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Hunting community outraged over deer poaching on Chilliwack Mountain

Two bucks spotted bleeding and immobile on Grand View Drive in residential area but when Conservation Officer showed up, they were gone
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The local hunting community was outraged to hear two deer seen shot and injured in a residential area of Chilliwack Mountain on Jan. 16. The Conservation Officer Service is investigating but upon arriving at the scene on Grandview Drive the deer were gone.

Members of the Lower Mainland hunting community were outraged this week after a pair of deer were apparently shot and left for dead in a residential area of Chilliwack Mountain.

Dan Drake was working at a home in the area on Monday. As he drove away from the site, he turned the corner and just off Grand View Drive in the snow he spotted two bucks, one possibly dead and one in clear distress.

Drake said it was obvious where they fell down the hill in the snow. One appeared to have been shot in the stomach and its back legs were paralyzed so he was trying to drag himself through the snow.

But what appeared to be a random act of animal cruelty via a poacher turned into a mystery. Drake said another guy came along and he called the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS). They both then left the scene. Conservation officer Hana Anderson told the Progress she arrived about 20 minutes after the call but the deer were gone.

"They weren't going anywhere on their own steam," Drake said. "That's quite shocking. . . . That really makes me wish I had stuck around."

Not only is this not deer hunting season, but shooting deer on Chilliwack Mountain is never allowed. Then there is the fact that the incident happened right near homes.

Drake posted a photo of the deer on the Hunting BC Facebook page and the outrage came quickly.

"I am heartbroken that someone was so cruel to our deer that visit us daily," Lesley Reid posted.

"Probably the beautiful two little guys that ate my roses all summer," Cheryl O'Brien said. "I hope karma gets who ever did this, what twisted, sick people."

Wayne Busilla called the act "despicable" in his post.

"[T]hey should lose all their gear including their vehicle and be prohibited from owning firearms and the loss of their hunting license for life," Busilla said. "I don't like to see an animal suffer nor be harvested without following the reg and the ethical side of the sport . . . this is just plain wrong."

Responsible hunters are usually among the most ardent conservationists, according to those involved.

"Ya, everyone conserves and you take what you got tags for and you leave the rest for the next year," Drake said.

And while the Chilliwack COS couldn't confirm the incident, any information anyone might have is requested.

"I attended shortly after receiving the reports and both deer were gone," Anderson said. "Since the deer were not present I wasn’t able to confirm if they had indeed been shot."

If anyone has any information about the incident, or of suspicious activity in the area it would be very helpful if they called the COS Report Line at 1-877-952-7277.

paul.henderson@theprogress.com

@PeeJayAitch