Be Wisconsin: A rogue bear. Ancient spearfishing traditions. And a LOT of Big Macs.

Keith Uhlig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·3 min read
A black bear walks through new forest growth.
A black bear walks through new forest growth.

A couple of weeks ago I bought the book "The Geography of Wisconsin," after reading a story the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jim Higgins wrote about it. I've only had a chance to skim it, but so far I've spent the most time on the chapter titled "Natural Hazards of Wisconsin."

Authors John A. Cross and Kazimierz J. Zaniewski outline a variety of natural dangers that can befall the residents of Wisconsin. There are wildfires, tornadoes, floods, rocks falling off of cliffs. ("The Rock in the House in Fountain City features a dwelling with a 55-ton boulder that crashed into its bedroom in 1995," they write.)

They don't address the hazards animals pose. I assume that's because animals don't fall under the realm of geology, but boy, creatures sure wreak havoc in our state. Deer, for example, were part of more than 17,000 crashes on Wisconsin roads. (Stay out of St. Croix County in November. A Journal Sentinel analysis showed that November is the worst month for car-deer crashes and St. Croix had the most crashes with injuries to people.)

Luckily, we don't have to worry about bears. Except when we do. Here's an epic story about a northern Wisconsin couple who ended up in hand-to-hand combat with a bear that went rogue.

► Bear breaks into Medford home through window and attacks a couple, but they fought back with a kitchen knife

I cling to the comfort offered by Pat Beringer, area wildlife supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: "99.9% of the time, a yell will scare them away and they will run off."

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Wayne Valliere and his apprentice Lawrence Mann use a handmade birchbark canoe and other traditional gear to spearfish.
Wayne Valliere and his apprentice Lawrence Mann use a handmade birchbark canoe and other traditional gear to spearfish.

Canoes are awesome

And Wayne Valliere is the coolest.

► Torches and birchbark canoe guide Ojibwe man as he revives ancient tribal spearfishing tradition in northern Wisconsin

► 'These canoes carry our culture': Ojibwe artist recognized for lifetime achievement

And now I'm craving McDonald's

But not this much.

►Fond du Lac's world record McDonald's Big Mac eater crosses 50-year mark with no plans of slowing down

This state is for the birds

We've got three significant bird-related stories to share this week, one hopeful and two sad.

► A novel idea and generosity by a southeast Wisconsin Eagle Scout could build brighter future for black terns, an endangered species

► Toll of avian flu mounts, including on eagles and other wild birds

►Tuck, the Marshfield Wildwood Zoo's peregrine falcon, dies from stress-induced illness and age

Didja know? A Wisconsin fact drop

Didja know that Wisconsin is the nation's third-largest producer of potatoes? In 2017, potatoes were harvested from more than 70,000 acres in the state. Portage County is the state's largest producer of the tubers, with 27,659 acres of the crop. That ranks it 10th in the nation among counties that grow potatoes.

Source: "The Geography of Wisconsin" by John A. Cross and Kazimierz J. Zaniewski (I'll probably get a lot of these fact drops from this book.)

Contact Keith Uhlig at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on Twitter and Instagram or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rogue bear in Medford; spearfishing; Big Mac world record continues