BCFGA take aim at deer

Photo: Jon Manchester

Deer and wildlife continue to be a thorn in the side of orchardists up and down the Okanagan.

A resolution will be brought to the floor of next week's B.C. Fruit Growers Association convention seeking support for an urban deer cull and other practices to manage the growing population.

Those measures could include a new limited entry hunting program.

The resolution states deer fencing is expensive and only serves to relocate the problem, which growers say is the responsibility of the provincial government.

Outgoing BCFGA president Fred Steele says the association is not advocating open season on deer.

"You have to do it in a humane way," said Steele. "We are talking about bow hunters in a constructive capacity, under certain regulations. You have to have some management to reduce the numbers. It's not good for the deer when you get that big of a population."

Steele says the minister of agriculture has indicated it's something the province would entertain under the right conditions.

The City of Kelowna has decided to go with an education program to try to curb the growing number of deer, coyotes and cougars.