Eight people have pleaded guilty to 13 offences under Alberta’s Wildlife Act after an investigation into illegal cougar and Canada lynx hunts across the province.
Jody Janzer of Kitscoty was among those who entered guilty pleas.
Janzer and her husband, Garth, operate Dore River Outfitters, according to multiple sources and social media posts.
The guilty pleas resulted in a combined $135,500 in fines and 18.5 years of hunting prohibitions and related court orders across all eight cases.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services began the investigation in January 2024. Officers were looking into a closed season cougar hunt tied to Byron Stewart, owner of Tracks N Trails Outfitting in Drayton Valley.
Investigators said a resident hunter, guided by Tracks N Trails Outfitting, killed a male cougar after the season had already closed.
As the investigation grew, officers found evidence of 11 illegal guided hunts across the province. Eight involved non-resident hunters and three involved Alberta residents.
Search warrants executed in Alberta and British Columbia led to the seizure of 11 cougar skins and skulls, along with five Canada lynx skins.
Byron Stewart, Cindy Stewart and Devin Hyde of Drayton Valley, Luke Viravec of DeBolt and Garrett Patton of Worsley also pleaded guilty, along with Janzer.
Two non-residents, Joshua Owens of New Braunfels, Texas, and Arnold Compton of Excello, Missouri, pleaded guilty as well.
Common offences in the case included hunting cougars out of season, possessing illegally harvested wildlife, using prohibited electronic calling devices and hunting without valid licences.
Fish and wildlife officials say illegal hunting undermines conservation efforts in Alberta. It can lead to overharvesting and reduced hunting opportunities for licensed hunters through tighter quotas and shorter seasons.
Anyone with information about suspicious hunting or fishing activity can call the 24 hour Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800, or report online at alberta.ca/report-poacher.aspx. Reports can be made anonymously and may qualify for a reward.
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Correction: An earlier version of this story, live for approximately three hours on July 16, 2026, said Janzer and her husband own Dore River Outfitters. They operate the business.
This is about cougar hunting and you are showing lynx pictures. I don’t understand.
There were linx skins found too.
A little…. Inappropriate don’t you think when the headline only calls out a woman, yet there were 8 people charged?
She was the only local.