12-Year-Old Wisconsin Boy Saves Dad from Being Mauled to Death by Bear: 'Owen Was a Hero'

A young boy who saw a black bear attacking his father fired a shot, saving his father's life during a hunting trip in Wisconsin.

A 200-pound bruin was on top of Ryan Biereman when he heard a gunshot from his 12-year-old son's hunting rifle. The father-son duo were near their hunting cabin in Siren, Wisconsin, when the attack occurred.

"Owen was a hero. He shot that bear and killed it on top of me," Beierman told the Minnesota Star Tribune.

During the 45-second attack, Biereman suffered seven puncture wounds and a cut to his arms and legs. He was driven to the hospital where he received 23 stitches to reattach a flap of skin on his cheek.

"All I could see were his claws and teeth. I lifted my right arm to block him. I remember the first bite. I heard a crunch. The bear was still attacking. He wasn't going to leave me," Biereman said.

Biereman said he tried pistol-whipping the bear but that it felt like "striking a brick wall."

"The bear was fighting for its life, and I was fighting for mine," Biereman said. "That's when I saw a flash from the muzzle of Owen's rifle."