For approximately the next two months, Alberta First Nation band members will be able to participate in a ceremonial bison hunt in Banff National Park. It’s the third Parks Canada-sanctioned event for the region. “Developed in partnership with the Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC) for Banff National Park, this initiative reflects a collaborative approach between the IAC and Parks Canada to support Indigenous-led stewardship and cultural practices,” the agency said in a news release on Monday. The hunt will take place between Sept. 19 and Nov. 13. During that time, Parks Canada has closed a section of the Red Deer River valley bottom between McConnell Creek the east boundary of Banff National Park. The ceremonial bison hunt was introduced in 2024 and it was limited to one bison per hunting party that each represent one of the participating First Nations: the Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations, the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani First Nations, the Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Rocky View Métis District of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government. In 2024, three of a maximum eight bison were harvested and one bison was harvested in 2025. “For all participating Nations, the ceremonial harvest continued to offer meaningful opportunities for cultural knowledge exchange, ceremony and reconnection with the land. From the beginning, Parks Canada has taken an ‘ecocultural’ approach to bringing bison back to Banff: rather than “people out, nature in”, humans, and cultural practices like hunting, are important elements of the restoration,” Parks Canada said. Officials say there are more than 130 plains bison freely roaming Banff National Park after 16 animals were reintroduced in 2017.
