Time is running out for Alberta hunters to cash in on wild boars

Time is running out for hunters in Alberta to make some quick cash and ease the burden of invasive wild boars in the province.

The provincial government currently has a bounty on the wild boars, offering $75 per set of ears for each hunted animal.

The province introduced the bounty back in the spring of 2022, and it will run until March 31, 2024.

To date, the County of Stettler, the Municipal District of Peace, the County of Wetaskiwin No. 10, and the Municipal District of Bonnyville have signed on to take part in the program.

Listed as a pest under Alberta’s Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation, wild boar at large can cause damage to crops and property, endanger livestock and people, spread disease, and negatively alter the ecosystem.

Wild boar were introduced to Alberta in the 1980s and ’90s as livestock species in an effort to diversify agriculture. Since then, many have escaped their enclosures and thrived as a feral species, causing damage to crops, pastures, property, and the environment, according to the Alberta Invasive Species Council.

You might also like:
• Edmonton is on track to see its first snowless November in history
• The outrageous "Griswold house" in Alberta will return this holiday season
• The "strongest meteor shower of the year" shoots over Calgary next month

Government-approved trappers will be compensated $75 per set of ears per sounder, encouraging the elimination of entire sounders, while landowners who work with approved trappers are eligible for $75 per set of ears.

“Wild boar at large are a threat to our animals and environment, as well as a vector for diseases like African swine fever. We are taking action to get rid of this menace and help those affected by it before it gets worse,” said Nate Horner, minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, in a news release.

The province says invasive wild boar at large have been documented in 28 rural municipalities across Alberta.

A map detailing where wild boars at large have been sighted can be found here. The province says it can’t give out locations for hunting wild boar due to privacy issues.

If you see a wild boar or signs of its activity, email [email protected] or call 310-FARM (3276) to report it.