Virginia White-Tailed Deer

DRP hired two wildlife management organizations to survey deer impact.  The first report released in the fall of 2021 by Steward Green found an average of 13 deer per square mile, with more deer near forested areas or stream corridors and fewer deer – or even no deer – in segments of more urban density*.  The second report, released in June 2023 by White Buffalo Inc., found that “moderate browsing [by deer] was prevalent” in Arlington parks, along with both high and low-impact browsing found in a small number of other areas**.

*Steward Green LLC, "White-tailed Deer Population Density Survey Using sUAS Infrared: Arlington County, Virginia". Spring 2001)

**(Boulanger, J.R., White Buffalo Inc., "White-tailed Deer Herbivory Impact Assessments for Arlington County Parks and Recreation Natural Lands". June 5, 2023)

At the start of their culls, nearby jurisdictions had the following number of deer per square mile*:

Clearly, Arlington County’s average of 13 deer per square mile is substantially less than other jurisdictions with culls, yet the DPR is suggesting pursuing an aggressive management strategy that includes killing deer.  Even if there was a deer overpopulation problem, the lack of deer in Arlington when compared to neighboring jurisdictions suggests that we have the time for a more measured, humane approach before resorting to lethal options.

*(Boulanger, J.R., White Buffalo Inc., "White-tailed Deer Herbivory Impact Assessments for Arlington County Parks and Recreation Natural Lands". June 5, 2023)

The White Buffalo Report surveyed forest browsing at multiple sites in Arlington to study deer impact.  On a scale from zero or light browsing to heavy or severe, the survey found the impacts of “moderate” browsing observed at many sites, with some sites experiencing heavy and some minor browsing.  Moderate is essentially a level two or three on a scale of zero to five, and it would follow that a solution should be commensurate with the problem at hand.  Instituting a deer cull now is overly excessive – it would be the extreme solution to a “moderate” problem.

DPR should be focusing on what would be the safest, most effective solution to the current level of the problem. In this context, a deer cull does not work. Once started, a deer cull must be continued year-over-year.  Neighboring jurisdictions have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and killed countless deer, and yet these programs have continued for decades with no end in sight.  Hunting programs in Fairfax County and Howard County, for instance, began in 1998 and still continue to this day. Much of this has to do with deer biology because deer procreate at rates to meet their food source. If deer are hunted but their food sources do not decrease, neither will the deer population. Instead of birthing a single fawn, does will birth twins or triplets to repopulate the herd.*

*(Humane Society of the United States, “Why Deer Killing Programs Don’t Solve Conflicts with Deer”.)

Pro-cull advocates will point to the safety record of deer culls.  But, make no mistake about it, a deer cull does not happen behind closed doors.  Given the density of Arlington and the adjacency of county parkland to homes, these deer will be hunted in our backyards*.  Public parks will be closed or usage will be limited.  Deer not killed on a first shot will pose a danger to any person or animal in their vicinity, and even a mortally wounded deer can still live on adrenaline for many seconds and cover hundreds of yards.  It will not be uncommon for residents to find evidence of dead deer in parks or in yards.

*(Boulanger, J.R., White Buffalo Inc., "White-tailed Deer Herbivory Impact Assessments for Arlington County Parks and Recreation Natural Lands". June 5, 2023) The report shows multiple survey sites directly adjacent to private property.

AWLA acknowledges and supports the County’s biophilia goals and the importance of maintaining a healthy biodiversity.  We are here as the County’s animal resource center to support humane deer management solutions if the County believes there is deer overpopulation that requires management. 

We offer help through our Wildlife Resource Center for anyone experiencing human/wildlife conflict.  Apart from less invasive measures like fencing or odor repellents, fertility control measures have also shown success in reducing deer populations and impact. Nearby, Fairfax City undertook a surgical sterilization program where population estimates showed a decrease of 91 deer in 2014 to 40 deer in 2018.*  Nationally, sterilization and immuno-contraception studies have also shown similar success in reducing deer populations.**

*(Boulanger, J.R., White Buffalo Inc., "White-tailed Deer Herbivory Impact Assessments for Arlington County Parks and Recreation Natural Lands". June 5, 2023)

**(Averett, N. “Is Sterilization the Answer to Too Many Urban Deer?”. April 23, 2019.) (Lange, K. "Deer contraception hits the target". September 23, 2022.) (Rutberg, A. T. "Population-level effects of immunocontraception in white-tailed deer". October 22, 2008.)

Deer are highly adaptable and intelligent animals and they have figured out a way to live and thrive in our urban environment.  AWLA Animal Control, as the agency that regularly interacts with our wildlife population, reports our deer to be in good health and condition. Arlington’s deer are not starving.

As for road safety, we all can agree that we'd like zero car-deer collisions but unless we eliminate all deer, this will never be a possibility. As it stands, deer-vehicle collisions are very rare in Arlington. Though DPR did not provide any recent deer-vehicle collision data, past data from the County Police Department (ACPD) showed that between 2018 and 2021 there were only four collision reports for incidents “casually attributed to deer."*

In Arlington, deer are not sick and they are not dying in droves by cars.

*(ArlNow.com, “Watch Out on the Roads: Deer Are on the Prowl”. October 15, 2021)

While nearby jurisdictions have noted that meat may wind up at local pantries, there is no data showing the actual percentage that is donated or estimates as to what that number would be here in Arlington.  The reality is many deer will not be suitable for human consumption.  In one study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15% of venison donated to food pantries in Wisconsin was found to be contaminated with lead, and many pantries will altogether avoid carrying venison due to these potential health and liability issues.*

Ultimately, though, a deer cull is about human/wildlife conflict and the goal should be to use the safest, most effective method for the problem at hand. Food insecurity issues, while important, are separate from this discussion.

*(Diana Mason, PhD, RN, “Policy and Culture Change: Lead Contamination of Meat”.)

This cannot be further from the truth.  AWLA is the only animal resource agency that accepts any animal in the County, regardless of health or disposition. Every day we must balance the health and safety of the community in which we serve and all animals that come through our door, and sometimes that means making the hard decisions. Most recently, we’ve also managed two major wildlife crises – a distemper outbreak in our raccoon population and a large-scale bird mortality event – that sadly resulted in widespread euthanasia, a responsibility borne entirely by AWLA staff.

We see no evidence that Arlington deer are currently struggling and that killing them, instead of pursuing more humane measures, will help to restore ecological balance.