MEDFIELD, Mass. (WPRI) — A routine hike for a Medfield, Massachusetts, man and his dog Monday night turned into a terrifying scene.

Kenneth Wadness said he was walking his dog, Micah, at the Noon Hill Reservation when he noticed a dark figure swoop down right toward his dog, missing him by inches.

The two kept moving forward before realizing the bird had come back.

“Within 10 seconds he whacked me with his talons, he hit me on the back of the head” Wadness explained. “I did stop for a moment and saw he flew right up into a tree.”

Wadness suffered minor injuries to the back of his head and Micah was not hurt.

Experts say owls are approaching nesting season and could be aggressive if they feel threatened.