Fairfax County, the largest, most prosperous county in northern Virginia (which borders Washington, D.C.) has been turning its public parks into hunting grounds for bow hunters. After sneaking plans past public scrutiny, the Park Authority initiated bow hunting in Colvin Run Mill Park and is expanding it to other Fairfax County Parks without permission of the public/residents in the county.
Bow hunting is dangerous, extremely inhumane, and unpredictable. Visitors to the parks and residents in the surrounding area can be injured by this brutal activity.
Even the “best” bow hunters seldom kill the deer immediately. The hunter waits 45 minutes or more for the deer to run, bleed out and become exhausted. Then the hunter attempts to follow the blood trail to find the deer and kill him or her, possibly in front of children or other visitors to the park. This exposes children and adults to extraordinary animal cruelty.
Bow hunters have a high rate of injuring, rather than killing deer, as seen in the photo posted. This leaves the deer to die a slow and agonizing death. There is no way to know how far a wounded deer will run, if or when she will die, or where her final suffering will occur. Deer sometimes scream when in pain. Local bow hunters have expressed delight at such suffering. Is this really what we want in our community?
Bowhunting and other forms of hunting increase deer-vehicle collisions, since the deer flee from the hunters once they are wounded or frightened and in a desperate attempt to escape often run into roads. A recent study by Erie Insurance Company in Pennsylvania concluded that the rate of collisions between deer and vehicles increased three to four times during hunting season.
Our representatives need to understand that the following methods have proven to decrease deer-vehicle collisions significantly, some as much as 100%. Here is a list of highly effective methods for deer and wildlife management, including methods involving technology that can be used to prevent deer-vehicle collisions.
Alternatives that Fairfax County hasn’t even considered implementing:
- Patented roadside deer warning system (80% decrease in deer-vehicle collisions in several states including MN)
- Advanced warning signs
- Roadside reflectors (100% success rate, installed on Telegraph road but purchase of reflectors discontinued by county)
- Noise/Sound/Whistle devices, sprinkler systems or sound systems with motion sensors for gardens
- Fencing
- Wildlife crossings, culverts, overpasses, underpasses
- Vegetation control
- Reduced speed limits
- Smell pots
- Motion detector/light beam systems
- Immunocontraception
Over-population of deer is often blamed for deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs).? Killing the deer will not decrease the incidence of DVCs. The HSUS states “Deer culling programs generate an endless succession of removal and replacement in which animals die unnecessarily while the root causes of problems go unaddressed. As long as attractive habitat remains, other deer from surrounding areas will move in to occupy the newly vacant niche resulting in a perpetual kill cycle.”
It is also important for us to understand that deer do not “carry” or “spread” Lyme disease nor do they increase the likelihood of your contracting it. In fact, deer provide a buffer between the host (white-footed mouse) and humans by “collecting” the ticks on themselves.
According to John Rohm of the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, “There is no direct correlation between deer density and prevalence of Lyme disease.? Reducing deer density by X will not = X% reduction in Lyme disease cases.”
He also states that “Deer should not be blamed for the current Lyme disease situation.? Integrated pest management would be more effective than focusing solely on deer.”
One effective alternative to killing deer to decrease Lyme disease is the “4-Poster”: 4-Poster Deer Feed Stations Provide Effective Tick Control
An environmentally friendly deer feeding station developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service can reduce tick populations by up to 77%, according to a new study.
Ticks can carry diseases that infect humans and animals alike. In the northeastern U.S., the blacklegged tick is a known vector of Lyme disease.
Here is how it works: A deer feeds from a plastic feeding station. The design of the device causes the deer to tilt its head toward the application rollers, ensuring that tickicide is transferred to its head, neck, and ears. The patented feeders, called the “4-Poster” Deer Treatment Bait Station, use four paint rollers to apply tick killer to the deer as they feed on corn placed in the feeding tray.? Tick counts on Gibson Island, Md., showed that the treatment annually achieved at least 77 percent control of several tick species, compared to pretreatment years.
The 4 poster deer stations may be the best alternative to traditional outdoor treatments for ticks, which require the application of pesticides across large areas.
There are numerous 4-poster tick control programs in use throughout the U.S, but Fairfax County continues with redundant studies instead of implementing the proven, effective 4-poster program to protect citizens and reduce tick numbers.
Please let your voices be heard and make sure that our tax money is being used effectively and humanely and that our representatives do their jobs and pay attention to these alternatives instead of ignoring technology, solutions, and concerned residents of Fairfax County.?
Stop the officially sanctioned, inhumane slaughter of deer in Fairfax county
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