GRAPHIC: Hunter survives battle with bear, gunshot wound on trip with father
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - A seasoned Alaskan hunter is sharing his story after surviving a near-fatal brown bear attack while on a trail with his father.
Tyler Johnson, 32, grew up on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. He was back in the state Saturday afternoon, hunting with his father on Resurrection Pass Trail near Cooper Landing when a brown bear surprised them, KTUU reports.
Johnson says he and his dad, who is a wildlife trooper, startled the bear while hiking through thick grass, and it charged them. The 32-year-old was clawed and bitten. He also accidentally shot himself in the leg during the incident.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Contents in this video may disturb.
“It was like getting hit by a train, and my feet went over my head,” said Johnson in an interview Monday. “It put its teeth into my calf as I was falling backwards. He hit me at the same time I got my gun out, and when I was falling backwards, I believe that’s when I shot myself in the leg.”
When the bear would not stop attacking the men, they shot and killed it. Johnson took care of his wounds, and his dad called for help. The 32-year-old was taken by helicopter to an Anchorage hospital.
“It was an epic hunting trip. That’s something that not a lot of people get a block away and then share a story like that,” Johnson said. “Fortunately for my father and I, we’re seasoned hikers, hunters. We plan for the worst, hope for the best. That’s why we had the equipment we had. That’s why we reacted the way we reacted.”
While this was a traumatic experience for Johnson, he says it will not deter him from doing what he loves.
“We like getting away. We like being up in the mountains. We like being back in the glaciers. We like just experiencing Alaska. I mean, it’s Alaska, right? You got to take advantage of it,” Johnson said.
He warns other hunters or hikers to also be prepared for the worst on their trips and to have a good partner accompanying them.
The full interview with Johnson about his experience can be found on In Depth Alaska, which is featured on KTUU’s YouTube page.
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