LINDEN, MI – City officials in Linden are considering potential solutions to problems stemming from the local deer population.
Linden City Councilwoman Pamela Howd expressed her concerns regarding the matter during the governing body’s Sept. 8 meeting.
“I’m sure that everybody has noticed that we’ve had a deer population surge in the city of Linden,” she said.
City Manager Ellen Glass said the matter has come up four to five times in the past six years, with the city receiving reports last year of deer walking directly up to windows at homes.
The city has also posted information about its deer population on its website and via social media in the past.
“Our approach before has been more informative and anyone that is potentially baiting, they are visited by an officer and encouraged to discontinue things like that,” Glass said.
Howd said she recently saw 11 deer waiting to cross the street while she was in her the front yard of her Silver Lake Road home.
She noted that she could see seven additional deer across the street.
“I’m petrified because if that many deer cross the road at the same time, it’d be a massive accident,” Howd said. “I value the safety of our citizens.”
She also cited concerns about the potential spread of disease through deer feces, particularly when it comes to residents with existing health conditions.
Other council members agreed that the city needs to do something to control its deer population, including Councilwoman Brenda Simons, who said her grandchildren were nearly trampled by a deer in the yard at her home last year.
“My concern is the fleas and ticks, and there are some diseases that the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) has identified,” she said.
Regardless of what solution the city decides to move forward with, Councilman Denis Miller and Howd said they want to see the matter handled humanely.
“I’ve seen witnessed too many deer shot in our front yard by an officer who is really dreading doing that job,” she said. “It’s awful when you see this.”
Linden Director of Public Works Don Grice offered three potential solutions to the city’s deer-related problems:
-Allow hunting in the city
-Hire sharpshooters to hunt deer in the city
-Sterilize the local deer population
Grice said hiring sharpshooters and paying to have deer sterilized would be expensive.
“There’s not an easy choice when it comes to making a decision on that,” he said.
Although hunting is currently prohibited in Linden, Mayor Pro Tem Brad Dick said most of the communities they know of that’ve faced similar issues have conducted controlled deer hunts.
However, he said he doesn’t believe Linden is large enough to allow for a controlled hunt.
Simons suggested amending the city’s regulations on hunting to allow hunting during seasons designated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
While he admitted conducting them can be costly, Councilman Tom Hicks has been involved in controlled hunts for several years, including two hunts conducted in a pair of metro parks in Genesee County, which he said were highly successful.
“You need the acreage to be able to make it be feasible,” Hicks said. “It’s quite a procedure.”
Howd suggested inviting a wildlife biologist to speak to the council about the city’s deer population and how could potentially go about addressing the issue.
Other Michigan communities that have faced deer-related issues in recent years include Jackson, which has conducted deer harvests in problem areas in the past.
Grand Rapids has explored the idea of authorizing controlled deer hunts on city property, and a Grand Valley State University research team conducted nightly deer counts in Kent County for two weeks this summer to help the county and Grand Rapids find ways to control local deer populations.
Linden council members did not take any action regarding the deer issue at its Sept. 8 meeting, but Glass said she would discuss the matter with other city officials and return to the council at a later date with any recommendations regarding potential solutions.
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