An unsuspecting Wisconsin teen was mauled by a bobcat after it snuck up on him while he was out turkey hunting.
Carson Bender, 19, of Wisconsin Rapids, was enjoying the first weekend of blood sports when he found himself face-to-face with a 25-pound bobcat near Nekoosa on Saturday.
The mechanic was dressed in head-to-toe camouflage and was perched up against a tree with his back to the wild animal while he waited for turkeys to come into his range. Every so often, he would let out a turkey call to attract the birds to his area.
But despite the influx of turkeys in the area, his surroundings became silent at around 8am after he lined up his firearm with one particular bird in his aim.
To avoid scaring the turkeys, he used his phone to look behind him, only to find a small bobcat approaching him.
‘I pan over with the phone, and the bobcat is just staring at me,’ he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
‘I was like, oh-oh. But I was still locked onto the toms in the field, too… I knew where the bobcat was and I didn’t know what it would do, but I was actually just about to take a shot at the gobbler.’
Before the college student could shoot the bird, the cat lunged at him, striking his shoulder, video posted to social media showed.
Carson Bender, 19, of Wisconsin Rapids, was hunting turkeys on Saturday when a small bobcat came up and attacked him
He had been making turkey calls to attract the birds when it got suddenly quiet. The bobcat landed a few scratches on his shoulder
Bender moved out of the way, but not before the cat got a few good scratches to his shoulder, he said.
After attacking him, the 25-pound animal took off running, and Bender was able to shoot a turkey that was running around nearby.
The teen continued to hunt until around noontime. While leaving, he called his girlfriend, who advised him to seek medical treatment.
Medics prescribed Bender an antibiotic and told him he would be fine, he told The Sentinel.
‘It was a lot of action in just a minute or so, but I never really felt threatened and went with my instincts,’ he told the outlet.
‘I kid you not, it was the most eventful morning I’ve ever had.’
In fact, the teenager was back out in the same area the next day hunting for more turkeys – and luckily, this time, there were no bobcats to attack him.
Bender received minor injuries and was prescribed antibiotics. After the attack, the wildcat ran off
Bender is an avid hunter who was a trophy-winning trap shooter in high school.
He is currently taking arborist classes at Mid-State Technical College.
