WI:Hunter attacked by bear in Barron County

Barron County (WQOW) - Sometimes when you go hunting you come across animals you're not looking to hunt. A Barron County grouse hunter's encounter on Saturday put him and his dog in the hospital.

"It was a spot where he would have never seen this bear laying on the ground," said DNR Conservation Warden Phillip Dorn.

Phil Anderson was hunting rough grouse at the Loon Lake Wildlife Area when he heard branches cracking. He thought it was a deer but it turned out to be a black bear.

"I heard my dog squealing in distress and I kind of figured out what was happening," Anderson said.

"I yelled for the dog and immediately the adult bear came from that direction and charged at me and knocked me on my back," said Anderson "She batted me a few times and shook me and then she went back to my dog."

After regaining his feet, Anderson yelled at the bear hoping to scare it. The bear left the dog and charged Anderson again. This time Anderson was prepared and was able to shoot the bear point blank in the face with birdshot, a lightweight ammo that typically would not down a bear.

"Birdshot doesn't really penetrate that well from distances," said Dorn "but this was very close range. Probably within three feet."

Quite common for young blk bear to stalk people, especially if they haven't seen many humans. They usually come in real slow with front quarters hugging the ground and butt high in air; same way a cat sneaks in on a rabbit in cut hay field. Has happened to me twice in my life, and yet never have had a grizzly bear get that close to me. Truth is vast majority of all bear, run at the whiff of man.

We have several Spring bear stands that we bait. My kids have shot over 20 blk bear last 4-5 years, biggest 350 lbs with a 6.8 Stag Ar; 110 grain TTSX's, 28 grains H-322. They run 10-20 yards let out their death bawl. Indian friends down Ft. Yukon killed a sow polar bear a few years back with an old .556 Ar. My nephew killed a grizzly bear this fall with my 308 Scar, 165 A-frames. Rural Alaska, people have used cheap old military guns for many years, so the transition to the newer Ar platforms is quite acceptable to most.

I actually know some of the people on "Life below Zero" & "Yukon Men". You are seeing how they really live, but it's played up for Reality TV for sure. That one guy that has his Eskimo wife shoot everything. He can't be seen with a gun, cause he knocked the crap outta state cop a few years back and isn't allowed to touch a gun; the law is waiting for him to be seen shooting something; then they'll be after him again, regular vendetta, ha ha. Ya know, I dvr them shows and sit back and laugh at all the hocus pocus, but I watch them too.

“One doesn’t have the time to change ammo in a situation like this.”

You could use a double. Bird shot in one barrel, buckshot in the other.

Kind of a sparse pattern for the grouse on the second shot, but has good hitting power way out there...

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