A 12-year-old boy’s heroic actions on a family hunting trip have left many reflecting on the razor-thin line between predator and prey in the wilderness. Owen Beierman, a young hunter, stepped up in a life-or-death moment, saving his father from a 200-pound black bear.
On September 6th, what started as a regular hunting trip turned into a nightmare for the Beierman family. After wounding a bear earlier in the day, father and son returned to track it down—standard practice for any responsible hunter. (It might be deemed a “responsible practice” but Adventure’s view its still cruel and should be stopped).
What the the father and son didn’t expect was that this wounded bear would launch an all-out attack. In a split second, 43-year-old Ryan Beierman found himself pinned under the bear, fighting for his life with nothing but a handgun and sheer willpower.
“He was in a stance like a cat about to pounce,” Ryan recalled. Before he could react, the bear charged and had him on the ground, fangs sinking into his face, arms, and legs. The struggle was fierce—Ryan doing everything he could to block the attack, even resorting to pistol-whipping the beast in desperation. But in the chaos, it was his young son Owen, standing nearby, who would make the shot that saved his dad.
Owen grabbed his 350 Legend hunting rifle and, showing composure far beyond his years, fired at the bear, ending the attack. “The bear was fighting for its life, and I was fighting for mine,” Ryan said, reliving the close-quarters chaos that had unfolded in those woods. And just like that, in a flash, Owen’s shot brought the mauling to an end.
This isn’t your typical hunting story—it’s a chilling reminder of how dangerous things can get when you’re deep in the backcountry. The father, who suffered bites to the face and arms and required 23 stitches to reattach part of his cheek, was lucky to escape alive.
After such an encounter, Ryan understandably hung up his bear-hunting gear, vowing never to go on such a hunt again. It’s a decision that’s easy to support, and in many ways, a reflection of the evolving perspective on wildlife encounters, especially here at Adventure.
While this incident showcases incredible bravery, it also raises important conversations. Let’s be clear: at Adventure, we don’t support the hunting of bears, wolves, or any wild animal purely for sport. It’s not about being hardcore animal rights activists—rather, it’s about respect for these powerful creatures that call the wild home.
Bears, like the one that attacked Ryan, are majestic but dangerous animals that play critical roles in their ecosystems. Their dwindling populations and encroaching human activity have already thrown much of their natural balance out of whack. While legal hunting practices may be in place to control populations, there’s an increasing awareness that protecting these apex predators might be just as important as our adventures in the wild.
It’s a reminder: respect the wilderness, because when things go wrong, they go wrong fast.
