Prominent local business owner Doug Sayer is reminding hunters to always include an emergency kit in their packs after he recently broke his femur and was forced to wait about 12 hours in the Alaskan mud and rain for a Coast Guard rescue helicopter.

Sayer spoke to the Idaho State Journal by phone Monday about breaking his leg on Easter Sunday while hunting the world’s largest bear, a brown bear on Kodiak Island off the coast of Alaska with his wife, Shelly.

“I’ve ridden in a helicopter plenty of times before, but I’ve never ridden in one while strapped to a stretcher,” Sayer said about the experience.

Sayer and his wife left East Idaho for Kodiak, Alaska, on April 11 with plans to remain there for two weeks. The couple was joined by friend Ryan Smith of Pocatello, two guides and outfitter Lance Kronberger, who operates Freelance Outdoor Adventures based out of Eagle River, Alaska.

The hunting group spent the first few days hiking inland glassing for bears, covering about six to 10 miles every day. The group spotted over 20 bears on the first day but none were the large, mature boars they were looking for. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, hunters kill about 180 Kodiak bears each year under tightly controlled regulations.

Over 70 percent of the Kodiak bears killed by hunters are males and the tightly regulated hunts are designed to protect and conserve the population. Most brown bear cubs stay with their mothers for three years and over 25 percent die before they leave, with cannibalism by adult males being one of the major causes of death, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says.

Midway through the fifth day, the group found a brown bear big enough to harvest but couldn’t get close enough for a shot before dark so they headed back to base camp and made plans to head out early the next morning, Sayer said.

“We got up early and hiked around eight miles before we spotted him again perched above these cliffs that were about 800 feet above the ocean,” Sayer said. “We had to wait about nine hours before he got up and moved into a better position. I was able to get a really great first shot off before he disappeared over the ridgeline.”

Sayer was rushing to get ready to let off a second shot when disaster struck.

“I gathered up all my stuff and took off running to get a second shot when I tripped, fell off this ledge right next to the 800-foot drop and snapped my femur,” Sayer said. “I immediately knew something was wrong because I couldn’t stand up, so we tied belts around my leg and I slid to the bottom of the hill before the guides picked me up and carried me over to the bear.”

The bear ended up dying about 400 yards from the top of the ridge. The group quickly phoned the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance but was informed the approaching darkness and inclement weather would prevent a rescue that evening.

“We got a few pictures, took care of the bear and then sat in the mud and the rain for 12 hours until the helicopter arrived at first light,” Sayer said. “Shelly is so tough and handled it well. I got to ride in a helicopter back to Kodiak and she had to hike out.”

Sayer would spend three days getting stabilized at a hospital in Kodiak before he and his wife flew back into East Idaho. From there, Bingham Memorial orthopedic surgeon Gail Fields completed the corrective surgery, which included the addition of two titanium plates, to further support Sayer’s femur and expedite the healing process.

“I’ll be using a wheelchair or walker until I can get rehabbed,” Sayer said. “They expect the recovery process to take about six to eight weeks.”

Sayer said he is thankful to have packed an emergency kit and that he and his wife were well prepared to spend the night virtually unprotected in the Alaskan wilderness. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game recommends emergency kits include a dry change of clothes, fire starting equipment, a compass and high-energy non-perishable foods such as canned instant soup or energy bars.

Likely because of the injury, Sayer said this will likely be one of his most memorable hunting excursions. In spite of the bit of bad luck, he was glad to have landed the bear that he did, he said.

“It’s a great bear that scores ten feet, four inches,” Sayer said. “It could very well be the largest bear taken this spring on Kodiak Island. While we were glad to get a bear, I think it’s really important to say that if we couldn’t find an old boar that was worth taking, we would have been happy to come home empty handed. We’re just glad to be able to be a part of such an important conservation tool.”