DC metro residents fume over plan to use sharpshooters to reduce deer population

“It is inhumane, it is ineffective because it leads to a never-ending cycle of violence,” animal rights activist Jeannette Louise Smith told WUSA 9.

The activist created a “No Killing Deer in Arlington” blog in November 2024 after the Arlington County Board voted to hire sharpshooters to control the population.

She also started an online petition that has gained over 800 signatures in support of the cause.

The petition notes that the upcoming efforts “will disrupt the balance of our ecosystem and lead to an endless, needless, and expensive cycle of attempted eradication.” Instead of lethal approaches, Louise Smith is advocating for surgical sterilization, which the petition notes “has been proven successful in other American cities.”

Louise Smith noted in her blog that the local deer population has declined naturally in recent years.

In 2021, researchers found 290 deer countywide, while a March 2025 study found fewer deer, albeit still three to six times more than recommended levels.

Arlington County is approximately 26 square miles, but a 2024 Deer Management Project FAQ sheet notes that most of the deer are not evenly distributed across the county, but highly concentrated in county-owned parks.

Louise Smith also claims on her blog that local officials “did not reconsider and reevaluate the cost and effectiveness of a humane, science-based, effective, non-lethal solution to peacefully coexist with Arlington deer.”

However, local leaders say they did consider deer sterilization, but say there is no evidence it would adequately reduce the population. It also costs more than using a sharpshooter.

Louise Smith told WUSA 9 she would speak with the Arlington County Board at its “Open Door Monday” meeting, and encouraged others to join.

“It’s a critical time for people to speak up because the Arlington County Board has ignored all of our pleas,” she said.

Sharpshooters will only be deployed in winter and the parks will be closed while they are operating, Arlington County wrote online.

“Professional sharpshooting for deer population management has been carried out nationally for decades with no documented injury to bystanders,” the county noted on its website.