UPDATE 7/14/25 9:45 PM — 69-year-old Karen Frye is in stable condition after she was attacked outside at her rural home in Comstock.
The DNR is still searching for the bear, with plans to euthanize it so that they can test for rabies and determine if injury or illness contributed to the behavior. Investigation suggests the bear behaved aggressively towards the woman while near her cub, which is rare and different from defensive behavior.
“Humane euthanasia is not always the standard practice in human/bear conflicts,” Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist said in a statement. “Our actions in these types of situations are very carefully determined based upon the totality of the known evidence of each event. Although we’re still working to piece together every element of what transpired in this incident, we know enough to warrant attempting to livetrap at the location of the incident and humanely euthanize this bear if captured.”
The DNR says black bears displaying aggressive behavior are at risk of repeating that behavior.
If the bear’s cub is captured, it will be relocated and released into the wild; cubs are able to survive on their own by this time of year. Any other bears captured will be released unharmed.
The DNR reminds the public to avoid potential conflict by never approaching bears or leaving food sources outside.
COMSTOCK, Wis. – A woman is severely injured after being attacked by a black bear in a remote part of northwestern Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says a 69-year-old woman was attacked by the bear near the town of Comstock in Barron County around 2 p.m. Saturday, July 12.
The woman was able to call 911 and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. As of Monday morning, her condition is unknown.
Upon arrival, officials began looking for the bear and located a cub in a tree, indicating the attack involved a sow and cub; though it remains unclear why the attack occurred.
DNR wardens and USDA Wildlife Services staff attempted to track the bear with the aid of a trained bear hound dog, but the search was unsuccessful.
Efforts to capture the bear are ongoing. Several bear traps have been set at the scene, and the goal is to euthanize the bear and assess its condition.
There are believed to be 24,000 bear across Wiscosin, primarily in the northern two thirds of the state, but they are sometimes observed in the southern part of the state as well.
The DNR says incidents of black bears attacking or killing humans are very rare but do occur both in Wisconsin and across the country. There have been no human deaths resulting from encounters with wild black bears in recorded Wisconsin history.
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