Due to the warmer than normal fall, there may have been some later than normal HD activity. Objectives, with associated strategies, direct DWR to: Recreation Goal: Provide and promote quality deer-related recreational opportunities for all citizens that are safe, diverse, accessible, and consistent with deer population and damage goals. Hopefully, all of the CWD detections in DMA2 represent deer that have dispersed out of DMA1. Preserve the heritage and tradition of observing and hunting deer for both management and recreational benefits. In the western Frederick and northern Shenandoah area, clinically sick CWD deer (e.g., starving, staggering, with neurological symptoms) are now being found and reported. The herd has grown significantly. There is still much to be learned about CWD management in white-tailed deer. Based on past experience, HD has the potential to have a major effect on deer herds in eastern Virginia. HD does not traditionally play a major role in deer management west of the Blue Ridge. Over the past 29 years, the statewide annual deer kill has ranged from about 179,000 to 259,000 and averaged about 213,600. By: Charlie Paullin - January 30, 2023 12:02 am. To date 121 positive animals have been found in DMA1 (see Table 1). Stable to declining deer herds are expected and desired moving forward. The decreased black bear harvest can be attributed to abundant mast production that was 61% above 2020 and 8% above the long-term average, the division said . Over three years starting in 2012, Virginia released 75 elk that had been captured in neighboring Kentucky. In years of good mast crops, the deer kill typically goes down. In Fairfax County, the Reston Association has approved hunting efforts after other efforts to deter over-browsing (including spraying chemicals thought to make vegetation un-tasty to deer) were not effective, and that reflected a shift in community opinion. All hunters (including those who are not required to purchase a license) who harvest a deer will need to report their harvest by using the GoOutdoorsVA mobile app eNotch harvest reporting system (free through the app store), logging onto the GoOutdoorsVA internet harvest reporting system, or calling (866-GOT-GAME). If more deer would result in more hunters, and more hunters would generate more economic activity, then the desire of local residents in Highland and Amelia counties to increase the number of deer could reflect the impact of hunter-based tourism. Some hunters measure success by the number of opportunities to shoot at a deer, rather than by the Quality Deer Management objectives to offer opportunities to harvest a smaller number of larger/healthier deer. Unless there is a significant HD event, deer populations and the deer kill across most of the state should be stable to increasing. (Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources) A Southwest Virginia delegate's shot at expanding the deer hunting season to year-round on private property appears to have missed the mark this session. The DWR has been monitoring CWD prevalence and spread in northwestern Virginia for more than 13 years. Essex' population fell 5 percent! This year's total included 90,242 antlered bucks, 1,113 bucks that had shed their antlers, 11,921 button bucks, and 81,692 does . On behalf of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in DMAP. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious, fatal, neurologic disease of deer. By 2014, managed archery hunts were common within Reston, including within the appropriately-named Hunters Woods subdivision.11. West Virginia offers some of the most liberal bear hunting opportunities in the lower 48 states. CWD was first diagnosed in West Virginia in 2005 and then in Virginia in 2009. Wildlife management, including hunting regulations, are a state (not Federal) responsibility. By 1970, Virginia's statewide deer population was estimated to be approximately 215,000 animals. DMAP (Deer Management Assistance Program), 2023 Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. In some years with a heavy acorn crop, nearly 50% of the female fawns may gain enough weight to initiate a "second rut" during the second and third weeks of December. Fairfax County, Virginia - Deer Management Program Population Control. Deer hunting regulations are established over large areas to be as simple and uniform as possible and to avoid confusion. Every governor wants support from the voters who hunt and fish, and the state wildlife management agency is sensitive to public opinion. Figure 3 shows the relative differences among counties in the kill of antlered bucks per square mile of habitat on private land, averaged over the past three hunting seasons. In Virginia, most deer population management objectives and regulations are generally set on a county basis. Based on the number of late summer and early fall HD calls and reports the Department received from the public, fall 2020 appeared to be a relatively quiet HD year, but then later, based on the records of splitting/ sloughing hooves in DMAP data, fall 2020 appeared to have been a fairly big HD year. Adult males are the sex and age class most likely to have CWD, so a taxidermist- supported approach is an efficient surveillance method. To date, five clinical CWD deer have been found. The increased deer in rural areas provided increased opportunity for hunting, and that has been sufficient to keep deer populations in balance with the available habitat. An unlimited daily bag limit has been created in all cities and towns that allow deer hunting, except in Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. Traditional "protect Bambi" or "coexist in peace" attitudes have changed in areas where excessive deer populations result in significant damage to shrubs planted in suburban yards. Persons interested in more information on Virginias deer management program can read the Departments deer management plan. Archery (including crossbows) accounted for 14% of the deer kill; muzzleloaders, 23%; and firearms, 63%. Healthy does can produce two fawns each year, so the deer population can double in just one year if predation (including hunting) is low. Lastly, please note that mandatory CWD sampling is currently scheduled for the opening day of the firearms deer season on Saturday, November 13 2021 in Madison, Orange, and Shenandoah counties and in Floyd, Montgomery, and Pulaski counties. Since 2009, a total of 134 CWD-positive deer have been confirmed in Virginia. While a doe will reach full size in two and a half years, the largest antlers will appear on well-fed bucks that are over four years old:16, trophy bucks grow the largest antlers after they are four years old The human baby boom after World War II was accompanied by a parallel boom of fawns in the suburbs. Then, with the discovery of CWD in a taxidermist-sampled deer in the northwestern corner of Fauquier County in fall 2019, DMA2 was expanded to include seven counties: Culpeper, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, and Rappahannock. So what is the forecast for the fall 2022 deer season? Deer management in western Virginia has been about the same for the past couple of decades and remains two very different deer management situations. 7.5%. Antlers grow from "pedicels" or mounting points on a male deer's head, and they form even before a fawn is born. There is not a deer management unit in Tidewater where the Department is trying to increase the deer population. To address this decline, the number of either-sex deer hunting days on western public lands has been reduced significantly over the past decade or more to conservative levels. Guided by the DWR mission, the Virginia Deer Management Plan includes four goals which specify the general directions for deer populations, deer-related recreation, deer-related damage, and deer habitat. Today, the deer population in Alabama stands at about 1.5 million deer. As of May 1, 2021, 109 CWD-positive deer have been found in 10 counties in Virginia including two in Clarke (fall 2019), one in Culpeper (fall 2018), two in Fauquier (one each in fall 2019 and 2020), 87 in Frederick (2009 to present), one in Loudoun (2020), one in Madison (2020), one in Montgomery (2020), one in Rappahannock (2020), 12 in Shenandoah (2014 to present), and one in Warren (2020). The Columbian white-tail is a rare species named after the Columbia River. If more than one tract of land is involved, delineate the boundaries of each tract or lease separately and identify each property on the map. DMA3 in southern Virginia was added after a positive detection in Montgomery County in 2020. Source: Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Deer Management Plan, 2006-2015 (p.9), Virginia deer distribution in 2004 based on population index (antlered buck kill/deer habitat in square miles) These five counties have a combined population of 1.2 million people and a high concentration of deer hunting opportunities. Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2017-2021. Secondary objectives are to increase the Departments biological deer database and to improve communication between deer hunters, landowners, and the Department. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries made clear that the state agency supported use of archery hunting to reduce excessive deer populations:9, In the end, Prince William County modified its ordinance to restrict bow hunting only within 100 feet (not yards) of regularly occupied structures.10, restrictions on shooting within 100 yards of occupied dwellings or public roads blocks deer hunting in most of Prince William County, even the Rural Area northwest of Manassas Battlefield CCC can vary widely between and within communities. In years of poor mast crops, the deer kill typically goes up. Whitetail deer, such as these photographed on Skyline Drive in early September 2012, were hunted by archers at Scotts Run Nature Preserve in McLean under the Fairfax County Deer Management Program. The plan identifies a framework of what needs to be done, how it should be done, and when it should be done. Below are several documents for persons wanting more information on DMAP: If you have any questions or need any additional information, please contact the DMAP biologist for your area shown on the map linked above. In some suburban counties, state hunting regulations are not the strictest constraint affecting deer hunting. CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) - The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is reminding hunters in Barbour, Jackson, Mason and Upshur counties that they must bring any deer they harvest on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22 to a biological data collection station for a carcass examination. Additional public values were considered via stakeholder surveys and advertisement of the draft plan for broad public review. In fall 2020, additional CWD detections were made in DMA2 in Fauquier (1), Loudoun (1), Madison (1), and Rappahannock (1) counties. HD occurs in Virginia every fall at some low level. Source: Aria Soha, deer stand at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Jurisdictions harvesting more than 3,000 deer in 2009-2010 Also all new program participants must also collect biological deer kill data (weights, jawbones, date of kill, etc.) This total included 95,665 antlered bucks, 12,219 button bucks, and 83,847 does (44% females). http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/loudoun-county-ground-zero-in-lyme-disease-debate-attracts-romney-ryan-offer-of-help/2012/10/04/3c5588ae-0dc3-11e2-bd1a-b868e65d57eb_blog.html, http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/deer/management-plan/, https://dwr.virginia.gov/blog/do-white-tailed-fawns-breed/, https://dwr.virginia.gov/blog/the-virginia-appalachian-deer-study-how-fawns-are-faring-west-of-the-blue-ridge-mountains/, https://dwr.virginia.gov/blog/how-virginias-deer-change-in-december-and-january/, https://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/horns-versus-antlers/, https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/blog/searching-for-sheds/, http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/park-service-deer-control-plan-at-manassas-battlefield-wont-include-public-hunting/2013/08/30/05b589c6-118b-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_story.html, http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=173&projectID=35457&documentID=60723, http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/deer/dcap.asp, https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/drones-flying-over-arlington-to-measure-deer-population/article_3d64ce5a-90f3-11eb-86d9-c75323892a60.html, http://www.insidenova.com/opinion/letter-prince-william-board-made-the-correct-decision-on-archery/article_2c87558e-b013-11e4-8556-0373416646b6.html, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/07/02/reston-permits-a-deer-hunt-in-a-residential-neighborhood-update-on-fairfax-city-project/?wpisrc=nl_buzz, https://deerdamage.org/files/media/19748-2008-09-Bow-Hunting-Decision-Upheld.pdf, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2013/12/18/fairfax-city-to-try-a-new-approach-to-deer-surgical-sterilization-of-does/, http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/legal-deer-huntingin-fairfax-city, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/wildlife/what-deer-management-program, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/wildlife/why-there-deer-management-program-fairfax-county, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/wildlife/deer-management-program-population-control, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/wildlife/sites/wildlife/files/assets/documents/pdf/deer%20management/fairfax-county-integrated-deer-management-plan.pdf, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/wildlife/sites/wildlife/files/Assets/Documents/PDF/Fiscal%20Year%20Harvest%20Totals%20%20(1998-2022).pdf, https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/2022/09/archery-program-to-control-deer-population-begins-in-fairfax-co/, http://www.roanoke.com/sports/outdoors/a-vision-for-deer/article_1ddbbd5d-acbe-540c-925f-151c50af8cdf.html, https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/blog/big-bucks-dont-just-happen/, http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/_The_natives_are_white_men_an_excerpt_from_De_Orbe_Novo_by_Peter_Martyr_d_Anghiera_1530, https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/06/29/unlike-some-hunting-dogs-right-to-retrieve-debate-keeps-on-coming-back/. 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