Reston Residents: Don't Feed the Deer

RESTON, VA — Seeing white-tailed deer up close and personal may be exciting, and you may be tempted to give them a little treat, but stop yourself: if the Fairfax County Police catch you doing it, it's going to cost you.

Feeding deer is illegal in the state of Virginia between Sept. 1 until the first Saturday in January, and it is illegal to feed deer in any area during deer or elk hunting season. That means for Reston residents, the feeding ban extends until the last Sunday in April, which is the end of deer hunting season here.

"Unfortunately, feeding deer can have unintended negative consequences and often does more harm than good," Fairfax County Police said in a recent statement. "Feeding deer can lead to nutritional problems, increased habitat damage where high density herds are concentrated, dangerous encounters when animals lose their natural fear of humans and feeding can facilitate the spread of diseases among wildlife that congregate in feeding areas. Not only do wildlife officials recommend against feeding deer, it is against the law to feed deer in Fairfax County for the majority of the year."

What does that mean exactly? It means you can't place or distribute any food, salt, mineral or similar substances with the purpose of attracting or feeding deer.

Police ask that if you see someone illegally feeding deer, report it to WildCrime@dgif.virginia.gov.

You can find out more information by clicking here.

Image via U.S. Department of Agriculture