On Monday, Larry Moss made a grisly discovery.
The long-time Metchosin resident was walking around Blinkhorn Lake, an activity he does several times a week as it’s only a short distance from his home, when he noticed a small piece of deer fur in the parking lot.
At first he thought a cougar had attacked an animal, and continued on his way. It was only when Moss finished his walk around 10 a.m. and was preparing to leave that he noticed something strange.
He saw an animal carcass from what appeared to be a deer in the bushes, and upon closer inspection he found three other carcasses just steps from the parking lot.
“They had been stripped of the meat and the skin had been left behind. Definitely an animal wouldn’t go after that many [deer] at one time,” Moss said. “I was just surprised.”
Moss, who has had dead animals on his property in the past, has never seen anything like it. He guessed it may have been people who shot the animals for meat and dumped the carcasses the evening before or earlier on that day, as there was no odour and no turkey vultures in the area yet.
“The fact that it’s right by the parking lot means it could attract bears and cougars and people walk their dogs around the lake all the time,” said Moss, who contacted the District of Metchosin about the discovery. “You’re not allowed to shoot that many deer at one time … It’s just surprising what people do.”
The district’s public works department confirmed a moose and three mule deer carcasses were found and have since been cleaned up.
But it is not the first time remains have been discovered in the area. Coun. Moralea Milne has found a few piles of salmon carcasses in recent years at the park entrance as well.
While it’s hard to determine if it’s the same person disposing of both the salmon and deer carcasses, Milne believes it is someone who hunts and fishes, and would like it to stop.
“Someone is using it as their dumping ground after they’ve been hunting or fishing,” she said, adding Metchosin bylaws allow bow hunting on one’s property and on others’ property with permission, but does not allow hunting with a gun unless with a permit to protect livestock.
“I hope this is a wake-up call for someone that this is an inappropriate thing to be doing and that if you’re hunting or fishing that you should be looking after the remains of these creatures.”
Anyone with information on who could be dumping remains is asked to call the municipal hall at 250-474-3167.
