Alberta’s Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services is requesting public support following the discovery of a deceased grizzly bear with a gunshot wound last autumn, as stated in a recent social media update on Friday. The hunter who found the bear’s remains on November 25th near Honey Coulee, an outdoor area approximately 110 kilometers south of Calgary, reported the incident. Upon investigation, officials determined that the grizzly bear had been shot sometime between November 8 and 20.
Grizzly bear hunting has been prohibited in Alberta since 2006, with these animals classified as a threatened species by the provincial government. A spokesperson from Fish and Wildlife emphasized the detrimental impact of poaching and illegal hunting activities on both the local ecosystem and law-abiding hunters. Such activities undermine conservation initiatives, jeopardize wildlife population management, and may lead to stricter regulations affecting lawful hunters.
The Report A Poacher program in the province offers a potential cash reward to individuals providing information that leads to the filing of charges. Retired Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer John Clarke highlighted the significance of incidents involving the illegal shooting of grizzly bears due to their low reproductive rates, which contribute to their vulnerable status. Clarke recounted several past cases, including instances where grizzly bears were intentionally targeted or mistaken for black bears.
While black bear hunting was permitted in the area where the deceased grizzly was discovered last November, the timing coinciding with the end of the black bear season in fall 2025 raises the possibility of mistaken identity. However, based on a photograph shared by Alberta Fish and Wildlife, Clarke affirmed that the animal in question was unmistakably a grizzly bear.
Investigative efforts by Fish and Wildlife likely involve scouring the area for potential evidence such as tire tracks or footprints, interviewing locals, and identifying hunters with black bear hunting licenses in the vicinity. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, as the grizzly could have been wounded elsewhere before succumbing to its injuries, complicating efforts to pinpoint the exact location of the incident.
Government records show that vehicle collisions have been the primary cause of grizzly bear deaths in Alberta from 2013 to 2022. During this period, the province documented 58 instances of illegal killings and six cases where a grizzly was mistakenly identified as a black bear.