They are found on national wildlife refuges all over the United States.  It's the white-tail deer!  Many may not know that the white-tail deer numbers in Northern Virginia are exploding.  Since the early 1990's, deer numbers in this region have increased greatly.  Many factors have contributed towards the rise in population.  Their high reproductive rate isn't the only factor.  The absence of natural predators, their ability to adapt to urban areas, and the restriction of hunting in populated areas are factors that contribute to current deer population numbers.

What would you do if you were living in an area facing an exploding deer population?  How would you react if deer were directly impacting the place that you live?  We have to answer that question every year for the refuges we manage in Fairfax and Prince William Counties, located in northern Virginia. 

The habitat we protect and manage on two of the refuges (Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck NWR and Occoquan Bay NWR) is home to the white-tail deer, as well as other mammals, birds, amphibians, micro-organisms and plants.  The deer must share habitat with all the other species on the refuge.  Due to the overabundance of deer on the refuges, we have encountered deer that are malnourished, habitat that is over-browsed, and forests with no understory.  The overabundant deer herd is destructive to habitat that all species need to survive.

We confront this dilemma with the help from partners, local hunters and supporters of the refuge.  A deer management program is facilitated each year.  This is a program of partnership between the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Mason Neck State Park, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Fairfax County Animal Control.  The deer management programs are hosted on the refuges and aide in the reduction of the deer herd annually.  Ultimately, these efforts will ensure that the habitat can support the deer and all other life within the refuge borders.  The first two days of hunting this year resulted in the harvest of 98 deer.

As long as the world keeps growing, the human population increases, and the need for additional housing is present; we will always have to ask the question, 'How do we live together with our natural environment?'  Difficult as the answers and solutions may be at times, we still have to do something.  Get involved with your local national wildlife refuge and ask how you might get your community to help.  Together we can!