Anomadex
Class A First-hand BFRO #44003

Close encounter while fishing remembered near Giant City State Park

BFRO YEAR: 1988-89 between 2pm and 4pm IDOC Lake A-41 On The Map, Jackson County, Illinois 1 witness

Account

The witness was fishing alone at a small wooded lake in the afternoon when brush breaking, snapping trees, and splashing rocks drew attention. The witness turned to see a large muscular creature standing nearby that emitted a loud high-pitched scream. The witness froze, the creature quickly retreated into the woods, and the witness fled down the trail to the vehicle.

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

Partial sighting

Sounds

Scream

Physical traces

Tree break

Interaction

Rock throwing

Described appearance

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

Height src
at least 7 feet high
Build src
5 feet wide at the shoulders
Hair colour src
dark reddish brown
Posture src
standing
Other features src
pure muscular athletic bodybuilder outlined upper torso

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Time of day
between 2pm and 4pm
Stated BFRO report #44003 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
IDOC Lake A-41 On The Map, Jackson County, Illinois
Stated BFRO report #44003 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
37.63, -89.17 (± 2 km)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 44003 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Derived BFRO report #44003 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
1
Derived BFRO report #44003 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #44003 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
fishing for bass
Stated BFRO report #44003 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
big muddy monster
Stated BFRO report #44003 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #44003 · 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
Stan Courtney (BFRO)
Follow-up

An investigator spoke with the witness by phone and summarized the claimed details.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Follow-up

The witness had previously told the story to a researcher years earlier.

BFRO report, “Observed” section

Source timeline

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

  1. BFRO report #44003 Primary
    Published 2014-01-26 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 66660defa6e7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

The report refers to

  • “episode of Monsters and mysteries in America”
    Not in the Anomadex yet
  • “articles about creatures called the big muddy monster in The Daily Egyptian newspaper”
    Not in the Anomadex yet
  • “sightings around the river”
    Not in the Anomadex yet