Boy kills black bear that attacked his father in western Wisconsin, DNR says

By Stephen Swanson

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    SIREN, Wisconsin (WCCO) — A boy saved his father’s life during a bear attack earlier this month in western Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the attack happened east of Siren in southern Burnett County.

The son first shot the black bear, which then ran off into the woods. The family’s dog followed the bear’s blood trail, and the father and son soon “encountered the bear at close range,” according to the DNR.

The father used his handgun to shoot the bear, estimated to be about 200 pounds, before the animal lept on top of him, biting his abdomen, arm and leg.

The boy then fatally shot the bear with his rifle. The DNR says the boy had a bear hunting permit, and it’s working to determine the animal’s exact age via two of its teeth.

The DNR says Wisconsin is home to more than 24,000 black bears, with most residing in the far northern third of the state.

The department told Wisconsin Public Radio that bear attacks are very rare, with just nine reported in the state between 2013 and 2022. In June 2022, a Taylor County couple survived an attack after a bear charged through their window.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there have been only eight unprovoked bear attacks reported in the state since 1987, with all victims surviving.

In 2019, a Minnesota woman was killed by a black bear outside her family’s cabin on Rainy Lake across the border in Ontario, Canada.

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