Hunter fighting for life after bear he shot lands on him

Animal tumbled down slope after being shot by US army soldier in Alaska

A coastal brown bear walks along the banks of the Chilkoot River near Haines, Alaska (REUTERS)

A hunter is fighting for life after a bear he shot tumbled down a slope and landed on him.

Alaska state police said William McCormick, 28, was also struck by a rock dislodged by the bear as it fell on Saturday afternoon.

He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Anchorage, where he was in a critical condition.

Mr McCormick and his hunting partner, 19-year-old Zachary Tennyson, are both US army soldiers stationed at Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Mr Tennyson was not hurt and alerted authorities by sending a distress signal.

Police did not say what kind of bear was shot, how far how it fell, or whether it died.

Alaska is home to several species of bear, including an estimated 30,000 brown bears and 100,000 smaller black bears.

Nearly 1,500 brown bears are hunted each year in the state.