Boy, 12, kills black bear that was mauling his father in western Wisconsin
SIREN, Wis. — A 12-year-old boy saved his father's life during a bear attack earlier this month in western Wisconsin, shooting and killing the bear.
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, 43-year-old Ryan Beierman, 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.
"Before I knew it, I was flat on my back," he recounted. "I started pistol-whipping him and it felt like I was striking a brick wall. I tried hitting him between the ear and mouth with a blunt edge of the pistol."
His son Owen then fatally shot the bear with his rifle.
"I'm punching and kicking and flailing around. That's when I saw a flash from the muzzle of Owen's rifle," said Ryan Beierman, who suffered bites to his forehead, arm and leg. "Owen was a hero. He shot that bear and killed it on top of me."
He also needed stitches to reattach a flap of skin on his cheek that was ripped during the attack. The wound on his cheek would require 23 stitches. There were seven puncture wounds and a cut on Beierman's right arm.
The attack lasted for an estimated 45 seconds.
The natural resource department 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 natural resource department 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.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has more information on what to do if you encounter a bear.