Grizzly Bear
Last Update/Review: October 16, 2007
Seasons
The following are composites of all seasons available in each hunting region. Archery seasons are those where only a bow and arrow may be used. General seasons are those in which a firearm or a bow and arrow may be used. Antlered, antlerless and special licence (obtained through a draw) seasons have been combined. Specific season information is provided in the current Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations, available on-line and in hard copy.
Seasons
NO GRIZZLY BEAR SEASON (HUNTING SUSPENDED)
| Region | Archery | General |
| Boreal | Closed | Closed |
| Mountains | Closed | Closed |
| Foothills | Closed | Closed |
| Parkland | Closed | Closed |
| Prairie | Closed | Closed |
More information is available in the news release: Alberta suspends spring grizzly bear hunt while collecting data.
Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos)
The grizzly bear is the largest and most powerful of Alberta's
carnivores. Adults weigh from 140 to 450 kg (300 to 1000 lb.); sows
average about 50 kg lighter than boars. GrizzIy bears vary in color
from tawny-brown to black. Often the hair is sun-bleached giving
it a "grizzled" appearance. In profile, the snout rises
sharply into a broad "dished" face. There is a hump of
long hair on the neck and shoulders. However, this hair may be shed
for a period in late spring and summer. Claws are long, curved and
obvious in tracks.
(For comparative descriptions of grizzly bears and black bears and
how to avoid encounters with these animals, go to The
Bear Facts and BearSmart. )
Grizzly bears reach breeding maturity by the age of 6 or 7 years. Like black bears, they mate in June or July, and the embryo does not develop until fall when bears enter dens for their winter dormancy. One or two cubs are born during the winter. At birth, cubs weigh only 340 to 680 g (12 to 24 oz.), but grow rapidly to about 15 kg (33 lb.) by the time they leave the den in April. The sow aggressively protects her cubs from all real or possible threats, including grizzly boars (adult males), which may attack and kill undefended cubs. Cubs remain with sows through the second winter, but leave her before she mates again.
Like black bears, grizzly bears are omnivorous (eat both plants and animals). The diet of a grizzly bear includes roots, grasses, berries, insects, fish, ground squirrels and mice. They readily eat carrion, and occasionally kill deer, moose, elk or even black bears.
Grizzly bears prefer open country, and are found in the foothill, mountain and boreal regions of the province. They once occupied the prairie and parkland, but settlers eliminated the species from most of these areas. Their current range includes areas in or near the Rocky Mountains and an isolated population in the Swan Hills.
Estimates for the provincial population remain to be developed following an inventory based on DNA information from field work in Bear Management Areas.
See Grizzly Bear Management for an explanation of management policy in this province, and the Foothills Model Forest Grizzly Bear Research Project for a description of a current grizzly bear management program. Go to Bears in Alberta for an overview of the biology, history and management of both grizzly and black bears in the province.
