MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - This year’s Meridian Township Managed Deer Harvest has been the most successful in the program’s four year history. A total of 150 deer have been harvested in Meridian Township since October 2014, as opposed to the 127 that were harvested during the 2013/2014 season.

This increase in the number of deer harvested is likely the reason for the decrease in deer-car collisions observed this year in the township.

“In 2013 we had 174 reported deer-car collisions, and last year we ‘only’ had 122. That number is still extremely high for a state number. In contrast, the city of Ann Arbor had 42,” said Jane Greenway, the Parks and Land Management Coordinator for Meridian Township.

There are currently mixed reports from Township residents about the presence of, or lack there of, deer. However, Greenway is hopeful that an increased effort to control the deer population will benefit both drivers and home owners.

In an effort to get the deer-car collision number down even further, the Township has received approval from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to extend the deer harvesting season.

Verified hunters will be permitted to hunt deer in designated areas through February 2015.