A man who accidentally shot himself in the leg during a brown bear attack in Alaska last weekend has opened up about his harrowing ordeal. And it sounds as though he's very much lucky to be alive.
Tyler Johnson, 32, was on a hunting trip with his father at least two miles from the nearest road off Resurrection Pass Trail on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska on Saturday when the attack occurred. Johnson later told CNN that the pair were in an open area when they heard a growl, "and then an immediate charge." It took all of about four seconds for the bear to attack.
Though the apex predator, which was apparently startled by their appearance, initially went after his father, Johnson said that it slammed him onto the ground and bit his leg. At that point, he discharged his 10mm pistol and emptied the entire clip into the bear, but accidentally shot himself through his upper leg. His father likewise fired shots at the bear, eventually killing it.
"Every, 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 it’s about to die."
Looking down at his leg, Johnson recalled saying, "Dad, I shot myself."
Luckily, his father, Chris Johnson, is an Alaska State Trooper who had served for more than 30 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The elder Johnson affixed a tourniquet below his son's knee, wrapped the wound in gauze, then alerted emergency troopers via SOS.
"To be honest, getting shot, the bear biting into me, I didn’t feel at the time," Johnson noted. But after the initial bout of adrenaline wore off, he says that 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 those little things that try to help you through a hard moment. Realizing that you’re there with the only person you would want to be there with was really comforting," he added.
As for the possible motivation 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 Parks Service, the likelihood of a bear attack increases if a female bear perceives you as a danger to her cubs. Park visitors are advised demonstrate extra caution when spotting a female with cubs and never attempt to approach them.
