I forgot to add that my father only ended up needing 20 stitches in his left leg and 4 on his right arm. His clothes were ripped and other minor cuts and scrapes but all in all he came through the ordeal fairly unscathed. You can still see the scars to this day on his leg.

The bear was taken by the warden where it was weighed and measured. I can't remember the exact numbers but I know she was over 6ft and weighed in at close to 400lbs which is very big for a Wisconsin sow bear especially in the late spring/early summer.

Years later (mid 70's) he again had to kill a rogue bear that was comming into camp. This bear was very big and very old. He had scared it off on two other occasions with a shot gun but the bear kept returning. This time was different because it was during the camping season and the camp was full of kids. He phoned the warden (same one) to inform him of the situation.The warden told my dad that they would send someone out to dispatch the bear but if came into camp before they could get to it, it was ok to kill the bear.

Well the bear came back later that day at just about dusk, I remember like it was yesterday my father running out towards the bear with a shotgun in one hand and a Ruger .44mag flattop strapped to his hip. Our dog (German Shepherd) was going crazy trying to get at the bear. He (the dog) had treed the bear the day before only to have the bear come down the tree and attack the dog but the shepard was too fast for the bear and was able to tree him again. (the dog weighed in at about 135lbs....big shepherd) My oldest brother was holding back the dog at my father's request while we all stood back and watched what unfolded.

There's my father standing about 25yds away from this bear who is growling and poping his jaws at him, circling to his left the bear was posturing for an attack! My father raised the shotgun and fired over the bears head in an effort to scare him offlike he had in the days preceding........nothing, again he shot only this time right in front of the bear causing dirt and rocks to fly up into the bears face again nothing, the bears resolve was unshakeable.

The bear had decided to make this afternoon his last stand. He started toward my father, my dad,being a hunter himself and having served in the army as a front line infantryman for three years in Korea was no stranger to danger.Having faced much more difficult and life threatening moments in the war and from his first bear attack, he was as calm as could be. He dropped the shotgun and drew his pistol. This time though his weapon was very much up to the task at hand, and with one shot he dropped the bear where he stood.

I was in awe.......