The TNRD’s Knutsford Area Director is urging people not to go hunting south of Kamloops where a wildfire has been burning over the past two months.

Doug Haughton’s comments come as the area restriction around the Ross Moore Lake wildfire is set to lift this Friday.

“The poor wildlife have had the heck knocked out of them, and they need to get back on their feet, so I highly recommend that the hunting public go somewhere else.”

Haughton likens the state of his property south of Kamloops to a “warzone” and says the wildlife in the area have had to deal with unprecedented measures because of the blaze.

“The place is still recovering from a disaster. We have fences down, roads and gates smashed, it is a war zone this year,” he said.

“We have lost a lot, whether it be the private land or crown land; give the poor wildlife a break, they deserve a chance to recover.”

While Haughton says people in previous years have asked to hunt on his private property, he says he won’t be giving the green light this year.