Deer hunters came across the carcass of the female cougar north of Water Valley on Nov. 29 and reported it to authorities. Provincial wildlife officer Adam Mirus suspects the poacher was hoping to stash the carcass until the cougar-hunting season opened Dec. 1.

“Animals being shot pre- and post-season dates does happen,” Mirus said. “It can be fairly hard for us to detect.”

An increase in poaching is common during the winter months, Mirus said, and there’s evidence of such activity again this year.

Mirus said he received reports Tuesday of a mule deer buck that had been shot and left. The mule deer season in the area ended Nov. 30.

“It still had a tow strap around its neck,” he said. “It was shot somewhere, they towed it with a vehicle, quickly chopped the head and antlers off and then left the rest to rot.”

Animals are more easily targeted this time of year because they’re out in the open during the day to feed, as opposed to during the evenings, Mirus said. Many poachers will shoot big game right from their vehicles.

“If possible, a lot of them will try to run into the field and get it out of there,” he explained. “Or they’ll drop a person off and come back 20 minutes or an hour later and pick up either the animal or the head, or whatever part they’re taking from it.”

Poaching can do a great deal of harm, experts warn.

Sean Nichols, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, said poaching can seriously upset the balance of the ecosystem.

“If there’s a ban on hunting, it’s there for a reason,” Nichols said.

“For reasons of biodiversity and for maintaining the entire ecosystem, there is a need to have certain populations of wildlife on the land, and those populations need to be preserved.”

Poaching mature female cougars like the one found near Water Valley can have a much bigger effect on populations than poaching males because they’re the “main drivers” behind cougar population growth, said Nathan Webb, a carnivore specialist with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.

Webb said the death of this cougar likely won’t have a huge impact on the regional population. Cougars are typically found in a higher density in this area of the province, he said. The total cougar population is about 2,000 provincewide, Webb noted.

Mirus said catching poachers is largely dependent on public help. Often, it’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time, he said.

“Hearing about an animal that was poached a week ago compared to hearing from someone who is watching a poacher makes a big difference,” Mirus said.

He said anyone witnessing suspicious activity such as hearing shots fired or seeing a rifle sticking out the window of a vehicle should report it. He said its important not to approach suspected poachers because they’ll be armed, but snapping a photo of the person, vehicle or a licence plate with a cellphone can help identify the poacher.