Deer hunter mauled to death by bear in Alaska, troopers say
An overdue hunter was found dead after he was mauled by a bear in Alaska, authorities said.
Tad Fujioka, 50, of Sitka, Alaska, was reported overdue from a deer hunting trip on Tuesday evening, the Alaska State Troopers said in a dispatch Wednesday. State wildlife troopers and the U.S. Coast Guard launched multiple search teams to look for Fujioka on Wednesday morning in a remote wooded area.
At about 11:30 am, Fujioka's remains were found and an "investigation revealed he was the likely victim of a fatal bear mauling," troopers said.
Brown bears had apparently mauled Fujioka and consumed a deer he had killed, the Associated Press reported. A Coast Guard helicopter spotted three bears near the dead deer and alerted search crews, troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain said in an email to The AP.
Officials said that Fujioka's body was recovered and his next of kin have been notified.
Alaska is home to black bears and polar bears but brown bears -- which include grizzlies -- are the most common in the state.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, brown bears and grizzly bears are both common names for the same species, Ursus arctos, but the main difference is their geographic location. Brown bears typically live along the southern coast of the state while grizzlies can be found in the northern and interior parts of the state.
Sitka is located on Baranof Island in southeastern Alaska, about 90 miles southwest of Juneau.
In August, authorities said a hunter was seriously injured in Alaska after being mauled by a brown bear and shot during an effort to fend it off.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
