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While the numbers of brown bears killed this summer have been down compared to the 40 to die last year, 31 of which were in defense of life or property (DLP) shootings, there was a spike in brownies shot this past week.

The first incident occurred Monday in a wooded area off of the Kenai Spur Highway, across from Strawberry Road.

"It was a surprise encounter," said Jeff Selinger, area biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

A hunter had been stalking a moose and was just beginning to draw back the string of his bow when a cub of the year ran by him, and within seconds mama bear made her presence known when she charged the man.

"He had a pistol, drew it and shot the sow," Selinger said.

The sow's three cubs were subsequently euthanized.

The next incident occurred two days later, when another hunter was searching for moose in the Swanson River area, out toward Nikiski.

"He was stalking what he thought was a moose, but ended up being a brown bear sow. It charged him, and he shot it," Selinger said.

These two recent incidents bring the total numbers of DLPs for the season up to nine brownies. The first DLP of the year was an adult male killed at a black-bear baiting station off Swanson River Road on May 21.

The second was a subadult bear killed near the community of Sunrise, off of the Hope Highway, on June 25. The sex and details of this bruin's death are unclear at this time, since the person who shot it took the salvaged carcass to the Fish and Game office in Anchorage, rather than Soldotna.

The third one was a yearling male euthanized June 26 by Fish and Game near a dwelling at the end of Denise Lake Drive, off Mackey Lake Road. The animal already was injured. It was suffering from a gun shot wound that went unreported by whoever fired on him.

The fourth DLP took place Aug. 2, when a man walking his dog in the Mackey Lakes area was charged by a big boar and shot it with a pistol he had on his side.

In addition to these, five brown bears -- one male and four females -- were killed during the spring brown bear hunt. That brings the total number of brown bears to die as a result of human-caused mortalities to seven females, four males and three cubs so far this year.

This is within Fish and Game's management objective to not have more than 10 females of reproductive age killed.

While many of the recent runs-in with bears have been fatal for them, to avoid an escalating problem in the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge opted Aug. 5 to close the Skilak Lookout Trail for 30 days.

This decision came after two separate incidents occurred on the trail in which a sow with cubs aggressively protected her offspring.

"We heard about them after the fact, but in both cases they sounded like defensive attacks," Selinger said.

The first incident occurred some time in June and involved the sow knocking a man down and pinning him to the ground, but not otherwise harming him. Almost a month later, another hiker was less fortunate.

Selinger said as the information was relayed to him, last week a man and woman saw a bear and began backing up, when the man fell over. The bear then bit the man in the calf and began to drag him, but his wife dissuaded the bear from causing any further harm to him.

"She began yelling at the sow, and whacked it with a camera case. It then ran off," he said.

Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.