Man punches bear (but he's not sure where)

The couple were alarmed to see a bear's paw, or possibly a head, poking its way into their tent

Jason Lauesen and Liz Pawelko were awoken by the grizzly tent invader at around 6am in the morning while on a trip earlier this month. (GETTY IMAGES)

An Alaskan man has claimed he punched a grizzly bear after the animal entered the tent he and his girlfriend were in and shredded the inflatable mattress they were sleeping on.

Jason Lauesen and Liz Pawelko were awoken by the grizzly tent invader at around 6am in the morning while on a trip earlier this month.

The couple were alarmed to see a bear's paw, or possibly a head, poking its way into Mr Lauesen's side of their tent.

Mr Lauesen, who told his terrifying story to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, lashed out at the creature punching it instinctively.

Lauesen was not wearing his glasses at the time and is not sure what part of the bear he made contact with.

"I was sort of half asleep, and at first, I thought, 'Jeez, this is really tossing and turning.'

"Then I realised what was going on so I sat up. My first reaction was to punch, so I did," he told the local newspaper.

The couple, who were returning from a trip to McCarthy in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, said the incident lasted less than a minute.

They also described the bear as 'small' but definitely a grizzly.

Following the incident the couple found a jacket - that Mr Lauesen had been using as a pillow - was covered in bear saliva and reeked of fish.

The fishy jacket led them to conclude that the bear had stuck his head into the tent.