Wildlife biologist shares information about bears in the Valley

PALMER — A man died in the Eagle River area after he was mauled by a brown bear in June. During the search, a volunteer was also attacked. Later in the month, an Anchorage man was mauled in the Copper River area and survived.

But while bear maulings have been a topic of concern in other areas of Southcentral Alaska, there have been no bear maulings in the Mat-Su Valley in the last five years, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game Assistant Area Wildlife Biologist Chris Brockman.

Brockman suspects that is due to the liberal hunting restrictions in the Valley that legally allow for harvest of bears nearly right up to the city limit lines within the Mat-Su Borough.

“There’s not a place where interactions are concentrated. They occur anywhere...There’s bears pretty much everywhere,” said Brockman.

In Game Management Area 14A and 14B, which encompasses nearly 5,000 square miles of the Valley, there have been very few disruptive bear encounters in urban areas, as compared to more densely populated areas such as Juneau, Anchorage and Eagle River. Brockman suspects that the more strict hunting regulations in the areas around the larger cities, which are, in places, bordered by state parks where hunting is illegal, result in more bears getting through into the city to find trouble to get into. Trouble often manifests itself in the form of food left out, fish carcasses improperly disposed of, and even dog food.

“We have relatively few bear interactions reported in the Mat-Su Valley (GMU’s 14A and 14B). Most interactions or conflicts that do occur are the result of bears getting food provided by people both intentionally and unintentionally,” Brockman wrote in an email.

The exact number of bears in the area cannot, or at least, has not, been accurately measured. Brockman said that measuring the bears in an area as large as the Mat-Su Valley would be too expensive and involved, and has not been calculated.

The number of brown bears harvested in the last three years is 50. Three brown bears were taken in “defense of life and property” in 2017, three in 2015, but none in 2016. Four black bears were taken in defense of life and property in 2017, one in 2016, but none in 2015.

“The No. 1 cause of poor bear interactions is providing something the bear views as food. It can be garbage, fish, dog food, anything a bear perceives to be food,” said Brockman.

Brockman said three bears have been harvested in defense of life or property in 2018.

A total of 227 bears have been taken in the last three years total, with black bear numbers significantly higher than brown.

“We do not issue permits for brown bear in this area, hunters may harvest a brown bear if they have purchased a locking tag and reporting occurs when the bear hide and skull are presented to Fish and Game for Sealing. Locking tags apply statewide where required and cannot be used to track effort. Black bear Harvest tickets apply nearly statewide and the number issued cannot be used to track effort,” said Brockman.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game website has a variety of brochures on bear safety The ADF&G has published numerous bear safety sections concerning bear safety for anglers, hunters, kids, and safety in bear country.

“If a bear is hanging out around people in the Palmer or Wasilla area, it’s very susceptible to being harvested and that definitely reduces amount of interactions between people and bears. It does not seem to be too much of a negative on our bear population. The main thing is to stay aware of your surroundings and location. Look up from time to time, back off and give the bear their space and allow them to do their fishing. Remove attractants like a fish on a stringer, and fish parts need to be disposed of in a safe manner,” said Brockman.

Due to the large amount of bears in the Mat-Su, Brockman does not consider sightings to be interactions.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com.