A man survived an attack from a group of bears on a remote Alaskan island after his hunting partner fatally shot two of the wild animals.

The incident occurred Tuesday while Michael Snowden, 68, and Jeff Ostrin, 38, were on a deer hunting trip on Sally Island, 35 miles west of Kodiak, reports NBC News. They were carrying a deer that they had shot and killed when they decided to stop and take a break for lunch. However, as they were eating, they heard rustling in the bushes.

"They pulled out sandwiches, took a couple of bites and heard rustling in the brush," said Nathan Svoboda, an area wildlife biologist with Fish and Game, according to Alaska Dispatch News. "They chambered a bullet and almost immediately a sow charged out of the brush and attacked."

After the female brown bear charged at Snowden and bit his leg, his companion shot and killed it. One of the mother bear's two cubs was also fatally shot by Ostrin when it lunged out of the brush, Svoboda said.

Snowden, who was mauled and suffered severe injuries to his leg, was airlifted by Coast Guard rescuers to the Kodiak Island Airport, where he received emergency medical treatment.

Svoboda called the bear attack "a very rare occasion," and praised Ostrin's response.

"(Ostrin) was truly a hero. He did everything he needed to do," Svoboda said. "He was able to dispatch the bears. He was able to contact the skipper and get rescue on the way, and then he did a fantastic job of treating the wounds and making sure the scene was safe."

The Coast Guard released a statement, reporting that five bears were involved in the attack, two more than the report from the Fish and Game department. 

"The fact that there were five bears was an abnormality and this serves as a reminder that anything can happen and we need to be aware of our surroundings," Lt. j.g. Joseph Schlosser, of the Coast Guard's 17th District, said in a statement.