A Sitka, Alaska, man was found dead Wednesday after apparently being attacked by a brown bear while out deer hunting, authorities said.

Tad Fujioka, a 50-year-old Sitka resident, was reportedly late from his deer hunting trip Tuesday, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in a statement. statement. Fujioka’s remains were found at 11:30 a.m. local time Wednesday by search teams and an investigation shows “he was likely the victim of a fatal mauling by a bear,” the agency said.

Tim DeSpain, public information officer for the department, said Fujioka killed a deer before being attacked by the brown bear.

“The area is isolated and there are a lot of bears,” DeSpain told NPR.

Troopers and members of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game searched for the bears “until daylight constraints affected the search, and did not locate the bears,” said FromSpain. “The bears ate the deer and left the immediate area which is remote and difficult to spot. access.”

Fujioka’s family members have been informed, the public security department said.

Sitka is located in southeast Alaska and is a community on Baranof Island. The community is nearly 100 miles south of Juneau, the state capital.

There are an estimated 30,000 brown bears in Alaska, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. They normally live along the southern coast of Alaska and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds.

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