Leah Brunet wasn’t sure where the dead quail came from.
She only knew it didn’t look like it suffered a normal death as it lay in her yard, near Jack Seaton Park in Lake Country.
The bird had been shot by what she thought was a blow dart.
“I have neighbours everywhere, it’s not like farmland or anything,” she said. “It just appeared on the lawn, we didn’t see how it got there.”
When she made the discovery she posted the photo on social media, asking if anyone else had witnessed something similar.
It was the first time seeing a quail killed in her neighbourhood and Conservation officer for the North Okanagan district Ken Owens said they haven’t received any reports of quail or other animals being shot with darts in a residential area.
He recommends the public to report the incident at 1-877-952-7277 if they do see something suspicious.
Blow darts which use poison are illegal to use, said Owens. Special tranquilizing permits are required. There are also bylaws in place in different jurisdictions that would cover issues like this one.
Quail are a species that can be hunted. So long as they are taken in a lawful manner with a proper device, quail can be hunted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30.
