Class A First-hand BFRO #5173

Large bipedal animal frequently observed by a South Dakota family

September 1998 night time Porcupine, Shannon County, South Dakota 9 witnesses

Account

A family reports seeing an unidentified tall biped around their rural home over four years, usually at night. The creature is described as 7 to 9 feet tall, walking upright with a slight hunch and running too fast to follow. Footprints, hair, possible saliva, blood stains, and snapped small trees were also found on the property. Up to nine family members in three houses have seen it when arriving, leaving, or moving between houses.

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.

Described appearance

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

Height src
seven to nine feet tall
Gait src
running at high speed
Posture src
stands up straight with a slight hunch when walking

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
September 1998
Stated BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month
Time of day
night time
Stated BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Porcupine, Shannon County, South Dakota
Stated BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
43.36, -102.40 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 5173 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
9
Stated BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, “Observed” section · read with 80% confidence
Witness was
going to and from houses at home
Stated BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section · read with 85% confidence
Witness's word for it
a creature unidentifiable to us
Stated BFRO report #5173 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #5173 · 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

couple of footprints left by the creature

Measurements: 18 inches long and 7 inches wide

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Hair

hair found on property

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Other

wad of grass mixed with possible saliva

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Blood / tissue

dried blood stains on cactus

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Tree damage

small trees broken, looking snapped

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Hair

An investigator received hair and grass with possible saliva samples and sent them to a curator.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Other

An investigator received hair and grass with possible saliva samples and sent them to a curator.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Tracks

An investigator received photos of possible large foot impressions and forwarded them to another curator for opinion.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Photograph

An investigator received photos of possible large foot impressions and forwarded them to another curator for opinion.

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

An investigator received hair and grass with possible saliva samples and sent them to a curator.

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

An investigator received photos of possible large foot impressions and forwarded them to another curator for opinion.

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 2002-10-27 Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash c2ff709a0f83
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization