Deer Population Management
Managed Deer Hunts | Park Police-based Sharpshooting
Managed Deer Hunts
Montgomery County Department of Parks, in order to reduce and maintain deer populations in accordance with the goals of the County’s deer management plan, conducts managed deer hunts in select parks during the Fall and Winter.
Programming is designed with public safety being paramount. Managed hunting programs are directed and supervised by the Department’s Wildlife staff and participants are required to follow strict safety and procedural guidelines. Safety buffers are established to meet and exceed State and County ordinance and hunting sites are selected to use terrain, distance, and habitat to enhance safe weapons discharge. Many sites are inspected and approved by the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Weapons discharge is directed into the ground and/or other suitable backdrops from an elevated position. A variety of harvest strategies have been employed using all weapons legal in the county. However, most programming requires participants to utilize rifled shotguns to harvest deer. On dates when managed hunting is occurring the park is closed to the public.
Managed hunts were implemented in the county in the Fall of 1996 and have occurred annually ever since. To date, the Department has conducted managed deer hunting programs in nine county parks with exceptional results. Currently, managed hunts are being conducted on eight county parks annually.
To learn more about the locations where managed hunting is occurring in the county, and the locations where the Department has proposed implementing managed hunts during the up-coming year, please click here to review Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) regarding deer population management being conducted on County parkland.
2008– 2009 Managed Deer Hunts Dates
- Hunt dates will be available at the end of Summer.
Managed Deer Hunts | Park Police-based Sharpshooting
Park Police-based Sharpshooting
Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning, in order to reduce and maintain deer populations in accordance with the goals of the County’s deer management plan, conducts Police-based sharpshooting in select parks during the period of January through March.
Deer population reductions are conducted from Sunset until Sunrise while the parks are closed to the public. Programming is designed with public safety being paramount. Police-based sharpshooting programs are directed and supervised by the Department’s Park Police Division and Wildlife staff. Park Police Officers participating in this program have received extensive training and certification and utilize the most advance equipment and techniques available. Weapons discharge is conducted in a safe manner with safe backdrops identified prior to firing.
Deer are removed safely, humanely, and discreetly. All deer harvested during such programming are donated to the Capitol Area Food Band for distribution to the regions charitable organizations.
Police-based sharpshooting was implemented in the county in the Spring of 1999 and has occurred annually ever since. To date, the Department has conducted Police-based sharpshooting programs in seven county parks with exceptional results. Currently, Police-based sharpshooting is being conducted on six county parks annually and the Department has proposed expanding to an additional two park locations during January through March 2006.
To learn more about the locations where Police-based sharpshooting is occurring in the county, and the locations where the Department has proposed implementing this program during the up-coming year see the list below. An overview of map locations where Police-based is occurring and/or proposed is located in the annual deer report which may be viewed and downloaded from this website.
Police-based sharpshooting locations in Montgomery Parks
- Agricultural History Farm Park (Derwood)
- Black Hill Regional Park (Boyds)
- North Branch of Rock Creek Stream Valley Park (Derwood)
- Northwest Branch Recreation Park (Aspen Hill)
- Rock Creek Regional Park (Rockville)
- Wheaton Regional Park (Wheaton)
- Woodlawn Special Park (Sandy Spring)
New proposals for Police-based sharpshooting during Fall and Winter 2006; Rock Creek Stream Valley Park - Norbeck Road to MD/DC State line
Date of last page updated: January 22, 2008
