Scary Bear Attacks: Admiralty Island Grizzly Bear Mauls A Man And Stalks Another

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:02]Thank you for watching Scary Bear Attacks. If you like this episode, please remember to hit the like button and leave a comment or two. Then subscribe and click on the bell to receive notifications of whenever we release new videos. Also, please remember to share them to your social media. The afternoon sun had burnt off a lot of the ground fog as the timber researchers were making their way back to the boat. The brush was thick and pressed in around the trail they followed. providing a curtain of green.

[00:00:32]As they approached the middle of the dense brush, a huge head poked above the brush about 20 feet away. The men let out a yell, hoping to scare away the massive brown bear, but brown bears aren't known to scare easily. Turning to run for his life, one of the men made it to a tree and climbed into the safety of its boughs. The other lifted his hunting rifle to his shoulder and fired, convinced his life was in danger. The thin berry canes and smaller limbs offered little resistance to the giant brewin as it tore a thunderous path toward the man. Welcome back to Scary Bear Attacks. Admiral T Island is located within the panhandle of Alaska.

[00:01:16]Known to the indigenous Tlingit people as Kutz Nu, which translates to fortress of the bears, the island is a rugged landscape of steep mountains reaching heights of 4,650 ft. The topography is defined by ice fields, tundra, and deep fjords that cut into a dense temperate rainforest.

[00:01:37]Today, much of the area is preserved as the Admiral Island National Monument and the Kutsnu Wilderness. The climate is typical of a maritime rainforest, receiving nearly 200 in of rain annually, which fuels a lush yet treacherous environment. The dominant trees in this region are the Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and mountain hemlock. Beneath the towering canopy, the undergrowth is a tangled mess of devil's club, ferns, and various shrubs.

[00:02:08]Three primary shrubs found here include the prickly devil's club, various species of willow and red ozure dogwood.

[00:02:16]The island is also rich in forage featuring berry bushes such as salmon berries, blueberries, and cranberries, which draw bears to the salmonrich streams.

[00:02:27]Beyond the bears, Admiral T Island is home to the world's largest concentration of nesting bald eagles.

[00:02:35]Other common animals include Sitka blacktailed deer, harbor seals, and all five species of Pacific salmon. In the days leading up to the attack, the signs of a high-risk area were likely all around the timber cruisers.

[00:02:50]On Admiral T Island, environmental red flags are often abundant.

[00:02:55]Fresh tracks in the mud, sometimes exceeding 12 in in length, would have indicated the presence of a large predator. Scat containing fish scales or berry remains often marks hightra corridors.

[00:03:10]Sometimes the overabundance of bear sign must be ignored as in places like Admiral T Island bear sign is almost everywhere. Territorial markings such as deep claw ashes on the bark of Sitka spruce trees or patches of fur caught in the sap serve as clear warnings of a resident bear. Furthermore, flattened grass near stream banks known as dayb beds suggests a bear is resting nearby while guarding a food source. On October 26th, 1929, Jack theer and Fred Herring were performing their duties with the Forestry Service, cruising the rivers and examining the timber health near the Eliza Harbor area. Their tasks involved walking miles through dense wilderness to survey forest density and quality.

[00:04:00]They had stopped and hiked up to a stand and after examining it were on their way back to their boat by early afternoon.

[00:04:08]The men were way too early in history to carry any bear deterrence like an air horn or bear spray, but were armed with a 306 high-powered hunting rifle and were issued steeljacketed government ammunition.

[00:04:21]No dog accompanied them on their work pursuits.

[00:04:25]As they made their way through a thick stand of brush, straddling the trail, an ominous snap in the bushes spun their head to their left and behind them. They watched in horror as the head of a huge brown bear suddenly appeared above the brush, staring them down from around a height of 10 ft tall and only 20 ft away. The bear erased any courage Herring had maintained.

[00:04:49]He screamed and ran past Jack, headed for a tree to climb. Jack held his ground and lifted his 30 six to his shoulder and ripped off a quick shot in the bear's direction. Taking the rifle shot as a threat, the massive bear scattered berry canes and sent limbs flying as it covered the distance, separating Jack and itself in a few bounds. He scarcely had time to chamber a second round before the bear took him down.

[00:05:19]Watching from the safety of a tree, Fred looked on as Jack battled the bear, or more aptly, the bear battered Jack. The bear inflicted 59 wounds to the front of Jack's body and 42 to his back. The most severe injury was a flap of skin that was torn loose from the top of his head and had ripped his skin to shreds all the way to his shoulder. Although the attack went on for several minutes, no major arteries were severed. The bear soon tired of biting and slashing Jack and disappeared into the forest. After waiting to confirm the bear's absence, Fred slipped from the tree and ran the 2 and 1/2 miles to the boat for help.

[00:05:59]Captain Colin and Fred bravely gathered medical supplies and made the journey back to Jack's location in hopes of saving his life. After arriving at the attack scene, Fred built a fire as the captain applied bandages and tried to make Jack comfortable. He was in extreme shock and his life hung precariously depending on his will to live. The quality of care his co-workers administered and fate. At 10:00 that evening, Jack's life slipped away as his now broken pocket watch marked the exact moment of his attack. 2:05 p.m. One year later, in 1930, an experienced woodsman named Hosea Sarbor returned to Eliza Harbor to find the animal responsible.

[00:06:44]While moving along a stream bank, Sarber was charged by an enraged bear. He managed to climb a windfall and killed the bear with a single well-placed shot.

[00:06:55]Upon inspection, the bear had a long scar near its shoulder, believed to be the mark from the bullet. The bear was an older male, characterized by its extreme aggression and lack of fear toward humans.

[00:07:09]No animal carcass was found nearby, but the bear appeared to be stalking Sarbor, much as it had likely stalked the mention of cubs during the 1929 or 1930 encounters, suggesting the bear was a lone predatory male. Speaking of cubs, our cub tier membership on Patreon linked below will give you adfree early access to our episodes, photos, and notes. And the $3 per month goes a long way in helping me continue to produce educational and entertaining content like this. Admiral T Island currently supports an estimated 1,600 brown bears.

[00:07:47]The island covers an area of approximately 956,155 acres or roughly 1,648 square miles.

[00:07:59]This results in a density of approximately one bear per square mile, the highest concentration in the world.

[00:08:06]Historically, while bear encounters are frequent, fatal attacks on the island remain rare, with theer's death being one of the only recorded fatalities in the region's written history. A tactical debrief of the encounter reveals several critical moments. Ther's decision to fire a rifle at a bear only 20 ft away is discouraged by modern protocols, as a non-lethal shot often triggers a rage charge. At such a close distance, the enraged bear would likely cover the distance and severely maul anyone, deafening their life well before it bled out. The only hope would have been to strike the bear in the brain or spine or break down a major limb structure by shooting it in the shoulder bones, which is not always as easy as it sounds.

[00:08:55]Today, survival experts emphasize that bear spray is often more effective at stopping a charge at close range than a firearm.

[00:09:04]However, the 1929 Forest Service did not have these modern tools. Following this incident, the Forest Service mandated that all employees travel in pairs and carry high-powered rifles, a policy that significantly changed how foresters operated in Alaska. The death of Jack They left a lasting impact on the United States Forest Service, prompting the first major studies of brown bear behavior at Pack Creek on Admiral Island. This research eventually led to the establishment of the Pack Creek Bear Observatory, which remains a premier site for bear conservation today. While there is no physical monument at the site of the attack in Eliza Harbor, the safety regulations and conservation efforts borne from this tragedy serve as theer's enduring legacy in the Alaskan wilderness. After reviewing the facts surrounding this attack, I am left with a few questions for you. Given that the twig snap was heard behind the workers before the charge, do you believe the bear was stalking them? Given the proximity of 20 ft, would modern bear spray have been more effective than Theer's rifle? Do you think the bear killed by Sar was the same bear that killed Jack theer? I will gladly read and reply to your thoughts. So, post them in the comments section below and let's talk about it. Thank you for watching Scary Bear Attacks. If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider clicking on the like button and clicking on the bell icon will help you know when we post our new episodes. Posting our video links to your social media profiles furthers awareness and it's fun. We slashed our prices in our merch store linked below. So check out the bargains there while you shop. As a member of our human community, remember to adventure bravely and be careful out there, especially in bear country.