Alaska woman survives brutal bear attack during hunting trip on Admiralty Island

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – An Alaska woman is counting blessings after surviving a horrific bear attack during a hunting trip in southeast Alaska last month.

In late September, 44-year-old Amanda Compton was deer hunting with her boyfriend Nicholas Orr on Admiralty Island, one of the most bear-rich areas in North America.

The routine drive took a frightening turn when they suddenly came face to face with a mother brown bear protecting her cub. Compton remembered the split second when the bear burst out of the undergrowth, catching her completely off guard.

She dropped to the ground and covered her head, but the bear’s jaws clung tightly to her skull. Miraculously, the attack only lasted a few seconds before the bear ran off, leaving Compton seriously injured but alive.

Despite a deep cut to his head and a stab wound to his hand, Compton managed to walk back to the boat with Orr. Back in Juneau, Orr drove her to the hospital where she was treated for her injuries.

According to Stephen Bethune, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, bear attacks like this are extremely rare. He explained that the bear was probably acting in defense of her cub and ran away as soon as she no longer felt threatened.

ADF&G concluded the attack was an isolated incident and left the bear alone.

“The bear felt threatened while protecting its cub, and the victim did exactly what we were talking about – he no longer presented himself as a threat. “When that threat passed, the brown bear escaped,” Bethune said.

Despite the life-threatening encounter, Compton says it won’t stop her from continuing to do what she loves.

Compton’s story is a reminder of the unpredictable threats that the Alaskan wilderness poses to even experienced hunters.

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