PopularFreedom
02-08-2006, 23:00
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Boatjacked by a bear
Animal scrambles into craft, hits throttle
`The bear was fishing with my boat': Angler
Aug. 2, 2006. 05:24 AM
ANNA PIEKARSKI
STAFF REPORTER
Bears like eating fish, but they don't usually catch them with a line and pole while riding in a boat.
Marty Descoteaux sees the beasts often near the city of Elliot Lake, about 150 kilometres west of Sudbury. So he wasn't surprised last month to spot one swimming near his boat on Esten Lake, just outside the city.
Descoteaux was busy at the time reeling in a 5.4-kilogram lake trout. He turned away for a moment and that's when two paws grabbed the side of his boat.
The fisherman grabbed a paddle and hit the animal over the head, but that didn't deter it.
"It went ballistic, he wanted in," said Descoteaux. "I never thought a bear could climb so fast into a boat. I had no choice, I had to bail out."
He swam for shore, hoping the bear wouldn't follow.
When Descoteaux reached rocks he looked back and was shocked to see his 5-metre aluminum boat speed past. While the bear was exploring the boat, it had hit the throttle.
"The bear was fishing with my boat," with the baited line dragging behind it, Descoteaux said.
"This is what you call a fishing story. I was sitting on the shoreline watching a bear trolling in my boat."
The bear panicked. With no one at the wheel, the boat turned sharply and hit a rock. The bear tumbled forward, damaging the front seat, and into the water. It then scrambled ashore and into the bush.
The pilotless craft ran in circles for a half-hour until it ran out of gas. Descoteaux, 35, swam out 2 1/2 kilometres to recover the boat and had to use its electric trolling motor to slowly glide back to shore.
Descoteaux, who owns Elliot Lake Outfitters, regularly takes fisherman out on area lakes. He frequently ventures out solo, early in the morning, to see if the fish are biting.
He reported the incident to Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources. A ministry official told him the bear, with limited vision while swimming, probably thought the boat was a rock.
The fishing trip wasn't a complete loss. When Descoteaux retrieved his damaged craft, the lake trout was still lying inside it.
"He never touched it. I guess he was too excited."
Boatjacked by a bear
Animal scrambles into craft, hits throttle
`The bear was fishing with my boat': Angler
Aug. 2, 2006. 05:24 AM
ANNA PIEKARSKI
STAFF REPORTER
Bears like eating fish, but they don't usually catch them with a line and pole while riding in a boat.
Marty Descoteaux sees the beasts often near the city of Elliot Lake, about 150 kilometres west of Sudbury. So he wasn't surprised last month to spot one swimming near his boat on Esten Lake, just outside the city.
Descoteaux was busy at the time reeling in a 5.4-kilogram lake trout. He turned away for a moment and that's when two paws grabbed the side of his boat.
The fisherman grabbed a paddle and hit the animal over the head, but that didn't deter it.
"It went ballistic, he wanted in," said Descoteaux. "I never thought a bear could climb so fast into a boat. I had no choice, I had to bail out."
He swam for shore, hoping the bear wouldn't follow.
When Descoteaux reached rocks he looked back and was shocked to see his 5-metre aluminum boat speed past. While the bear was exploring the boat, it had hit the throttle.
"The bear was fishing with my boat," with the baited line dragging behind it, Descoteaux said.
"This is what you call a fishing story. I was sitting on the shoreline watching a bear trolling in my boat."
The bear panicked. With no one at the wheel, the boat turned sharply and hit a rock. The bear tumbled forward, damaging the front seat, and into the water. It then scrambled ashore and into the bush.
The pilotless craft ran in circles for a half-hour until it ran out of gas. Descoteaux, 35, swam out 2 1/2 kilometres to recover the boat and had to use its electric trolling motor to slowly glide back to shore.
Descoteaux, who owns Elliot Lake Outfitters, regularly takes fisherman out on area lakes. He frequently ventures out solo, early in the morning, to see if the fish are biting.
He reported the incident to Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources. A ministry official told him the bear, with limited vision while swimming, probably thought the boat was a rock.
The fishing trip wasn't a complete loss. When Descoteaux retrieved his damaged craft, the lake trout was still lying inside it.
"He never touched it. I guess he was too excited."