In Wisconsin, a 12-year-old kid shot and killed a black bear that was mauling his father, according to wildlife officials.
While on a legitimate hunting expedition with his dad, 12-year-old Owen Beierman took aim at the bear that was pinning him down.
To Ryan Beierman, 43, “Owen was a hero,” the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “He shot that bear and killed it on top of me.”
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports that on September 6, the attack took place in Siren, Burnett County.
The 200lb (91kg) brunin was sighted by the two while they were black bear hunting close to the family’s lodge.
The animal fled into a thick woodland after Owen shot it and hurt it.
They pursued, and the animal charged at Mr. Beierman from a distance of roughly 6 feet (1.8 meters) as they reached a glade.
He claimed to have fired his pistol eight times at the bruin, missing. He was bitten by the bear in the leg, arm, and abdomen.
“I started pistol-whipping him and it felt like I was striking a brick wall,” he told the newspaper.
He related how the boy’s rifle’s light caught his attention.
Mr. Beierman stated, “I could feel the bullet passing through the bear while lying flat on my back.”
His arm and legs were punctured, and he needed stitches to reconnect a flap of flesh to his cheek.
Bear attacks are quite uncommon, according to officials.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports that nine of these instances occurred in the state between 2013 and 22.
