An Alaska moose hunter survived a sudden brown bear attack, saying he was “glad” he lost consciousness while the animal mauled him.
Gavin Haakenson escaped the Sept. 2 encounter with a bruised shoulder and a torn coat, remarkably avoiding any broken bones.
Haakenson and his hunting partner, Ethan Yeager, were walking back to their truck after an unsuccessful moose hunt near Soldotna when the bear launched its surprise attack, he told Outdoor Life.
“I heard a noise to my right and looked over, and there was a brown bear charging at me at full speed,” he said.
“It was super close, maybe 10 feet, when I saw it. It was growling extremely loud, a terrifying noise.”
“I saw its face. Its teeth were out. It hit me in the shoulder and knocked me down.”
Haakenson reached for his rifle, intending to fire a shot to frighten the predator away.
“That’s when my blackout started,” he said. “I’m glad I blacked out and I don’t remember the bear being on top of me.”
Yeager ultimately drove the bear off by firing two shots and yelling, “Hey, bear!”
“The whole thing happened in 10 seconds,” Haakenson said.
Although he did not require stitches, Haakenson suffered multiple scratches and was told he would need six weeks of physical therapy.
The sleeve of his KUIU hiking jacket was shredded in the attack, but the outdoor brand told him it would provide replacement hiking gear.
US Fish and Wildlife officials combed the area after the pair reported the bear attack – but didn’t manage to find it.
Alaska is home to around 30,000 brown bears.
