A Brown Bear mauling was reported on Chichagof Island near Neka Bay on early Saturday afternoon, the trooper dispatch reported.

The Hoonah Police Department was told that the mauling occurred at approximately 12:30 pm on Saturday as 36-year-old Anthony Lindoff of Juneau, and 30-year-old Josh Dybdahl of Hoonah were approaching a brushy area to begin calling for deer.

They told authorities that “As they approached a spot near some brush to prepare to call for deer they heard a “whoof”, and then a brown bear emerged from the brush charging at them.”

The attacking bear pinned Dybdahl to the ground and began butting him. Lindoff responded by grabbing his rifle from his pack and shooting the bear, killing it.

The investigation found that the attacking bear was the mother of two two-year-old cubs and likely attacked because it had become startled by the presence of the two hunters.

Following the attack, the two men contacted the United States Coast Guard, who quickly responded to the area via helicopter and transported the hunters to the Bartlett Regional Hospital in Sitka.

As the two hunters waited for the USCG, they found it necessary to continue firing shots into the air to keep the two cubs at bay.

Dybdahl suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident. His injuries included a bite to his thigh.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game was notified of the incident.

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