Fallow Deer Hunting on Vancouver Island

Anything you need to know about the best time, places, outfitters, and regulations of Vancouver Island fallow deer hunting, you can find them here. We are ready to help you make a rewarding BC hunting opportunity.

Suppose you don't possess a hunting licence and are busy during the open season for deer hunting on Vancouver Island. In that case, you may think of hunting fallow deer on the Gulf Islands or Sidney Island. But you cannot hunt on Sidney Island unless you are part of the local first nations who work closely with the National Park's hunt coordinator during the off-season (Nov 1-Feb 28th) to facilitate harvest. The south side of the island is privately owned and hunted through a strata mechanism.
The number of fallow deer in the areas they inhabit on Vancouver Island is even preceding the human population. Based on estimations made by Parks Canada, there are, or better to say, there still remain 500 to 1000 and maybe more fallow deer on Vancouver Island, and in places such as Sidney Island, the population is only a thousand. So, you can do mathematics. After almost two decades, inhabiting Vancouver Island by these invasive creatures has done a great deal of damage to the locals, flora, and even fauna. Yeah, they look cute, and the imagination of being surrounded by these ungulates is beautiful, but never judge a book by its cover!
Fallow deer hunting is allowed all around the year without a single need to have a deer hunting licence just to be helpful to ecosystem conservation. In an interview with CBC, Pelkey, hereditary chief of the Tsawout First Nation and representative of the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, has claimed that: due to the existence of fallow deer on the island, bracken fern, once abundantly grown there, has vanished from the earth. "It's kind of hard on our people when we are used to getting some of our medicines out there, and they are just not there anymore," he says. So, if you want to kill two birds with one stone, i.e., hunting and helping the ecosystem simultaneously, fallow deer hunting on Vancouver Island is the best choice.

Fallow deer were first introduced to Vancouver Island on James Island in 1908. Fallow deer are great swimmers, and they swam from James Island to nearby Sidney Island and colonized there. After years, they've become overpopulated and have ruined many things, such as the vegetation and personal properties of the indigenous people. Their origin comes from western Europe and the Middle East. They were first brought to the island by some European refugees who came to Vancouver Island. They claimed they brought fallow deer to Vancouver Island to hunt for sport. According to Pelkey, "they multiply like rabbits." And that is why their population has become even more than the people living in the region.

Book Your Guided Fallow Deer Hunting Trip

• Fallow deer's origins are Southern Europe and the Middle East. • Fallow deer were first introduced to Vancouver Island for sport. • Fallow deer's antlers are entirely different from their black-tailed counterparts'. They mostly resemble moose antlers. • Bucks (stags) and does live in separate groups, but they join each other during the rut.

Only a few places on Vancouver Island, especially the southern parts, have fallow deer, like Sooke and Alberni Valley. Still, you can find some of them living on the Gulf Islands, especially Sidney Island. For now, the management units (MU) or the hunting areas designated by BC regulation for hunting fallow deer are 1-1 to 1-7 on the region 1 (Vancouver Island) map. But hunters should be aware of no hunting and shooting areas on Vancouver Island.
Like other subspecies of deer on Vancouver Island, fallow deer prefer to live in the forest amongst the trees. That is why Sidney Island's coastal Douglas fir forest is at risk, and these invasive creatures have transformed the island into a not-ecologically diverse region. As already mentioned, fallow deer are overpopulated in the areas they inhabit on Vancouver Island. Thus, wherever you step, you will see at least two fallow deer wandering the land in these regions.

Fallow deer hunting on Vancouver Island price is nothing to be determined now and be the same from now on. Costs will change day by day. Besides, some factors such as hunting equipment, the number of deer you hunt, meals, and so on can affect the cost accordingly. However, the price for our fallow deer hunting adventure on Vancouver Island starts from $2,500.

To experience a successful fallow hunting tour on Vancouver Island: 1- Plan for your fallow deer hunting in advance. 2- Choose the areas where you intend to hunt for your fallow hunting on Vancouver Island. 3- Apply for any legal requirement. 4- Select the right outfitter to be by your side in a fallow deer hunting adventure. But why does choosing the right outfitter matter before starting a fallow deer hunting adventure? They provide their guests with appropriate gear and adequate scouting knowledge to ensure that every hunter involved in that hunting trip would have the best chance of a successful hunt. If you want to make sure that your fallow deer hunting adventure on Vancouver Island is going to be the best experience ever, choosing the right outfitter is a MUST! If you need help or have any questions regarding the choice of the best outfitter, please contact us.

• Blacktail deer are masters at hiding; they may be observing you omit via from a distance of about 20 m (65 ft) and you don't even.
• Deer have an unbelievable sense of smell, and the older the buck, the more it's learned to trust its nose. So wind can attract them to your hunting area.
• Use binoculars; they can help you pick deer out of the tangle.
• A final way to locate black-tailed deer is to look for scrapes and rubs.