UPDATE: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - "What a beautiful day to be in the woods," said Larry Harb. Larry is a Meridian Township resident and a first year volunteer hunter for the Township's managed deer harvest.

After twelve years of living on the Red Cedar Natural Area, which is apart of the Meridian Township park district, Larry has noticed the herds of deer multiply year by year. "I went to the park district and said, you've got a deer problem, you need to to something about it."

For the first time, Meridian Township has implemented a managed deer hunt, where only qualified hunters are allowed to harvest deer in hopes to control their rampant population growth.

"We have a lot of deer back here that come in and eat out of our bird feeders," said Mike Lewis, a Meridian Township resident and hunter. "They're obviously hungry, there's no corn fields back here or anything for the deer to eat, so I figure it's a good thing to do." His main concern along with other residents is not that the deer are eating resident's plants and shrubs, but deer-car accidents.

Hunters are allowed to keep the first deer they harvest, but the rest are to be donated to Merindorf Meats in Mason for processing. Michigan Sporstmen Against Hunger will be paying for the processing and the deer meat will go to local food banks.

ORIGINAL STORY: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The managed deer hunt in Meridian Township began October 25th during the regular Michigan bow hunting season, in hopes to tame the overpopulated deer within the township. HOMTV follows the selected hunters in the township on their first year of the deer harvest. Watch Meridian Magazine Monday for more.