The results of the City of Pittsburgh’s deer maintenance pilot program, executed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, demonstrate the viability of a larger bow sharpshooting operation in more city parks next year.

Besides reducing the population of a nuisance species, the hunt yielded 2,360 pounds of ground venison, which contributed to nearly 10,000 meals for needy Pittsburgh families.

In one of the few recent public relations successes for city government, last September a social media meme announcing that “The City of Pittsburgh is seeking 30 archers” briefly went viral, as the announcement evoked images of a medieval tournament. Perhaps, some wondered, the champion would win the hand of an eligible maiden or bachelor.

Unfortunately the real purpose was far more prosaic — but also more important to the daily lives of city residents: There are too many deer in Pittsburgh, and someone has to kill them.

While hunting is seen in some circles as inherently cruel, when done right it’s a crucial aspect of the maintenance of the natural environment humans share with our fellow creatures. Too many deer isn’t just an inconvenience: It’s dangerous to human safety and to the biodiversity of the urban and suburban ecosystem. And bad for the deer themselves.

After nearly being hunted to extinction — one example of the practice gone too far — the white-tailed deer is now the most prolific wild hooved mammal in North America. This is in part because human development has pushed aside their natural predators, at least in urban and suburban environments, leaving only one enemy to keep their numbers in check: us.

When humans decline to fulfill that responsibility, deer run amok. They consume (literally) tons of native plant life, clearing the way for imports and invasives, like Japanese knotweed, to overwhelm ecosystems. They carry deer ticks, which are the primary vector for Lyme Disease. And they are careless jaywalkers, leading not just to vehicular property damage, but to injury and death.

The pilot program snagged 108 deer in Frick and Riverview parks. Compare that, as far as safety and humaneness, to the 510 that were killed on Pittsburgh’s roads in 2021 alone. Meanwhile, no-kill methods such as contraception/sterilization and transportation are unproven and, in the latter case, expensive. They also don’t provide food to people who need it as a helpful side effect.

Importantly, the city learned some lessons from the pilot, which were listed in a public debriefing. These include decreasing the archers per park from 15 to 10, adding a field dressing station to help hunters process their harvest, and finding a local butcher to boost local business and to make venison production more efficient.

Most important of all, though, the city learned that bow sharpshooting in city parks can be done safely, and that the four-legged nuisances can be used to feed hungry Pittsburghers. We look forward to a bigger program this year, with archers across all major city parks.

First Published: April 9, 2024, 9:30 a.m.