Deer Management Plan Begins as Habitat Shifts

Albion’s growing deer population was back on the agenda at the Sept. 2 City Council meeting, with officials approving a cautious first step toward addressing the issue. Concerns about garden damage, collisions, and public safety have been raised by residents across several neighborhoods.

The newly adopted plan allows only a limited number of city employees — about a dozen — to carry out a very small cull, using bows and arrows on designated city-owned property such as the waste management site. Participants must pay all costs themselves and will not receive any venison.

Instead, the deer must be taken directly to a licensed processor, with all meat donated to area food banks.  The pilot program sets strict limits: only two does may be taken this year. Officials emphasized this is not a broad hunt, but a carefully controlled measure intended to reduce risk while testing community comfort with the idea.

Mayor Victoria Garcia Snyder clarified that the deer donated to food banks will come only from the culling program, not from roadkill. Public education also remains part of the city’s approach, as residents are reminded not to feed deer, which worsens the problem by drawing them further into residential areas.

One factor driving more deer into town, officials noted, is the large solar field development north of Albion, which has disrupted traditional habitat.

Combined with the abundance of food in neighborhoods, the shift has made deer a more frequent sight in yards and gardens.

Other Michigan cities, such as Ann Arbor, operate much larger deer management programs. Albion is starting small, with help from the Department of Natural Resources, and leaders say the program could expand in the future if needed.