KTUU-TV reports 54-year-old Bob Miller was attacked Sunday afternoon as he was walking to a helicopter picking up a Millrock Exploration survey crew. The lodge is 125 air miles northwest of Anchorage in the Alaska Range.
Lodge owner Steve Perrins helped provide first aid.
"He stayed conscious with us the whole time, was coherent, even had a sense of humor a couple times, which is pretty tough to do because he was in rough shape," Perrins said. "It was good, it was the perfect scenario for something like that to stabilize someone until we could get him in the medevac."
Tony Kavalok with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says Miller tried to defend himself.
"He was charged by the bear -- he had a .357 Magnum revolver, fired at the bear," Kavalok said.
It's unknown if the bear was hit. Perrins and others couldn't find it Monday.
"There had been a sow and yearling cub spotted by one of the crew members," said Kavalok.
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