Montgomery Parks announced Friday, Aug. 7 that its annual deer management program will run from September 2026 through March 31, 2027, across 62 county parks. For Potomac-area drivers navigating wooded corridors where deer regularly cross, the agency is urging extra caution at dawn and dusk as breeding season approaches.

The 30-year-old program uses three methods: archery hunting in 35 parks from September through January, firearms hunting in nine parks that close to the public from just before sunrise until just after sunset during operations, and park police sharpshooting in 22 parks from mid-January through March 31. The nighttime sharpshooting operations close affected parks from sunset to sunrise.

"Above all, the safety and well-being of our residents remain our priority," David Petersen, wildlife ecologist for Montgomery Parks, said in the announcement.

Since the program began, 26,330 deer have been removed from selected parks. The sharpshooting operation alone has donated more than 428,000 pounds of venison to the Capital Area Food Bank since 1999. All deer meat from managed hunting is used or donated by participants.

Why it matters for Potomac drivers

Montgomery Parks warns that decreasing daylight, shifting food sources and the approaching breeding season known as the "rut" increase deer movement through autumn. The end of Daylight Saving Time compounds the risk by pushing evening commutes into darkness.

Deer travel in groups.

That means spotting one along a road edge likely means others are nearby, according to Montgomery Parks. The agency advises drivers to watch for eye-shine, obey deer crossing signs and never swerve to avoid a collision.

Maryland drivers have a 1 in 107 chance of colliding with an animal on the road, according to State Farm's 2020 deer-vehicle collision study. Sixty-seven percent of those collisions involve deer.

A 2006 Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments report, the most recent county-specific data available, found that deer-vehicle collisions in Montgomery County had increased 105% between 1996 and 2001. At three managed hunt locations in the county, collisions dropped by 32%, 84% and 89% over a six-year period, according to the same report citing Montgomery County Police data.

Park closures and public notice

Archery hunting does not require park closures. Firearms operations close parks during daytime hours, and sharpshooting closes parks overnight. Montgomery Parks posts signs at park entrances, parking lots, trails and in surrounding neighborhoods before operations begin.

A full schedule of dates and affected parks is available at Montgomery Parks' deer management page.

Residents with questions can contact Montgomery Parks at [email protected].