Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

The Three Man Thermal Team (T.T.T.) is a technique developed within the Fairfax County Virginia Integrated Deer Management Plan in cooperation with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit for control of overabundant white-tailed deer populations within a suburban/urban setting. The technique utilizes a combination of specialized equipment including a hand-held thermal imager, a laser pointer, a 6-million-candlepower MaxaBeam™ searchlight with focusable beam, and a suppressed rifle. T.T.T. allows targeted animals to be located in total darkness. With the use of a night vision or thermal scope in lieu of the light, the entire operation can be conducted in darkness. While this technique was specifically designed for deer, it can be easily adapted for other species.