The 19-Year-Old Hunter Became The Hunted, As Seen In Video He Filmed While Hunting Turkeys
For about 72 seconds, 19-year-old Carson Bender, of Wisconsin Rapids, wasn’t sure what was going to happen to him after realizing he had attracted a predator.
While hunting for turkeys on April 18 in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, Carson had a close call with a bobcat that, after a tense and patient approach, pounced at him and struck him. All of this was caught on his iPhone camera.
Reflecting on this incident with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Carson said, “I kid you not, it was the most eventful morning I ever had.”
Watch The Video Of His Close Encounter With A Bobcat
At about 7:45 a.m. that morning, Carson said he had several turkeys drawn into a field by his turkey call, telling the newspaper, “I had gobbling from a couple directions, and, before long, birds were in the field, working their way toward me.”
However, upon getting a trio of toms — or mature turkeys — in sight, Carson noticed that the gobbling of other turkeys had largely quieted down, and he could hear the leaves crinkling behind him.
Rather than lose his opportunity to shoot one of the turkeys, Carson used his iPhone’s reverse camera to peek at what was behind him.
“I pan over with the phone and the bobcat is just staring at me,” Carson recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh-oh.’ But I was still locked on to the toms in the field, too.”
From there, Carson’s encounter with the bobcat is slow and patient, with Carson’s focus now divided between the turkey in front him and the bobcat behind him.
“I knew where the bobcat was and I didn’t know what it would do, but I was actually just about to take a shot at the gobbler,” Carson stated.
Gradually, the bobcat can be seen inching toward Carson before it suddenly pounces, approaching Carson up close before taking a swat at him and then running off.
Carson says he then went ahead and took his shot at the turkey, but missed, citing the excitement of the moment.
Speaking with the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal, Carson said that he believes the bobcat was 25 pounds, and noted that he sustained a scratch and two light skin breaks. His girlfriend said he should go to the hospital and have his injuries looked at, so he went and was prescribed antibiotics.
Watch Carson’s video of his close call with the bobcat, here:
The next day, he was back out hunting for turkeys, but he had a pistol with him, just in case, writing, “Don’t worry, I’m back out playing hide and seek with the murder kitties.”
Today, April 21, Carson posted a video showing he finally got his turkey:
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