DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Wednesday night as Walter Hickox Jr. took his dogs out for a routine break, he said a bear approached his porch.
What You Need To Know
- Walter Hickox Jr. encountered a bear at his Daytona Beach home Wednesday evening
- He was taking his dogs out when the bear poked its head into his porch and attacked
- Hickox was able to scare the bear off, but was scratched and bitten in the process
- His injuries were not serious and his dogs were not harmed in the attack
“The Bear poked through before I even had the chance to scope the outside, he already was poking his head right here,” said Hickox.
He said he tried making noises to scare the bear away, but it didn't leave so he was forced to step in to protect his dogs.
“There was a shoulder check and he bit down on here,” he said, pointing to his bruised left arm.
A scuffle ensue and Hickox said he continued to make noise and eventually they bear took off.
“I am still processing it," he said. "It took me about 20 hours just to put it all together and realize what just happened.”
The dogs were unharmed and left a mark on Hickox’s arm and scratches on his back.
This was not the only recent bear attack in Central Florida. Another attack happened in Debary last week as a mother bear was with her cubs and attacked a woman with her dog. The woman did get some gashes on her face, but the dog was not harmed.
At home, the Florida Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has set up a bear trap in Hickox's front lawn, but he said he's just glad he and his dogs are OK.
“Well, I have a story to tell,” he said.