City officials consider all options to reduce deer population in Beverly Hills, Michigan

Deterrents, deer hunting or trapping, and even deer birth control are among the options city officials are considering to lower the deer population in Beverly Hills. 

"First and foremost problem we have is safety-- we're concerned we're going to start seeing more car-deer accidents," said Edward Arnold, the director of public safety for Beverly Hills. 

Arnold said deer in the area like to make a feast of people's gardens and tend to cross the street whenever they feel like it. He said that they can also be aggressive.

"We had some reports that the deer would start to stomp with their hooves and then actually trotted after a person one time-- someone said that it chased them and their dog back into their house," Arnold said.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources spoke with local officials and residents earlier this month to outline their options, from trapping or hunting the deer to deterrents like wire to cover plants, to trapping and then sterilizing the deer so they can't reproduce. 

"The option might be education and promoting coexistence, and that might be the answer for their community if the goal is to reduce deer-vehicle collisions because they've seen an increase that would then lend itself to some sort of lethal management option," said Kara Colton, a wildlife biologist with the DNR. 

Arnold said that it is possible to have a firearm hunt within village limits. There would be restrictions on the time and place where hunters could discharge their firearms. Another option is an archery hunt. 

He said village officials are considering all the options and will probably discuss them well into the summer. 

"They're going to want to have several more meetings; they'll be public meetings, so residents are encouraged to come there and voice their opinion. We want to do what's in the best interest of the residents of Beverly Hills," Arnold said.