Alaska Rabbit Hunter Shoots Attacking Brown Bear Sow with .44 Handgun
The small game hunter first spotted the bear 15 feet away — before it immediately attacked. He escaped with non-life-threatening injuries
A small game hunter recently survived a scary incident in the field. Nicholas Abraham was hunting rabbits near the town of Sterling, Alaska on June 10, when a mature brown bear attacked him.
According to an Alaska State Troopers report, the incident occurred north of the Sterling Highway at mile marker 73.5 at 8:24 p.m. The culprit was a brown bear sow with cubs. “Abraham became aware of the sow when he was about 15 feet from her,” Alaska State Troopers official Justin Freeman told Alaska Daily News. “She was on him immediately after he became aware of her.”
Abraham then reportedly shot and killed the bear with a .44 Magnum handgun. Abraham suffered “non-life-threatening” injuries and drove himself to a nearby hospital. Alaska Wildlife Troopers later responded to the scene of the attack but did not find the bear cubs.
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Brown bears are a distinct variety of grizzly bears found along the southern coast of the Last Frontier State, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They can grow up to 1,500 pounds and are “opportunistic feeders,” and eat everything from berries and grasses to salmon and moose. Brown bear attacks on people are uncommon, though sows with cubs are known to be particularly aggressive when they feel threatened.
