A bear attack is usually a rare event, but two Wisconsin hunters fell into the minority in early October near Superior.
According to the Pioneer Press, a man and woman hunted over bait intended for deer, which is legal in Wisconsin. The bait brought in a bear instead. The man tried chasing the bear away, but the animal "turned on him."
Despite injurying the bear with shot from an arrow and a knife, the bear survived long enough to inflict wounds on the man’s thigh and wrist. First responders transported him to a hospital in Duluth for treatment. Law enforcement later tracked and killed the bear.
Do you worry about bear attacks? Leave a comment and tell D&DH.
I hunt in east central MN just south of Mille Lacs lake. I have run into bear on a few occasions while in the woods or in and out from the stand. They either pay no mind or take off right away. I’m not worried about bear I’m more worried about running into a skunk or having a dang porcupine in my tree and realizing it after I already had strapped in and day light came…..that kinda ruined my day.
I have encountered several black bears in the woods while deer hunting and in every case they took off immediately. Maybe the food source made a difference, but down here in VA, the minute they smell you or see you, they’re gone.
Trying to chase a bear away from a food source is akin to a death wish. The man is fortunate that he survived the encounter. If you’re going to hunt or hike in bear country, you need to learn something about bear behavior.
I think I would have tried to scare him off. I’m not sure if that differs from "chase it off". That makes me think he was running at it yelling or something of that nature. I don’t believe I would have tried that. We don’t all have the luxury of hunting "another day", so I think I would have tried something. But we don’t have to worry about that in the Hoosier state. But if they keep limiting numbers of bears to harvest and stopping hunting of them all together it might not be long before they show up here. I know for certain they are moving into areas where I hunt turkey in Missouri. They weren’t there 20 plus years ago when I started hunting there.
Chasing a bear off a food source? Common sense says NO! So a skunk is there instead he would chase that off? No, but a bear yes. This guy should be given the Duffus of the Year Award!
I hope the man suffers no lasting effects, but what in the world was he thinking trying to chase the bear off? The animal had to be put down due to his poor decision. Wisconsin bow season lasts 4 months. There is no reason to anger the bear, just quietly wait him out, and come back to hunt deer on another day.
There’s another great topic for a blog post "what to do when faced with a bear"…I have to think, "trying to chase it off" is not high on the list.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Jack
Worry? No. Aware yes. My state (until recently) has had limited bear numbers. Since hunting has ceased there has been a great increase. They are moving farther south at a fairly rapid pace. I’m sure encounters are going to increase. Fortunately with a CWP a sidearm during archery is allowed.