Michigan Involvement Committee Funded Scholarship Presentation

MIC awarded three research scholarships to Michigan State University in 2025

I was able to attend the presentation by Sarah Scheitz, one of the students, on her research project involving urban deer management in conjunction with the Michigan DNR and MSU. 

Her project was titled Coexisting with Deer in Suburban Landscapes. It featured an historical perspective of deer population trends, management methods, and current conditions.

Guests who lived in the suburban areas of Meridian Township, Lansing, and East Lansing. All attending except myself have had direct interaction with damage to crops, gardens, landscapes, Lyme disease, and deer vehicle collisions. The MSU professors presented science- based information on a variety of topics, including ticks, Lyme disease prevention, and deer repellent. In addition, deer management techniques, including sharpshooters, state-sponsored deer culls, and deer donations to food banks, were explained.

Licensed hunting was covered by the DNR, and the historical significance of its positive impact on wildlife management. The changing dynamic of bringing a species back from near extinction due to no management to managing the control of overpopulation by hunting was explained. 

One theme apparent in the group case study project was that property owners were not opposed to harvesting deer and using the meat to supply food for the needy. The strong disconnect was the use of licensed hunters in urban areas rather than sharpshooters. There was a major perception among the participants that hunters are not ethical, are poor shots, and would put the community in danger if allowed to hunt versus paid sharpshooters. 

As hunters, we have some serious work to do improving our perception among the public!

John E Kupiec

President MIC