Tooth & Claw: True Stories of Animal Attacks
Tooth & Claw: True Stories of Animal Attacks

Glenn Bohn and the Brown Bear: A Grizzly Face Off in Alaska

July 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In April 2016, a 77-year-old retired schoolteacher named Glenn Bohn went on a spring brown bear hunt with his son Brett about 60 miles east of Denali National Park in Alaska. The two experienced outdoorsmen were riding snow machines, looking for a bear den that had been opened—a sign that a bear had emerged but hadn't yet left the den site. When they found one, Brett was eager to investigate, but Glenn hesitated. Brett was leaving that evening, so they had no choice but to proceed. What happened next produced a photograph so gruesome that Wes, the podcast host, calls it the worst mauling photo he has ever seen—worse than the Timothy Treadwell autopsy photos—partly because the victim was still alive when it was taken.

The Den Approach and the Charge

Brown bears are notoriously defensive in their dens, far more so than black bears. Wes explains that while black bear biologists routinely enter dens with relatively low risk—the bears usually just want to flee—brown bears in dens are extremely grumpy and aggressive. He recounts a story from his mentor Tom Smith about a study in Scandinavia where researchers tried to sedate brown bears in their dens using a metal grate over the entrance; multiple people on that study were mauled. This context matters because Glenn and Brett were about to approach a brown bear den with rifles, not bear spray.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:37) **Episode Intro & Host Banter** - The hosts (Wes, Jeff, Mike) introduce themselves and their roles as bear biologists and storytellers.
  • 2 (06:40) **The Infamous Photo is Introduced** - Wes explains the photo's viral nature, gore, and the fact the victim was alive when it was taken.
  • 3 (12:48) **Disclaimer on Hunting & Story Setup** - Wes gives his nuanced opinion on hunting before introducing the victims, experienced Alaskan hunters Glenn and Brett Bohn.
  • 4 (20:54) **The Hunt Begins: Finding the Den** - On an April day in 2016, the Bohns locate a brown bear den, setting the stage for the confrontation.
  • 5 (25:49) **The Danger of Brown Bear Dens** - Wes explains why approaching a brown bear in its den is exceptionally dangerous compared to black bears.
  • 6 (29:42) **The Attack Begins** - The bear charges out of the den, and the hunters' initial plan immediately fails.
  • 7 (32:56) **The Bear Mauls Glenn** - The bear reaches Glenn and begins a brutal attack, while Brett races to intervene.

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Show Notes

Glenn Bohn's hunting trip resulted in one of the most gruesome pictures ever taken, but the truly stunning part of the story comes after the picture was taken. This is the story of what might just be the toughest many who ever lived.


Watch here: https://youtu.be/1qdKkSmkuPU

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Tooth & Claw: True Stories of Animal Attacks

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