UPDATE: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - As of November 12th, 75 deer have been taken through the Township's Managed Deer Harvest.

ORIGINAL STORY: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - So far, Meridian Township has received 102 reported deer and car collisions this year. A managed deer harvest began October 1st to prevent overpopulation of deer so the number of accidents could decrease.

"It's been going really well, we're at 69 deer so far and we haven't had any major problems. It seems to be smooth sailing so far," said Assistant Park Naturalist of Meridian Township, Nicholas Sanchez.

But even with a successful harvest, the number of accidents caused by deer in Meridian Township still remain consistent with previous years.

Russ Mason, Chief of the Wildlife Division at the Department of Natural Resources said, "It'll take several years of this kind of activity to probably see a difference, on the other hand, it's one of the very few things that you can do. You can exclude deer, but they're going to move, you can tell people to plant things that deer don't like but there are very few of those actually. So really what it comes down to is actually numerically reducing the number of animals in the woods, or in the yards in neighborhoods and in so doing, reducing the likelihood of an encounter between a car and a deer."

If anyone comes into close contact with a deer while operating a vehicle, Meridian Township officials recommend braking rather than attempting to avoid the deer by swerving.

Sergeant Lana Howell of the Meridian Township Police Department said, "When driving, if a deer does present itself in your path, you do not want to swerve. No evasive maneuvering should be used. It's breaking, it's better to collide with the deer than to go off the roadway and have potential of harming yourself by a tree or some other fixed object."

Meridian Township police officials advise all residents to monitor their speed while driving, especially during the evening when deer are more likely to come out along the roadway.