Politics & Government

Farmington Hills Residents Report Deer Injured by Arrows

Police Chief Chuck Nebus says bow hunting is allowed in city limits, but not advised.

A Farmington Hills woman says her neighbors are horrified by incidents of deer being injured and killed by arrows.

Mary Lou Kruger told Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch this week that one deer was killed and another is still roaming around her south Farmington Hills neighborhood, with an arrow in its neck. Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck Nebus said Thursday several reports have been filed, including one about an injured doe walking with two fawns.

In another case, he said, the initial report was a car-deer accident, but the officer who responded thought the deer's injury was more consistent with an arrow. Police have not yet found any of the injured deer, Nebus said. Officers are paying extra attention to areas where they've been spotted.

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After combing over the city's laws and zoning ordinances, Nebus said his staff found that while there is no hunting with firearms in the city, bow hunting is allowed – but with restrictions. Hunters:

  • can't be within 100 yards of a building
  • can't shoot arrows across roads
  • can't do any bow and arrow hunting on school property or any property the school district leases
  • can't hunt in city parks

What's more, Nebus said, hunters can't track a deer onto private property – and tracking is a big part of hunting.

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"It's not very practical to do hunting and tracking in Farmington Hills, because you're going to end up being somewhere you're not supposed to be," he said. "I would recommend we not bow and arrow hunt in Farmington Hills, due to the population and proximity of homes and buildings, and potentially, children."

Nebus pointed out there are hundreds of acres of state land where hunting is permitted within a 30-minute drive of Farmington Hills.


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