An Alberta hunter whose remains were found earlier this week near Sundre was killed by a bear, a medical examiner confirmed Friday.

Police identified the man as Robert Wagner, 48, of Didsbury.

The body of Wagner, an avid hunter, was found less than a kilometre from his parked truck.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials are searching for the bear that attacked Wagner.

This a "horrible" time of year to encounter a bear, said Jim Pissot, director of Defenders of Wildlife Canada, on Wednesday.

"Bears are trying to fatten up for the winter hibernation. They are obsessed with eating and maybe paying a little less attention to what else is going on around them."

In November of 2007, Calgary hunter Don Peters was also mauled to death by a bear near Sundre, which is northwest of Calgary.