On May 20, 2022, Chad and Lacey Liske were getting ready for bed in their home near Medford, Wisconsin.
Part of their routine was to take down their bird feeder to prevent damage by bears. Their house was invaded, and they were attacked by a 250 lb black bear. The incident was initially reported on AmmoLand on May 23, 2022. The Liske’s contacted AmmoLand with a detailed account this year. Their account is consistent with the AmmoLand report but includes many interesting details that were not available at the time. The Liskes had three children at home during the fight. Their account, with a few editorial inclusions for clarity, including pictures from the Liskes, is presented below:
From Chad and Lacey Liske:
On Friday, May 20, 2022 at about 11:00 PM my wife and I were finishing watching a TV show and about to begin our routine before bed. That routine consisted of taking our two dogs out for one last potty break and bringing in the bird feeder for the night. The bird feeder is located about 14 feet away from our living room window. About two weeks prior to this incident our bird feeder was taken down by a bear sometime during the night. Because of that visit, we had been bringing the bird feeder in nightly.
This night was slightly different as we usually go to bed at about 10:00 – 10:30 PM but it was Friday and we were up a little later. After I turned the TV off and was just about to get up off the couch, I heard some metal clanking sounds that I believed to be the bird feeder. I looked out the front window but could not see anything. I went to the front door and turned on the outside light and opened the door to peek out toward the bird feeder location. At first, I could not see anything but then I saw the red colored feeder moving around. I assumed there was a bear at the feeder. I closed the door and started walking towards the living room where my wife said she saw the bear. She said, “I can scare it.” She walked to the living window and slid the lower portion of the double hung window all the way up. She yelled at the bear to startle it away. At the same time, I was walking into the living room, I looked towards the front window, as I got closer, and as my wife yelled, I saw a flash of black run off towards the woods. Turns out the bear that ran off was a juvenile bear.
The next thing I saw as I was standing next to the window near my wife was a bear head burst through the screen on the window. The window is four feet off the ground and about 24” x 30” at the open portion of the window. The bear did not stop at just poking its head through but instantly crawled its way into the living room. My wife had stepped back and I was instantly confronted by the bear. My wife had cleared away and I was in a fight with the bear as it stood up on its hind legs. I recall the bear being about the same height as, me as we were face to face during the battle. My wife was shouting out, “what do we do?” and I yelled out, “get a gun!”
Right away my mind jumped to protecting my wife and kids at all costs. I made the decision to grab the lower jaw of the bear’s open mouth with my right hand. I believed that if I could control the head, I could control the body of the bear. I recall the bear biting down on my right hand and I could hear a crunching sound. I continued wrestling with the bear in the living room area of our house.
My wife started to go and get a gun from the safe in our bedroom closet but stopped as she believed I had my concealed handgun on my hip and she needed to get it from me. She turned around and saw me on the floor with the bear on top of me and saw that I was in my blue colored pajamas already for the night, recognizing that my gun was not on my hip. My wife realized again she needed to head to the bedroom to get a gun and started heading that way. I do not recall how we fell to the floor or even how I got back up off the floor, but remembered thinking being on the ground for a fight was the worst place to be, especially when you are on the bottom. I recall being back up standing, struggling with the bear near our deck sliding door and my wife yelling out that she could not remember the code to get into the safe to get a gun. I yelled out the code to her over and over as I fought with the bear.
(The pistol was a Sig P320 X-Carry 9mm, loaded with Federal HST 147 grain cartridges, in a dedicated, small handgun safe, editor note.)
My wife came to the realization that in the panic of the moment she could not remember the code and as she recalls, she only heard part of the code I was shouting. She knew she would not be able to get a gun so she made the decision to grab what she knows best, her knives. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed out two knives from the knife block on the counter. Without even thinking about which knives she grabbed, she ended up with the 8” Wusthof chef’s knife and the large Wusthof carving knife.
Then my wife grabbed her knives she headed toward the bear and me. The bear had its left side toward the kitchen and my wife as we were standing, still in a struggle. My wife came up to the side of the bear and hesitated, saying, “I’m afraid if I stab it, it will hurt you worse”. I remember yelling to her, “just do it!” My wife raised the chef’s knife that was in her left hand and forcefully struck the bear in the left side of its body. She sunk the knife about 3 – 4” into the bear’s side and must have struck bone as the tip of the knife was bent.
My wife stabbing the bear caused the bear to release me and I instantly ran towards the bedroom closet to get my 9mm handgun from the safe. I panicked as I knew my wife was now alone in the room with an injured bear and I knew what I had just endured and I needed to get back in a hurry.
Right after my wife stabbed the bear, the bear turned and made a quick, reactive bite to her right forearm. Fortunately, the bear released right away and started moving around the outer perimeter of the dining room and kitchen as it worked its way toward the hallway that I had just ran down. My wife stood in the middle of the room with both knives still in hand, ready, and watching as the bear kept its distance from her.
As I ran back towards the last spot I knew the bear to be, the dining/kitchen area, I rounded the corner of the hall and was met instantly by the bear as it was heading my way. Using my left hand, I was able to point the gun at the bears head and fire one round as the bear was about 1– 2 feet from me. The bullet hit its mark and the bear instantly dropped to the floor, dead.
Chad had the Sig in his left hand because of the wound in his right hand. He has always been able to shoot well with either hand. Chad started shooting at a young age, hunting alone at the age of 12, in northern Wisconsin. He had 20 years of experience in law enforcement at the time of this incident. (editor note)
My wife was able to collect herself and called 9-1-1 to report what had just happened and request an ambulance for our injuries as well as law enforcement. While her call connected with the 9-1-1 Dispatch, she could hear them, but they could not hear anything she had reported. I called 9-1-1 from my cell phone and reported a shortened version of what happened as I thought they had more information from my wife’s call. I also asked for law enforcement and an ambulance.
We were transported by ambulance and received treatment from our local hospital and were released in the morning to return home.
We are grateful that our injuries are minor compared to what they could have been. My wife received a bite to her right forearm. I received bites to my right hand, right bicep, left forearm, left shoulder/back area and various scratches. I also received a minor laceration to the left side of my head at some point throughout the struggle.
We are also extremely grateful that 3 of our children were in bed sleeping at the time, while one was away for the night at a friend’s house. Our youngest child, whose bedroom was just down the hall from the gunshot, woke up and yelled for me after the incident. I went to her room and told her everything was alright and to go back to sleep, which she did. Our other two children that were home remained sleeping the entire time and did not awaken until family arrived to take them from the home for the night.
Even though we endured this terrifying incident, we feel that God was truly watching over our family and protecting us in many ways. We are so thankful for our family, friends, and coworkers who helped us with everything after the incident, for all the prayers from our community and for the EMS, hospital staff, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff.
The bear was checked for rabies. It was not infected. The bullet fired by Chad appears to have gone through the brainstem and out the head into the neck via the spinal column. The head was removed to check for rabies. The body was sent to a taxidermist. When queried, neither was able to find the bullet. It may have fallen out of the neck after the head was separated from the body.
The Liskes fared better than Patrice Miller. Miller was killed in her California home by an invading black bear. Miller did not have a gun, even though the bear had attempted to break in many times previously.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Many years ago when our kids were young I considered buying a dedicated handgun safe to have quicker access to my EDC, than in my dial combo full size safe. I decided instead to teach/train our children, about things that are a potential danger. Don’t stick a bobbie pin in a wall outlet, put your thumb in a light socket, touch a hot stove, or fingers in the fan. All guns are always loaded, don’t point it at anything you are not willing to destroy, keep your finger off the trigger, etc. One of the best choices I made…. educated… Read more »
As proven many times handguns are very effective in defending ones self.
One should never have all their means of defense locked up . My 1911 sleeps right beside my pillow at night .
Even at home, even at bed time it pays to have your sidearm on your person. The safest place, the most secure place, for your sidearm is on your person — not in a safe someplace — especially if you have kids in the house. I don’t know exactly how long this incident went on until finished but it could have been addressed sooner had a sidearm actually been present. Handguns are a , mostly, utilitarian tool and should be considered as part of the normal dress code — even in pajamas. These days when predators, both four and two… Read more »
I’m glad ya/all are alright. Now then why were your weapons in a locked safe?
I have never confronted a black bear in my living room, so I may be speaking from a point of ignorance. But is sticking your hand in a bear’s mouth really the best way to control a bear’s head? Personally, I would think not.
Heck of a story!
A good idea is to place solar powered , motion detector, night lights. around the home.
These can be found at Walmart for $20.00 and up.
Wow, amazing story. Glad everyone is okay. Many articles have mentioned that black bears kill more humans than grizzlies. Black bears are extremely strong. Always a good plan to have a firearm available when living in bear country. Animal worshipping cults will tell you black bears just want to be your friends , and that they are scared of humans and are harmless. These animal worshipping cults tell city slickers that black bears are a ” endangered species ” and all hunting needs to be banned and to send donations to ban hunting. California has banned black bear hunting. Animal… Read more »
Mrs. Liske’s actions/reaction are a prime example of what can happen to someone when faced with a traumatic event. She “froze”. Couldn’t hear correctly, was indecisive, then acted. It’s a good thing her husband was able to fight the bear as long, & as well, as he did. If the bear had gone for her first we might be reading a different story. But this DOES bring up a larger question for us as gun owners. When is your gun “put away”? For me & my family, my pistol is put in the safe just before I take a shower… Read more »