Arlington government officials will be giving the county’s deer population at least an 18-month heads up that they might want to find a new home, or face an uncertain future.
Under a timeline proposed June 18 by county staff – but still far from adopted – the county government could turn to professional sharpshooters to start blasting away at Bambi and friends, starting in the winter of 2025-26.
Before that occurs, county officials will have to adopt changes to county ordinances permitting deer-culling on public land. And before THAT occurs, they will have to gather more public input on a subject that, perhaps not surprisingly, has drawn plenty of passion in the local community.
Development of a deer-management proposal has been ongoing in Arlington since 2021, and while there has been an extensive public-outreach effort, those who see Arlington’s governance in Machiavellian terms suggest county staff long ago settled on shooting as its preferred option.
A survey conducted of residents by the county government, released in early 2024, shows a decidedly more circumspect reaction to deadly force.
The survey delivered no consensus on the issue of using sharpshooters: 30 percent of the roughly 2,300 respondents said they were “very supportive” of the proposal, 13 percent supportive, 4 percent neutral, 7 percent unsupportive and 44 percent very unsupportive.
Another alternative offered in the survey – lethal public archery – drew hostility from a larger majority of those participating, while non-lethal surgical sterilization was supported by more than 60 percent of respondents.
In questioning staff June 18, County Board Vice Chairman Takis Karantonis cautioned against overreliance on sharpshooters.
“There is a consensus [among those who have studied the issue nationally] that one method alone does not actually produce the results – durable results,” he said.
Karantonis said an “always-changing mix of methods” would be necessary.
The county’s goal is not to denude Arlington of its white-tailed-deer population, but to bring down the numbers.
For full details on the initiative, see the county government’s Website section on the topic at bit.ly/3OzJqp8.
