Decapitated deer head left in pick-up truck in Eastpointe, disturbing neighbors

EASTPOINTE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A decapitated deer head was left outside in a pick-up truck, disturbing some Eastpointe community members.

Eric Novotny is one of the neighbors upset about the animal's head, which was "cut clean off," he said.

The truck was parked at the intersection of Ash and Raven Avenue in Eastpointe.

The deer hunter who left the head there said it was all in good fun.

"That head's a joke, we were supposed to put it on somebody’s car," the hunter, James Dexter, said while laughing.

But as of Friday night, the head remains on Dexter’s brother’s truck.

"That sounds like a hilarious joke between the two of them and if they wanted to keep it on their property that would be great, but this is on the street, this is in front of my house," Novotny said.

Dexter argued that the deer head is only scary to those who do not understand his "way of life."

"A lot of people are used to going to the store and buying meat at the store – we're not," Dexter said. "That’s the way of our life."

However, Novotny does not agree with that philosophy. 

"My 8-year-old’s crying," he said. "This is something now that she is seeing in her dreams. …I called Eastpointe police, they told me apparently no laws are being broken."

Police also told FOX 2 there are no city ordinances in place that would prohibit Dexter from putting a decapitated animal's head on display. It is unclear if he is breaking any state laws.

"It’s no big deal to us, it’s nature," Dexter said.

While it might be a part of nature, Novotny does not think it is "natural" to set the cut-off deer head in front of a neighbor's house, he said.

What will happen to the deer's head now? 

"Get rid of it," Dexter said. "(I'll) take it back up to the butcher shop, and they’ll get rid of it for us."