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Sidney Spit closes for fallow deer hunt

Part of Sidney Spit will be closed to the public, starting Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, 2015, while members of the Coast Salish First Nations stage their annual fallow deer hunt.
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Fallow deer graze on Sidney Island.

Part of Sidney Spit will be closed to the public, starting Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, 2015, while members of the Coast Salish First Nations stage their annual fallow deer hunt.

The closure will take in the area south of Sidney Spit’s day-use area, which will remain open as will the mooring buoys.

The closure has been going on since 2005, allowing First Nations members to hunt fallow deer safely as a food source. The fallow deer are an introduced species in the area and are overpopulated, which has led to environmental damage from excessive grazing.

Sidney Spit is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.