Two brown bears were killed in Haines last week, bringing the total killed outside hunting season in management unit 1D this year to 26. One bear was shot by police at the boat harbor under the defense of life or property law. The other is believed to have been hit by a car.

The bear shot at the downtown harbor last week, a young female, is thought to have been the one breaking into vehicles in recent weeks.

Koch said he has heard no reports of bear-related car break-ins since the shooting. He said it’s impossible to say with absolute certainty that it was the same animal, but either way, it was clear the bear at the boat harbor had become a hazard.

“It had been breaking into boats and coming to the harbor every day,” Koch said. “Basically, it needed to be dealt with.”

The second bear, killed over the weekend, was found injured in a ditch near 26 Mile. It was euthanized, according to Koch. Its injuries are believed to have been caused by a vehicle, although no one called to report the incident.

The pelts and skulls of both animals were turned over to ADFG, as required by state law. The bear that is believed to have been hit by a car had three claws removed by the time the trooper arrived, which is illegal, Koch said.

Until recently, the number of non-hunt brown bear kills was estimated to be roughly 22. The number should have been 24, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) biologist Carl Koch. The discrepancy was due to delays in paperwork processing that prevented the department from getting an accurate count.

This fall has been notable not only because of the large number of bears killed outside hunting season but also because of an unprecedented uptick in bear-related property damage. Bear calls to police have increased by about 600% compared to past years, according to police chief Heath Scott.

This time of year, as the weather changes, bear activity tends to decrease as the animals retreat to dens for the winter. In Haines in past years, this would typically happen sometime in the next few weeks, according to Koch. He said he hopes bears follow the same pattern this year.

“My fingers are crossed they’ll den up soon,” Koch said, adding that unsecured bear attractants could have the effect of keeping animals active longer.

“If they haven’t put on enough fat and there’s still things they can get into, then they might stick around a little longer,” he said.

In addition to the 26 bears taken outside of hunting season, 14 brown bears have been killed as part of this year’s fall hunt—nine females and five males.

Koch said the department will evaluate this winter whether management changes will need to be made for next year’s hunt. Koch had asked hunters to target males due to the record number of non-hunt bears killed this year.