Briefing on Deer Management

I get a lot of questions about deer in Montgomery County, so I want to let you know here's your chance to learn more. In a few minutes, we will begin a worksession on the County deer management program. The briefing will include an overview of the program, including the challenges to increase management efforts. It also will include an update on the impact of deer in the agricultural community and information on restrictions related to the discharge of weapons related to the program.

This is the 20th year of the County’s deer management program. Nearly 30,000 acres of publicly owned land is now being managed for deer. Deer management has been initiated in most of the larger parcels of parkland in the County owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, State parkland, WSSC-owned land and several publicly owned properties.

On average, deer populations have been reduced by more than 59 percent where management is occurring. The average number of deer-vehicle collisions within one-quarter of a mile of parkland is 10.9 for parks with no deer management compared to 3.4 for parks where management is being conducted.

If you can't watch the briefing now, you can get it on demand beginning tomorrow afternoon.