Details From Farmington Hills Deer Population Presentation as City Considers Culling and Hunting

(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 28, 2025)

Farmington Hills, MI – Farmington Hills City Councilperson Valerie Knoll is one of many residents who have been struggling with impacts of the increasing deer population in her community.

“Fifteen years ago, it was a treat to see a deer in my yard. We’d rush to the window and say ‘oh, that’s a deer!’” she said. But now It’s a different story.

Over the past dozen or so years, the deer population has grown bringing along with it multiple problems. An aerial survey in Feb 2021 found 729 deer, In March 2019 that number had been 370. When added with Southfield’s deer survey, there were a total of 1,598 deer across both cities in 2021.

“I see 10-12 in my yard each day,” Knoll said. “It is not healthy to have that many deer in an area.”

Scores of residents packed City Hall on March 24 for a council study session on what impact the deer have been making, and what solutions might be. Many residents have been frustrated by the deer, while others want to see them protected.

TIMELINE

According to City Manager Gary Mekjian, discussion of deer impacts began in 2010, becoming a hot topic in 2012.

In 2015 the city began researching deer population challenges officially, and in 2017 they joined with neighboring cities to investigate a regional approach.

In 2021 the SE Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) formed the Urban Deer Coalition, and in 2022 they did a seven-county deer survey.

In 2025 Michigan released it’s statewide Urban Deer Management Plan.

The City of Farmington Hills began working with Masters students from the University of Michigan School of Sustainability last year, so that students could do research on the impacts of deer and potential solutions. Those students attended the study session, and took turns talking about the different things they learned.

CONCERNS

There are a number of consequences to having a large deer population.

One top priority is safety. In 2023 there were 2,125 documented auto crashes involving deer in Oakland County. 144 of those were in Farmington Hills.

The city has reported that from 2015-2022 there were 180 calls from residents about deer concerns. The SEMCOG survey also included many of the shared concerns, including:

-Vehicle crashes

-Ticks and Lyme Disease

-Landscaping being destroyed

-Ecosystems being destroyed

-Deer health

-Aggressive deer

In the survey, 11% reported having no concerns.

Students dove into more detail about the ecological impacts of deer, sharing that deer feed on saplings and in particular slow-growing saplings like oaks are most at risk. Wooded areas can become saturated with fast growing trees that are unpalatable to the deer.

The deer also feast on ground cover, which is essential for a healthy forest. The rise in invasive species, which deer don’t eat, combined with the deteriorating natural vegetation impacts other animals as well. There are fewer insects for food and pollination. Populations of birds and small mammals like rabbits, opossums, raccoons, and chipmunks also decline due to the lack of food and protection from predators.

Students suggested ecological goals of encouraging oak regeneration, removal of invasive species, and restoring ground cover.

POPULATION REDUCTION

Bryan Farmer, who’s been leading the research for the city, said that “management means reducing population.”

There are two options that the city is considering – hunting and culling.

Culling would involve having sharpshooters kill deer. It would be done at night using thermal vision goggles and riles with silencers on them. The sharpshooters would set up tree stands so they would be aiming at the animals towards the ground. This increases accuracy and reduces risk of stray bullets impacting neighbors.

Hunting would open up areas of the city, most likely parks or larger private land areas, to archery hunters, who could use bows and crossbows for their hunts. It would require some public relations work to get people excited about hunting, including training, promotion, and outreach events.

In both cases, the deceased deer could be processed and the meat donated to local charities. An antler-less deer can provide an average of 45.05 lbs of venison, while an antlered buck can provide up to 62.51 lbs. Hunters Feeding Michigan is a program that facilitates venison donation with the DNR. Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac receives 129,000 meals per year though the program. CARES in Farmington Hills could also be a recipient according to Farmer.

If Farmington Hills were to start doing hunting and culling, it would likely take five years for the impacts to really be noticed by residents.

REGIONAL EFFORTS

Farmer also recommends that the city continue working with neighboring cities, as they have with research. Voters in the City of Southfield passed a ballot measure to direct city leaders to organize a deer cull, but it has not been implemented yet.

“Deer do not know borders,” Farmer said. “If Farmington Hills did deer culls, more deer would come over from Southfield.” He suggested that Farmington Hills do their deer cull in tandem with Southfield’s deer cull, and to encourage neighbors to do culls as well.

OTHER CITY EXAMPLES

In Meridian Township, 67 archery volunteers were able to harvest 141 deer, of which 77 were donated in 2023. The archery hunts have been in place since 2010, and in that time the number of crashes has gone down by 36%.

Huron Clinton MetroParks, the City of Jackson, Oakland County Parks, and the Michigan DNR all have culling programs to reduce deer population.

PROMOTING HUNTING

In Michigan, hunting has declined 32% since 1995. Farmer hopes that by opening up Farmington Hills to hunting it can help to revive interest the sport. He shared that one reason people don’t hunt is because there are not hunting opportunities near them.

ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF DEER MANAGEMENT

Residents who are not in favor of killing deer have asked about alternatives.

There is an ordinance on the books that prohibits people from feeding deer in the city. “Some people are intentionally feeding deer, so do what you can to stop that,” said DNR representative Chad Fedena.

Others have inquired about sterilization methods. This isn’t on the table in Farmington Hills, but there is some history about sterilization programs that was not discussed in depth at the meeting.

Ann Arbor conducted a research study in 2017 where 54 female deer were sterilized, in tandem with culling in the area. The project did have some success, and the DNR at the time stated “While sterilization is not viewed as a replacement for recreation hunting due to the expense and difficulty in applying the technique across a large scale, the recent work done in several communities indicates it may have a role in the future of deer management in urban settings. The DNR recommends no additional legislation restricting the use of sterilization on game or other species where it may prove beneficial in preventing unwanted expansion of invasive species.”

The practice has a cost of over $1,000 per deer. In 2018 the state legislature ordered the DNR to cease issuing permits for sterilization through 2022, with the main argument by legislators being that hunting should be the preferred method for deer management. While the ban on permits has ended, according to Farmer, the DNR is focusing on hunting and not issuing sterilization permits, stating that sterilization can cause bleeding and is inhumane.

The presentation also did not mention another Oakland County suburb Rochester Hills, which has created a Deer Management Advisory Committee with residents and council members. They study increases in deer population, but rather than population control their focus has been on educating residents and visitors to co-exist with the animals.

The City began adding signage, including lighted signs in high-deer areas to alert drivers. The number of crashes in 2017 was 161. In 2020 it was 153. And in 2021 it was 120. The bulk of crashes happen in Oct, Nov, and Dec when deer are most active. The City created a brochure for residents called “Coexisting with Whtie-Tailed Deer in Rochester Hills,” which talks about deer crash prevention, gardening tips, repellents, fencing, and the city’s ordinances against hunting and feeding.

They also publish a “Deer-resistant plant list for Rochester Hills Homeowners,” which others can use to help guide their landscape choices.

Others have suggested catching the deer and relocating them to more rural areas, but that is not an option for deer in Michigan according to Farmer because it just increases the problem elsewhere, and is not healthy for the deer due to the stress of the move.

TIMELINE / NEXT STEPS

After hearing the research and recommendations, Farmington Hills City Council will next consider a resolution to move forward. They could opt to have a cull conducted by professional sharpshooters, or to ask for local hunters to volunteer, or a combination of both.

If a proposal is adopted, a hunt or cull would not take place until 2026. And hunting could begin in 2027.

They would need to temporarily suspend firearms ordinances during the time of culls and regulated hunts.

They could require deer management reports every five years, and they could include deer management as part of their parks and recreation master plan.

Council would also have to decide what areas would be targeted for hunting and culling.

Culling typically takes place in February or March.

The City could hire the US Department of Agriculture to do the culling, or a private company.

The cost varies, but is estimated to be about $20,000 per year.

Council will vote on the ordinance on April 28. Because of anticipated crowd size, the meeting will be held at The Hawk Community Center at 29995 W. 12 Mile Road. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.

Learn more:

City of Farmington Hills website

City of Southfield website

City of Rochester Hills website

Michigan DNR website

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