New Alberta regulations ban use of spears to hunt big game

EDMONTON Spears will no longer be permitted for hunting big game in Alberta.

The provincial government has instead formulated a list of approved weapons: rifles, shotguns and conventional archery gear.

The change comes after an outcry over a 2016 video posted on YouTube, in which American hunter Josh Bowmar speared a black bear in northern Alberta.

Many viewers at the time — including hunters — denounced the kill as “barbaric” and “unnecessary.”

The result is a list of permitted weapons, much like the approach used in other provinces.

The new regulations also set a .24-calibre minimum for shotgun pellets when hunting big game.

In an interview with Postmedia, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said the change is a result of extensive consultations with hunting associations, the Alberta Conservation Association and the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association.

Alberta Environment and Parks received more than 3,900 public responses to help shape the new regulations.

Phillips said a majority of those supported a ban on spears.

The newregulations won’t interfere with the rights of Indigenous hunters to practise traditional hunting methods.

About 118,000 people hunt big game in the province each year.