Rural municipalities ask Alberta to open grizzly bear hunt

Rural municipalities in Alberta want to see the province open a limited grizzly bear hunt as one area reports increased bear activity.

The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) is calling on the provincial government to consider a regulated grizzly bear hunt as part of a broader strategy to address what they say is a growing number of dangerous encounters between bears and people.

Delegates at the RMA spring convention in March carried a resolution sponsored by Cardston County that asks the province to end its Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan and replace it with a Grizzly Bear Management Plan.

The resolution also calls for dedicated funding for research, conflict mitigation and community safety initiatives, including support for organizations such as the Waterton Biosphere Reserve and financial assistance for landowners to use deterrents such as electric fencing, secure feed storage and carcass management.

It further asks the province to implement a regulated grizzly bear hunt through a draw system, with the number of tags to be determined annually based on population data, conflict trends and previous seasons.

RMA president Kara Westerlund said the resolution isn’t simply about hunting.

“(A large hunt) is absolutely not what we’re asking for. We’re looking for a balanced approach that protects the lives and livelihoods of rural residents while recognizing the ongoing importance of responsible wildlife management,” Westerlund said.

She said municipalities are looking at a broader approach that includes education, prevention and better management of interactions between humans and wildlife.

“It’s looking to bring in education, for residents, for users of the backcountry. It’s, you know, for our farmers, too, as well,” Westerlund said.

“This isn’t just about going out and shooting things. It’s absolutely about looking at responsible management.”

Dozens of bear encounters annually

In bringing its motion to the RMA, Cardston County said increasing conflict between humans and wildlife in southern Alberta has included an attack on a fisherman near Cardston in 2025. It added there’s also been reports of bears approaching homes, entering outbuildings and preying on livestock.

Provincial data from Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services shows dozens of aggressive encounters are reported each year. Those incidents include behaviours such as bluff charges, following people or other warning signs that required avoidance or deterrence.

Between 2019 and 2024, reported encounters ranged from a high of 38 in 2020 to a low of 17 in 2023. Over that same period, there were multiple maulings recorded each year, including four in 2021 and two in each 2020, 2024 and 2025.

The data also shows four fatalities linked to grizzly bear incidents between 2021 and 2025, including two in both 2021 and 2023.

Livestock losses attributed to grizzlies have also fluctuated in recent years. The province’s Wildlife Predator Compensation Program says 160 animals were killed in 2024, 127 in 2025, 120 in 2023 and 109 in 2022.

Westerlund said concerns about safety are growing in rural communities, but added current population data is outdated.

“When you’re dealing with information from, you know, 2006 to 2016, 2018, and data from those dates, it’s quite frankly, it’s been almost a decade since we’ve had an update on the numbers,” she said.

She said any decisions, including a potential hunt, must be based on updated information.

“We need to make sure that we’re using accurate data when we are issuing tags,” Westerlund said.

More data needed before allowing a hunt

But critics say Alberta doesn’t yet have the science needed to support reopening a hunt.

Ruiping Luo, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, said the province hasn’t conducted recent population surveys and cannot confirm whether grizzly bears recovery goals have been met.

“We don’t think that we’ve reached our recovery goals,” Luo said. “More importantly, we don’t have any information that says either we have or we haven’t.”

Luo said wildlife management decisions should be based on current data, not assumptions drawn from older information.

“When you’re looking at wildlife management, we really want science-based decisions, and right now we don’t have the science,” Luo said.

NDP forestry and parks critic Sarah Elmeligi has a PhD in environmental science with a specialty in wildlife management. She maintains there is no evidence that hunting reduces conflict between bears and people or livestock.

“In fact, the research shows the opposite,” Elmeligi said.

“The only thing that reduces conflict is if you actually manage people and properties and work with communities to reduce attractants, which are the source of the conflict in the first place. Hunting does not reduce conflict,”

Elmeligi said the province should instead focus on implementing coexistence measures and supporting rural landowners.

“We need to, at the same time, really be focused on supporting rural landowners for coexistence with large carnivores,” she said. “Those programs have not been implemented to their full capacity across the province.”

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for Alberta Forestry and Parks said the government is focused on balancing public safety with wildlife conservation.

“Alberta’s government is focused on protecting both public safety and wildlife by continuing to manage grizzly bears responsibly,” the statement said.

The ministry said most areas have seen population increases since the 2006 hunting moratorium and the 2020 recovery plan, and emphasized education, conflict prevention and response programs.

“Our approach is guided by science and expert advice, with a focus on maintaining public safety, reducing conflicts, and maintaining sustainable grizzly bear populations,” the statement said.

Westerlund said the resolution will now be sent to the provincial government and could lead to meetings with ministries and wildlife officials.

“We’re really open to the opportunity to work with any of the groups and the departments that this touches, and where we can find a solution moving forward,” she said.