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217 encounters
October 1977 Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois Class B #36702

Memory told of a possible sighting at dawn by a hunter in his tree stand southeast of Pontiac

The witness arrived before sunrise on opening day to bow-hunt from a tree stand at the edge of a bean field. While in the stand the witness heard loud bipedal footsteps moving through dense saplings and then saw a tall hair-covered figure standing about 20 yards away. The two stared at each other for several minutes before the figure walked away, after which the witness fled to a companion's vehicle and did not return.

Partial sightingFootsteps
September 1977 Granite City, Madison County, Illinois Class B #39852

Memory told of a possible sighting while parked in a car near Granite City

While a dating couple sat talking in a parked car near woods and lakes, the woman saw a large dark figure standing behind the car about 10 to 15 feet away. She reacted with sudden shock and told her companion what she had seen. The figure moved away and had disappeared by the time both occupants looked back, so only the woman directly saw it.

Full-body sighting
September 1977 Plumfield, Franklin County, Illinois Class A #42945

Memory told of a daylight sighting along railroad tracks east of Plumfield

Two friends rode dirt bikes along railroad tracks to a creek under a trestle. They heard a noise and saw a large dark-haired creature on a nearby hill squatting and rubbing its back against a tree. Frightened, they left quickly on their bikes.

Full-body sighting
1976–1977 Rochester, Sangamon County, Illinois Class A #28545

Man tells of the strange occurrences and his sighting as a teenager near Buckhart

Four people drove to a hilltop clearing at night and parked with the engine off to listen. After hearing twigs crunching as something circled their position, those in the back seat noticed a figure behind the vehicle. The witnesses in front then glimpsed a tall dark bipedal figure with red reflected eyes ducking behind a tree, prompting them to start the vehicle and leave immediately.

Partial sightingEyeshineFootsteps
October 1975 Gorham, Jackson County, Illinois Class B #40842

Memory told of a possible sighting along Happy Hollow Road near Gorham

The witness was riding in a vehicle with three relatives on a wooded road after sundown. As the vehicle came around a curve, the headlights illuminated a creature standing on a creek bank by a wooden bridge. The creature looked toward the vehicle, its eyes caught in the headlights, then turned and walked away.

Full-body sightingEyeshine
October 1975 Rantoul, Champaign County, Illinois Class A #41318

Memory told of roadside sighting at night south of Rantoul

An investigator summarized a phone interview about an evening encounter involving two witnesses in a vehicle. A dark brown, hairy animal described as 7 feet tall and beefy was seen about 30 feet away in the headlights near a drainage ditch in harvested farmland. The animal reportedly came out of the ditch on all fours, then stood on two legs and walked away.

Full-body sighting
Winter 1975 Vandalia, Fayette County, Illinois Class A #2805

Early morning sighting of creature looking at "something" in the snow in Vandalia

The witness looked out a bedroom window early in the morning to check the snow and saw a large dark creature close to the window bent down in the snow. The creature looked up at the witness, stood up slowly, and took a step toward the window. The frightened witness ran to another room and hid until a parent arrived.

Full-body sighting
23 July 1974 Midlothian, Cook County, Illinois Class B #45041

Man recalls possibly seeing a bigfoot playing peek-a-boo in headlights while parked west of Midlothian

The witness was parked in a car with two companions at a forest reserve pull-off on a summer evening when a large furry hand appeared gripping a tree. Moments later a large furry head peeked around the tree and quickly withdrew without approaching. The group left the area immediately and rarely spoke of the incident afterward.

Partial sighting
Fall 1974 Sparland, Marshall County, Illinois Class B #55386

Witness recalls possible nighttime sighting near Sparland

The witness and a relative were outside their home at night waiting for a family member to return from hunting. They saw a bipedal figure approaching from the woods that they first mistook for the family member. The figure stopped and stood, then quickly went back into the woods, prompting the relative to bring the witness inside and secure the home. The family member arrived home later.

Partial sighting
6 June 1973 Madison County, Illinois Class C #3472

Series of three incidents describing a human sized creature near edge of Edwardsville

Three residents described separate encounters in early June 1973 with a human-sized creature that chased them. The creature was said to be about 5 feet 8 inches tall and broad-shouldered, with red eyes sensitive to light, a musty odor, and silent movement. One man told police it tore his shirt and scratched his chest.

Full-body sightingOdorAnimal behaviour
June 1973 Victoria, Knox County, Illinois Class A #32162

Recollection of daylight sighting as youth near Victoria

The witness and three companions were hiking on hilltops in a strip-mine area when a bellowing cow drew attention to a nearby clearing. A large white bipedal creature emerged, stopped and stared toward the witness for several seconds after the witness shouted, then turned and walked back in the direction it came from. The group ran back to their campsite and reported the sighting to adults, who did not take it seriously.

Full-body sighting
13 May 1973 Kankakee, Kankakee County, Illinois Class A #26905

Fisherman has closeup encounter with a juvenile near Kankakee

While fishing with two companions in a rural backwater area, the witness walked the shoreline away from the group and then pushed backward through a tall hedge onto a grassy lane. Face-to-face at close range he encountered a short, stocky, brown-haired biped that then fled upright down the lane while he ran toward his companions. He described the being as fully hair-covered with dark eyes and elongated arms, moving with a flailing-armed jog, with no sound or odor noted.

Full-body sighting
29 October 1972 Chestline, Adams County, Illinois Class A #28423

Man recalls his face to face daylight encounter in Siloam Springs State Park

The witness was breaking camp for the weekend and walked down a path to smoke, sitting on a rock. After hearing a sound behind, the witness turned to see a large, bulky brown-gray hair-covered figure about twenty feet away downslope at eye level. They locked eyes for a few seconds while the witness noted facial details, then the figure swung around a tree and hurried down a gully making noise as the witness ran up the path.

Partial sightingUnidentified soundFootsteps
15 September 1972 Kell, Marion County, Illinois Class C #3471

Beige upright creature seen at a distance of 1000 yards near Kell

The witness's mother was talking on the telephone on the screened porch when the outside dogs began barking intensely. She saw a large beige animal crouched at the edge of the woods about 1000 yards from the house. The creature stood upright, looked toward the house, then walked into the woods, after which the dogs calmed; the encounter lasted about 15-20 seconds.

Full-body sighting
1972–1978 Granite City, Madison County, Illinois Class B #32196

Memory told of family encounters near Granite City

The witness reports that while staying at the parents' rural property with a friend around dusk in late summer 1972, they observed a large hairy figure filling the barn doorway from about a hundred yards away. The pair ran to tell parents inside the house, and when they returned the figure was gone. The witness estimated the figure at eight feet tall, broad enough to fill the doorway, and brownish-black in color.

Full-body sighting
November 1970 Coal City, Will County, Illinois Class A #47911

Memory told of a nighttime road crossing near Coal City

The witness was driving west late at night when a 6-foot-tall hairy creature stepped into the road. It crossed slowly about 50 yards in front of the vehicle and showed no fear. The creature was described with reddish-orange hair, massive legs, long arms, and eyes that shone emerald green in the headlights.

Full-body sightingRoad crossingEyeshine
9 September 1969 It Was In Hampton Ill., Rock Island County, Illinois Class A #24147

Creature seen at a flooded rock quarry near Hampton

The witness was walking with a companion to a quarry at night to fish. While running down a steep slope to the water, the witness came within about ten feet of a tall, thin hair-covered figure crouched with its hands and feet on the ground and facing away. The witness immediately ran back up the slope without telling the companion what was seen, and the two then fished for about an hour with no further incident.

Full-body sighting
9 August 1969 Norris, Fulton County, Illinois Class A #28714

Memory told of seeing a bigfoot on the side of a road along Middle Branch Creek

When the witness was ten, the witness and the mother drove at night to assist a relative whose truck had broken down near a creek and woods. Headlights revealed a crouched figure behind a fence watching the relative's truck. The relative and the witness approached on foot with a makeshift light, at which point the figure stood tall on two legs and ran into nearby woods, disappearing within a few steps.

Full-body sighting
12 July 1969 Brereton And Norris, Fulton County, Illinois Class B #50155

Memory of seeing something chimp-like in the trees and being chased out of the woods near Brereton

In July 1969 the witness and two younger brothers were on bikes on a bridge over a creek when they watched a 4-foot dark brown young animal play in a tree about 300 feet away for five minutes. The witness felt overwhelming terror without seeing a threat and led the brothers away. While they rode about a half mile home, a brother reported a strange hairy man chasing them, which the witness interpreted as an adult protecting its young.

Full-body sighting
28 September 1968 Carpentersville, Cook County, Illinois Class A #12984

Nighttime sighting by motorists east of Carpentersville

Two companions lost while driving at night stopped beside a side road to turn around. A tall, dark-haired, upright creature crossed in front of their van from left to right, looking toward them. As they backed out, one thought it turned back toward the van, and they fled in fear.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing