Arlington Hires Killers to Slaughter Deer in Early 2026
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© Bill Draper Photography | Canaan Valley |
Arlington County Board members, Takis P. Karantonis, Matt de Ferranti, Maureen Coffey, Susan Cunningham, and JD Spain Sr., have ignored demands from Arlington residents to stop the acquisition of sharpshooters for the purpose of systematically slaughtering deer in Arlington Parks.
After the 23% decline in deer population, from 290 deer in 2021 to 222 deer in 2025, the Arlington Deer Management Staff, Mr. John Marlin and Mr. Alonso Abugattas did not reconsider and revaluate the cost and effectiveness of a humane, science-based, effective, non-lethal solution to peacefully coexist with Arlington deer.
Arlington citizens were denied the opportunity to provide public input and voice their concerns about establishing a successful, non-violent plan that would preserve and protect the substantial decline in deer population.
The Arlington County Government has awarded a sharpshooting contract to Wildlife Resources LLC to slaughter deer in our local parks. Sharpshooting operations are anticipated to begin in February 2026 when female deer are pregnant with fawns.
Yes, pregnant female deer and their fetuses will die.
The cost of the contract to annihilate Arlington deer is $74,0000.00. The contract has been finalized with four renewals (valid from November 6, 2025 to November 5, 2030) and is available to view on the Arlington County Purchasing website.
Once Wildlife Resources LLC, owned by Wesley Runion, is onboarded, the Arlington Natural Resources Division and Wildlife Resources LLC will identify sharpshooting locations and develop operational and security plans for each site.
To keep the killing sites secure, two Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) officers and two Arlington Park Rangers will be present at all times during operations.
The Arlington Deer Management Staff, Mr. John Marlin, deputy division chief at the Dept. of Parks and Recreation and Mr. Alonso Abugattas, Arlington Natural Resources Manger, will also be present to coordinate and monitor the carnage.
Under the pretense of humanity, the harvested venison will be donated to Hunters for the Hungry. They will process and distribute the venison to Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) food distribution centers in Arlington.
Arlington County has already approved a one-time, emergency allocation of $350,000 to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) to bridge the gap between pro-rated state-issued benefits and household needs.
In December 2025, ahead of the killing, Arlington civic association and residents adjacent to the impacted parks will be notified.
In January 2026, a virtual information session about the deer killing operations will be held. All Arlington residents will be able to attend free of charge.
Arlington County still plans to launch an independent “Deer Management” website to continue their propaganda that killing deer is the only solution. Overall, the Arlington Deer Management Program simply emulates decades long deer killing programs that obviously do not work.
The decision to employ Wildlife Resources LLC to massacre deer threatens the survival of our local deer population and will disrupt the balance of our ecosystem.
Lethal deer removal methods to control populations are outdated, ineffective, and inhumane. Deer populations quickly rebound, leading to a yearly cycle of killing without addressing the underlying causes of deer-human conflicts.
The successful surgical sterilization of female deer, increasing road signage in areas where deer are more densely populated, renting additional portable deer warning flashing signs during peak deer-activity months, and community education programs can resolve human-deer conflicts of any variety.
Shooting free-living white-tailed deer does not reflect the values of Arlington.
SHAME ON THE ENTIRE ARLINGTON COUNTY GOVERNMENT FOR FAILING ARLINGTON RESIDENTS, BRINGING VIOLENCE TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND DESTROYING OUR DEER.
