Gavin Haakenson, an Alaskan moose hunter, narrowly escaped a violent encounter with a charging brown bear while out scouting near the Killey River on September 2. The attack left him with only minor injuries despite being knocked down by the bear, which tore his jacket and damaged his rifle before fleeing after shots were fired by his companion Ethan Yeager. Haakenson, who lost consciousness during part of the attack, expressed relief at not remembering the worst moments but acknowledged lingering fear about potential future encounters with the same bear.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 2, a moose hunter named Gavin Haakenson was scouting near the Killey River in Alaska when he was suddenly attacked by a brown bear. The bear charged at him from just 10 feet away, knocking Haakenson down and leaving him with a bruised shoulder and shredded jacket. During the attack, his friend Ethan Yeager fired shots to scare off the bear, which eventually ran away. Haakenson lost consciousness during part of the encounter but managed to escape with only minor injuries. Both men then quickly left the area, still yelling “hey bear” to avoid further confrontation. The incident highlights the unpredictable dangers of wildlife encounters in remote areas.
Written for “Moose Hunter Survives Bear Attack” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 9305 · logged 2026-09-14
A moose hunter in Alaska somehow walked away from a brown bear attack with little more than a shredded jacket, a bruised shoulder and one hell of a story.
asserted
hunter → walk → story
Gavin Haakenson was scouting for moose with his friend Ethan Yeager near Alaska’s Killey River on Sept. 2 when a brown bear came charging at him from roughly 10 feet away.
asserted
bear → scout → him
"I heard a noise to my right and looked over and there was a brown bear charging me at full speed," Haakenson told Outdoor Life.
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Haakenson → hear → Life
"It was super close, maybe 10 feet, when I saw it.
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I → see → it
It was growling extremely loud, a terrifying noise.
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It → growl → ?
I saw its face.
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I → see → face
It hit me in the shoulder and knocked me down.
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It → hit → me
And then Haakenson’s memory cuts out.
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memory → cut → ?
"Last thing I remember was trying to shoulder my rifle and the bear jumping at me
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bear → remember → me
," he said.
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he → say → ?
"Then I don’t remember what happened.
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what → remember → ?
That’s when my black out started."
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out → ’ → ?
Yeager fired his pistol as Haakenson was trapped underneath the bear.
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Haakenson → fire → bear
The animal eventually got off him and ran away as Yeager continued firing.
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Yeager → get → him
"The whole thing happened in under 10 seconds," Haakenson said.
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Haakenson → happen → seconds
"Then we hiked back to the truck as fast as we could yelling, ‘hey bear’ with some fear in our voices."
uncertain
we → hike → voices
Somehow, Haakenson escaped without broken bones or major wounds.
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Haakenson → escape → bones
The bear tore through his coat and left him bruised and sore, while his rifle also took some damage.
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rifle → tear → damage
Considering what could have happened, though, he’s almost grateful he doesn’t remember the worst part.
uncertain
he → consider → part
"I get restless just thinking about it," Haakenson said.
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Haakenson → get → it
"I’m glad I blacked out and don’t remember the bear being on top of me.
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bear → ’m → me
The thought of ‘what if’ is what keeps me up."
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what → keep → me
Wildlife officers later searched the area but did not find the bear.
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officers → search → bear
Haakenson, meanwhile, hasn’t completely ruled out going back.
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Haakenson → rule → ?
"I’d like to go out and find this brown bear and shoot it, but how much do I want to make my mother worry?" he said.
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he → like → it
"And, how angry will this brown bear be when it sees me?"
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it → see → me
After round one, I’m not sure I’d be particularly interested in finding out.
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I → ’m → round
