EDMONTON - Hunting season is well underway and thousands of people are enjoying the sport in Alberta. The Fish and Wildlife Division of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development urges hunters to use safe hunting practices and also to be on the lookout for bears.

Bears may still be actively searching for food before hibernating. Hunters typically walk quietly in the bush to approach game animals, and this can suddenly bring them into unexpected contact with a bear. At this time of year, some bears are already in or near their dens. If you think you are close to a den, leave the site quietly by the same route you approached and avoid the area.

Bears are attracted to game carcasses and gut piles. Hunters must be particularly careful about approaching carcasses, especially if they leave the site and return to a carcass later for the meat.

Bear attacks are not common in Alberta, but people were injured earlier this year in bear attacks near Grande Cache, Fox Creek and southwest of Rocky Mountain House. Hunters must take measures to ensure their personal safety.

Tips on how to avoid bear encounters are located on Alberta Sustainable Resource Development's The Bear Facts website. To access the information, visit the department's home page at http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/ and click on the Fish and Wildlife icon. Further information on Hunting in Alberta, Bears in Alberta and other fish and wildlife subjects is located within the same site.

Hunting is a valued recreational activity that makes a significant economic contribution to Alberta's economy. It is also one of the primary tools Fish and Wildlife uses to manage Alberta's wild species. If you have information about someone committing a wildlife violation, please contact Report A Poacher (1-800-642-3800 toll-free) or your local Fish and Wildlife office (dial 310-0000 for toll-free connection).

Contact:

John Lear
Public Affairs Officer
Communications
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Edmonton
(780) 427-8636

Bruce Treichel
Wildlife Info. Specialist
Fish and Wildlife Division
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Edmonton
(780) 422-9534