Conservation officers investigating deer shot and killed with bow and arrow in Kamloops park

Conservation officers continue to investigate a deer that was shot and killed with a bow and arrow in a park in Kamloops, B.C., but still have no answers about who's responsible.

The animal was shot a week ago in an old golf course area on McArthur Island, a green space with sporting facilities on the edge of the Thompson River.

Deer are a common sight around the urban park.

"It seems like this is somebody trying to take advantage of some deer that are quite habituated to people and their presence to get close and maybe try and get some meat," said conservation officer Jessie Jones.

Doing so is an infraction for several reasons, he told Shelley Joyce, the host of CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.

"It's illegal to discharge a bow and arrow within the city limits. It's illegal to hunt mule deer within the city limits in the park and, of course, it's illegal to waste that animal by leaving it behind," Jones said.

Plans to protect the area

Jeff Putnam, the city's manager of Parks, Sustainability and Civic Facilities, said that he's never seen anything like this in his nine years on the job.

Cases of hunting within urban areas are rare, he said.

"I was disgusted," Putnam said.

"Most people that use MacArthur are familiar with resident deer. There was one beautiful buck and several other female and younger deer … I couldn't believe that someone made the decision to harvest that animal."

The golf course is currently closed but there are several openings into the fenced-off area.

Kamloops is looking into new ways to improve and use the green space. A recommendation report and staff plan is being drafted and suggestions will be made to council in the new year.

"We're going to be looking at some options to keep it as natural as possible and possibly some pathways and other recreational opportunities," Putnam said.

"We want to retain and protect all the natural areas as much as we can."

With files from Daybreak Kamloops.