Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Funny River man mauled, wounds critical...

Story here...more elsewhere

Radio said he had died,
other sources had him struggling for life at 0800. Hope he makes it...

Hoping he pulls through too.

Mark, do you know him? The name sounds familiar to me, but then it's a small town.

Update:

A Sunday bear attack that sent a Kenai Peninsula man to a Seattle hospital is under investigation by state and federal authorities, with a final decision pending on whether to find and kill the bear.

Danny High, 62, of Funny River was in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center after an attack near Mile 11 of Funny River Road that initially sent him to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said troopers hadn’t yet released further information about the attack on High, who was medevacked by a LifeMed air ambulance after troopers responded to initial reports of the mauling at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

“(H)e was alone at the time of the attack,” Peters wrote in an email Monday.

High called 911 himself shortly after the attack, which occurred as he was walking his dog in the area.

"He called 911 to report that he'd been injured in a bear mauling," Central Emergency Services Capt. Terry Bookey told the Associated Press.

http://www.adn.com/article/20150914/wildlife-officials-mull-hunt-bear-kenai-peninsula-mauling

Mike,

Nope, do not believe I know the gentleman.

It was funny, sad,and typical to read the comments from the "peanut gallery' at the bottom of the article.

This little snippet (from the ADFG spokesman)had me wondering a little: "According to Harms, the area in which High was attacked wasn’t known for bear activity or maulings." She should get out in the field more often, thinks I...

By the way-ask me about moose burger

Nice.

she does.... She was my kids den mother back when being a eagle scout was in ...she trains search and rescue dogs. And is the 1st to arrive when chit happens... Just sayin

Totally understand your retort. It also is obvious that I have never met this lady. It is great to hear neat things about someone in the Department! My comment was meant to show that a little more insight into a specific area in Alaska (large place that!) might make for more accurate reporting and thus (at least in my mind) a more accurate statement. I remain a little surprised at the statement though now believe it was information she was told rather than personal experience to the location.

I have added below a multi-year picture/graph showing the locations of radio collard sows on the Kenai. No boars or cubs, and not all of the sows. You can probably pull out of this mapping the area where said mauling took place...

best,

bhtr

I'd be interesting in knowing if it was the dog that PO'd the bear.

Having a dog draw a bear in has always been a concern. Perhaps I've been lucky but I've never been around dogs that didn't have either the courage or the sense not to. Bears generally want nothing to do with such 'pests'. I've seen dogs that 'sound off' assertively which tends to get most bears moving out. I've also seen dogs which become mute and 'point' bears to let their people know. I don't know about the leash hamsters, but it wouldn't surprise me if they would be a problem.

The fact that he was flown to Seattle tells that his injuries are very severe. It will be months, I'd guess, before the man gets back home.

We may eventually find out if the dog was leashed and other details.

The fact that he had the presence of mind to self-report might suggest that he will remember details. Harbor View is the same place that put Wes Perkins (Nome) back together some years ago. They may not be fast, but they seem to know their way around these kinds of things. Hope he regains his well-being.

Right across the river from my house....

I have nice bears this side! Them funny river residents (all species) are, well.... funny..

Seriously, there's obviously more to the story here... sow with cubs? dog? kill? maybe just a surprise encounter...

And then there was another...

Did not see where this had been posted here:

Was on the lake the day before and saw their campsite. That place is foul with bears this time of the year. Would not have ever been my choice for a moose hunt. Am guessing that he was hunting with kin.

Mauling here...

This was the 3rd since August.

Here is the Skilak victim:

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/bearattack-survivor-speaks/35568388

Okay, she mispoke. That is the bermuda triangle of bear maulings. The funny, killy, kenai and numerous smaller creeks all feed a large bear population that is seen by residents up and down the road. A guy was stalked and killed near there eating a sandwich a few years back. A local guy was mauled near there afer unloading his gun into a bear. Those bears hunt moose and become killing machines. Funny river, tustamena lake and bench, skilak are well known bear areas.