‘Cover his body’: Buck shot stirs controversy over hunting

A photo of a deer strung up on the back of a truck as it drives on a Saskatoon freeway is being called “unfortunate” by the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF).

The photo was shared Tuesday with 650 CKOM sister station Rock 102, showing a dead buck hanging on a skinning rack attached to the back of a black pickup truck, as it appears to drive on Circle Drive.

It’s unclear when the photo was taken.

Reaction on social media included many people voicing disgust and horror at the display.

“Go ahead and hunt and feed your family, but have the proper room to tarp it in your truck, so you don’t traumatize small children,” Facebook user Lori Dansereau wrote.

“Have some respect for the animal. He just gave his life to feed your family,” read another comment from a user named Rhianna Mirasty.

“The least you could do is properly cover his body.”

Darryl Crabbe, executive director of the SWF — an organization that promotes hunting in the province, agreed the deer should have been covered up.

“You always try to put your best foot forward when it comes to hunting and the ethics of hunting,” he said.

“This kind of photo … really lends itself to criticism of hunting as a whole.”

Crabbe added hunters who harvest their own meat for their families have a “responsibility” not to offend people with the process.

“That’s the way we can ensure those practices can continue,” he said.

“I really wouldn’t blame anybody … if they found this photo disturbing, because I think 99 per cent of the hunters in Saskatchewan would agree with them.”

He said it would have taken “a little bit more work” to cover the body or lay it in the bed at the back of the truck to prevent the situation.

Crabbe said hunting isn’t considered a sport by most who participate, but rather a heritage activity passed on through the generations.

He noted there are about 70,000 registered hunters living in Saskatchewan, and the industry combined with angling generates approximately $600 million for the provincial economy.

“Hunting’s part of who we are,” he said. “It’s certainly beneficial to the province as a whole, and to quality of life.”

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Bryn Levy.