Farmington Hills deer culls approved - What the city plans to do
(Photo: Mabel Amber/Pixabay)
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - In an effort to address a growing deer population, the Farmington Hills City Council approved culls Tuesday.
The deer management plan, which passed 6-1, included some changes, such as limiting the archery culls only to public safety personnel.
Farmington Hills deer management
Sharpshooters:
Beginning in 2026, the city will coordinate professional calls using U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sharpshooters. These culls will take place over two to five days.
The sharpshooters will use suppressed rifles and thermal imaging at night.
Archery culls:
During two days in 2027, five public safety officers will be permitted to use crossbows to hunt deer. According to the city, those selected "will undergo rigorous training and skills testing."
These officers will shoot arrows toward the ground from a tree or elevated position.
What's next:
Locations for these culls have not been determined, but the city said it will look at deer impact data to determine where they will take place. This could include getting landowner permission to hunt on private land that is five acres or larger.
The city said that meat from the deer killed during these culls will be donated to area food banks.
As the city moves forward with the deer management plan, it will continue to 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 Michigan Department of Natural Resources, USDA, National Deer Association (NDA), and participating members of the Southeast Michigan Urban Deer Coalition to share resources and information.
Local perspective:
The culls come in response to concerns about deer, including crashes with the animals and damage.
As part of its deer management plan, the city surveyed residents. According to the results of that survey, residents were most concerned about collisions with deer, followed by landscaping and garden damage.
In Farmington Hills, there were 144 reported crashes involving deer in 2024, an 18% increase over 2022.
According to the survey, lethal deer removal is considered the most effective way to manage deer populations.
Despite these concerns and the supporting research, residents who took the city's survey were divided on the use of lethal methods for dealing with the deer population. According to the survey results, about 52% of the 5,210 respondents did not support lethal removal of deer, while the rest of the respondents were split between moderately supporting and strongly supporting such measures.
When questioned about individual methods of lethal deer removal, residents showed even more opposition, with around 60% of respondents saying that they opposed firearm hunting, bow hunting, and a sharpshooting program.
Public safety was the most cited reason for opposing these methods.
Bryan Farmer, the deputy director for special services, said these culls will be "highly organized hunts."
"Not just sending people out in orange and walking through the streets. They are really going to be in specific locations and whether it be private land or parks, so it will be regulated," he told FOX 2 last month.
The Source: Information from the city of Farmington Hills and previous FOX 2 reporting was used in this story.