Land Stewardship

Our Bowhunting Apprenticeship Program is a community-led initiative to reduce deer overpopulation on the Gulf Islands — protecting habitat, supporting local food resilience, and creating a more sustainable future for people and nature.

The Salt Spring Archery Society (SAS) invites community partners, First Nations, Island Conservancies, landowners and island residents to assist with a responsible, community-centered Bowhunting Educational Program. This pilot program combines expert mentoring, practical workshops, and guided group hunts to address the urgent ecological problem of deer overabundance while building skills, stewardship and social ties. Our program prioritizes safety, respect for landowners and cultural perspectives, and provides hands-on training in traditional, recurve, compound and crossbow hunting.

Bowhunters

• Adults 18+ .(Participants must be able to legally obtain BC hunting licenses).
• No prior hunting experience required; commitment to training program and safety essentials is required.
• Fee: $30 per participant per workshop to cover insurance, mentor wages and facility costs. Waivers and certification require attendance at the majority of sessions and passing the shooting test.
• We also welcome any interested volunteers, mentors, cultural teachers, landowner hosts, and conservation partners.

Private Land Owners

If you have a section of land larger than 10 acres and would like to work with our experienced and ethical bow hunting community please use the contact form at the foot of the page and we can set a time for a phone conversation or visit.

After a reconnaissance trip we would set up a calendar together of times that work for you and establish your local rules. We will ask for a property map with any recognized deer pattern marked.

The SAS will work with the land owners to match your needs and schedule with qualified and reliable hunters who have trusted standards of etiquette and safety protocol.

We will ensure we leave your land better than we found it and help out with trail maintenance and other related chores. If you like deer meat we can provide you also with a share of the harvest.

BC Wildlife Fish and Game as well as Island Conservancies gave us their blessing and noted there are some similar programs functioning across Canada the USA.

Overview of the Bowhunting Apprenticeship Program

There are four basic parts to this bow hunting course and may involve inter-island travel and camping. It will be an interesting and exciting group learning activity.

Equipment, techniques and practice at SAS facility.
Hunting experience in the field on Mayne and Salt Spring Island.
Processing the harvest.
Ongoing hunting trip availabilities on the Southern Gulf Islands.

Equipment and techniques

Here we will ready ourselves for the adventure to come. Getting started on the best foot is always the best step for success. It is a very big decision to make as bow hunting requires a lot of dedication and responsibility. Learn the ropes from a host of hunting professionals. A wide variety of essential information is shared and discussion encouraged.

Understanding your equipment – We can identify any modifications needed to make your equipment meet regulation standards and best results for accuracy.

Arrow designing and tuning - Hunting arrows are heavier and designed differently than target arrows. For best results they should be properly tuned to your bow. There are a couple of bowyers here at the club that can help modify or even make a set of custom arrows for you, should you need. They offer fair prices for sets of 6 and separate workshops to assist you make your own personalized arrows.

Time on the practice range - A lot of time will be spent on the target range for practice, tuning equipment, estimating distances, setting up for the shot, discussions and questions

Where to land your arrow - Learn about the anatomy of deer and how to locate the heart and vital organs in your sight view. 3D Deer targets will be used as part of the training to help simulate the real occasion. The participants will understand the differences between shooting uphill, downhill, cross slope and oblique target angles.

Gear selection - What to wear, tool necessities, safety plan and efficiency.

Safety, best practices and Regulations - Learn the requirements needed to start bow hunting.

Experience in the field

On the first hunts you will follow and learn from your guide. Learning the nuances of hunting will help tremendously with your confidence, as being in the field is totally different from practicing on the range. There are guides available for the various different disciplines of bow hunting, whether you are learning with a compound, traditional or crossbow.

Other learning objectives

Learn from your guide’s experience by asking questions

Map reading and basic orienteering

How to choose a drop zone

Tracking, wildlife and camouflage

Staying calm and quite

Field dressing the animal

Processing and butchering

Following a successful group hunting trip we will all learn how to best process the animal. This is a part were we all help and share in the rewards. We will be instructed by a very experienced butcher.

The meat will be divided equally amongst the group.

Other learning objectives

Knives and specialty tools used for butchering

Anatomy

Steps and preparations

Portions

How to save

How to cook principles

Upon finishing this program you will have solid knowledge of the fundamentals of bow hunting. The program is designed to give new archers the confidence and competence to begin their own adventure of sustainable wildlife management while feeding friends and family.

Tanning hides, leatherwork, antler carving, bow and arrow making are separate custom workshops

Details and how to sign up

Land Stewardship

Contact Us