Got deer?
The Southeast Michigan Urban Deer Coalition wants to hear what you think about them.
The coalition is conducting the "2026 Deer Management Pulse of the Region Survey"from now through Nov. 1 in partnership with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).
In an introduction to the short, 16-question survey, the coalition said, "Over the past several years, cities, villages and townships throughout the region have been receiving an increasing number of calls and emails from residents regarding deer concerns. As a resident, we would greatly appreciate your input on this important community issue."
Farmington Hills is one of the communities in the coalition and is asking residents to participate, with officials noting that the survey
comes "as communities continue to navigate concerns including vehicle accidents, property damage, public health, and ecological impacts associated with growing urban deer populations."
Farmington Hills, along with Farmington and Southfield, were the first cities in metro Detroit to hold a regional deer cull earlier this year, with the aim of having USDA sharpshooters kill 400 deer. The number of deer in the three cities is estimated to be in the thousands. Southfield Mayor Ken Siver has previously said that the city averages at least two deer-vehicle crashes per week.
But due to weather and the challenge of limited park and private land on which to operate, sharpshooterstook only 70 deer, less than a quarter of the target.
Other communities expressing interest in deer culls continue to grow. Livonia and Beverly Hills have both recently discussed potential deer culls. But they, and other cities wanting to take this step, must apply for permits from the DNR and may have difficulty this winter getting the USDA to do a cull, as they are performed based on the availability of sharpshooters.
The Village of Beverly Hills recently released the results of their own survey.
Among the findings:
- Roughly 81% see deer in their neighborhood daily, while another 18% see them weekly
- About 63% have deer on their own property daily, with another 30% weekly
- Most see 1-4 deer per sighting, but about 25% of respondents report seeing 5-8 deer at a time
When asked to rate on a scale of zero to 10 how much they value deer in the community, with 10 being “highly value” and 0 being “not at all,” the average score was about 3.
Respondents’ top concern about deer was damage to gardens and landscaping (78%), followed by deer-vehicle accidents (57%); tick and tick-borne diseases (56%); aggressive deer (36%) and decline in deer health (18%). Many also complained about deer poop in their yards.
Residents also reported hundreds or even thousands of dollars in landscaping damage, and about 73% said they had tried preventing deer damage by using fencing, repellents, netting or deer-resistant plantings, but with mixed results.
Nearly 85% of respondents said they would support partnering with neighboring communities for deer management.
To see what the "2026 Deer Management Pulse of the Region Survey" is asking and to provide your own input, visit SEMCOG Deer Study.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Survey wants your thoughts on deer in Southeast Michigan neighborhoods
