Alaska State Troopers were notified of an overdue deer hunter in the Sitka area on Oct. 29. Alaska Wildlife Troopers, USCG, and Sitka SAR, conducted land-based searches on Wednesday, with three search teams combing in the remote wooded area that they reached with the help of a state trooper vessel and Sitka search-and-rescue vessel.
By 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the remains 50-year-old Tad Fujioka of Sitka were found near a deer carcass. Investigation revealed he was the likely victim of a fatal bear mauling.
Fujioka, who was a salmon troller, was chairman of the Board of Directors of Seafood Producers Cooperative and was active in advocacy for the troll fishery in Southeast Alaska. He was also a parent.
When will people learn You do NOT go in the woods alone in Alaska
That’s a personal choice and we all know the potential consequence. Some of us are not afraid to live in this wonderful place. Just stay in your safe room and be happy sport.
You don’t know me punk Ive been here 60 years My happy sport is taking people like you fishing
Frieswitdat, Hanna isn’t a punk and I’ve known him to be a resident of Alaska longer than your 60 years. Just sayin…
The betas on hear hide behind fake names. The alphas use their real names; fearless.
The betas on here hide behind fake names. The alphas use their real names; fearless.
Punk you say. That speaks volumes.
Haha I’ll bet you’ve been called a few things over the years Dave (like most of us have) but doubt punk is one of em! 😂😂
Yea, you gotta love it. They’re so brave behind their anonymous little keyboard. Funny how often it all changes eye to eye.😂
Why not go alone? When you get jumped by a Brownie, your buddy generally is of little or no help.
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I used to go hunting and trapping all the time alone. That’s the whole point. To get away.
I am sorry to learn of this bear-attack fatality. Apparently I have much to learn about the absolute primacy of safety, even at my old age, because I frequently go into the wilderness alone for hikes and hunts.
Terrible hazards are all around us, friend, and no more so than in cities and on the roadways. I can relate to anyone my several and severe experiences of having had two of Anchorage’s drunk drivers run into my vehicles – both were hit-and-runs, with injuries in my vehicles.
It might be riskier for some to venture alone into the wilderness, but the solo adventurer simply needs to start off well-prepared, to have a keen awareness of his surroundings, to possess the knowledge, tools and skills for wilderness survival (a firearm, certainly), and finally to exercise due caution. Remaining ‘safely’ at home because one cannot find a wilderness companion was not the practice of Daniel Boone and John Colter, nor is it mine.
Thanks for your commentary. Tad was one of the kindest, most competent, outdoors man Alaska has ever produced. He grew up fishing with my younger brother. They hunted and fished on the weekends when Tad lived in Juneau. Before he moved to Sitka and started a family.
It could have been any of us. I was once tracked by a brown bear after shooting a deer with my partner on Admiralty Island. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter if you are with another or alone, bears are just so quick. We were lucky to leave our kill, remove our backpack that was packed with meat, and climb back down the mountain.
To others that read this article, let’s be kind with our commentary. Tad has a daughter and family that are grieving. Heartbreaking loss for all that knew this compassionate man.
Bears aren’t necessarily bad or evil. They are always in a survival mode protecting their young or searching for food. The sound of a sole gunshot on Baranof, Admiralty or Kodiak island is tantamount to a dinner bell for a hungry bear. They have learned that the sound of a gunshot frequently means a down deer or gut pile. It is incumbent on the shooter to quickly vacate the kill or take other precautions. Through experience I’ve discovered bears are incredibly stealthy and astoundingly quick.
I am saddened to read of the demise of Tad. I met him when he was a boy while I was visiting with his Grandfather. His Grandfather was an amazing man, an Engineer who had survived WWII while serving with the 442nd Regimental Combat unit in Italy. ( prior to that he was interned by the U.S. Government in a camp because of his ancestry) . Tad as I recall was a very polite young man.
My sincere condolences to the Fujioka family.
My understanding from another news article is that the hunter had killed a deer. Any number of things could have happened, but my first guess would be that the bear surprised the hunter while he was taking care of the deer. I think it’s pretty safe to do lots of activities alone in the Alaska wilderness, perhaps deer hunting is an activity best done in teams. One person can work on the deer while the other stands guard. It’s a personal choice though.
.My young son was learning to commercial fish from Tad 2 years ago.
This is so sad.
My son said this man was competent, easy going & friendly.
I am praying for him & his wife & kids.
What a loss! Tad was a wonderful friend and very confident in the woods.
My condolences to Tads family and friends. Having hunted ,many times alone in those same areas,I know he knew the risks involved but the freedom of hunting and living in this beautiful wilderness equated if not negated those.In my mind he is ahero and because of this most horrible encounter, he will be remembered
By all of us for a long,long time. 😔
🙏
A few short decades ago, another hunter was killed and EATEN by a brn bear on the other side of that island. Three hunters in a skiff decided one would go ashore and hunt from one side of the bay while the other two would hunt the other. Shortly after the first hunter disappeared into the woods the other two heard screaming. They feared for their own lives should they go help their buddy and went to obtain help…
When it’s your time, it’s your time. Enjoy life until then and don’t be afraid of the inevitable. Live life.