“The leadership had increasing number of residents complaining about deer issues, like deer eating their landscaping or negative experiences with deer.”
Ali Locher is Associate Professor of Biology at Grand Valley State University. It partnered with Kent County’s Road Commission and the Michigan Department of Transportation on the study.
“There was also an increase in deer/vehicle collisions over the past several years.”
In 2024, there were 4,290 road-killed deer, which exceeded hunter-harvested deer by 150.
Over the next two years, the coalition wants to reduce the county’s deer-related car crashes by more than 1,000. Reaching that goal requires increasing deer harvests by 1,900, with a focus on does. Limited breeding, if successful, would remove 13-20% of the county’s herd.
“If we can garner support for some of these localized deer reductions that focus on ethical utilization in areas, then we’re respecting that animal by utilizing it.”
The coalition recommends controlled urban archery hunting. It also advises a hunter recruitment program and greater access to land.
“There’s lots of hunters that would like to shoot a deer and have it for food throughout the winter, but there’s a lot of private land, and people aren’t really sure where to go or how they can access some of these lands.”
The full study can be found here.
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