Bowhunting proposed to cull Prince Rupert wolf population
Cheryl Chan, Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, February 10, 2008
Hunters in Prince Rupert have proposed a novel solution to the growing number of wild wolves plaguing the area: bowhunting.

The hunters want city hall to amend a bylaw banning the discharge of bows within municipal boundaries and open Kaien Island, where Prince Rupert is located, to bowhunters.

"It's a good option," said Jeff Beckwith, who has been a licensed bowhunter for six years. "Until you deal with the attraction of deer in town, more wolves would be coming on the island."

Under the proposed amendment, hunters would be limited to the city's vast wooded areas and would have to obey provincial regulations that ban hunting near schools, churches and residential areas.

The number of wolves in the province -- estimated at about 9,000 -- fluctuates based on the number of their prey, said Kate Thompson, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Environment.

Because of the abundance of deer in Prince Rupert, wolves have been popping up too often for comfort in the northern B.C. community.