Farmington Hills leaders meet on what to do amid deer overpopulation

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - The overpopulation of deer in Farmington Hills is becoming an increasing problem which has led to car crashes and chewed-up gardens.

What they're saying:

Farmington Hills residents and city officials are grappling with the issue after hearing from experts on how to handle the growing problem of too many deer blamed for an increasing number of car-deer crashes, eating up gardens and pricey trees and, if nothing else, hanging around on private property without paying rent.

FOX 2 brought you the story of one deer getting stuck in a backyard pool owned by a Farmington Hills resident and some city council members have had their own struggles.

There were nearly: 

• 58,000 car, deer crashes across Michigan in 2023 
• More than 2,100 of them were in Oakland County, according to the Transportation Improvement Authority.
• In Farmington Hills, there were 144 reported crashes involving deer in 2024, an 18% increase over 2022.

Dig deeper:

If Farmington Hills City Council approves the plan, Deputy Director for Special Services Bryan Farmer says the organized hunts will let residents get involved the right way - with safety top of mind.

"The combination of hunting in a cull is what we proposed," said Farmer. "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. People will know who’s doing it, we’ll know how many people and they’ll have to go through shooting tests, being able to show they can shoot a bow or a crossbow- no guns."

Officials say they should work with the US Department of Agriculture to determine safe locations for the culls.