Deer spotted in Summerland with crossbow bolt stuck in its ear

A Summerland woman noticed something strange about a deer that wandered on her property earlier this week – it had a crossbow arrow lodged just below one of its ears.

But despite the crossbow bolt, Lory Johnston said the deer did not appear to be in distress. The ungulate was just peacefully grazing and did not appear to be bleeding.

“It was disturbing when I saw it, it made me feel sad,” she said.

The deer wasn’t skittish and wandered as close as six feet to Johnston. She could see the tip of the arrow has been detached.

“It’s pretty clear it was shot by a person,” Johnston said.

Hunting violations were not necessarily committed, however, as it’s possible the deer was shot in season during the fall, and in an area where hunting is permitted, she said.

READ MORE: Conservation officers trying to track deer with arrow sticking out

After reporting the deer to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, a conservation officer arrived to observe the deer. Johnston said the officer believed the injury occurred some time ago, and that it looked like an otherwise health animal.

She was told that tranquilizers were too strong to use on the deer and it would be best to leave the young buck be.

The officer also pointed out the deer had been been given a yellow tag, which indicates it had a previous run-in with conservation officers.

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