Farmington Hills Council Adopts Plan to Cull Deer and Have Public Safety Officers Participate in Hunts

Farmington Hills Council Adopts Plan to Cull Deer and Have Public Safety Officers Participate in Hunts

(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 29, 2025)

Farmington Hills, MI – After years of discussion and research, Farmington Hills City Council has voted on a plan of action for deer population management. With Councilperson Michael Bridges casting the only “no” vote, Council approved contracting with the US Department of Agriculture to coordinate professional culls of two to fives days per year beginning in 2026.

USDA sharpshooters will conduct the kills at nighttime using thermal imaging and rifles with silencers. The sharpshooters will be positioned to take safe, accurate shots, and the meat from the deer will be processed and donated to local food banks and pantries. Goals for the quantity of deer will be set with the USDA and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources each year.

The City has also approved allowing a very limited team of public safety personnel to archery hunt using bows and crossbows for a period of two days in 2027. According to the City, “Prior to the highly regulated organized archery hunt, the selected public safety personnel will undergo rigorous training and skills testing. During the highly regulated organized archery hunt, the selected public safety personnel will be positioned in a tree or elevated position above the deer, allowing them to shoot arrows toward the ground.”

In order to allow the culls and the hunts, temporary suspension of firearms ordinances during the cull and hunt days has been approved, only for those participating in those activities. The plan also calls for continued monitoring and participation of regional planning. The City of Farmington hills will continue to be collect data related to deer-vehicle crashes, deer carcass pickup, resident deer concerns and ecological impacts. A Deer Management Report will be provided annually to the Farmington Hills City Council and the Deer Management Plan will be reviewed every five years as part of the City of Farmington Hills Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Additionally, the City of Farmington Hills will continue to work in collaboration with the MDNR, USDA, National Deer Association (NDA) and participating members of the Southeast Michigan Urban Deer Coalition to share resources and information. The City will continue to share resources with the community on a dedicated deer management page on the City’s website, in addition to other methods.

Residents packed the meeting, with people speaking both in favor of the cull and against it.

Councilperson Jackie Boleware said that she has not “just listened to the DNR.”

“I’ve gone to the CDC.  I’ve gone to U of M. I’ve gone to the University of Chicago.  I’ve done as much research as I could.  It’s a very difficult issue and whatever decision we make will have just as many people disappointed in the outcome,” she said.

Councilperson Jon Aldred expressed wishes for unity.  “We may have different opinions on this but a lot of us have similar motivations.  People want to have a beautiful environment to live in. They appreciate the wildlife around them.  They want to retain and maintain the reasons why they love Farmington Hills.”

Councilperson Michael Bridges cast the one lone dissenting vote.  He said he was not convinced that Farmington Hills had a deer problem, stating that complaints have averaged just two per month and that with a population of 82,000 having 122 deer vehicle crashes per year was still a low probability of crashes.  He said residents should consider planting deer-resistant plants, and that the city should enforce the ban on feeding deer before using fatal methods.

For the latest updates on the Deer Management Plan, visit the City of Farmington Hills website.