A man who accidentally shot himself in the leg during a brown bear attack last weekend in Alaska has opened up about his harrowing ordeal. And it sounds like he's very lucky to be alive.
Tyler Johnson, 32, was hunting with his father at least two miles from the nearest road near Resurrection Pass Trail on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula when the attack happened Saturday. Johnson later said CNN that the pair were in an open area when they heard grunting, “and then an immediate attack.” It took about four seconds for the bear to attack him.
Although the apex predator, apparently startled by their appearance, initially went after his father, Johnson said it knocked him to the ground and bit his leg. He then unholstered his 10mm pistol and emptied the full clip into the bear, only to accidentally shoot himself through the upper leg. Her father also fired shots at the bear, eventually killing it.
“Every move a bear makes is intentional,” Johnson explained. “They don't just go halfway into an action. So when a bear stops, it's probably because it's dead or about to die.”
He looked down at his feet and Johnson recalled, “Dad, I shot myself.”
Luckily, her father, Chris Johnson, is an Alaska State Trooper who has served with the US Fish and Wildlife Service for over 30 years. The elder Johnson fastened a tourniquet under his son's knee, wrapped the wound in gauze, and then notified the ambulance via SOS.
“To be honest, when I got shot, the bear bit me, I didn't feel it at the time,” Johnson noted. But after the initial adrenaline rush wore off, he says the pain hit him like a truck. To manage the intense pain, he performed breathing techniques, listened to music and told hunting stories with his father until help arrived.
“It's the little things that try to get you through a difficult moment. It was really comforting to realize that you're there with the only person you want to be with,” she added.
As for a possible motive for the bear attack, Johnson said he was later informed that troopers returned to the area and found a cub nearby. According to the National Park Service, the likelihood of a bear attack increases when a female bear perceives her cubs as a threat. Park visitors should use extra caution when spotting a female with cubs and never attempt to approach them.