An overdue hunter from Sitka was found dead on Wednesday, likely from a bear mauling, Alaska State Troopers said.
Troopers were notified on Tuesday evening that 50-year-old Sitka resident Tad Fujioka was overdue from a deer hunting trip, they said in an online statement. Wildlife troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard and search and rescue personnel from Sitka began searching for Fujioka on Wednesday in a “remote wooded area,” troopers said.
Searchers found his remains shortly before noon Wednesday, and troopers said that an investigation showed “he was the likely victim of a fatal bear mauling.”
Fujioka’s body was recovered by search and rescue teams, and his family has been notified, troopers said.