My bad. Going off what my pilot that had the pic on his phone told me....seemed like a reliable guy, Alaskan resident pilot and all.....
snow machine...not quad and he was airlifted right away.
heres the link from the newspaper if anyone was interested
Heroic response saved Alaska bear mauling victim - Anchorage Daily News
Life's good for Alaskan who lost face in grizzly bear attack - Anchorage Daily News
I don't know why this bothers me so much, I should probably just bite my lip, but I can't help myself. These two bear attack stories are often conflated, as is the case with the above posts, and this thread.
Beendare, I know you are just trying to help a guy with his grizzly concerns, but I am gonna clarify a few things. The links you posted above have absolutely nothing to do with the picture that your pilot showed you on your phone. Wes Perkins was involved in a horrific bear attack near Nome, in 2011, as the linked articles clearly state. From all accounts, he suffered horrible facial wounds, but to my knowledge, there are no known public pictures of the wounds he suffered immediately after the attack.
The picture your pilot showed you is from a bear attack in 2016 that happened near the Denali Highway. Yes, both attacks involved hunters that were using snowmachines, but the circumstances surrounding the maulings are very different.
Like I said, these two stories are often conflated, and it us understandable that this continues to happen on this thread. While I won't post the details of the attack that happened in 2016 here, if anybody ever wants to sit down and buy me a beer I'd be happy to share the story. Here is photo that I took after we helped him into the helicopter for the flight to the hospital. I guess that is why all of the misinformation bothers me so much, I was the first person other than his son to see the man after the mauling. It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen in my life, and I wouldn't wish anybody to see what I saw that day. I talked to the man in your photo a few weeks ago in person. He is doing great. Granted, he lost an eye, and his ear is a little messed up, but concerning the initial facial wounds, it is unbelievable how well those surgeons put him back together. Modern medicine is an amazing thing.
Now, so I don't seem like so much of an asshat internet policeman, I'll add a little perspective on bears from my perspective as a bear hunting guide and someone who has worked in the remote wildlife protection business.
Generally, if we all use our god given advantage over the bears, that being our brains, we don't have much to worry about in bear country. Be smart about campsite locations, be smart about keeping a clean camp, be smart when in close proximity to bears and you probably won't have a problem. Campsite location is often something that is overlooked. Don't set your tent up on well used game trails. Ask Tim Treadwell how that worked out for him. Keep a clean camp. This doesn't mean you have to hang your food two miles away from your tent up in a tree. I cook in my tent. I often have a tent just for cooking. I keep my food in my tent. I have never once had a problem with a bear getting into my camp (knock on wood). Just don't make a mess. Deal with your garbage properly. Burn it if you can.
As someone else mentioned earlier in the thread, I pee all the way around my camp. Every time mother nature calls, I find somewhere around my camp perimeter to relieve myself. I can't say with any anecdotal evidence that this actually works but it is something I have always done, and I have never had a problem. Moth balls are supposedly something else that a bear will avoid, along with Pine Sol. Just what I've been told by some people I trust, your mileage may vary.
Educate yourself on bear behavior and body language. If you can understand the meaning of a bears various postures and body language, you will know the proper response and actions that you should take. It is pretty clear when a bear is pissed off and in no mood to mess around. Low head, ears back, salivating, jaw popping, these are some of the signs of an agitated bear.
Why do bears generally attack? A sow protecting its cubs. A bear protecting it's kill. A bear that is surprised, often in thick cover. A bear that has had its predatory instinct triggered by movement. Here in Anchorage, we have had a couple instances of bears attacking someone riding their bike quietly on a densely vegetated trail. Other circumstances, a bear that is cornered and given no choice but to fight. Messing with bears in their dens would be an example of this.
Also, guns versus bear spray. My opinion, firearm every time. With that said, you must know that firearm and be proficient in its use. A little story about bear spray. I think Kevin mentioned a few posts back about a biologist working at a gold mine that was mauled and killed by a black bear last summer. Two lady biologists were working together remotely, taking stream samples as part of the exploration project of this gold mine. A black bear happened upon them, whether it was attracted via some source (sounds, smell, etc) or just stumbled upon them happenstance, we will never know. What we do know is that this bear was a predatory bear. The bear surprised and attacked biologist #1 from behind. Biologist #2 came to the aid of her coworker, and sprayed the bear down with bear spray. The bear turned on her, attacking her, and eventually killing her. Biologist #1, the one originally attacked, attempted to drive the bear off her coworkers body by spraying it with more spray. The spray was ineffective. The bear continuously returned to the body to feed. A helicopter continuously attempted to haze the bear away from the victim, but the bear wouldn't relent. It wasn't until they were able to get a rifle to the scene via helicopter, that this tragedy ended. The bear was predatory, once it had proccured it's prey the only thing to get this bear to leave was the bullet from a rifle. This was a black bear, a healthy adult male. Two weeks later, me and some other fellow's were hired as Wilderness Safety Specialists to accompany these work crews as they continued the exploration process. We carry shotguns with slugs, just as an fyi.
Here is one more thing I believe to be true about bears. Anybody that tells you they know what a bear is going to do, is full of it, a bear doesn't even know what a bear is going to do. Bears are unpredictable. They are all different, just like humans. There are bad bears, predatory bears, goofy bears, dumb bears, smart bears, there are all kinds. Use your head, be smart, use the advantage we were given over the bears. While they may be unpredictable and we can't be certain of what they are going to do, being educated to general principles and behaviors and help us mitigate the risks.
Anyway, I'll shut up now. Just wanted to clear up a little of the misinformation concerning those two bear attacks. Respect the bears. They are an amazing animal, yet they are completely unpredictable, as all wildlife can be.
Josh
