12-year-old Wisconsin boy shoots bear that mauled his father

A 12-year-old boy shot and killed a black bear in the US state of Wisconsin as it mauled his father, say officials from the Department of Conservation.

Twelve-year-old Owen Beierman took aim at the bear as it held his father while they were on a legal hunting trip.

“Owen was a hero,” 43-year-old Ryan Beierman told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “He shot the bear and left it on top of me.”

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the attack occurred on September 6 in Siren, Burnett County.

The couple was hunting a black bear near the family cabin when they spotted the 200-pound (91 kg) bear.

Owen shot and injured the animal, whereupon it fled into the dense forest.

They gave chase and as they entered a clearing, the animal attacked Mr Beierman from a distance of approximately 6 feet (1.8 m).

He said he fired eight shots from his gun at the guy but missed.

The bear bit him in the stomach, arm and leg.

“I started hitting him with the gun and it felt like I was hitting a brick wall,” he said. told the newspaper.

He described seeing the muzzle flash from the boy's rifle.

“I was lying flat on my back and felt the bullet pierce the bear,” Mr. Beierman said.

A flap of skin on his cheek required stitches, and he had stab wounds on his arms and legs.

According to official reports, bear attacks are very rare.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, nine such incidents were reported in the state between 2013 and 2022.