Survivor: Mauled by Bear, Floats Down-River

A moose hunter off of the Denali Highway survived a severe bear mauling Monday after hiking to his camp, floating downriver to a lodge, and getting an airlift via helicopter to an Anchorage hospital.

Donald "Skip" Sanford, 65, was hunting upriver from the Maclaren River Lodge when the bear attacked, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Sanford told rescuers he first saw the grizzly about 75 yards away from him, said Joe Snyder, one of the many people at the lodge who helped treat Sanford. Sanford was hunting with his son and two others, Snyder said.

Sanford -- a "tough as nails" retired Marine and a Vietnam veteran, Snyder said -- had just enough time to fire one shot from his .30-06 rifle before the bear grabbed him. It bit his head, tearing an ear and leaving deep wounds with its canine teeth at the base of Sanford's skull, Snyder said. The bear's claws dug into Sanford's back, near his kidneys, Snyder said.

"This wasn't a little bite," Snyder said. "This was the real deal."

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