A 12-year-old boy fatally shot a black bear as it was mauling his father in the US state of Wisconsin, say wildlife officials. Owen Beierman, 12, took aim at the bruin as it pinned down his dad while they were on a legal hunting trip.

A father-son hunting trip in Wisconsin could have become deadly without the quick thinking of 12-year-old Ryan Beierman, who saved his father's life from a black bear attack.

Ryan Beierman told The Minnesota Star Tribune the bear pierced its fangs into his forehead during the attack. He had to get 23 stitches.