TREMPEALEAU COUNTY, Wis. — Dalton Roach, a deer hunter in Trempealeau County in western Wisconsin, unexpectedly came face-to-face with a bear.
The 25-year-old was in his stand in the woods watching for deer, when he spotted a large black bear walking directly towards the tree he was in, according to KARE11. The bear, which Roach estimates was between 250-300 pounds, started climbing up the tree and got into the deer stand, all within a matter of seconds.
The bear bit Roach in the back, inflicting puncture wounds. Fortunately, Roach kept himself from panicking and managed to get out of the bear’s reach.
“I kind of pulled myself out and then stood around and turned in one motion to then face the bear… and then just started yelling and hollering to say, I get it you're here, but I need you to leave," Roach said.
Still, the bear would linger around the deer stand for at least half an hour longer, before eventually wandering off. Roach had already contacted a friend on the phone and managed to walk back to his truck and drive to the hospital. While Roach needed a visit to the emergency room, doctors expect that he won’t even have a scar from the incident. Roach himself joked that the shot of rabies vaccine he was given at the ER hurt more than the bear bite.
Roach commented that the whole incident was obviously not an everyday occurrence.
“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... so along with it being a cool story, it can be an educational tool too,” he said told KARE11.
