A man who was accidentally shot in the leg during a grizzly bear attack in Alaska last weekend has told of his harrowing ordeal – and it appears he is very lucky to be alive.
Tyler Johnson, 32, was on a hunting trip with his father on Saturday on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska, less than two miles from the Resurrection Pass Trail to the nearest road, when the attack occurred. Johnson later said: CNN He said the pair were in an open area when they heard a growl “and then suddenly it attacked.” The bear's attack took about four seconds.
Frightened by their appearance, the peak hunter initially went after his father, but Johnson said he slammed him to the ground and bit his leg. At that point, he fired his 10mm pistol, emptying the entire magazine into the bear, but accidentally shot himself in the upper leg. His father also shot the bear, eventually killing it.
“Every move a bear makes is intentional,” Johnson explained. “They don't stop until they're in the middle of an action. So when a bear stops, it's probably because it's dead or dying.”
“Dad, I shot myself,” Johnson recalls saying as he looked at his leg.
Luckily, his father, Chris Johnson, is an Alaska State Trooper who has served with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for more than 30 years. The elder Johnson placed a tourniquet under his son's knee, wrapped the wound in gauze and then alerted emergency responders via SOS.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel like I was hit or that the bear bit me,” Johnson said. But once the initial adrenaline rush wore off, he says the pain hit him “like a truck.” To manage the intense pain, he used breathing techniques, listened to music and told hunting stories with his father until help arrived.
“It's the little things that try to help you through a difficult time. It was really comforting to realize that you were with the one person you wanted to be there with,” she added.
As for the possible motivation for the bear attack, Johnson said troopers were later notified when they returned to the area that a cub had been found nearby. According to the National Parks Service, the likelihood of a bear attack increases if a female bear perceives you as a threat to her cubs. Park visitors are advised to be extra cautious if they see a female bear with cubs and never attempt to approach them.