Urban Deer Control - Applicable Technologies

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations have grown to unprecedented levels in suburban areas throughout the eastern United States. Deer have adapted to the fragmented habitats of suburbia and have brought with them a variety of problems. Control of white-tailed deer in suburban and urban areas brings its own set of problems and unique challenges. Fairfax County, Virginia is a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is home to over one million residents. The deer herd in Fairfax county reached its peak in 1998 when nearly 5,000 deer/automobile collisions occurred. Since 1998, snipers from the Fairfax County Police Department Tactical Team have successfully harvested deer from suburban parklands. Many technologies utilized by special ops teams in both law enforcement and the military are equally applicable to urban deer control. Special weapons, remote sensing devices, lasers and many more mundane items have been incorporated into the program. The ultimate results are a safe, economical, successful deer control program, and a more highly skilled corps of snipers