- After car-deer collisions became a continued problem in Meridian Township, the Township launched a deer management program.
- The 2024 cull will run on January 2 to February 19.
- Watch the video to see how busy a local auto shop has been this year with deer collision repairs.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
In Mid-Michigan, odds are you or someone you know has had a close encounter with a deer on the road. With the number of hunters in the state declining each year, the deer population is a growing problem, and our neighborhoods are not immune.
"I know we see three to five a week," Roy Niemi said.
It's that time of year.
"These areas are all, like, smashed in," Niemi said.
Deer collisions in Meridian Township have been a consistent problem for years, leading the township to the launching it's deer management program in 2010. The Meridian Township Police Department added a deer cull in 2021.
"Meridian Township has a significant number of car-deer accidents that we police," Meridian Township Police Chief Rick Grillo said. "Generally it's over 100 car-deer accidents per year."
Roy Niemi of A & D Collision in Haslett has seen both the damage and the growing problem firsthand.
"In the last eight years that I've been here it's been pretty consistent, right," he said. "It's been pretty consistent across the board."
However, Niemi says the severity has really increased in recent years due to modern car construction.
"An average deer collision maybe five years ago cost maybe three or four thousand to fix," he said. "We're seeing deer collisions upwards of 10, 12, 15 thousand to fix today."
Meridian Township's deer cull will run from January 2 until February 19. The Township has picked multiple parks in the area, as well as some private land, where the police will harvest the deer.
Chief Rick Grillo says the process will be safe, and there's no need for residents to be concerned.
"Our biggest concern is safety," he said. "So when they go out there they use the thermal imaging to clear the area of anything that might be at risk besides the deer that we're intending to cull."
The parks will remain open for use from dawn until dusk, with officers coming in only once the parks are closed.
The deer will be processed and venison donated to local food banks.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
