Ann Arbor approves hiring sharpshooters to kill deer

Ann Arbor has approved a plan to hire sharpshooters to kill deer in the city each winter.

The Ann Arbor News reports the city council voted 8-1 early Tuesday in favor of using the lethal approach in the next four years, starting with 100 deer this winter. Officials plan to keep options open about possibly using deer fertility control in the future.

The vote follows more than a year of city discussions and study. Complaints from some residents about damage to landscaping and concerns about deer-vehicle crashes prompted study of the issue. Opponents say killings are unwarranted and inhumane.

The culls are to be carried out at night by trained shooters, who will lure deer using bait piles and aim to kill each deer with one shot to the head,