Gunshots turn western Kirkland into wild West Island

One warm evening two weeks ago, rifle shots ringing out in a forested area near a Kirkland resident’s home were so loud, she could hear them with the windows shut, the television on and the air conditioner running.

“I flew off the couch,” the woman said. “I thought the shots were in my house.”

The woman asked that she not be identified because “there are crazy people with guns out there.”

“We’re all nervous.” she said. “The deer-crossing sign near my house is riddled with bullets.”

Hunting season is underway and even though it may be surprising to many, hunting is allowed in the western forested portion of the island. But hunting with guns is not allowed before Nov. 11.

Nicholas Bégin, a spokesman for the Ministère de Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, said deerhunting season in the area — designated Zone 8 north on the province’s hunting map — began Sept. 23 and ends Oct. 22. During this period, hunters are only allowed to use a bow and arrow or a crossbow.

Only during a second hunting season — from Nov. 11 to Nov. 26 — are hunters allowed to use hunting rifles.

The homeowner who contacted the Montreal Gazette lives in Kirkland’s Timberlea neighbourhood.

Timberlea is located west of the RioCan shopping quadrant. One of the area’s main draws is the forest, which is home to foxes, wolves and deer.

“I’ve lived here for eight years. It’s a beautiful place to hike and walk the dog,” the woman said.

“These days nobody is walking in the forest. The gunshots are too close.”

She said the gunshots ring out between 9 and 11 p.m. most nights.

“This is the suburbs,” she said. “We’re supposed to feel safe.”

Because the illegal use of guns is taking place at night, it makes it difficult and potentially dangerous for the police to enter the forest to catch hunters in the act.

The woman said police have visited the neighbourhood more than once after receiving calls from concerned residents, but the most they can do is patrol l’Anseà-l’Orme Rd., which runs parallel to the forest in Kirkland to look for parked vehicles.

The woman told the Montreal Gazette that she hears rifle shots every hunting season, but this year the hunting activities appear to be encroaching on the residential sector even more.

“Someone left a basket of apples by the bus stop in the evening, to lure the deer,” she said. “They are poaching. This is the suburbs, for heaven’s sake.”

Bégin said that poaching is an ongoing problem throughout Quebec, but that Zone 8 north has not been flagged as a zone with a particular poaching problem. He said if citizens have information about poaching activity, they should call SOS Braconnage (800-463-2191).

“We’ve called and someone has come, but it’s always quieted down by the time he arrives,” the woman said. “I think it would help if the fines for hunting illegally were beefed up.”

Bégin said that, with very few exceptions, it is forbidden to hunt at night — from 30 minutes before sundown until 30 minutes before sunrise. Fines for hunting infractions vary, depending on myriad details, but could run from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.

It is recommended that residents not walk in the forest during hunting season, but if someone does take a walk, to wear a bright orange vest.