Cow elk shot; resident says aboriginal hunters were trespassing

RCMP and the Conservation Officer Service responded after aboriginal hunters near Penticton allegedly shot elk on private property.

It happened Sunday morning near Greyback Mountain Road east of the landfill.

An area resident tells Global Okanagan News she is pursuing trespass charges against the hunters.

There are unconfirmed reports police seized a gun from the three hunters but they were allowed to take away two dead cow elk.

At least one of the animals was pregnant.

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Another resident says this is the third time in recent weeks hunters from the Penticton Indian Band have killed elk and deer in the area.

A spokesperson for the BC Wildlife Federation says aboriginals can hunt on Crown land for food, ceremonial or social reasons, without bag limits or seasonal restrictions, as long as wildlife conservation isn’t threatened.

Jesse Zeman believes there needs to be a more broad-based focus on the sustainability of the resource.

“In a lot of parts of the province right now we have declining fish and wildlife values and everybody is off doing their own thing instead of sitting down and asking ‘how do we fix it?’ Everybody is talking about little, symptomatic issues instead of working in the same direction,” says Zeman.