White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are visible in a suburban Virginia neighborhood. Current population estimates suggest there are 850,000-1,000,000 deer within the state, reflecting a dramatic increase in available habitat and a reduction in predation.
At the start of the 21st century, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries managers changed the state's management objectives for deer. For the last three centuries of wildlife management, the goal was to increase the herd. Wildlife officials are now trying to reduce deer populations in many counties and cities across Virginia, to reduce the impacts of overgrazing, limit the risk of disease, and reduce the number of deer-car collisions.