TOWNSHIP 5 RANGE 7 — A Maine hunter says he fired once and then got off a second shot before a 365-pound black bear charged him.

Hunting guide Ryan Shepard said he remembers the bear grabbing him by the leg, and then going down. He says that after that, it was all a blur.

Additional Photos

Before his release Tuesday from Millinocket Regional Hospital, Ryan Shepard recounts how he survived a bear attack. He walked out of the woods to meet paramedics because the dense woods made carrying him out difficult. The Associated Press

This 365-pound bear attacked Ryan Shepard while he was hunting Monday in Township 5 Range 7 near the base of Sugarloaf Mountain, not far from the village of Shin Pond. Shepard, a professional hunting guide, said he got off two shots with his rifle before the charging animal knocked him down. Shepard said the bear was moving as fast as 15 mph. AP Photo/Jennifer Shepard via The Bangor Daily News

Shepard was released from a hospital Tuesday.

He told the Bangor Daily New that he and three friends had used dogs to chase down the bear Monday in Township 5, Range 7. He said he shot the bear and it went down before getting up. He says he fired a second shot, but that didn’t stop it, either.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says it’s the first time in memory that a bear hunter was injured by a bear.

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