Class A First-hand BFRO #1244

Early evening sighting of human-like animal one mile from camp

September 1985 5:00 p.m. Shell, Sheridan County, Wyoming 3 witnesses

Account

Three youths hunting squirrels with slingshots encountered a tall, dark-haired human-like animal about 15-20 yards away and watched it for about two minutes. The animal shifted position and made a cough-like vocalization, after which the youths fled to a camper. They returned the next morning with a relative and found only smashed vegetation 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

Described appearance

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

Height src
around 8ft. tall
Build src
450-550lbs, extremely wide shoulders, very muscular
Hair colour src
dark, like a black bears
Face src
somewhat like a man's, and somewhat like a gorilla
Arms src
phenominally long and thick, hung far below thigh area
Hands src
very big, more thick than long, nearly bare
Legs src
rather short in comparison, very thick and muscular
Posture src
slumped/slouched forward slightly
Other features src
unproportionately large muscular buttocks; head plopped onto shoulders with 3-4 inch neck; extremely pronounced sagittal crest; nose pushed up, wide and flat; face, chest, inside elbows and hands nearly bare

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
September 1985
Stated BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month
Time of day
5:00 p.m.
Stated BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Shell, Sheridan County, Wyoming
Stated BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
44.5345, -107.7845 (± 15 km)
Geocoded BFRO report #1244 · gazetteer:place · read with 50% confidence
Census 2023 Gazetteer centroid of Shell CDP (GEOID 5669700), matched from nearest town 'Shell'
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
3
Stated BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness was
squirrel hunting with slingshots
Stated BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
massive human like animal
Stated BFRO report #1244 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #1244 · 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.

Other

smashed grass and bushes and ground disturbance where the heavy animal stood, noted on next-morning search; no tracks found

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Other

The witness and a relative returned the next morning and searched for hours, finding only smashed vegetation where the creature had stood.

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Follow-up

The witness and a relative returned the next morning and searched for hours, finding only smashed vegetation where the creature had stood.

BFRO report, “Observed” section
Follow-up

An investigator spoke with the witness by phone for over an hour to gather 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 2000-02-22 Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash b85a5f83f451
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

The report refers to

  • “the animal that they call bigfoot”
    Not in the Anomadex yet