Crystal Burnside said her son spotted a bear in their Spruce Cape neighborhood on Sunday night. Monday morning, however, it was still around.
“He thought he was going to come and look for tracks, see where the bear went – just kind of get an idea,” she said. “And so he was poking around in the backyard, back behind the shed, and he heard breathing.”
The bear seemed asleep in a berry patch about 25 feet from their back porch.
Bear sightings are pretty common around Kodiak – usually a few minutes drive from more developed areas. Once in a while they’re spotted around the forests in and around town, occasionally scavenging through trash cans and dumpsters.
Burnside said they’ve lived in their house for about 20 years, but this was the first time they’ve seen a bear there. They called the Alaska State Troopers when it didn’t move for a while.
“Probably five minutes after we called the troopers, we’re looking through the window like we could see the salmonberry bushes rustling and we just kind of watched,” she said. “And we saw a bear pop its head right up, kind of up between the trees.”
Troopers arrived shortly after. After observing it for a few hours, they took the shot from the roof of the family’s shed.
Tess Williams is a public information officer for the Alaska State Troopers.
“The bear had repeatedly tipped over dumpsters throughout the month – there’s been multiple reports about this,” she said.
Several people had posted in Kodiak community Facebook groups about spotting a bear in the same area the last several weeks. Williams said this was the likely culprit.
“The bear hadn’t been aggressive or harmed anyone, but because it had become so comfortable around people, there was a concern for public safety going forward,” she said.
She said troopers, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Kodiak Police all tried to haze the bear or reduce attractants like unsecured trash to get it out of town unsuccessfully.
Fish and Game could not be reached about the incident.
Even while they were observing it, the Burnsides said several people were walking dogs or driving nearby, but despite all the sound, the bear didn’t move.
Williams said that was a sign it was likely too comfortable in the neighborhood.
“It, at this point, was habituated to humans and was food conditioned and regularly seeking garbage and trash as its main food source,” she said.
While inspecting the bear’s body, troopers found injuries from another gunshot wound in its rear leg that had impacted its organs. Troopers say some neighbors reported hearing a gunshot early that morning, but no one reported who shot it.
Williams said killing animals like this is a “last resort.”
“No one wants to have a situation end like that,” she said. “But it is important to make sure that we are keeping the public safe and making sure there aren’t going to be situations that escalate once that bear is habituated to humans.”
A few bears have been killed by wildlife officials in recent years – including one male in 2023, two females in 2022, and three bears in 2021, one of which was found with trash in its stomach.
