KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
A 48-year-old Fairbanks man hunting on Kodiak Island got a lot closer to a brown bear than he planned to on Saturday. Rodd Moretz was attacked by one bear after he had just shot a different bear and was approaching the spot where it fell. Fish and Game bear expert Larry Van Daele said it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"He walked past the mouth of a den, and an adult bear jumped out of the den and grabbed him by the head and they went rolling down an inclince," Van Daee said. "When they got to the bottom, the bear let go and ran away."
Moretz did not fire on the bear that attacked him and officials have no plans on tracking it down.
"No, there’s no reason whatsoever," Van Daele said. "And the victim definitely didn’t want us to go and do something like that."
Moretz and his son completed the task of skinning and salvaging the first bear, and flew back to Kodiak City on Sunday. Moretz went to the Fish and Game office to register the bears he and his son shot before going to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center for treatment of his wounds.
Alaska Wildlife Trooper Paul Sussey met with Moretz on Sunday and said he was fine except for two small bite marks on his head.
