1 Bison Hunted in Banff’s Second Indigenous-Led Hunt

One plains bison was harvested last fall in Banff National Park as part of the second Indigenous-led ceremonial hunt since the species was reintroduced to the mountain park in 2017.

The hunt follows a 2024 pilot project that saw three plains bison harvested, the first such hunt inside the park in nearly 150 years.

The animal was transferred and successfully harvested by the Kainai Nation under a framework led by the Banff National Park Indigenous Advisory Circle in collaboration with Parks Canada.

Under the current structure, one bison may be allocated per Indigenous Advisory Circle member, for a maximum of eight animals. Allocation does not guarantee a harvest. The transfer typically involves the catch-pen method, in which a bison is captured within the park’s reintroduction zone using a controlled enclosure. The animal is then transferred to the participating Nation, where the ceremonial harvest is carried out under the Nation’s direction, often involving Elders, youth and other community members.

Plains bison once roamed the Bow Valley in large numbers before being driven to near extinction in the late 1800s due to overhunting tied to commercial demand and federal policy. By the time Banff was established as a protected area in 1885, wild bison had disappeared from the region.

On Feb. 1, 2017, Parks Canada began reintroducing plains bison to the park, transporting 10 female bison and six young bulls from Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton, to a fenced soft-release pasture in the Panther River Valley. The herd’s first calving season resulted in the birth of 10 healthy calves. After 16 months in the paddock, the animals were released into the park’s eastern backcountry in the summer of 2018.

As of the 2024–2025 season, over 130 free-roaming plains bison occupy the park, primarily in the Panther and Red Deer valleys. Parks Canada has continued monitoring herd health and population growth since reintroduction.

For much of Canada’s national park history, Indigenous harvesting and traditional land use were restricted or prohibited within park boundaries. The ceremonial harvest is intended to honour Indigenous traditions and re-establish cultural practices within Banff National Park under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, which recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and treaty rights. The initiative is part of an “ecocultural” approach to restoration that combines scientific monitoring with Indigenous knowledge and cultural practice.

“The ceremonial harvest continues to reflect the shared goals of honouring Indigenous traditions and re-establishing cultural practices within Banff National Park,” said Tomi Postma, the public relations and communications officer for Banff National Park. “It represents an ongoing step in exercising rights protected under Section 35 of the Constitution Act and in revitalizing ceremonies that celebrate the long-standing relationship between Indigenous Peoples, the bison, and the land.”

The harvest is guided by the Indigenous Advisory Circle, which includes representatives from Siksika Nation; the Stoney Nakoda Nations of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney; Kainai Nation; Piikani Nation; Tsuut’ina Nation; and the Rocky View Métis District of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government.

A 2023 report by Parks Canada on the first five years of the reintroduction project identified collaboration across jurisdictions as key to the herd’s long-term sustainability. The agency said it will continue managing bison within Banff National Park while developing a long-term bison management plan, with Indigenous stakeholders involved in shaping future decisions.