JBER hosts first black bear hunt in decades, with plans to continue annually

A black bear hunt took place on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson this summer for the first time in several decades — if not longer, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The two-month hunt ended in June and is expected to return annually, said Dave Battle, Anchorage-area wildlife biologist for Fish and Game.

Battle said several factors went into Fish and Game recommending a permit bear hunt on portions of JBER, including the number of black bears in the area and support from the base, which covers more than 70,000 acres of land, much of it undeveloped.

"We've always had plenty of bears and plenty of bear hunting in 14C," Battle said of the game management unit that encompasses Anchorage, Chugach State Park and remote backcounty to the east. JBER, he said, was "one of the few remaining large, contiguous areas of woods where we didn't have bear hunting."

Battle said Fish and Game also viewed a JBER hunt as a way to potentially manage the city's bear population. Driving down the number of bears on base could lead to fewer reports of bears wandering into nearby Anchorage neighborhoods and rummaging through trash, he said.

"We know of multiple bears that go off JBER base, get trash in Muldoon and then go back on JBER," he said. "There's a possibility that if we have more bears killed on the south side or north side, it could reduce conflicts we have in nearby areas."

Rick Sinnott, former Anchorage-area wildlife biologist who retired in 2010 after nearly 30 years in the field, said during his time at Fish and Game, holding a bear hunt on JBER was often discussed but never became reality. Back then, he said, the department viewed it as a potential way to manage Anchorage's bear population.

"The theory all along — for many, many decades — was that hunters tend to shoot the bears that are bold," he said. "And those are the bears that come into town and get into garbage."

"It's a matter of just managing bold bears versus the wary bears," according to Sinnott.

[Urban bear minding his own business? Then don't call 911.]

Neither Battle, Sinnott nor a JBER biological scientist could recall an official bear hunt on JBER in the past. Battle said he could not find mention of one in hunting regulations that dated back to 1973.

It's unclear just how many bears roam the military installation, parts of which are open to hunting moose and small game.

Battle said surveying the bears that blend into wooded areas is difficult and expensive. However, he said, based on "several indirect indices" — including reports of bear sightings and reports of bears hit by cars — Anchorage has "plenty" of bears.

"This is a renewable resource," he said. "More bears are born every year."

At the recommendation of Fish and Game, the Alaska Board of Game approved the creation of a permit black bear hunt on JBER in 2015.

It took a few years to get started, and it eventually opened to certified shotgun hunters — both residents and nonresidents — who could apply for a permit through a lottery system. Each hunter awarded a permit could kill one bear, said Fish and Game spokesperson Ken Marsh.

Some 340 people applied for 25 permits, Marsh said. Of the 25 permit holders, eight people participated in the hunt, killing three bears, Battle said.

[Bears and moose are par for the course in Anchorage golfing]

"It's not all that bad of a success rate," Battle said. However, he said, he "would like for more people to have hunted."

Battle said closures due to military training may have impacted the hunt, and he hoped for more participation next year.

Another JBER bear hunt is planned from April 15 to June 15 of 2018.