Mushroom forager shoots black bear after attack on dog in Alaska

A routine mushroom-foraging walk near Upper Skilak Lake Campground turned into a split-second bear-country decision when Lori Price fired on a black bear after it attacked her 3-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, Chaos. The encounter left Chaos with multiple wounds, a broken tail and, later, a broken vertebrae and dead muscle tissue, while Price and her other dog, Willis, ran back toward the road through tall Devil’s club and dense alder.

Price said she heard a roar near Skilak Lake on Sunday, June 7, then realized the bear had made contact with her dogs. Her first move was to get to Chaos. When she saw the bear actively attacking him, she drew a Glock 43 9mm pistol she was carrying and fired. She said the bear went down, got back up, and after a second shot rose again, forcing her to flee with her dogs as the bear moved away in the opposite direction.

The escape did not end neatly at the roadside. Price struggled to call 911 because cellphone reception was poor, then later flagged down a passing driver after reaching her vehicle. An off-duty Homer police officer who drove by gave Chaos first aid at the road while Price tried to get help through dispatch. She later received permission from emergency dispatchers, first responders and wildlife officers to drive the injured dog to Kenai Animal Hospital, about 30 miles from the west end of Skilak Lake Road.

Price, who lives in Eagle River and has spent two decades in Alaska, said she had never before had a violent bear encounter. Willis was not injured. Alaska State Troopers later searched for the bear but did not find it, dead or alive, according to spokesman Austin McDaniel.

The setting is familiar bear country for anyone who forages the Kenai Peninsula. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge holds black bears and brown bears, and federal and state guidance says avoiding surprise encounters matters, staying alert and making noise can help, and bear spray remains an important deterrent. The National Park Service also says black bears are far more common than brown bears in nearby Kenai Fjords National Park.

For mushroom hunters, the lesson is sharp: a dog can turn a quiet patch of alder and club into a high-risk encounter in seconds. Price’s run back to the road, her scramble for help, and the damaged dog she hauled to the vet show how fast an ordinary forage in Skilak Lake country can become a survival problem.