Bear killed after attacking three people near Isabella

There were two separate attacks involving the same bear on the morning of Dec. 19 at McDougal Lake in Lake County. The lake is located off Highway 1 near Isabella.

One of the attacks took place at a site on McDougal Lake where two construction workers were doing repairs on a garage at a property on the lake. After being charged by the bear, the two men working on the garage engaged in a savage struggle with the animal that involved smashing blunt objects over the bear’s head. After initially hiding in the garage where the construction work was taking place, the bear eventually fled the scene and ran into the nearby forest. After the attack was reported, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies and DNR Conservation Officers tracked the bear into the woods, where it was shot and killed at approximately 12:05 p.m.

The other attack also took place at a private residence on McDougal Lake. A homeowner found the bear attacking his dog, at which point the man jumped on the bear’s back. The bear then turned on the man and bit him in the abdomen, according to law enforcement officials. In the first report, according to Lake County Sheriff Carey Johnson, the construction workers believe they woke the bear from hibernation with sound from the heavy power tools they were using. The bear then attacked both of the men, biting one of the construction workers aggressively and very hard on the arm, according to Johnson. The man who was bit on the arm went to Ely for medical treatment and was in surgery as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The man who was bit in the abdomen also sought medical attention in Ely.

Sheriff Johnson told WTIP that a code red alert was issued for anyone in the McDougal Lake area while authorities were looking for the bear. He also noted it is strange for a bear to wake up at this time of year and to attack someone.