Tecumseh City Council approves ordinance amendment allowing for bow hunting of deer
TECUMSEH — Bow hunting of deer will be allowed on larger parcels of land in the city of Tecumseh, despite reservations of some officials.
The Tecumseh City Council approved by a 5-2 vote Monday an ordinance amendment that allows for bow hunting of deer on private property of 5 acres or more with the appropriate license or permit and written permission from the landowner.
Mayor Jack Baker and council member Gary Naugle voted against the change. Baker recalled in 1995 when the council first adopted the ordinance that banned the discharge of a lethal weapon, including bows, within city limits with limited exceptions.
He said that he had a woman complain that her neighbor was shooting a bow and arrow from the roof of his home in between the houses where her young children played, prompting the draft of the original ordinance in 1994. It was adopted in January of 1995.
Naugle favored a trying out period of the move but had reservations about doing a full ordinance change.
Council member Brian Radant favored the move, saying that the 5-acre requirement would alleviate the problems expressed by Baker. He said the appropriate checks and balances are in place with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. For example, hunters would be required to report where they harvested the deer and the DNR would report the cull in the city.
The move comes as residents have reported deer as a public nuisance.
The primary complaint about deer is the aesthetic and destructive impact they have on landscaping and garden plants and the related cost of protecting or replacing the plants. Secondary complaints include concerns about the pests that deer harbor, such as ticks that have been linked to transmission of disease. Finally, there are concerns about property damage that can occur in deer-vehicle crashes.
In response to these concerns, the city engaged the services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services Division to first survey the deer population in 2018. After confirming that there was an abnormally high concentration of deer in Tecumseh, the city applied to the DNR to conduct deer culls over three years from 2019 to 2021. A total of 154 deer were removed over the three years, near the maximum number that was allowed under the DNR permits.
Following completion of the deer culls, the number of complaints from residents regarding landscaping damage declined. However, it was not entirely clear if actual damage was declining or if the residents were simply satisfied that the city was attempting to address the issue, city manager Dan Swallow previously told the council.
To better understand if the deer culls had an impact and if the deer population remained at problem levels, city Swallow asked the USDA to conduct an updated population survey.
The survey attempted to replicate some of the methods and locations that were used in the 2018 survey.
The key findings were:
On March 9, 2022, 184 deer were observed along the survey route.
On March 10, 2022, 372 deer were observed along the survey route.
Combining both surveys, approximately 70% of the deer were observed associated with agricultural or open fields and 30% were observed in urban settings — residential and commercial developments.
One of the alternative management options recommended by the USDA in the spring 2022 report was to consider allowing for archery hunting of deer in the city limits.
The council also on Monday:
Approved payment of $41,577 to Bailey Excavating Inc. of Jackson for roadway repairs to East Chicago Boulevard as an emergency expenditure for repairs due to water main breaks.
Approved a bid from Lenco Painting of Adrian to conduct and oversee exterior improvement projects including painting, sealing and caulking at Tecumseh City Hall in the amount of $29,986.
Awarded the low bid from Adrian Coating Co. in the amount of $12,131.25 to remove wallpaper and paint inside and outside at the fire station.
Pledged $30,000 toward the completion of the Kiwanis Trail Tecumseh Connection from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds reserve.
Re-appointed Peter White to the zoning board of appeals for a three-year term ending Aug. 31, 2025.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh City Council allows for bow hunting of deer
