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YESTERDAY (09/01/2024): Hikers hear chatter and whoops of a large animal in Founders Grove, 33mi SE of Eureka
The witness and a companion were hiking the Founders Grove loop just after sunset when the woods went quiet and they heard chattering vocalizations. They felt immediate dread and judged whatever made the sounds to be huge. As they retreated toward their vehicle they heard movement in brush going deeper into the woods, and when the witness whooped back the chatter answered again. They hurried back to their car.
Possible sighting and tree shaking on S. Fork American River 30 miles NE of Sacramento
The witness rode horses to a river access and picnic area and stopped to rest and take photos. She glimpsed a reddish-brown figure showing only buttocks and leg as it darted upright into brush to hide. Immediately afterward nearby branches were shaken violently back and forth though no animal could be seen. She left because she was alone and unarmed, remaining skeptical because she never saw the head.
Possible sighting at Mono Lake at Sunrise
The witness and a relative arrived at a high desert lake before sunrise to photograph the sunrise. The witness saw a black bipedal figure walking parallel about 15 yards away before it disappeared behind rock formations. The relative also noticed movement in that general area. The witness later concluded the figure was not the other photographer present, but did not search for traces.
Couple experience large rock thrown and possible bluff charge in Inyo National Forest
The witness and a companion hiked to a high-elevation lake to fish and stopped to rest on the trail. A large angular rock landed near them after they heard it moving through the air, followed by a loud grunt, a foul odor, and heavy footsteps approaching downhill. Fearing a bear, they fled down the switchback trail while the footsteps cut straight downhill behind them for about five minutes before stopping. They abandoned personal items, returned to the trailhead, and left the area.
Wilderness campers have an unknown visitor in the Trinity Alps of Northern California
The witness was lying awake in a tent at a remote lake camp around 1:30 a.m. while three companions slept. He heard footsteps circling camp, smelled a strong animal odor, and saw a large shadowy figure lift his backpack above the tent and appear to try to open it. After he yelled, the figure dropped the pack onto the tent and left camp on foot as the others woke and heard its retreat.
Husband and wife have a possible encounter in a KOA campground north of Crescent City
A couple camping on an isolated site finished dinner and sat by a campfire when the wife felt watched and fearful. The husband searched with lights and briefly saw movement in the trees about 30 feet away, including what looked like a large dark lower leg. While inside the trailer the wife heard two to three whooping sounds from that wooded area.
Camper has a possible close encounter west of Mono Lake
The witness was camping alone at night reading in a chair when a loud branch snap was heard nearby. Gas cans and other items behind a shed were knocked over as something large moved a short distance through trees and stopped across a creek. The witness's dogs cowered at the trailer door and the witness retreated inside with a feeling of being watched.
Possible vocalizations heard by resident near Twain Harte
Late at night the witness took a dog outside and heard movement in the densely wooded backyard. The witness then heard a deep growl followed by a loud progressive scream that seemed non-human and kept hearing vocalizations after going back inside. The next morning the witness found disturbed underbrush and broken branches but no footprints.
Young man claims possible sighting at night near Lake Mary, outside Mammoth
The witness was staying at a cabin near Lake Mary and took two dogs for a night walk. The dogs began growling and pulling toward sounds of rustling leaves and breaking branches. The witness shone a flashlight and saw a huge ape-like but human-built figure about 200 feet away watching and swaying between trees. After a minute or two the figure turned and walked away, and the witness hurried back to the cabin.
Campers Hear Unusual Evening Sounds
Two campers spent a rainy night at a campground after noticing a skunk-like odor on arrival. Through the night they heard ape-like hoots, single-note whistles, repeated wood-on-wood whacks from several directions, heavy two-legged footsteps, and nearby rockslides. They saw nothing in the dark and left the next morning, noting the steep bowl-shaped hillside could carry sounds from far uphill.
Possible nighttime encounter, food taken from hunters camping near Tuolumne
The witness joined a small group for an overnight camp to practice outdoor skills. In the evening the witness walked east of camp, noticed a strong foul smell and heard vegetation breaking nearby before running back to the group. Overnight the campers were awakened by sounds around the camp followed by a loud crash, and by morning the food hung high above ground was gone, the supporting limb was damaged, and a foul smell lingered. The group then packed and left the area.
Quad riders find fresh footprints, encounter overwhelming stench near Stumpy Meadows
The witness was riding an ATV with her husband on a forest road and stopped alone to wait for him. She reported a very strong foul odor, a feeling of being watched, and hearing a branch break. When she started to leave she noticed very large footprints over their fresh outgoing tracks. Her husband saw the prints but attributed their size to dust and reported only a faint dead smell.
Family Encounters Red Eyes and Unusual Smells
The witness group was camped in a Sierra County campground and walked to an outhouse at night with a small flashlight. The witness shone the light toward the outhouse area below the trail and saw two red eyes that appeared to crouch down, then quickly returned to camp. A foul odor noticed around the outhouse lessened when others checked shortly after, and the next morning the group found small uprooted trees and no odor, estimating the eyes had been 7 to 8 feet off the ground.
Hunters have strange experiences and make an unusual discovery
Two companions were hunting deer on a family property near Pine Mountain when they found a footprint and other tracks near a pine overhang, noticed a localized strong skunk-like odor, and saw a pile of fresh acorns with no oak nearby. As they moved uphill using alternating advances, each heard an unrecognized whistle and the sound of a large boulder rolling, with neither attributing the sounds to the other. Both reported a feeling of being followed uphill.
Campers hear late night scream near Woodfords
The witness was asleep in a tent at a remote lake campground when she was awakened by a loud scream that rose from low to high pitch just outside the tent. She heard something heavy run away up a gravel road. Companions camped a short distance away also heard the scream, and one who went outside reported a very strong bad odor, while the witness's dog reacted strongly inside the tent.
Possible intimidation in the late afternoon reported by hikers in the Big Tujunga Canyon area
Two hikers returning up a dry creek bed in late afternoon smelled a strong foul odor and noticed a dead squirrel placed over a boot print. From a short distance away they heard loud banging like wood striking trees, saw treetops swaying, then heard very loud groaning and screaming vocalizations. The sounds paused while they walked away and resumed when they stopped, until they left the area.
Campers hear more nighttime vocalizations at Sugar Pine Campground, on the west side of Lake Tahoe
The witness and a relative were camping overnight when they heard a loud whooping sound nearby followed by loud crunching like branches breaking. A girl was heard screaming after the whooping. In the morning they found large footprints near their tent measuring about 12 to 16 inches long, which they felt were too large for a bear.
BFRO Investigators detail activity around Twain Harte
Investigators found fresh broken trees, dozens of footprints and two nests where a trail crossed a road and staked out the spot. No creature was seen, but something large moving on two feet approached the stakeout before fleeing downhill through brush when a car passed. The sign was documented the next day with footprint and tree-break measurements and a body-length impression in one nest.
Young couple encounter something large on Lake Hemet
The witness and a companion drove to Hemet Lake late at night intending a walk and sat by the car. They heard something large breaking branches and moving down a canyon behind them, then smelled a strong rotten wet-dog odor and felt watched, so they left. When they returned about an hour later, a large steel trash bin had been knocked over and had a large circular dent.
Cousins have late night experience with strange screams near Huntington Lake
The witness and a relative were walking in a meadow below ranch buildings around dusk when they heard a prolonged loud screaming vocalization from nearby trees and heard movement circling the meadow. They retreated to ranch buildings and continued hearing vocalizations around the ranch overnight. The next day they found no tracks on frozen ground but found a large handprint with long fingers on a food storeroom door.