Boaters Save Bear Swimming in Lake with Plastic Jar on its Head

A summer night cruise around the lake suddenly turned into an adrenaline packed evening for a couple in northwest Wisconsin after they rescued a bear swimming in the middle of the lake with a plastic jug stuck on its head.

The intense encounter was caught on camera and posted to Facebook by Tricia Hurt, who said her family spotted the bear on Marsh-Miller Lake roughly 30 miles north of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “Never dreamt we would ever do this in our lifetime,” Hurt wrote in the caption under the video.

In the short video, the family works quickly and carefully to get beside the “baby bear” with their boat, eventually gliding close enough so Brian Hurt could bravely yank the plastic jug off the animal’s head.

My only thoughts after watching the video are, that looks like a pretty big “baby bear.” It’s a good thing this rescue went so smoothly, because things could have gone real bad in a hurry with a bear in a situation like that!

Also, this is another perfect example of why we need to be more careful with what we leave outside. Plastic containers and other pieces of garbage can become dangerous for wildlife, so be mindful and pick up after yourself!

According to the Wisconsin DNR, the state is home to a thriving black bear population. There’s estimated to be around 24,000 bears, generally in the northern third of the state.

OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow

Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. He has been writing for OutdoorHub for nearly five years, but anybody he is close with will tell you he has been telling hunting stories for far longer. He uses his experiences outdoors to write about things he loves - bow hunting, fishing, upland hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, dog training, shotguns, ATVs and the outdoor lifestyle he lives in his home state of Michigan. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella.