Warning: The following story contains details that may be disturbing for some readers
Alberta Fish and Wildlife is looking for any tips in a suspected poaching investigation after a dead, beheaded deer was dumped in the alley behind a busy northeast Calgary shopping area last month.
Officers were called to the Monterrey Square Plaza near 68th Street NE and the Trans-Canada Highway on Dec. 16, 2024 after it was reported that a “gutted and headless carcass of a mature white-tailed buck” had been found near some commercial dumpsters behind the Co-op grocery store.
Officers collected surveillance footage from the previous day around noon, showing a man and woman dumping the carcass.
It’s not known why the carcass was dumped there but it’s being investigated as poaching, as the whitetail deer hunting season in Alberta runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 for archery, and the general whitetail season runs from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30.
Fish and Wildlife say the two people were driving in an older model Toyota Sienna mini van (1998-2003) with a blue body with a grey lower trim.
Surveillance photo of the van and couple Alberta Fish and Wildlife believed are involved in dumping the carcass of a headless male deer.
Courtesy: Alberta Fish and Wildlife
Anyone with information is asked to give the Calgary Fish and Wildlife office a call at (403) 297-6674, or tips can be given to the 24-hour Report a Poacher line at 1(800) 642-3800.
Callers can remain anonymous and may qualify for a reward for the information.