Maintaining a healthy deer population is critical to both the park’s health and deer herds' health. The large deer population has exasperated their food source, limiting native vegetation's ability to root and regenerate. With no natural predators we are seeing an increase in car-deer collisions, relentless damage to our ecosystem, and unnatural aggression toward pets and people.

Not doing anything to control the deer population will result in an even greater number of vehicle-deer collisions. In Pennsylvania, about 50,000 deer are killed annually on PA Streets. In 2018, Pittsburgh's Animal Care and Control picked up 335 deceased deer, and in 2021 Animal Care and Control removed 510 deer. Additionally, the deer numbers are growing faster than the habitat can support them. In urban settings, this can result in starvation as food sources grow scarcer. Deer populations double every 2-3 years at an exponential rate.

Archery has been occurring for decades in local parks and greenspaces without incident. In the pilot year of the City of Pittsburgh Deer Management Program, zero public safety incidents were reported. In addition, across the state, archery has been reported as highly safe in annual Hunting Related Shooting Incident Reports published by the PA Game Commission:

• In 2022, the PA Game Commission reported 14 Hunting Related Shooting Incidents (HRSI), all of which were non-fatal. Out of the 14 incidents, zero archery incidents were reported by archers or bystanders.
• In 2021, the PA Game Commission reported 18 Hunting Related Shooting Incidents (HRSI). Two non-fatal archery injuries were reported.
• In 2020, the PA Game Commission reported 10 Hunting Related Shooting Incidents (HRSI). Zero archery incidents were reported by archers or bystanders.

Targeted harvesting has been used in local cities and municipalities without any public safety incidents. For example, Philadelphia parks exclusively use targeted harvesting for their deer management within inner city parks.

In Pittsburgh, we’ve contracted with the USDA for their expertise and guidance to ensure we are taking all safety precautions. Targeted harvesting will occur overnight, when parks are closed, therefore not impacting visitors’ experiences. All units performing targeted removal will work in teams of three with specific tasks prioritizing safety. Each vehicle will have a driver, spotter, and a shooter. All sites will be predetermined where removal will take place only utilizing spaces with a clear line of site and backstop. Even with the park closed, the spotter will utilize infrared units and night vision to ensure no one is nearby.

• These are experienced, fully vetted archers who passed a difficult archery exam.
• There is a 50-yard safety zone surrounding occupied structures, this includes playgrounds and OLEAs.
• The average bow can only travel 40 yards. Archers often avoid taking risky shots over 30 yards to ensure accuracy.
• Archers are shooting downward from their tree stands. They will not be shooting upwards or anywhere they cannot see the final destination of their bow.
• Here is a great resource on hunting injuries from the PA Game Commission. Please note it’s not exclusive to archery: https://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Hunter-TrapperEducation/Documents/2022%20HRSI%20Report.pdf
• Hunters generally do not want to be in a highly populated area for the safety of others and the success of their hunts. Most will be off-trail.
• See Resources (on this page) for the Notice Flyer posted in the parks.

During the approved Allegheny County Archery Season. The dates are:

• September 20-December 13*
• December 26-January 24*

*Excluding ALL Sundays.

The main goal of this pilot program is to control the City's deer population, and requiring a doe first best helps us meet that goal. A doe reaches breeding age at 6 months, and 98% of mature does can breed every year.

A doe can produce one to two fawns each year and occasionally triplets. 85% of births are twins and triplets.

GonaCon is the single-shot multi-year immunocontraceptive approved by the EPA and is not currently registered for use in Pennsylvania.

Additionally, fertility control is often employed in conjunction with deer herd reduction techniques and will not help reduce the already overpopulated herd size.

All archers must stay 50 yards (150 feet) away from occupied structures including schools, playgrounds, and homes. The USDA will assign all archers a specific zone where they are allowed to hunt.

Pittsburgh Parks must be posted to prohibit any unauthorized hunting to align with PA Game Commission standards. This allows for Conservation Officers to enforce any unwanted and unauthorized hunting.

Targeted harvesting is the selective removal of individuals within a population of animals for maximum effectiveness of reducing populations. As opposed to a blanked approach of removing large numbers of individuals, specific animals are targeted to have the greatest impact to the population in the future.

In Pittsburgh, targeted harvesting of deer will be occurring at night (when the parks are closed—after 11 p.m.) in Schenley and Emerald View Parks. This is conducted by United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) contracted employees post archery season completion in 2026.

Targeted harvesting is the most effective strategy for managing the overabundance of deer. When coupled with annual archery programs, targeted removal is often only initially needed to control the overabundance of deer. After targeted harvesting, archery programs alone can usually maintain the population in successive years.

Targeted harvesting in the City of Pittsburgh will ONLY occur in Schenley and Emerald View Parks in 2026 after the completion of the archery program. Harvesting will only occur after the parks are closed (after 11 p.m.) and will only take place in the innermost segments of the park grounds.

A United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) team will be overseeing and contracting this program with authorized, vetted individuals. Each individual is required to qualify annually for precision and safe firearm practices.

There is a potential you may hear the gunshots. The units will be using suppressed rifles that sound more like a pop than a gunshot. Often, the recorded decibels from discharging their weapons are low enough they do not trigger any gunshot monitoring devices. In addition, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and PA Game Commission will be alerted to nights when targeted removal will occur to address any potential complaints or reports that may arise.

Deer are adaptable creatures that require a multi-faceted, integrated management plan to control. Non-lethal management options such as deer resistant plantings, tree protection, and deer enclosures are already implemented in Pittsburgh’s parks, however they do not address the already overabundance of deer.

To manage the overabundance of deer, an ongoing archery program is a required first step by the PA Game Commission before exploring any additional deer management options. Archery is proven successful at maintaining the population, however to lower it to a healthy population targeted harvesting has been proven to be the most cost-effective management option to control the overabundance of deer.

Our goal is to eventually have a balanced population that in future years can maintained using archery tactics alone.

All deer harvested through means of targeted harvesting will be donated to local food pantries using programs such as Hunters Sharing the Harvest.

The number of deer to be removed by targeted harvesting will be determined at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 archery season.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is increasing in prevalence throughout Pennsylvania. Luckily, CWD has yet to be reported or confirmed in Allegheny County. Our hope is that with addressing the deer overabundance throughout the City of Pittsburgh we can slow or prevent the spread of CWD.

Currently, testing for any harvested deer within a Disease Management Area can be submitted for free testing through drop boxes in the local vicinity of the area harvest. Any archer with a confirmed case will be contacted and reissued a game tag. In areas such as Allegheny County, archers are encouraged to harvest any deer appearing to be sick or exhibiting symptoms of CWD and to contact their local PA Game Office to speak with a Conservation Officer.

The City of Pittsburgh in cooperation with the USDA will be continuing to monitor the situation as it progresses. For more information regarding CWD please check out the PA Game Commission’s website, linked here.

All archers that have been vetted and assigned a specific zone within the park have to carry a special issued identification card and fill out post hunt summaries. Archers have to display their ID when asked by park staff, authorities, or game officers. Park goers with any concerns should contact the PA Game Commission or Park Rangers if they suspect an archer is not part of the program.