Pittsburgh To Use Marksmen To Curb Deer Population

PITTSBURGH, PA — After initially using archers to help reduce deer overpopulation in city parks, Pittsburgh will turn to marksmen to bring the numbers down further.

In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the city is initiating a pilot Targeting Harvesting Program in Frick and Riverview parks that will run until the end of March. The program will employ USDA-contracted marksmen trained to hit a one-inch target at 100 yards multiple times.

The program will take place during the overnight closures of the parks from 11 p.m.-6 a.m.

“In consultation with our partners at the USDA, we have decided to introduce a pilot targeted harvesting program in the hopes of shrinking our deer population,” Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said. “We are grateful to the USDA for their continued expertise and guidance as we expand our program to ensure a healthy deer population in Pittsburgh.”

The marksmen will complement the efforts of 50 trained archers who harvested 199 deer in the city 2024-25 Deer Management Program via hunts in Frick, Riverview, Schenley, Highland and Emerald View parks.

Ninety-two of those deer were donated to local food banks, which provided 3,680 pounds of venison and 14,720 meals to residents.

Again this year, there were zero public safety incidents that resulted from the program.

City officials said targeted harvesting is the most effective strategy for managing the overpopulation of deer. It is often only initially needed to control the overabundance of deer with archery programs alone usually sufficient to maintain the population in successive years.

All of the harvested deer will be donated to local food pantries