Man explains how he remarkably survived bear attack with no major injuries

A moose hunter in Alaska has recalled the moment he was attacked by a brown bear just before blacking out.

Gavin Haakenson was out hunting with his pal Ethan Yeager in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge earlier this month (2 September) when they were struck without warning.

About two miles along the trail, the pair went through a bush towards swampy ponds in anticipation of moose.

“I heard a noise to my right and looked over and there was a brown bear charging me at full speed,” Gavin told Outdoor Life.

“It was super close, maybe 10 feet, when I saw it,” he added. “It was growling extremely loud, a terrifying noise. I saw its face. Its teeth were out. It hit me in the shoulder and knocked me down.”

Ethan fired shots at the wild beast but couldn’t see where he was aiming because the bear was blocking his view.

Gavin Haakenson said he's 'glad' that he 'blacked out' during the attack (Instagram/@cindy_haakenson_real_estate)

“The whole thing happened in under 10 seconds,” Gavin explained as the brown bear ran away when it heard the shots.

“Then we hiked back to the truck as fast as we could yelling, ‘hey bear’ with some fear in our voices.”

Despite suffering a claw through his coat, the cut wasn’t deep enough for Gavin to require stitches.

Despite the attack, Gavin suffered minor injuries (Instagram/@cindy_haakenson_real_estate)

While the X-ray revealed no broken bones, Gavin will still require around six weeks of physical therapy on his shoulders due to the force of the attack.

“I get restless just thinking about it,” he added.

Gavin plans to continue hunting (Getty Stock Images)

“I’m glad I blacked out and don’t remember the bear being on top of me. The thought of ‘what if’ is what keeps me up.”

Federal wildlife officer Dustin Martin said attempts to locate the bear after the attack had failed.

“If you go back, be extra careful because that bear is going to be extra territorial,” Martin text Gavin after the incident.

Gavin, who has hunting tags for brown bear, black bear and moose, said: “I have a hard decision to make.

“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? And, how angry will this brown bear be when it sees me?”

Brown bears have a head-and-body length between 3 ft 3 in to 9 ft 2 in and generally weigh between 80 and 600 kg.

They can achieve running speeds of up to 30 and 35 miles per hour.