GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The city of Grand Rapids is exploring a pilot program that would allow deer hunting within its city parks.
What would the pilot program entail?
At the Oct. 22 City Commission meeting, the idea of a deer hunting pilot this fall/winter within park lands was suggested.
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A memo from James Hurt, managing director for the City of Grand Rapids Public Services Group, stated that the deer population has created safety and nuisance issues in certain areas. The city is also going to launch a community survey on the issue within a few weeks.
In addition, Hurt’s memo stated that allowing deer to be hunted in city parks was brought up at a Public Safety Committee meeting.
The report stated, “City staff are exploring how such a pilot could work, in consultation with representatives from the MDNR [Michigan Department of Natural Resources].” The state of Michigan estimates that there are nearly two million deer in this state. There were more than 58,806 deer-involved crashes in 2023, according to the Michigan
State Police. The number of deer-involved car fatalities increased from 11 in 2022 to 19 in 2023.
Kent County statistics.
Kent County had the highest number of deer-involved crashes of any county in the state in 2023 with 2,171. Oakland County ranked second-highest with 2,125.
Other U.S. cities allow for deer to be hunted in city parks. The city of Pittsburgh had 108 deer killed within its parks in a pilot program in 2023.
There were 59 deer donated to local food banks and 9,440 meals provided to residents from the harvest with no public safety incidents reported. The pilot program was deemed a success and the city said it wants to expand it to three more parks this year.
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The city of Ann Arbor discontinued its deer management plan in 2020. That plan allowed deer to be killed on certain public lands and some private land with owner permission. The city would close certain city parks in January from 3 p.m. to midnight to allow for hunters to “sharpshoot” deer.
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