Class B First-hand BFRO #18325

Possible sighting and howls heard by deer hunters in John Muir Wilderness

26 October 2006 About 6:15 pm in low light Shaver Lake, Fresno County, California 2 witnesses

Account

Two deer hunters hiking back to camp at dusk near Heart Lake heard loud bellowing howls and watched a deer flee through brush. They then saw a tall dark figure on the ridgeline that first resembled a standing bear but looked like neither a bear nor a man through a rifle scope. The figure ran downhill after the deer and disappeared into brush, and the hunters later found a very large footprint where it had stood.

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

Sounds

Physical traces

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 eight feet tall
Build src
at least 400 pounds
Arms src
swung in a normal, human-like way
Gait src
ran downhill fast, at least as fast as deer
Posture src
hunched-over
Other features src
dark silhouette; no bear, like no man ever seen

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
26 October 2006
Stated BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month, Date
Time of day
About 6:15 pm in low light
Stated BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Shaver Lake, Fresno County, California
Stated BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Nearest Road
Map point
37.29, -118.87 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 18325 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
2
Derived BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
deer hunting
Stated BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
a dark silhouette that looked like a bear standing on its hind feet
Stated BFRO report #18325 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class B
Stated BFRO report #18325 · 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
Cliff Barackman (BFRO)
Tracks

Footprint in dirt where creature stood, said to dwarf the witness's footprint

Measurements: four times the size of mine

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Tracks

Same impression described as indistinct with estimated length over 14 inches

Measurements: over 14 inches

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

An investigator spoke to the witness by phone to collect 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 2007-03-21 Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash 2d96d7d04857
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization