A moose hunter in Alaska survived a brown bear ambush that lasted less than 10 seconds, escaping with a bruised shoulder, a torn jacket and a rifle damaged in the struggle.
Gavin Haakenson was scouting for moose with his friend Ethan Yeager near the Killey River on Sept. 2 when a brown bear charged him from about 10 feet away.
“I heard a noise to my right and looked over and there was a brown bear charging me at full speed,” Haakenson told Outdoor Life. “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 said his memory of the attack itself is gone. “Last thing I remember was trying to shoulder my rifle and the bear jumping at me,” he said. “Then I don’t remember what happened. That’s when my black out started.”
While Haakenson was pinned under the animal, Yeager opened fire with a pistol. The bear eventually released Haakenson and fled as Yeager kept shooting.
“The whole thing happened in under 10 seconds,” Haakenson said. “Then we hiked back to the truck as fast as we could yelling, ‘hey bear’ with some fear in our voices.”
Haakenson came away without broken bones or serious injuries, though he was left bruised and sore. He said he’s not entirely troubled by the memory loss.
“I get restless just thinking about it. I’m glad I blacked out and don’t remember the bear being on top of me. The thought of ‘what if’ is what keeps me up.”
Wildlife officers searched the area afterward but did not locate the bear. Haakenson said he hasn’t ruled out returning to the site.
“I’d like to go out and find this brown bear and shoot it, but how much do I want to make my mother worry?” he said. “And, how angry will this brown bear be when it sees me?”
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