Gavin Haakenson says he is “glad” he blacked out during a brown bear attack in Alaska.
Haakenson, a moose hunter, was walking back to his truck with his hunting partner Ethan Yeager near Soldotna on Sept. 2 when the animal charged. The pair had just finished an unsuccessful hunt when the bear ambushed him without warning, he told Outdoor Live.
“I heard a noise to my right and looked over and there was a brown bear charging at me at full speed,” he told Outdoor Live.
“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 scrambled for his rifle and managed to fire a shot in an attempt to scare off the predator. The bear had already knocked him to the ground by that point.
“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 acted quickly to save his partner, firing two shots while shouting “hey bear” to drive the animal away. The entire encounter lasted only seconds.
“The whole thing happened in 10 seconds,” Haakenson said.
The aftermath left Haakenson remarkably unscathed for a brown bear mauling. He sustained a bruised shoulder and a shredded KUIU hiking jacket, but no broken bones. He did not need stitches despite the violent nature of the attack. Doctors have prescribed six weeks of physical therapy for his shoulder injury.
The sleeve of his KUIU hiking jacket was shredded in the attack, but the brand has told him it will supply him with new hiking gear.
US Fish and Wildlife officials searched the area after Haakenson and Yeager reported the attack, but they were unable to locate the bear. Alaska is home to approximately 30,000 brown bears, making encounters a known risk for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts in the region.
Haakenson’s survival with minimal injuries stands out among brown bear attacks in the state, where such encounters frequently result in far more serious wounds or fatalities.