The Meridian Township Deer Management Program was developed to reduce the over-population of deer within Meridian Township. This program places volunteer archery hunters on select Township and County owned properties during the regular archery season (October 1st – January 1st). The deer management plan was developed in 2011 per the rules of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and has been conducted on a yearly basis since 2011. The managed harvest is NOT open to the general public. The program is only open to Township residents. Hunters must be approved by the Township and are tested for proficiency at the MSU Demmer Archery Center. Only approved, qualified, competent and experienced hunters will be considered to access Township property for the managed harvest. Parks and Land Preserves remain open during the archery season. Hunting occurs seven days a week from ½ hour before dawn to ½ hour after dusk. All participating properties are posted at obvious points of entry.

Hunters are required to post a Township issued pink-colored 8"x11" flyer in their car window that states "Meridian Township Deer Management Hunter". The hunters will also carry an identification card and are required to contact the Township Parks Department before entering and when leaving the hunting area.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a deadly neurological disease found in the state's free-ranging deer population. Since the discovery of CWD deer in Meridian Township in May 2015, over 2,000 deer from Meridian Township have been tested for CWD in order to gauge the extent of the disease across the landscape. To date, ten deer in Ingham and Clinton counties have tested positive for the disease with five of them found in Meridian Township. To date, more than 61,000 deer in Michigan have been tested for chronic wasting disease, and CWD has been confirmed in 120 free-ranging deer in eight Michigan counties: Clinton, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent, Gratiot, Eaton and Montcalm.

In summary, the discovery of CWD somewhat complicated the Meridian Deer Management program because the hunters are no longer allowed to utilize bait to attract the deer. This has resulted in a significant drop in deer harvested (seen from 2014 to 2015). In addition, local processors who processed the Township’s deer are no longer participating in the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger program due to concerns over CWD. The World Health Organization has advised against consuming venison that is contaminated with CWD, although no link to harmful effects in humans has yet been proven. Many processors will not take deer within the core CWD zone to be sure they are not contaminating their equipment which would have to be thrown out if a CWD positive deer was processed. The DNR is unsure of when the CWD restrictions can be lifted but they advised it will be at least a few more years. Until that time, the closest processor that works with Michigan Sportsmen against Hunger is in Howell. However, many of our hunters donate their venison through other private programs or directly provide venison to families in need. A few local processors will still process deer in the core zone and then the hunters take it upon themselves to donate the meat to charity.

Johnathan Trudeau, a PhD student with the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, is conducting a long-term research project on white-tailed deer movement that started in January 2018. This research is part of a large-scale collaboration between Michigan State University (MSU) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) aimed at characterizing deer movement across a landscape with varying human development. With the emergence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in mid-Michigan, it is crucial to understand deer movement patterns to best inform effective disease management practices. The study area spans Ionia, Clinton and Ingham counties. Jonathan’s team successfully captured and fit global positioning system (GPS) collars on 20 adult white-tailed deer in 2018 and 39 adult white-tailed deer in 2019, of which 22 remain.  The GPS collars allow Jonathan to monitor the survival and movement of each deer for up to two years.

The following properties are being utilized for the study: Central Park, North Meridian Road Park, Ted Black Woods, Nancy Moore Park, Towar Woods, Central Meridian Uplands, Davis Foster Preserve, Red Cedar River East Preserve, Tihart/Cornell Wetland Preserve, Legg Park, Forest Grove Preserve, North Ridge Preserve, the Transfer station, and Tihart Preserve.