Sharpshooters May Be Used To Cull Arlington Deer Herds

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Board will consider allowing professional sharpshooting as a means to lower the number of deer in county parks. An amendment to county ordinances will be considered at Saturday's meeting

The following is the summary of the amendments the board will be considering regarding its deer management program.

“Ordinance to amend, reenact and recodify Chapter 13 Firearms, Article II (Firearms Ordinance) of the Arlington County Code to amend Section 13-14 to exclude the discharge of firearms for County supervised deer management activities from the prohibition of firearms on County property; and to amend, reenact and recodify Chapter 17 Miscellaneous Offenses and Provisions of the Arlington County Code to amend Section 17-5 to permit the discharge of firearms for County supervised deer management activities.”

In spring 2021, Arlington County officials launched the Deer Management Program to study and determine whether the county needed to actively manage the deer population in order to reduce the impact on county-owned natural land parks.

“Based on expert recommendations from the project consultant, community feedback, regional benchmarking, peer-reviewed research, and local data, the County Manager is recommending a hybrid approach centered around professional sharpshooting to immediately reduce that population in Arlington’s County-owned natural land parks,” according to a county release.

The following provides an overview of using professional sharpshooting as a way to control deer populations.

• Professional sharpshooting is a lethal technique employing professional sharpshooters using firearms to reduce deer populations;
• Professional sharpshooting has been shown in peer-reviewed literature, as well as operations regionally, such as those on National Park Service Properties, to reduce deer populations sufficiently to support forest regeneration.
• Professional sharpshooters fire downward at short range, using sound suppressors to mitigate noise and special ammunition that breaks apart upon contact with vegetation;
• The Deer Management Project found no reported cases of injury to bystanders in professional sharpshooting operations nationwide;
• Professional sharpshooting operations will be carried out when parks are closed, under the supervision of Arlington County Police Department and Department of Parks and Recreation staff; and
• Venison from sharpshooting operations will be donated to those facing food insecurity when feasible.

Board members will consider the professional sharpshooting amendments, along with dozens of other items, at its meeting on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8:30 a.m. and at its recessed meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m.

Meetings convene in the County Board Room on the third floor of 2100 Clarendon Blvd. and are open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a County Board Meeting.