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20 encounters
13 January 2013 The Villages, Sumter County, Florida Class B #38923

Possible nighttime activity in the retirement community The Villages

Over several nights in December the witness and their partner sat on their home lanai at night and heard a loud cry or scream, rock-clacking sounds, and stones or pebbles striking the house and lanai, and noticed a strange unknown odor for two days. No creature was seen. An investigator later visited the property, found a displaced rock, a single possible footprint, and nearby scat, and noted the property backs onto a power-line corridor.

ScreamUnidentified soundOdorRock throwing
10 October 2012 ALVA, Lee County, Florida Class B #38165

Repeat night visits scare away roommates near Alva

The witness reports ongoing nighttime visits at a rental property since March 2012. He hears sounds, smells odor, and sees a shadowy figure run toward the woods. He believes it is a female with a child that steals fruit, garbage and fish, and says the figures watch people in the yard and peer through windows.

SilhouetteUnidentified soundOdorProperty disturbance
October 2012 Alachua, Alachua County, Florida Class B #36682

Woman finds possible footprints during morning bike ride in San Felasco Preserve northwest of Gainesville

The witness stopped to rest while mountain biking and noticed a cluster of large barefoot-like footprints off the trail, which she photographed for scale. She reported hearing distant stomping or thumping sounds and later smelling a foul odor in the area. She did not see what made the prints and first thought the sounds were hogs or wild boar.

TracksFootstepsOdor
11 April 2012 Not Disclosed At This Time, Hillsborough County, Florida Class B #35053

Hitch-hiker tells of his possible nighttime encounter along I-75

The witness was hitchhiking and camped for the night in a hammock under a river bridge. During the night he heard unknown noises, a cough/grunt sound, whistles, rocks thrown toward him, and a very loud crash near his hammock. He smelled a skunk-like odor and felt watched as he packed up and left, then continued his trip by bus.

Unidentified soundVocalizationWhistleRock throwingWood knock +1
8 January 2012 Bronson, Levy County, Florida Class B #31933

Hunter experiences dusk encounters in Goethe State Forest

On the second evening the witness walked a sandy horse trail about a half mile from an earlier brush trail. He reported hearing an unfamiliar screech/growl, answering wood knocks, loud stomping nearby, and a rock thrown past him, followed by crashing in the brush. He then found a very large bare footprint that he photographed with his shoe for scale before leaving quickly without ever seeing the source.

GrowlScreamWood knockFootstepsRock throwing +2
15 October 2011 Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida Class A #49326

Man encounters a bigfoot on property near Suwannee River State Park

The witness was walking his two dogs behind his house in the early evening when the dogs froze staring at the woods and then fled inside. The witness then watched what he first thought was a 3- to 4-foot stump stand up into a 7- to 8-foot hair-covered biped. The creature grunted, walked deeper into the woods with heavy steps in a zig-zag path, glanced back with a growl, and disappeared near a gas-line dirt road, leaving a wet-dog and pine-sap odor.

Partial sightingGrowlFootstepsOdor
18 October 2009 Mascote, Sumter County, Florida Class A #26823

Daylight sighting by hunter and son in Richloam Wildlife Management Area

The witness and a relative were driving to a store after hunting when they saw a large hairy biped partly behind a scrub oak beside a curved road. The witness slowed and watched it for about 10-15 seconds from about 20-25 feet away before passing and turning around, by which time it was gone. After returning to the spot they noticed a strong foul odor and large ground impressions with flattened plants.

Full-body sightingOdorTracks
18 October 2009 Mascote, Sumter County, Florida Class A #28200

Father and son have very close daylight sighting in the Green Swamp

The witness and a relative were driving on a road through a hunting area late in the morning when they saw a large hair-covered biped beside the road at very close range. The vehicle passed within a few feet of the creature, then they turned around to look again. The creature had left the roadside and left a trail of disturbed vegetation and indistinct footprints. They described its size, build, hair, and facial features in detail.

Full-body sightingOdorTracksTree break
February 2008 Wakulla, Wakulla County, Florida Class A #23570

Two hikers see an upright ape running off into the brush in Apalachicola National Forest

Two companions hiking in Apalachicola National Forest stopped at a shallow brook to cool off. After leaving the water they heard rocks colliding and sticks breaking and went to investigate. They glimpsed an ape-like biped charging away through thick brush, breaking limbs and leaving a foul odor. Afterwards they noted disturbed rocks and a partial heel print that later dried out and was not photographed.

Partial sightingTracksOdorTree breakUnidentified sound
17 November 2006 Middleburg, Clay County, Florida Class A #16727

Nighttime sighting by teen at Lake Asbury off HWY 739 outside Middleburg

The witness was at a wooded church camp at night when a tall black-haired biped trotted across about 50 feet away for about seven seconds. The witness noted a dome-like head, very large shoulders, and long arms hanging straight down while the shoulders twisted with movement. About a minute later a strong foul odor was noticed, followed minutes later by a series of loud hoots. The next morning the witness found large human-like barefoot tracks in sand.

Full-body sightingVocalizationOdorTracks
November 2006 Land O Lakes, Pasco County, Florida Class A #24266

Boy sees large creature peering at him from behind a tree next to Cypress Creek Wellfield

The witness was playing in woods near home with companions when breaking sticks and sounds of something large approaching were heard through dense undergrowth. Sticks were thrown as the group retreated, and the witness briefly saw a very tall hair-covered biped peering from behind a large tree before running out scared. The initial report of something big was brushed off until similar local reports months later prompted detailed questioning.

Partial sightingObject throwingOdorFootsteps
September 2005 Dunnellon/ Inglis, Levy County, Florida Class A #17644

Daylight Sighting in the Goethe State Forest

The witness and a companion were scouting in a state forest when they noticed a strong foul odor. They saw an upright figure down a trail, watched it kneel in palmettos staring at them for many minutes, then saw it stand and cross the trail followed by a smaller similar figure into dense brush. They later found two footprints larger than the witness's foot.

Full-body sightingOdorTracks
2 January 1999 Osceola County, Florida Class A #736

while sitting on a tree stand hunter observed bi-pedal creature walking at high speeds.

The witness was hunting from a tree stand when a tall bipedal creature moved past quickly. The witness reported a strong zoo-like odor and described the animal as hunched with a coned head, wide shoulders, and black hair. Footprints were found in the area.

Full-body sightingOdorTracks
June 1987 Immokalee, Collier County, Florida Class B #20420

Possible nightime encounter near Lake Trafford

Late at night the witness's family was at home when a dog outside sounded distressed. A relative went out, saw a large shadow by the shed, retrieved a firearm, then saw something flee down the driveway and fired, after which a loud growl-howl was heard followed by silence. The next morning the family found unfamiliar footprints and believed the visitor had leapt across a nearby canal.

SilhouetteMovement onlyGrowlHowlUnidentified sound +1
10 April 1987 Cassia, Lake County, Florida Class A #32249

Memory told of close encounters while working as a fence contractor near Cassia

The crew was camped on the bank of Blackwater Creek eating dinner when a splash revealed their cooler in the creek was missing. Shortly after, a companion returned shaken saying something had watched him from across the creek. The witness shone a spotlight across the narrow creek and the group saw a large hair-covered biped stand up, its eyes shining, block the light with its forearm, vocalize, and flee. The men then left for a motel for the remainder of the job.

Full-body sightingEyeshineGrowlHowlOdor +1
November 1986 Lake Butler, Union County, Florida Class B #23498

Bow hunter describes possible tracks, sounds and scat north of Lake Butler

The witness was archery hunting from a ground blind near a hog wallow when he heard close grunting and breathing that he could not see. After the sounds stopped he inspected the area and found very large scat and large deep tracks leading to and away from the scat. He first assumed hogs and then a very large bear made the sign, but later judged the scat too large for a Florida black bear.

VocalizationTracksScatOdor
Fall 1979 Dunnellon, Marion County, Florida Class B #7692

Possible brush nest, tracks, smell, noticed by DeMolay teens visiting rural home Dunellon

Three teenagers walked down a dirt road at night to take time-exposure photos of stars away from house lights. They noticed a strong foul odor and an unusual silence, became frightened, and ran back to the house. The next morning they returned and found an area of flattened brush and a very large footprint in damp soil nearby, which they photographed in black-and-white before having to leave.

OdorTracksStructure or nest
5 October 1977 Marion County, Florida Class A #726

A hitchhiker reports seeing a bigfoot in a forested area off U.S. 441

A hitchhiker reported encountering a Bigfoot-like creature in a lightly wooded area south of Belleview in darkness. The creature was described as taller than the six-foot witness, brown and black in color, with a horrible garbage-like odor. The account comes from a 1977 newspaper article which notes the sighting was not substantiated.

Partial sightingOdor
BFRO YEAR: 1985 86 Lakeland Fla, Polk County, Florida Class B #3918

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

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.

Partial sightingTracksOdorUnidentified sound
BFRO YEAR: 74-75 Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, Florida Class A #414

Year long sightings by family

The witness describes repeated nighttime visits to a rural property over about a year by a family of large hairy creatures that ate fruit, looked in trailer windows, and once bit a penned hog. The witness reports seeing three individuals of varying heights, hearing frequent chattering, noticing odor, tracks and hair, and attempting to hunt them without driving them away. After about a year the visits stopped, believed to have ended when habitat regrew.

Full-body sightingChatterOdorTracksHair +1