FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Deer/vehicle collisions have been on the rise in Oakland County, with more than 2,000 in 2023 alone. That, along with landscaping damage, the potential spread of ticks and Lyme disease, and ecological concerns, are making some city leaders across the region think about how to manage a rising deer population.
A group of experts presented a potential plan toward that end to the Farmington Hills City Council on Monday.
“It’s been an ongoing problem since we’ve been here. We see deer in our backyard all the time. We love it, but I also just saw a deer get hit by a car on 14 Mile Road,” Farmington Hills Resident Jeremy Long said.
The overpopulation of deer has become a point of concern for residents and leaders in southeast Michigan.
Farmington Hills is set to consider a proposal from the Department of Natural Resources and the Southeast Michigan Urban Deer Management Coalition to lower the city's deer population.
“It’s strictly going to be hunting and or culls. A cull is a sharpshooter being up in a tree elevated in the dark. They would have thermals and suppressors on their guns you wouldn’t hear them, you wouldn’t see them out there. They would shoot down on the deer and drop them there,” Bryan Farmer said.
Farmer is the Deputy Director of the city’s Special Services Department and heads up the deer management coalition.
“The hunting plan would be bows and crossbows, strictly no guns, and the same type of plan where you can set up organized hunts where it’s safe,” Farmer said.
Some, like Jacob Kunz an amateur wildlife photographer, are not warming up to that idea.
“I really enjoy being able to come out here in the city and walk around at this nice park and see the wildlife, there are deer, turkey, and hawks. I wouldn’t want that to really not be a part of Farmington Hills,” Kunz said.
The problem is far from exclusive to Farmington Hills. Several neighboring communities have an overpopulation of deer.
“The deer come right up to the house, and you can see where they’ve bitten off the vine, they’ve chewed up all the leaves,” Waterford resident John Durnbaugh said.
Durnbaugh says deer are ruining his landscaping. The township says it’s not considering any proposals to decrease the deer population.
Chad Fedewa from the DNR says other communities are.
“The city of Southfield, the city of Farmington, as well, have been working with the city of Farmington, as well, have been working on some sort of regional approach on potential deer management, but there are other communities in the southeast Michigan area that exploring opportunities as well,” Fedewa said.
Back in Farmington Hills, the city council is set to take up the proposal on April 28.
“I’ve been a bow hunter for years. So, I think for this area, there's areas where you could probably do it safely,” Long said. “I would support it cause something’s gotta be done.”
