A northern Michigan man fought off a bear while trying to protect his dog early one morning.
According to a bi-weekly field report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the incident happened in the Boyne Falls area between the weeks of April 22 - May 5.
The report states that Conservation Officer Andrea Erratt received a bear complaint after a man left his beagle out on a cable around 4:30 a.m. and returned a few minutes to bring the dog in.
When he went outside, the man saw a bear running up his driveway, and when the dog barked at the bear, it circled around and swatted at the dog while he tried to bring him in.
The problem, according to the report, is that the lead got tangled. The man then kicked the bear while trying to untangle the dog.
The report says that the bear came back and bit the dog, but the owner "punched the bear in the nose and it retreated enough for him to shut the door."
The officer told the man to remove all bird feeders, clean up sunflower seed husks, spread moth balls and stop feeding corn to the deer and turkeys.
According to the report, the beagle received several stitches in its side and rear end.
