Author Archives: WildSmart

Bears are denning at this time of year. Pregnant female bears will be giving birth between mid January and early March.

There have been no cougar or coyote sightings or incidents reported.

A wolf was struck and killed by a vehicle on the TransCanada at the end of December near Lac Des Arc. Wildlife continue to be struck and killed on the highway. Watch for wildlife and obey the speed limit. Be extra cautious in areas where there is no fencing.

Wildlife Activity

Grizzly bears are currently denning in Kananaskis Country and the Bow Valley. Soon Alberta Parks volunteer Bear Monitors, Conservation Officers and the Wind River Bear Institute staff will be out with telemetry to see if any of the collared or ear tagged grizzly bears have woken from their dens and moved into the valley bottoms.

There has been some cougar activity in the Silver Tip area of Canmore. A female cougar and her two 70 pound kittens have been seen feeding on a deer carcass. Officials did not receive reports of the cougar in the area until several days after the first sighting. To increase safety and awareness in our community, please report cougar sightings. If a carcass is found near residential areas, officers will often move it to a more secluded area for the cat to continue feeding.

This is the time of year that deer populations are most food stressed. The hard crusted snow makes it difficult for them to access vegetation. Often this leads deer to come closer to town and feed in residential areas. Please give them lots of space and walk pets on leash.

Wildlife Activity

There have been several sightings of coyotes in the Cougar Creek residential area (near Elizabeth Rummel, Grizzly Crescent, Silvertip Crescent). Please ensure dog food, garbage, recycling and other wildlife attractants are removed from your property. Food scraps left out for birds and rabbits are also an attractant for coyotes.

There was one cougar sighting in southeast Canmore in February. A local wildlife tracker recently found cougar tracks in the Three Sisters and Wind Valley areas. He noted that when the weather is cold and snow deep, ungulates prefer south-facing, wind blown slopes. Wind Ridge and Pigeon Mountain offer these advantages and have traditionally been great places for them in the past. The slopes along the north side of the Bow Valley, Mt Lady McDonald and Grotto Mountain are typically used by wintering ungulates and as a result receive increased use by carnivores. Golf courses in the valley also provide good foraging areas and afford a level of predation protection due to human presence.

Skoki, a collared wolf who frequents Banff National Park, has been spending a significant amount of time in the Kananaskis Valley, but has yet to make an appearance in the Bow Valley.

There have been numerous reports in the past few weeks of a coyote with an injured leg near the Canmore Nordic Centre.

A cougar killed a big horn sheep in one of the day use areas. Please continue to keep dogs on leash as they may be attracted to the scent of carcasses.

Elk have been seen on and near the Trans Canada highway recently. The cattle guards filled with snow from recent snowfall and elk were able to travel over them and access areas adjacent to the highway. The cattle guards have been cleared but drivers should be aware that elk and deer may gain access to areas of the highway that have been fenced. Always watch for wildlife and drive the speed limit as you travel through the Bow Valley.