With autumn approaching and those majestic white-tailed interlopers preparing for their annual landscaping demolition tour, Montgomery Parks has announced its 2025-2026 deer population management schedule, giving residents advance notice of when and where hunting operations will occur in their neighborhoods.

The county's deer populations have exceeded both the biological carrying capacity and what residents will tolerate, leading to increased vehicle collisions, Lyme disease cases, and the kind of garden devastation that makes even the most zen among us contemplate deer-proof fortress landscaping.

The program now covers 75 parks (approximately 60% of Montgomery Parks' land), including two new parks this year: Oak Ridge Conservation Park in Damascus and Little Bennett Creek Stream Valley Park in Clarksburg. Operations use a three-pronged approach: archery, firearms, and Park Police sharpshooting from September 2025 through March 2026.

For Potomac residents: Watts Branch Stream Valley Park (Units 1, 2, 3 & 4), Cabin John Stream Valley Park Units (1, 2 & 3), and Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park (Units 1, 2 & 3) all participate in the archery managed deer hunting program (no firearms), which keeps parks open to the public as usual. Additionally, Cabin John Regional Park, Rock Creek Regional Park and Rock Creek Stream Valley Park will be subject to Park Police sharpshooting operations that close those parks from sunset to sunrise, Monday through Friday, from mid-January through March.

Signs will be posted in advance at affected parks and surrounding neighborhoods, so your morning power walks and weekend trail runs can proceed without surprise encounters of the hunter-gatherer variety.

The numbers tell the story: Maryland hunters harvested 84,201 deer statewide this past season, a 15.9% increase from the previous year. In Montgomery County alone, 3,464 deer were harvested (1,379 antlered, 2,085 antlerless), representing a 3% increase over the 2022-2023 season. The 29-year-old program donates meat from Park Police operations to the Capital Area Food Bank (more than 411,500 pounds to date) while managed hunting participants use or donate their harvest.

Yet with Maryland's deer population estimated between 200,000-250,000 animals, those Lexus-vs-Bambi encounters on River Road aren't disappearing anytime soon.

See which of your favorite hiking spots might experience temporary closures and explore the Montgomery Parks Deer Management Schedule

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End of Summer Hike. 6pm @ Seneca Creek State Park
Join a volunteer naturalist for a relaxed hike along scenic trails, discovering late-summer wildflowers and searching for salamanders beneath fallen logs. Meet at Chickadee Trailhead 🥾

AARP Caregiving Listening Session. 7-8:30pm @ Virtual
With 63 million Americans now caregivers (a 45% increase since 2015), AARP Maryland wants to hear your caregiving stories and gaps in support to guide future advocacy. Register in link 💙

Smithsonian: The Shubert Brothers' Broadway. 7-8:30pm @ Virtual
Actor Tim Dolan explores how three scrappy Lithuanian brothers transformed gritty Times Square into Broadway's Theater District, revolutionizing American theater from horse stables to show stoppers. $30, register in link 🎭

The Rise of the Skyscraper. 1-2:30pm @ Virtual
Washington Metro Oasis taps Urban Historian Bill Keene to explore how steel-framed towers transformed American cities from low-rise neighborhoods to vertical metropolises in the architectural revolution that literally elevated urban living. Register in link 🏗️

Property Research in Montgomery County. 2pm @ Virtual
Montgomery County’s Director of Library and Archives Sarah Hedlund reveals the secret sauce behind how to conduct property research using maps, atlases, insurance records, and real estate directories. Register in link 🏡

Book Signing: Cassini's Mission and Forts with Katie Venit. 5:30-6:30pm @ Wonderland Books
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Social Security Administration: Medicare Presentation 6:30-7:30pm @ Virtual
Diana Varela from Social Security Administration demystifies Medicare eligibility, enrollment periods, and application processes as essential navigation for anyone approaching the Medicare maze.

Storytime with the Animals. 10:30-11am @ Meadowside Nature Center
Meet one of Meadowside Nature Center's animal ambassadors and sit down with them to listen to a story. Best for 0-6yrs, free but register in link 🐾

Dance on the Lunar Lawn. 5:30-8:30pm @ Hillwood Museum
The Dance Institute of Washington's pre-professional dancers perform under Hillwood's courtyard tent, where Marjorie Post's love of dance lives on through diverse cultural expression and artistic confluence. Performance at 7pm, $30, tickets in link 💃

Museum on Tap: Shady Grove Music Festival. 7:00pm @ Saints Row Brewing
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Potomac Community Village Women’s Group. 1-2:30pm @ Potomac Library
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Chute Outs: Freestyle on the Potomac. 5-8pm @ Old Anglers Lower Parking Lot
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SecurePotomac.org Community Safety Meeting. 7-8pm @ Potomac Library
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^{*Dates & times subject to change based on weather and/or venues making your life more difficult}

Now forward this to that neighbor who thinks the deer read posted signs.

-Potomac Loop Team