A Kelowna man had an unexpected encounter with a snarling badger while fishing in the middle of a B.C. lake.

Outdoorsman Ron Lancour was alone in his boat on Sheridan Lake, enjoying a peaceful day fishing, when a full-grown badger suddenly jumped on board.

"He was telling me to get out of that boat, because he was coming in there. I guess he was tired of swimming," Lancour said.

"I grabbed my net. With the handle I tried to poke him back into the water, but he was gaining ground on me."

Lancour said he then fought off the badger three more times with a wooden oar before he was able to push it back into the lake.

But the persistent badger then jumped back in the boat from a different side, and Lancour had to fight it off again.

"I knew that I had to stun him somehow. I certainly didn't want to hit him across the head and kill him — they are a protected species in B.C.," he said.

Lancour says he finally managed to escape for good by speeding away from the animal.

Badgers are extremely rare in B.C. — according to Parks Canada, there are only about 200 of them left in the province.

A Badgers in B.C. spokesperson said badgers are proficient swimmers, often crossing bodies of water to seek prey and explore new territory.

According to the group, badgers are not particularly aggressive, unless they're out in the open.

With files from Brady Strachan and Maryse Zeidler