Hunting in Natural Areas

Natural areas are protected area lands that have been set aside to support a broad spectrum of recreational activities.

The majority of natural areas are small to medium sized properties. Users of these sites include hikers, bird watchers, equestrian users, naturalists, organized conservation groups and leaseholders. Many natural areas receive a high level of public use. This is particularly true for those located near urban centres, rural communities, acreages and rural subdivisions.

Except for those sites that have grazing leases or recreation-oriented leases, natural areas are not intensively managed by the Government of Alberta. However, many natural areas have stewards. Volunteer stewards proudly maintain trails and provide general clean up and stewardship of sites. In some cases, stewards have installed site signage that identifies areas where hunting and OHV use are prohibited. Hunters are asked to respect site signage indicating hunting and OHV use prohibitions.