques has been shown to reduce deer-vehicle collisions. Avoiding high tick traffic areas, such as tall grasses in the summer and areas with leaf litter in the fall and winter can prevent tick bites. The Fairfax County Health Department suggests dressing appropriately (wearing long sleeves and tucking your pants into your socks), conducting frequent tick checks, and wearing tick repellant when you are heading outside. Q: How can we reduce or eliminate transmission of Lyme disease to humans?Ī: Some very simple preventative actions can be taken to limit exposure to ticks that may transmit Lyme disease. The relationship between deer populations and Lyme disease incidence is unclear and caution is warranted in expecting that deer population reduction will result in a reduction in Lyme disease incidence.
While reducing the deer population does diminish host availability, black-legged ticks use a variety of mammalian reservoirs of the disease-causing bacterium. White-tailed deer are considered the primary maintenance host of the adult black-legged tick and may transport ticks into areas occupied by people and their pets however, deer are not a competent reservoir host for the Lyme disease agent. Larval and nymphal ticks are infected when they feed on small mammals that carry the bacterium, such as white-footed mice ( Peromyscus leucopus). The black-legged tick ( Ixodes scapularis) is known to transmit the bacterium to humans on the east coast of the United States. Q: What role do deer play in the transmission of Lyme disease?Ī: Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi.
Deer density varies among parks with many sites in Fairfax County currently estimated at a minimum of 40 - 100 deer per square mile. More recently, the Fairfax County Park Authority has used camera surveys and aerial infrared surveys to estimate deer density in selected county parks. Prior to the implementation of the county’s management program, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources estimated deer density levels ranging from 90-419 deer per square mile throughout Fairfax County parks.
A sustainable population size will improve the health of the herds, increase the ability for the forests to regenerate, increase habitat and forage for other wildlife species, diminish the risk of deer-vehicle collisions and minimize destruction of property. Q: What is the recommended size of the deer population in Fairfax County?Ī: A healthy ecosystem can support 15 - 20 deer per square mile without damage to the environment. White-tailed deer are a part of Fairfax County’s natural heritage and will continue to be present in county parks.
Will I still be able to see deer when I’m in Fairfax County parks?Ī: Yes.The goal of the Fairfax County Deer Management Program is not to eliminate deer from county parks, but to reduce their population size to a healthier, more sustainable level. Conflicts between white-tailed deer and humans have become a concern of many urban and suburban communities including safety risks associated with deer-vehicle collisions, potential for spread of disease, environmental damage to forests resulting in loss of plant and animal biodiversity and damage to private properties. A: Deer populations have increased beyond sustainable levels in Fairfax County. Increased habitat modification, loss of natural habitat and a loss of natural large predators have led to an overabundant deer population.