About the Program

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The Deer Management Program aims to address deer overpopulation and its negative impact on Arlington County’s forest ecosystems. Following a three-year study by the Department of Parks and Recreation's Natural Resource unit, the program’s approach is based on extensive data collection, public engagement, and expert consultation. Findings revealed that high deer densities are harming forest health, leading to a plan centered around professional sharpshooting within a hybrid management approach to reduce deer numbers. By using an adaptive, evidence-based approach, the Deer Management Program aims to balance deer populations with local ecosystems to protect forest health long-term.

Program Goals:

  • Employ a hybrid approach to deer management that includes professional sharpshooting, fencing and repellants, and continued monitoring.
  • Monitor present and future deer population levels using periodic drone surveys and two different herbivory impact assessments.
  • Maintain the white-tailed deer population in balance with Arlington County’s local ecology in natural land parks. 

 

2026 Operations

The Deer Management Program conducted contracted professional sharpshooting operations on 12 nights from February 2 through March 20.   

Operations were carried out in seven parks along the Potomac and Four Mile Run wildlife corridors. 

  • Four Mile Run Corridor
    • Glencarlyn
    • Bon Air
    • Upton Hill (NOVA Parks)
    • Barcroft
  • Potomac Corridor
    • Fort C.F. Smith
    • Potomac Overlook (NOVA Parks)
    • Pimmit Run

Program Outcomes

Overall, 12 deer were harvested from the Potomac Corridor and 14 from the Four Mile Run corridor for a total harvest of 26 deer. All deer were tested and processed, and more than 1,500 pounds of venison were donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center. 

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.  

Operations also provided insight into what strategies, locations, and weather conditions are viable while highlighting opportunities for improvement. Weather conditions, such as February’s snowstorm and subsequent freezing temperatures, significantly reduced deer activity, while strategies, such as 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. 

2026 Deer Operation Areas - Four Mile Run and Potomac Corridor           Deer Removed from Landscape

Program History

Spring 2021: To better understand the size of the deer population, the County contracted with Steward Green LLC to conduct a deer survey. Visit the Deer Density Final Report 2021 and the Arlington County Deer Survey and Next Steps for more information.

Fall 2021: Staff provided an update regarding the results of DPR’s contracted deer drone survey conducted in April 2021 along with next steps.

Summer 2022: Arlington County hired White Buffalo Inc., a well-known and regarded wildlife management and research organization with regional experience, to perform data collection and analysis to better determine deers’ impact on county-owned natural land parks. In addition, they worked to draft a browse assessment that shares potential management strategies to mitigate negative ecological impacts on County owned natural land parks, sustain a healthy deer population, and protect county-owned natural land parks for all native flora and fauna.

Spring/Summer 2023: Arlington County published the browse assessment written by White Buffalo Inc. A community engagement process including an online feedback form, community meeting, and small focused deep dive conversations was conducted to solicit feedback on the recommendation to develop and implement a plan and potential deer management strategies. Feel free to dig deeper into the engagement summary and raw questionnaire data that reflect back all that we heard throughout this first engagement.

Winter 2023/4: Community members were invited to join the project team for two informational sessions (see recordings for Feb. 8 and Feb. 12). Project staff were joined by the contractor, White Buffalo Inc. to answer pre-submitted questions as well as questions from the chat box. Project staff presented the final recommendations for deer management in Arlington County to the Arlington County Board on Sept. 17, 2024. View the engagement summary and raw data. You can review a slide deck of the County draft recommendations here. The project also hosted a virtual community meeting on July 11 to answer questions from the community.

Summer 2024: From June 18 to July 19, 2024, we invited feedback on the County’s draft deer management recommendations. The proposed hybrid strategy centered around professional sharpshooting but also included other approaches such as fencing and repellents. The County's draft recommendations were developed as part of the Deer Management Project and were informed by a detailed report from the project consultant which includes their recommendations, comprehensive research, and community feedback heard during the engagement in spring/summer 2023.  

Spring 2025: Staff released the findings from a DPR-contracted deer drone survey from March 2025. Take a look at the survey findings here. Learn more about population monitoring here.

Winter 2026: Staff hosted a virtual information session attended by more than 200 participants to answer questions and provide information in advance of the first sharpshooting operations. Watch the video recording here.

 


 

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