A missing Calgary hunter has been found dead after a grizzly bear attack in Kananaskis Country. He went hunting near the Picklejar Creek Trail on Saturday morning, but didn’t return home that evening as expected. His family reported him missing to police Sunday morning. The man, who has been identified by some media as Rick Cross, was found dead by search teams Monday.
“During the search today, we discovered his remains,” said Const. Virgil Bitz of the Kananaskis RCMP. “He sustained severe trauma from a grizzly bear attack.” The man’s family in Calgary was notified by the Calgary Police Service on Monday night. They could not immediately be reached for comment. RCMP believe there are a couple of reasons for what’s being called a defensive attack by the bear.
“It’s the time of year when bears start getting anxious about getting enough food for winter, so they are a little more protective of their food sources. There was a freshly killed deer cache in the vicinity,” said Bitz. “There was a cub as well. “Surprising a mom bear with a cub is one trigger for an attack and getting too close to a food source is another, so it’s kind of a double whammy there. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Picklejar Creeks Trail is in one of Kananaskis Country’s 39 provincial recreation areas, where hunting game such as sheep, deer, elk and black bears is allowed. It’s illegal to hunt grizzly bears due to their status as a threatened species in Alberta.