It’s debatable whether good luck or bad explains Chris and Tyler Johnson’s run-in with a brown bear Saturday near the Resurrection Pass Trail. Either way, the father and son hunting team did everything they could to ensure their luck won out.
The pair hiked into the popular Hope-to-Cooper Landing recreation corridor Thursday for a five-day hunting trip. By Saturday, they hadn’t seen any of the black bears they were hunting but were enjoying the trip nonetheless.
“I even said it, ‘It’s like, wow, this is a beautiful day today.’ If you don’t mind, you know, getting mauled by a bear and shooting yourself,” said 32-year-old Tyler Johnson.
Tyler grew up in Sterling and graduated from Soldotna High School. He and his wife and son recently moved from Soldotna to Austin, Texas. He flew back for the hunting trip with his dad. Chris Johnson is an Alaska Wildlife Trooper, based in Soldotna.
They were working their way through dense brush in the Abernathy Creek drainage Saturday afternoon, west of the Devil’s Pass public use cabin. Around 2:40 p.m., they broke out into a clearing with knee-high grass. Chris was in the lead. Tyler had barely cleared the brush when they heard a roar. Tyler thinks they spooked a brown bear that was napping in the grass and didn’t hear them coming.
“It’s the kind of risk you take when you’re going hunting. We didn’t expect it. You would think brown bears are eating those delicious salmon down at the river right now that are spawning out. But this one was hanging out up in the mountains. Unfortunately, I didn’t see one black bear but the one brown bear I did see got a little too close for comfort,” Tyler said.
The bear charged Chris, who yelled a warning to Tyler. The bear veered off and headed for Tyler. He grabbed for his 10mm pistol but wasn’t quick enough. The bear clawed Tyler’s left shoulder and right thigh and bit his lower right calf. He says he was able to get his pistol free as he was falling backwards but his legs were up in the air as he started shooting. The first round hit right his leg, entering his quadricep and exiting just shy of his kneecap. He fired seven more rounds at the bear.
His dad, meanwhile, unholstered his .40-caliber Glock pistol, circled to get an angle that didn’t endanger Tyler and also started shooting. Bullets finally won over bear adrenaline. The bear slumped and Tyler scooted away.
“When I looked at my left quad I noticed, I was like, ‘Oh, I shot myself.’ Because, you know, in the moment, when you’re getting bowled over by a brown bear, I don’t think there’s a lot to do except for start firing and try to save your own life, right?” Tyler said.
They took stock of Tyler’s injuries and administered first aid, applying QuikClot to his wounds and a tourniquet to his right leg. Tyler says they always carry a full medical kit.
“Don’t just go for that Walmart red zip-up bag that gives you Band-Aids and moleskin. You never know you might break your leg and need to tourniquet your leg. You don’t know when you might need QuikClot. It’s an extra 3 pounds. Don’t be lazy, bring it with you. It can save someone’s life. And it, well, saved mine,” Tyler said.
Chris Johnson had an InReach satellite communicator. He sent for help and tried to keep Tyler comfortable.
“Tourniquets are not comfortable, whatsoever. Painful. But, you know, you’re not going to die from pain, you’ll die from blood loss,” Tyler said.
Tyler was airlifted to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage by a trooper helicopter. Chris was picked up by the Alaska Air National Guard. Tyler was treated and released from the hospital Saturday night.
He says he’s got a good prognosis, as long as he can stave off infection. He’s hoping to fly to Texas to be with his wife and son by the end of the week. Tyler says he can’t imagine having to watch a bear attack his son, like his dad had to see. He hopes, if his son is ever in trouble, he’s as prepared to help.
“He did what he was trained to do and what he trained other people to do. If wasn’t for my dad, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Tyler said.
Despite his rough farewell trip, Tyler says he’s not done with Alaska.
“My dad and I have some pretty interesting hunting stories but it never really stops us from going back out and enjoying the wilderness with each other,” Tyler said. “Alaska has a lot to offer and, you know, you only have one life.”
This story originally appeared on KDLL and is republished here with permission.