Backcasts archive: Through Oct. 19, 2007
By Brett PaulyBlog calendar: Oct. 19 | Oct. 18 | Oct. 17 | Oct. 16 | Oct. 15
Testimonial for treestand safety strap offered after bear attack
Here's where this column really gets fun – when readers send me hard-hitting, head-scratching stories from their local newspapers.
And so it is we bring you the story of a Wisconsin bowhunter who survived a unique bear attack, as submitted by Nathan Vlcek, a regular reader of Backcasts. (See, I knew we had one.)
It was around sunset one week ago when deer hunter Kevin Schultz, 42, of Ladysmith, Wis., heard loud sounds near his treestand that he was certain were coming from a big buck, according to the Ladysmith News.
(Wait, it gets better, but at this point we feel compelled to share with you that we called the newspaper – a once-weekly with a circulation of about 5,700 – and the editorial department confirmed its report.)
Schultz must have just freaked – he claims doctors eventually would give him something to slow his elevated heart rate – when the noisemaking culprit was not a trophy whitetail but a bear … no, two bears, no three bears, no four. And the sow, estimated at 300 to 400 pounds, and her three small cubs weren't about to treat him like Goldilocks, let me tell you.
In short, according to Schultz's emailed account in the newspaper, one cub scampered up the tree – Schultz's tree – and he soon was in the fight of his life with the sow when it followed up after her cub.
We'll let Schultz's own words describe the scene, but after losing his bow and one hip boot while defending himself we're betting he'll soon be the new poster boy for safety straps.
Schultz, who was hunting not far from home, said he was able to walk to his truck after the attack and drive to his parent's place, where his mother whisked him to the ER. He was treated at Rusk County Memorial Hospital for arm, back, side and leg wounds, according to the newspaper, and told a warden he does not wish to have the sow tracked.
Much obliged for the tip, Nathan. Indeed, Vlcek is a self-proclaimed "whitetail fanatic" who enjoys targeting deer by rifle or bow. The instrumental music teacher at Wisconsin's Rice Lake Middle School – located less than 50 miles from the scene of the bear attack – knew right away the amazing story was a good fit for Backcasts.
"It's something that could happen to any one of us hunters out there," Vlcek said in a phone interview. "It kind of freaks you out; you try to scare the bears and one climbs up with you."
When asked about his closest call in a treestand, Vlcek said that a badger – figures in Wisconsin, huh? – "came up the tree a little bit … but I don't think they can climb too well."
Thankfully, Nathan, thankfully.
Commode culprit's booty recovered
In a follow to the dirty, rotten story of a stolen soapbox derby racer built like a giant toilet, the missing throne has been found, according to the Associated Press.
Created for and entered in a Seattle race last month, the 7-foot-high and 7-foot-long toilet – white with a blue velour seat and tank cover and a red flush handle, all fitted with wheels – was taken out of the back of a truck, which also was stolen, the AP reports.
And while the five friends from Colorado Springs, Colo., who crafted the massive commode may be stoked to learn of its recovery by a sheriff's deputy southeast of Seattle, they can't flush their worries away just yet. The truck, alas, is still missing.
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Halloween could be beary scary in northern Nevada
And you thought anti-hunters in Maryland were scary. (See below.)
Consider the preparations for Halloween in northern Nevada.
Officials in the state capital of Carson City and in Douglas County have asked trick-or-treaters to be wary of any bear costumes that look too convincing; these candy pursuers may be real bruins.
As related last month in Backcasts, drought and garbage have combined to make bear vs. human incidents in the West a big issue, where, according to a report out of Minden, Nev., in the Nevada Appeal, bear sightings here more than quadrupled over the summer.
"I usually decorate, but I'm not going to this year," said Marcy De Rose, who saw a bear at a Douglas County park last week. "I'm not going to encourage kids to come here, because the smell of candy will attract the bear."
Knowing kids, the lure of sweets may trump the threat of black bears, which is perhaps the most frightening thought.
Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Mezzetta even went so far as to offer safety tips for trick-or-treaters who brave the night and stumble onto a bear, as published in the Carson City newspaper:
If confronted by a bear, stay with others in a group, do not try to run away. You can't outrun a bear and it may provoke a pursuit. Slowly back away, heading for shelter. Talk calmly amongst yourselves so that the bear identifies you as human.
Oh, and horrors or horrors, kids are encouraged to consider ditching their goody bag during a getaway.
"But do not throw it at the bear, as it may be mistaken as an act of aggression," Mezzetta said. "Give the bear a wide berth as you seek shelter."
Maryland governor bears brunt of anti-hunters
The bear situation also is escalating in Maryland, where antis have hounded state officials in an effort to have the black bear hunting season canceled.
Enter our hero – Gov. Martin O'Malley.
O'Malley this week refused the request of the Humane Society of the United States to cancel the hunt and expects bear season to begin as scheduled Oct. 22, according to the Associated Press.
The Humane Society of the United States, which took out a full-page ad in the Baltimore Sun objecting to the hunt, has sunk its teeth into the issue since 2004, when Maryland reinstated bear hunting after a 51-year ban, the AP reports.
"This is a regulated hunt to help manage the population and mitigate human-bear conflicts," said O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese.
Bully for the governor.
This is O'Malley's first year in office and we expect more good things from him next October, when the collective growl of the antis will again be heard.
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Deer at school just the latest wild, New Jersey outdoor story
It never ceases to amaze us at Backcasts just how many wild wildlife stories originate in New Jersey. For those of you who mock the Garden State, the joke's on you.
Let's see, just to name a few, we remember the warning not to consume squirrels near a toxic waste dump and the bizarre catlike creature that haunts one rural area and coyotes running amok in another part of the state.
Now comes word that a 200-pound, four-point buck has gone to school.
The New York Times reports the deer crashed through a window yesterday at an Aberdeen, N.J., elementary school and slid around on its own blood for spell, before being shepherded by police officers and a custodian out a back door in the cafeteria.
No one was injured during the incident, and it's unclear exactly why a buck would jump through a window. However, a wildlife sciences professor quoted by the newspaper suggests the deer might have mistaken its reflection for a rival, especially now that breeding season is nearing.
After its escape from Lloyd Road Elementary School, the determined ruminant apparently butted its image in the window again before bounding into the woods.
Quote of the day goes to principal Patricia O'Keefe: "I think you have to be prepared for the unexpected. We are trained for all kinds of responses. We are not trained for a deer coming through a window."
Postcard from the South: Fishing's fine, wish rain was here
With about 26 percent of the Southeast covered by an "exceptional" drought – the National Weather Service's worst drought category, according to the Associated Press – silver linings are few and far between, especially considering Atlanta's water source for more than 3 million people could run dry in just 90 days.
That's the story at Lake Lanier outside the city of Buford in northern Georgia, which is joined by most of Tennessee and Alabama, as well as parts of North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia, in the region hardest hit by this epic drought.
The dire situation has officials in some towns considering mandatory rationing that would penalize homeowners and businesses if they don't reduce water usage.
Fishermen are among the only folks smiling in the sun.
Guides say angling at Lake Lanier – the reservoir that provides water for one in three Georgia residents – is as good as ever, if not better, the AP reports.
"Less water, less places to hide, I guess," said Chuck Biggers, a guide who has roamed the lake's waters for four years.
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Boaters take heed: Here's something you don't want to try at home
Nothing wrong with pops taking his four grandkids out for a spin and a bite to eat … in a boat … on a street … being pulled by a lawnmower, right?
Sounds good enough for Dr. Seuss, though no word, yet, on sightings of green eggs, Star-Belly Sneetches or Floob-Boober-Bab-Boober-Bubs.
The hubbub all happened Saturday afternoon in … no, not the kingdom of Didd or Solla Sollew or Whoville … but Beckley, W.Va., of all places.
It turns out the 61-year-old man in question, as unnamed by the Associated Press, was pulled over during his outing to Beckley's King Tut Drive-In from his home in the nearby community of Bowling Addition. (I know, I know, it's starting to sound like Dr. Seuss to you, too.) With him were the children, all around age 4.
Beckley's finest found gramps to be driving an unregistered, uninspected vehicle on city streets and the kids to be unrestrained. But Patrolman Jamie Blume said he didn't think the man willfully put his grandchildren in danger, so no citations were issued, the AP reports.
In the end, however, it was determined that it wasn't in the children's best interests to be toted in a 15-foot motorboat that was being pulled by a lawnmower down a busy street … without seat belts.
Hence, the man was told his round-trip would have to cease prematurely and that he would have to call for someone else to pick up the children and have them restrained in child safety seats.
Yes, we're quite sure Theodor Geisel would have found the King Tut Drive-In and Bowling Addition fine settings for such a grand tale.
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Playing dead a lifesaver for Boy Scout in Pennsylvania bear attack
Playing dead isn't just for opossums, and it isn't something to be taken lightly, either.
Playing dead is a lifesaver.
Just ask Chris Malasics, whose quick thinking during an East Coast bear attack this weekend prevented serious injury, the Associated Press reports out of White Haven, Pa.
The 14-year-old Boy Scout curled into the fetal position in his sleeping bag after the black bear ripped down his tent in Pennsylvania's Hickory Run State Park at around 11:30 p.m. Friday.
"I was just trying to figure out what to do to not get hurt," he told the Daily Local News of West Chester, Pa.
We know one of the Scouts' greatest honors is a lifesaving award; we just wonder if the award can be presented for saving your own life. If so, the Chester Springs, Pa., Scout is a shoo-in.
His Scout leader certainly should be considered for meritorious action. As the bear started tossing Malasics around, the Scout leader tried to create a disturbance by banging pots and pans and flashing car headlights, according to the AP. The bear eventually wandered off.
Malasics was taken to a hospital for treatment for his cuts and bruises. He also was given a precautionary rabies shot.
Fortunately the teen said the experience will not deter him from going camping. In the future, though, he intends to make sure he has a pepper spray for bears, and perhaps a gun.
"I know how to shoot," he said.
Good thing, too, for shooting awards also are important.
About the author: Brett Pauly spent nearly six years editing and publishing ESPNOutdoors.com before moving on to produce the ESPN.com Sports Travel site. He is a national award-winning writer and editor with 14 years of experience in the newspaper trade, including stints at the Los Angeles Daily News and Seattle Times. The Evergreen State is where he now makes his home. Click here to email him.
