Black Bear Bites Wisconsin Bowhunter
Dalton Roach had a close encounter with a black bear that nearly cost him his life. Roach, a minor-league pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, was deer hunting on his family’s farm in Eau Claire, Wis., when the bear approached. He started recording the bear with his cellphone before it climbed up the tree.
“He was just moseying around, not on a mission,” Roach told the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. “But when he got about 20 yards away, he took a left turn and came right under my tree.”
Roach didn’t notice the bear climbing the tree until he heard scratching below his treestand, which was 20 feet off the ground. Suddenly, the bear had its paw in his lap and began biting him. Roach tried to disengage from the bear by spinning around with his elbows out wide. He estimated the bear’s weight to be around 250 pounds or more.
“Just when I thought it might be the end, I decided to do something to get out of the situation,” Roach said.
To scare the bear away, Roach yelled and made himself as big as possible. He knew that black bears are usually skittish around humans and not aggressive.
“Luckily, he leaned back, seemed to say, ‘What the heck,’ and eventually left the tree,” Roach said.
Once the bear climbed down, it circled the base of the tree. Roach grabbed his bow as his only form of defense, since he didn’t have bear spray or a sidearm. He also called a friend to bring his truck as close as possible. The bear started to retreat into the timber, but then turned around and looked back at Roach.
“He didn’t seem like he was coming back, but I was still uncomfortable because he had just been up in the tree biting me,” Roach said.
After the bear disappeared from sight, Roach climbed down and headed to his truck, which was parked a few hundred yards away. It was 5:30 p.m., and he didn’t want to hike in the dark after such a terrifying encounter.
Roach went home with a few puncture marks in the middle of his back from the bite. Aside from some tenderness, he is fine.
“I’m fortunate it wasn’t a severe bite and that I can still talk about it today,” Roach said.
Wisconsin is home to approximately 24,000 black bears. The state has four bear seasons that take place from Sept. 8 to Oct. 12. Some hunting zones allow dogs to be used, while others only permit baiting. The deadline for bear permit applications is Dec. 10.
A skilled hunter, dedicated conservationist, and advocate for ethical practices. Respected in the hunting community, he balances human activity with environmental preservation.