Bear climbs tree to gnaw on hunter in deer stand
By Jennifer Hoff
Published: Oct. 28, 2021 at 11:56 AM EDT|Updated: 7 hours ago
TREMPEALEAU COUNTY, Wis. (KARE) - A curious black bear roamed below a hunter sitting in a deer stand. It only took seconds for it to climb the tree he was in and have a taste.
“It’s not totally uncommon for a bear to go into a tree with a hunter,” said Dalton Roach, adding he caught the whole encounter on camera. “But the fact he actually started gnawing on me and stuff, like that was a little abnormal.”
The nearly 300-pound black bear bit the 25-year-old hunter in the back.
With a paw in his lap and fresh puncture wounds, Roach realized he couldn’t panic.
“I kind of pulled myself out and then stood around and turned, kind of in one motion to then face the bear and then just started yelling and hollering,” Roach explained.
The bear lingered below the deer stand for another half hour before wandering off.
Roach said he laughed about what happened with a friend on the quarter-mile trek back to his truck.
“It’s one of those situations that obviously doesn’t happen every day,” Roach said.
He went to the emergency room for treatment and a rabies vaccine, which he says hurt worse than the bite itself.
Doctors doubt Roach will have a scar, but he certainly will have quite the story to tell.
“I think it makes it a little less believable because I think people are under the impression if a bear bites you, you’re missing something,” Roach said. “So, it’s, along with it being a cool story, it can be an educational tool too.”
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says bears are on the move, trying to find food before hibernating, but they’re pretty skittish too. They say to make a lot of noise and back away if you see one.
Bear attacks are rare. The Wisconsin DNR reports only four people have been hurt in the state since 2013 and no one has been killed.
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