Class A First-hand BFRO #23134

Fishing Guide has sighting while trolling Deer Lake

July 1986 7:30 pm, daylight Deer Lake Indian Reserve - 300 Air Miles North Of Thunder Bay, Ontario 3 witnesses

Account

In early July 1986 in the evening, a fishing guide motoring clients by boat toward a narrow rocky passage on Deer Lake saw a tall black-furred biped run and leap across the narrows into forest. The clients did not see it but heard branches breaking as it moved away, and the guide shut off the engine to listen until the sound faded. The guide later reasoned the size, bipedal run, swinging arms and lack of snout did not match a local black bear. A next-morning search found no footprints on the rocky shore.

Summary drafted by AI from the source report and checked by code before I publish it. The witness's own words remain with the publisher — read the original report .

What was reported

Every kind of observation in the account. Select one to find other encounters with it.

Sightings

Described appearance

In the source's own words, field by field. Hover a field's marker to see where it was read.

Height src
over 7 feet tall
Build src
stocky and muscular, 700-1000 pounds, thick chest and torso
Hair colour src
black
Face src
did not face witness, no snout
Arms src
long arms that swung like a human
Legs src
two legs with lack of flexion at knees
Gait src
ran and jumped quickly, not gracefully
Posture src
slightly stooped while bipedal
Other features src
fur similar to black bear in color and texture, no waistline

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
July 1986
Stated BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month
Time of day
7:30 pm, daylight
Stated BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Deer Lake Indian Reserve - 300 Air Miles North Of Thunder Bay, Ontario
Stated BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Province, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
52.68, -94.52 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 23134 (4 decimals, no boundary)
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
3
Derived BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
guiding fishing clients by boat
Stated BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
a large black animal
Stated BFRO report #23134 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #23134 · BFRO classification label

Evidence & investigation

What the source says was found or done. Claimed evidence is listed as claimed; the Anomadex has not examined it.

Investigated by
Todd Prescott (BFRO)
Follow-up

The witness returned the next morning to look for footprints but found none on the rocky ground.

BFRO report, “Environment” section
Follow-up

An investigator interviewed the witness by phone in 2008 and documented additional details.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section

Source timeline

Every record this entry is built from, earliest known first. Records are versioned and never edited in place.

  1. Published 2008-02-09 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 39fa7311df3c
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization