An injured buck is on the loose in Oak Bay after it was apparently shot by someone in a residential boulevard who then took off.

The incident took place around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Oak Bay’s Uplands neighbourhood.

A resident reported a white van driving around their street as several deer gathered on the road. The resident then reported hearing what they believed to be gunshots, causing the deer to scatter.

The resident saw a large buck struggling with possible injuries in their backyard, but when they went to check on it a short time later, it had disappeared – but there were obvious signs of blood loss from the animal.

The buck has yet to be located.

Police and Conservation Officers are working together to investigate the incident and identify a possible suspect or suspects.

The van is described as a late 90s white minivan with a sliding door and black trim. The resident did not manage to record license plate information.

Anyone with information on the suspected shooting is asked to call Oak Bay Police at 250-592-2424 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Oak Bay ended a pilot project earlier this year in which 11 deer were trapped and euthanized to reduce human-deer conflicts.