A hunter has described the horrific moment he heard the crunching of his own bones as he was attacked by a brown bear. Alaska.
Jadon Nicoara, 27, was attacked Thursday deep in the woods 100 miles outside of Deadhorse.
The father of two was hunting caribou with his cousin as they climbed the edge of a canyon and noticed the bushes above him began to rustle.
“I turned to my right and there was a bear, probably 15 to 20 feet up, running right at me,” he said. WBTV.
“He was growling, his mouth was open and he was just running at full speed.”
Nicoara was thrown backwards and began to roll downwards as the bear began to tear him apart.
“I just felt it biting my arm, and it was very surreal because everything happens so quickly,” he said.
‘Then it finally landed on top of me and bit my face. It bit again and again and I could hear all the bones in my nose crunching. I saw stars and thought, “Okay, this is kind of where it ends.” I thought I would be dead.’
Jadon Nicoara, 27, was attacked Thursday deep in the woods 100 miles outside of Deadhorse
Four days into their hunt, Nicoara noticed the bushes above him beginning to rustle. Then a bear attacked him and knocked him back
The bear then grabbed his hands and his foot while his cousin pulled out his gun and emptied a full magazine in the bear’s direction.
The grizzly then went to his cousin Daniel, who told the story Komo news how the attack got to him.
“So he accused me of it, and I emptied the rest of my magazine while he was charging,” he told the outlet.
“Then he knocked the gun out of my hand, or it fell out of my hand when he tackled me.”
Daniel said he remembers lying face down and putting his hands on his neck as he played dead.
The bear eventually ran away, leaving Nicoara and his cousin in ruins.
Daniel, who is a doctor, was able to control Nicoara’s bleeding before they moved to a location where a helicopter could reach them.
‘Then it finally landed on top of me and bit my face. It bit again and again and I could hear all the bones in my nose crunching,” Nicoara said
The bear then grabbed his hands and his foot while his cousin, Daniel, pulled out his gun and emptied a full magazine in the bear’s direction.
They contacted rescuers but were told they would have to wait about two hours.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know if I’m going to make it because I’m bleeding pretty good.’ We were praying and I was thinking about my girls. I thought, ‘I have to go home,'” Nicoara said.
“I remember looking around at one point and it was a beautiful day. I’m thinking, ‘How did this even happen? It’s so surreal.’
He was flown to Harborview Hospital for medical care and will require surgery, according to a fundraiser. Daniel, for his part, was treated for minor injuries.
A GoFundMe for Nicoara’s medical expenses has raised nearly $40,000 at the time of this report.
Neither Nicoara nor Daniel could confirm whether the bear had been injured, according to Komo.
Daniel, who is a doctor, was able to control Nicoara’s bleeding before they moved to a location where a helicopter could reach them. They were flown to a hospital where Nicoara is recovering
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said a plane searched the area for the bear but was unable to find it.
Alaska is responsible for about 29 percent of all fatal bear attacks in the US KTUU.
