Man mauled by bear Denali highway. Well Alaskans NOW it is officially spring.

Courtesy of ADN: 

A man was flown to a hospital Friday after being mauled by a bear near the Denali Highway, the Alaska State Troopers said Sunday. 

Troopers were not releasing details such as the man's name or the severity of his injuries as of Sunday afternoon, according to troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain. 

The man and at least one companion were in an area near Mile 68 of the Denali Highway on Friday when the attack happened. The circumstances of the mauling were not clear Sunday, but DeSpain said they may have been hunting. 

I have a rule about going into the woods in the spring.

I don't.

Spring time is when these monsters emerge from hibernation cranky and hungry, and if they are females possibly with cubs.

As a rule I tend to stay out of thickly wooded areas. And if I do hike I tend to go to well used trails in open areas where there is good visibility and other hikers, often with their dogs, nearby.

Now there are some folks who argue that they are safe because they never go into the woods without a fire arm.

I have a name for these people, "future bear scat."

Often those people are extra careless because they ignorantly believe that their rifles or handguns have magical properties that will protect them.

That is wrong, and in fact if you read about bear attacks in Alaska the recurring theme is that the people fired their weapons, sometimes multiple times, and it seemed to have no effect.

If you have any doubts as to the power and ferocity of these magnificent animals take a moment to watch what I think is the most realistic bear attack I have ever seen in a movie.