Arlington’s first deer cull resulted in 26 deer being shot and removed from local parks, despite challenging winter conditions.
The cull — which lasted from Feb. 2 to March 20 in seven parks along Four Mile Run and near the Potomac in North Arlington — resulted in 1,500 pounds of venison donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center after being tested and processed, according to a program update from the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Professional sharpshooters killed a total of 12 deer in the Potomac Corridor and 14 deer in the Four Mile Run Corridor. A 2019 study confirmed the presence of 290 deer in Arlington.
“While this first operation likely did not reduce the deer population density in our wildlife corridors to the recommended level of 15-20 per square mile, it did significantly reduce the number of deer over-browsing the landscape and reduced their ability to further contribute to population growth,” according to the program update.
The operation faced some unexpected snags as a result of a snowstorm in February and freezing temperatures, which reduced deer activity. Additionally, some strategies, like using bait to attract deer, “proved less effective than anticipated.”
“Program staff are incorporating lessons learned and considering adjustments to factors such as sharpshooting locations, operating hours, and the weather conditions in which they operate to improve outcomes in future operations,” according to the program update.
The deer cull is done for the season, but it will return again next winter, Parks and Recreation spokesperson Jerusalem Solomon told ARLnow.
The project was among Arlington County’s more controversial operations, facing opposition from advocates of non-lethal methods of controlling the deer’s numbers — such as surgical sterilization and fencing around vegetation — as well as some residents concerned about gunfire in such a densely populated county. A Change.org petition to stop the program has received over 1,700 signatures since December.
In addition to killing the herbivores with guns, the county’s deer management program uses fencing to protect individual plants and plant communities, and sprays repellents to protect plants from deer damage.
In other deer-related news, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is reminding residents to leave fawns alone if they stumble across them this spring.
“Concerned people sometimes pick up animals that they think are orphaned,” the agency said in a press release. “Most such ‘orphans’ that good-intentioned citizens ‘rescue’ every spring should have been left alone. Most wild animals will not abandon their young, but they do leave them alone for extended periods of time.”
Fawns are born from May through July and are purposely left alone by their mothers. If a wild animal has been injured or actually orphaned, residents can contact the commonwealth’s wildlife conflict helpline at 855-571-9003.
