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BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: October 23 to October 30, 2020
The information below is based upon a compilation of bear information provided by government agencies and unconfirmed sightings reported by the public over the last week. It is not intended to be used as a real-time, complete record of where bears are in the valley.
SUMMARY
It was a quiet week for bears in the Bow Valley and the colder weather will likely speed up the process of bears heading into their dens. That being said, bear activity is still very evident east of the Bow Valley and grizzly bears continue to be seen moving around K-Country searching for food. Bears are opportunistic feeders and will eat anything that is available to them, so please make sure your yard is free of all potential attractants that bears and other wildlife might try to eat! These attractants include fruit (both on trees and on the ground), pumpkins, pet food, bird feeders, garbage and greasy barbecues.
Photo courtesy of Alberta Environment and Parks
A cougar was seen at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Monday morning by a person fat-biking on a popular trail called FYI. This is a good reminder to carry bear spray year round while recreating and training at the Canmore Nordic Centre and throughout the Bow Valley and K-Country. Every time you head out on the trails you need to be vigilant and mentally prepared for possible encounters with wildlife! It is also safer to hike/bike/run/ski in a group, make lots of noise when out on the trails and avoid recreating at dusk, dawn or at night which is when cougars are most active. Be aware of your surroundings by periodically checking behind you to make sure there are no animals following you and by not wearing earbuds/headphones, which will limit your ability to hear approaching wildlife.
Photo courtesy of Alberta Environment and Parks
Halloween is tomorrow and there are many pumpkins outside on doorsteps. Please be proactive to help keep your children and the children in your neighbourhood safe by placing pumpkins inside of windows and not on your doorstep. Pumpkins act as a wildlife attractant to all sorts of animals, not just bears. Pumpkins placed inside windows can still be enjoyed by trick-or-treaters, but you won’t end up with a nasty fright if a bear shows up on your doorstep. If you must put pumpkins outside on Halloween, make sure that you take them inside before going to bed.
Pumpkins placed inside your windows can still be enjoyed by trick-or-treaters!
After Halloween, please dispose of your pumpkins properly and do not leave them outside inviting them to get smashed up by pranksters or eaten by wildlife. You don’t want to attract a visitor to your door the day after Halloween like in the video below. In Canmore, pumpkins should be disposed of in the bear-proof Community Food Waste Containers. Remember to remove candles and other non organic decorations!
Elk continue to be seen all throughout town which means you have to be vigilant and you may have to choose an alternate route while out for a walk/run/ride. Give plenty of space to ALL ELK (at least 30 metres or 3 bus lengths) and do not try to sneak past them on the trail! At this time of year, male elk will be particularly protective of the female elk they are with and they may become aggressive towards anything that comes too close. Keep your pets on a leash and if an elk charges (usually because you are much too close), be prepared to use your bear spray. Try to move behind a large object (e.g. car, large tree) and keep the object between you and the elk.
Hunting season continues so be aware of your surroundings and stay clear of dead animals. Hunters should always carry and use bear spray as the first line of defence, even if they are carrying a gun.
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Click here for the complete list of all Alberta Parks warnings and closures in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country.
Click here for the complete list of all warnings and closures in Banff National Park.
Here is a list of some Annual Closures in Kananaskis Country.
Click here for current information from Alberta Parks about visiting their parks during COVID-19. Click here for current information from Parks Canada about visiting their parks during COVID-19.
For more information on areas in the Bow Valley frequented by bears at this time of year, visit our human-bear conflict summary map.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
Even though some bears are slowly starting to make their way into their dens, this is not the time to become complacent; everyone needs to remain vigilant and mentally prepared for possible encounters with bears and other wildlife such as cougars, elk, wolves and coyotes. Bears will soon enter their dens, but these other species remain active throughout the year which is why bear spray should be carried YEAR-ROUND in an easily accessible location on your person. Ideally, everyone in your group should have bear spray, it should never be in a backpack, all group members need to know how to use it and be prepared to use it as it could save one or more lives! Bear spray has been shown to be effective at deterring other wildlife such as cougars, wolves, coyotes and elk.
Bear spray works and close encounters with bears (and other wildlife) can happen in seconds. You need to be ready, as is shown in the video below. It is a great example of how bear spray was used to successfully deter a grizzly bear sow during a surprise encounter.
Please remember BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!
Report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in Kananaskis Country or the Bow Valley to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403.591.7755