Deer · large animals
Deer and large animals
Deer come off the Rouge corridor, the river parks and the suburban edge and end up on lots in Rosedale Park, the far east side and across Oakland and Macomb. On your property it is a private job for this Detroit line. On a freeway it is not.
Whose
Freeways and trunklines. I-75, I-94, I-96, I-696, M-10, M-39, M-1, US-24. MDOT states it removes carcasses that are a hazard on I, M and US routes, reported through the nearest regional office.
City streets. DPW's published scope is dogs and cats. A deer in a city street is worth reporting through Improve Detroit; whether it is collected is the city's call.
County roads. The county road agency, per MDOT's FAQ.
Your lot. Yours, under the Bodies of Dead Animals Act, which puts disposal within 24 hours on the owner and sets burial at not less than two feet (MCL 287.671(2)). Road-killed deer are exempt from that duty (MCL 287.671(3)(b)). What no agency does is come and get one off private land: MDOT's own maintenance advisory states it is not responsible for removing road-killed animals from private land.
What sets the job
Weight, access, age. A deer beside a driveway in Dearborn is one price. One down a ravine behind a lot near the river with no vehicle access is another. A week in August is a different job from last night.
Do not drag it to the street
It puts you in traffic and the city's scope does not include deer. Call the agency that owns the road, or call this number for a deer on your land.