The Farmington Hills City Council will consider a resolution on Monday, April 28, to address deer overpopulation.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Harrison Hall, on the second floor of The Hawk, the city’s recreation center at 29995 W. 12 Mile Road.

The meeting was moved to The Hawk to accommodate the large crowds that are expected. The council held a special meeting last month at City Hall on deer overpopulation that was standing-room-only.

The language of the resolution the council will consider Monday was not available Friday. It will be posted on the city’s website, www.fhgov.com, on Monday.

At the special meeting last month, an expert from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources told the council it would be difficult to achieve lasting results without a professional cull, or hunt. The expert, Chad Fedewa, said the city should also consider allowing limited bow hunting by amateurs in designated areas of the city.

The deer herd in Farmington Hills and surrounding areas stands at about 1,500, experts say. Many residents say the city needs to decrease the population because of the rising number of car-deer crashes, destruction of landscaping and health hazards, as deer carry ticks that can cause illnesses like Lyme disease.

Other residents say these drawbacks could be controlled by non-lethal means, such as better education on how to avoid car-deer crashes and how to protect landscaping.

Mayor Theresa Rich said last month that she supported a professional cull, but wasn’t sure about amateur bow hunting.

She said the area needs a regional solution to deer overpopulation. Farmington and Southfield are also interested in initiating plans to address the problem and other southeast Michigan cities may also join the effort, she said.

The Farmington City Council held an informational meeting recently that featured a presentation from the DNR but has not acted on deer overpopulation.

More than 60% of Southfield voters approved an advisory question in 2022 to allow a professional hunt. Southfield has not organized a hunt, but is waiting for other cities, including Farmington Hills, to act, Rich said.

The Farmington Hills council approved a feeding ban in 2017 that has not addressed the issue, Rich said.

Overpopulation creates safety hazards because of the large number of car-deer crashes, she said. Farmington Hills reported 144 crashes involving deer in 2023, an 18% increase over 2022.

Oakland County ranked first or second among Michigan’s 83 counties for the number of car-deer crashes from 2021-2023, according to the Michigan State Police.

In 2021, Oakland topped all Michigan counties, recording 1,853 incidents, MSP said.

How would hunts be conducted?

Fedewa suggested the hunts could begin next year. Professional and amateur hunters would have to demonstrate proficiency and gain approval from the city.

The effort would be successful if it reduced the deer herd by 35-40% annually; it could take several years before residents see any relief in terms of less destruction of vegetation or fewer car crashes, Fedewa said.

Such efforts have been successful in other Michigan cities and townships, he said. Venison from the hunts is donated to charities that address food insecurity.

Deer reproduce quickly and adapt well to suburban environments. Fedewa said other means of controlling the population are costly and ineffective.