Fairfax County's deer management archery program returns to Vienna-area parks Saturday, Sept. 12. The launch follows last season's confirmation of a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) positive buck in the Vienna section of Difficult Run Stream Valley.

The program runs through Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027, across more than 100 properties countywide, the Fairfax County Police Department announced Wednesday, Sept. 9. Six county parks fall within the Vienna Cluster: Clarks Crossing Park, Difficult Run Stream Valley, Lahey Lost Valley Park, Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley, Raglan Road Park and Tamarack Park.

The CWD-positive deer was a 2.5-year-old buck taken by an archery hunter during the 2025-2026 season, according to the police department. It was the only positive case detected among 505 deer sampled from 104 parks and properties last season, including two parks within the Town of Vienna.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer and elk. Fairfax County was first added to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources' (DWR) Disease Management Area 2 after an adult male deer harvested on private land in Vienna tested positive during the 2022-2023 season. During the 2024-2025 season, all 368 deer tested through the county program came back negative, according to a Fairfax County Park Authority board document.

Last season's Vienna Cluster harvest totaled 33 deer. Difficult Run Stream Valley accounted for 15, Clarks Crossing Park for 10, and the remaining four parks produced eight combined.

Countywide, hunters harvested 686 deer through the archery program last season, accounting for 91% of total deer removals. County wildlife staff have tested 2,131 deer since fiscal year 2020 in collaboration with the DWR.

Parks remain open to the public during the program. Fluorescent orange signs mark authorized hunting areas. Hunters shoot only from elevated tree stands, which must sit at least 50 feet from established trails and 100 feet from property lines.

Hunting is permitted Monday through Saturday, from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. No hunting occurs on Sundays in county parks.

The program, overseen by the police department in collaboration with the Park Authority and NOVA Parks, has recorded zero safety incidents since it began in fiscal year 2010. No bystander has been injured by an archery deer hunter anywhere in Virginia since the state began tracking hunting injuries in 1959, according to the county's archery program page.

All participating archers must pass a criminal background check, meet state licensing requirements, demonstrate marksmanship and complete training through the International Bowhunter Education Program.

Residents with questions can contact Dr. Katherine Edwards, wildlife management specialist, at 703-246-6868 or Sgt. Earit Powell, program manager, at 703-324-0280.