Five more crazy animal tales: Remember the beaver that stole the hunting rifle?

On Wednesday, our Alex Aquisto broke the internet with her story about the woman who was attacked by a rabid raccoon, then won the ensuing fight by drowning the critter — in a puddle — with her bare hands.

Around the office, we started talking about other odd animal stories we’ve written over the years. And since our BDN readers always prove that they love off-the-wall animal stories, here are a few of those blasts from the past. Click the links and enjoy a walk down memory lane with us.

  1. Beaver steals hunter’s rifle. Who can forget this great story? Certainly not our BDN readers. The headline says it all: The beaver. Stole. His. Rifle. At last report, this young hunter still hadn’t gotten it back.
  2. Woman hits bobcat, gives it a ride to town. I know, I know, not the best method of dealing with a wild animal. Except she didn’t think it was wild. She thought it was a house cat … and it wasn’t.
  3. It’s all fun and games, until owls start attacking cross country skiersThis story had real legs. Not only did I write about the odd goings-on in Bangor City Forest back in 2009, the first episode of the popular “Criminal” podcast featured an interview I did, talking crime, owls, and the use of owls as an alibi in a murder case.
  4. Presque Isle bear raids freezer, gobbles bacon, apples. Who doesn’t love bacon? Or apples, for that matter? Not this bear, who made a general nuisance of himself back in 2015.
  5. Grouse in the house. Back in 2008, we heard a report of a woman who thought somebody had shot out her window with a pellet gun. Turns out, the culprit was a grouse … and it was still alive and kicking. (The grouse tale is the second part of this column; page down to find it).
John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.