The Arlington County Board in Virginia voted unanimously Saturday to allow sharpshooting as a means of controlling the deer population in the area.

The vote amended Arlington’s code to exclude the discharge of firearms for county-supervised deer management activities from the prohibition of firearms on county property.

A report counted almost 300 deer in Arlington with the most highly populated in the forests.

A county report put the number at 290 in 2021. The study describes “densities that begin to be concerning with 20, 28, 33 and 39 deer per square mile” in the report.

Damage from deer was found in 12 parks across the county.

“It’s painful to see all of those carefully planted plants suddenly, instantly be destroyed,” said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey.

Louise Shutler has lived in the area for 25 years and spoke to the board about the impact to her garden.

“Please speed up whatever plan is an option,” Shutler said. “I’ve used every sort of deterrent. It doesn’t work. They’re hungry and by not controlling them, we’re letting them starve.”

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington has advocated for less lethal options including sterilization, but the board said using sharpshooters is faster and more cost-effective.

Next, the board will be ordering a study to determine exactly where the shooting would take place to control the deer.

WTOP’s Will Vitka contributed to this report.