The hunter who was killed by a grizzly bear in an Alaska national park died in a surprise attack that left him unable to defend himself while field-dressing a moose, officials said.
Austin Pfeiffer, a 22-year-old from Ohio, was killed Sunday during a 10-day hunting trip at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve as he salvaged meat from a moose he and his hunting partner killed a day earlier, the National Park Service said Thursday.
An investigation found Pfeiffer died during the “surprise attack” and didn’t have a firearm or bear spray with him at the time, according to Thursday’s statement.
