Brown bear sow charges duck hunter in the Valley
Two brown bear sows with cubs are frequenting the Dredge Lakes area and one of the sows charged a duck hunter on Sunday.
The hunter was walking on a trail when he surprised a sow with a 3-year-old at point-blank range, said Neil Barten, area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The sow charged the hunter, who discharged two rounds of bird shot at it. The bear ran away and U.S. Forest Service and Alaska State Troopers found no evidence that it had been harmed, Barten said.
Wildlife officials are urging Juneau residents to take extra precaution.
"Until four years ago, it was unheard of for brown bears to come near town," Barten said.
Juneau residents primed for black bear behavior need to modify their expectations to deal with brown bears, which are more aggressive and likely to charge when they are surprised by a human, he said.
Pedestrians and especially joggers in the Dredge Lakes area near Mendenhall Glacier "darn well better be making noises and keeping their dogs on a leash," Barten said.
"They are in a state right now where they are trying to eat as much as they can before hibernation," said Dennis Chester, wildlife biologist with the Forest Service in Juneau, who noted the presence of nagoonberries and salmon in the area.
Besides the sow with a 3-year-old, a sow with two 2-year-old cubs has also been sighted in the past week at Dredge Lakes, most often at Moose Lake but also near the Skaters Cabin.
Barten noted that groups of three or more people are safest on the trails. Fresh bear sign should be interpreted as a reason to leave an area.
"Just because you are in the city limits doesn't mean you won't run across them. If you give them some space, you generally won't have problems with them," Chester said.
Other tips from Fish and Game include the following:
• Never approach a bear. Stay on trails at all times.
• Be alert. Bears are active day and night and can be anywhere. Watch for tracks and scat.
• Do not run or drop your pack. If a bear approaches, talk calmly in a low voice and stand your ground.