09/08/2026
A 61 year old man has said he really lucked out by suffering only scratches after taking on a 300-pound black bear.
Rick Nelson said he was walking his dog when he came across the bear’s cub, who poked his head out of a shrub just feet away from him, so close he could touch it.
But disaster soon followed after the cub let out a loud yelp.
‘It let out a yelp because I scared the heck out of it,’ Nelson said. ‘I knew right away I was in trouble. It’s calling for mommy.’
Moments later, he heard a crashing noise in the bush as the bear came towards him full speed.
Looking around, he realized there were no rocks or sticks in sight that he could use to fight the bear off with but he did have practice boxing. So putting his boxing lessons to use, he took a swing at the bear but missed, only hitting it in the teeth.
The bear struck back, scratching Nelson across his face and chest.
‘I knew it would swing first with its left but it would really come with its right, because most bears are right-handed.’
Nelson took a second swing at the bear, an underhand that landed right on its snout.
‘You want to make sure if you punch a bear that you’re hitting it straight in its snout.’
Following Nelson’s second swing, the cub let out another yelp and began making its way out of the area.
The mother bear turned around and it was snorting blood. It looked at me, and I thought, “Oh no. Here it comes.”
As he braced for the worst, the bear ended up turning around and walking off in behind its cub.
‘I really lucked out there,’ Nelson said. Following the ordeal, Nelson said he is thankful he knew how to throw a punch.
BlackBearBoxing 🐻
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