Conservation officers are looking for a deer with an arrow stuck in its torso after receiving several calls about the animal in Greater Victoria.
Leo Spalteholz spotted the buck Sunday morning at McKenzie Avenue and Blenkinsop Road.
The animal was “clearly in bad shape,” Spalteholz said. It was limping and it seemed like the arrow had been stuck in its torso for a while, he said.
A photo taken by Spalteholz’s wife shows the arrow stuck in the animal’s side in what appears to be a large wound.
Conservation officers are trying to find the deer to assess it and remove the arrow if they’re able to safely.
They are also investigating whether the deer was hunted legally. There are areas on the Saanich peninsula where bow hunting is legal, the Conservation Officer Service said.
Deer shot with arrows have been found before in Greater Victoria and the rest of the Island.
In 2020, a buck shot with an arrow was seen on the Uplands Golf Club. Several years ago, officers tranquilized a deer found shot through the mouth near Duncan. They were able to remove the arrow and the deer survived, conservation officers said at the time.
