Class B First-hand BFRO #3918

Hunter has unexplained, late night encounter while in small boat on Saddle Creek

BFRO YEAR: 1985 86 10:30-11:00, dark Lakeland Fla, Polk County, Florida 1 witness

Account

Late at night the witness paddled a small boat up a creek with two dogs and heard something following on the bank, then a loud blowing noise. The dogs refused to go ashore and later barked intensely. The witness shone a light and saw a large ape-like figure running away over a hill, then noticed a group of tracks while leaving. A skunk-like brassy odor was noted before the sighting.

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

Physical traces

Other senses

Described appearance

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

Build src
large
Gait src
running away
Other features src
Ape like

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Time of day
10:30-11:00, dark
Stated BFRO report #3918 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Lakeland Fla, Polk County, Florida
Stated BFRO report #3918 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
27.97, -81.95 (± 10 km)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 3918 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #3918 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
1
Derived BFRO report #3918 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #3918 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
traveling by boat up a creek with dogs
Stated BFRO report #3918 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
large Ape like thing
Stated BFRO report #3918 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class B
Stated BFRO report #3918 · 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.

Tracks

Group of tracks seen from boat after sighting, not closely examined.

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Follow-up

Witness and friends made a return trip to the area.

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. Published 2002-03-10 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash b0762126f866
    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

  • “stories about skunk apes or Something in the swamps around Polk County”
    Not in the Anomadex yet
  • “the article the lady wrote from Polk County Fla.”
    Not in the Anomadex yet