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767 encounters
October 1986 Greasy Creek, N.C., Polk County, Tennessee Class A #10771

Motorist has close roadside observation of animal near Chilhowee campground.

The witness stopped for a break by a creek in the Cherokee National Forest in the afternoon, smelled a strong musty urine odor and heard a close low grunt. A large black-and-gray upright figure with humanlike facial features watched the witness from underbrush for 1-2 minutes before turning and leaving through thick brush. The witness retreated to a vehicle and later estimated the figure was at least seven feet tall from measuring the standing spot.

Partial sightingVocalizationOdor
15 September 1986 Dupont And Fort Lewis, Pierce County, Washington Class A #32824

Recollection of a road crossing at dusk while working as an MP on Fort Lewis

While driving in a truck at twilight, the witness and a companion watched a large upright furry figure cross the road in a few long strides and disappear into the trees at the road edge. After stopping and getting out, they heard movement ahead in the woods, then a loud scream, and ran back to the truck while wailing continued behind them. They agreed they had encountered a bigfoot and returned the next day to find broken limbs but no footprints.

Full-body sightingRoad crossingFootstepsScreamAnimal behaviour
15 September 1986 Discovery Bay, Jefferson County, Washington Class A #39025

Man remembers his daylight sighting of a bigfoot standing on a stump next to Discovery Bay

The witness, traveling with four companions for target practice, left the truck and saw a tall upright figure standing on a stump overlooking the bay. The figure turned to look at the witness, stared, then turned away, turned again after the witness shouted, and walked quickly into dense forest. The companions did not see the figure but all later found prints, heard crashing branches, and noticed a faint unusual odor.

Full-body sightingTracksFootstepsOdor
September 1986 Six Lakes, Montcalm County, Michigan Class A #26245

Man recalls scary incidents as a teenager on his family's farm SW of Mt. Pleasant

The witness claims he woke in bed to a strong musky odor and saw a huge hairy figure looking down through his open bedroom window from a few feet away. He fled to his parents' bedroom as the creature gave a loud roar that turned into a scream, waking family members and frightening dogs inside and outside. He prepared to go outside with a handgun to retrieve the outdoor dog but stayed inside after a second roar and a family member's urging, remaining terrified through the night.

Partial sightingOdorVocalizationScream
20 August 1986 Kemmerer, Lincoln County, Wyoming Class A #1069

Hikers see three upright animals near their vehicle

After a day of hiking, the witness and a companion were returning to their parked truck after dark in moonlight when they noticed movement around the vehicle. From about 40 feet away they saw three hair-covered upright figures, two larger and one smaller, which then ran away as the men ran to the truck and drove off. No vocalizations were heard, only the sound of contact with the truck and footsteps in grass as the figures fled.

Full-body sightingVehicle contactFootsteps
August 1986 Mt. Vernon, Skagit County, Washington Class A #1617

Three hikers see something cross their path

The witness left fish out near a lakeside camp and went to sleep in a tent. During the night something entered camp, disturbed the fish can, and then ran into a swamp making loud noise. After the group built a fire and returned to tents, prolonged loud screams were heard from across the lake for about 30 minutes despite shooting, yelling and banging pots.

VocalizationScreamMovement onlyProperty disturbance
August 1986 Hood River County, Oregon Class A #670

One eight-footer and one three-footer seen by witness

The witness was camping with companions on a multi-day hike and looked out of a tent early in the morning to see two hair-covered figures in vegetation about seventy feet away. The larger figure reached toward branches while the smaller handled a stick, then the larger vocalized, took the smaller's hand, and both left behind trees. The companions did not see the figures, and the witness later mentioned the sighting to a ranger while leaving the area.

Full-body sightingVocalizationAnimal behaviour
15 June 1986 Carmel CA, Monterey County, California Class A #12292

Daylight sighting by hikers in Ventana Wilderness

The witness and his son were hiking a ridgeline trail with the son walking ahead. The son encountered a large hairy biped running toward him, screamed, and watched it run past him downhill into dense brush. The witness ran forward after hearing the scream, heard loud crashing in the brush, and caught only a brief glimpse of a dark shape disappearing.

Full-body sightingPartial sightingFootsteps
June 1986 Camden County, Missouri Class A #1099

Campsite intrusion near river.

The witness and her husband were camped in a tent on a gravel riverbank during a two-day float trip. About 2 a.m. the witness heard splashing in the river and woke her husband. Something then ran on two legs past their tent, shaking the ground. They later searched but found no tracks and noticed a very foul odor.

FootstepsOdor
June 1986 Old Shasta, Shasta County, California Class A #2845

Unusual "Wild" Smell from Animal Walking Around Camper's Truck Near Sheep Camp

The witness and a companion were sleeping in a truck bed while camping when they were awakened by something circling on foot. The circling continued for about 1.5-2 hours with branch-breaking sounds, grunting, and a strong wild odor, while they remained lying down without looking. Near dawn the sounds moved off to the southwest, and in daylight they found disturbed pine needles and broken tree limbs nearby.

FootstepsVocalizationOdorTree break
24 May 1986 Portland, Sumner County, Tennessee Class A #25592

Man recalls a vivid daytime encounter as a youth near Portland

In May/June 1986, the witness was helping a companion gather firewood on a farm when they found trees stripped of bark with snapped branches. Later, while sitting by a pond, the witness saw a very tall, muscular, reddish-brown upright creature about 100 feet away at an electric fence near tobacco trailers. The creature sniffed the air and grunted while a dog barked, then ran back into the woods. The companion's father arrived with a shotgun and found footprints larger than his boot where the creature had stood.

Partial sightingVocalizationTracksTree break
Summer 1986 Ava, Douglas County, Missouri Class A #18442

Memory told of being chased on a farm near Ava

The witness and a companion carried makeshift torches toward the woods at dusk but turned back at the tree line. A large grey figure rushed toward them from the woods, prompting them to flee to the house. After waiting inside, they saw a large grey ape-like creature squatting in the field watching them, then retreated again. Overnight they heard commotion, and next morning found shredded torches, a belt torn with teeth marks, and dents in a parked car.

Partial sightingUnidentified soundProperty disturbance
December 1985 Del Norte County, California Class A #1551

Campers hear screams, and find large footprints

The witness and a companion were walking a dog on a loop trail in redwood forest when the dog lunged up a steep embankment toward crunching and branch-breaking sounds from above. They followed a short distance to a ridge and found freshly broken lower tree branches up to about ten feet high and large human-like foot impressions in the duff that lacked claw marks. The source of the noise was gone by the time they reached the top, and they returned cross-country to the main trail.

FootstepsTracksTree break
October 1985 Silver Bay, Lake County, Minnesota Class A #4777

Daytime vocalizations and sighting by grouse hunters near Silver Bay along Lake Superior's north shore

Two companions hunting grouse in a remote swampy forest heard repeated loud howls and sensed a large animal moving nearby. They left their birds behind and headed toward the exit trail while the animal paralleled them through dense brush, stopping when they stopped. In a backlit clearing they observed the full outline of a tall, dark, hair-covered biped that crossed difficult terrain with remarkable speed. The animal ceased following as they reached a more traveled ridge trail.

SilhouetteFull-body sightingHowlVocalizationFootsteps
24 September 1985 Cedarville, Crawford County, Arkansas Class A #27482

Man recalls incident while camping as a teenager near Cedarville

Two teenagers camped on a mountain logging road were harassed by thrown sticks, loud grunting and tree-banging sounds, and a strong foul odor. When they shone a light into the woods about 25 yards away, they saw a very tall fur-covered figure that ducked behind a tree. They put out their fire and fled down the trail, saying the figure followed them most of the way back.

Partial sightingObject throwingTwistVocalizationWood knock +3
September 1985 Dalonega, Fannin County, Georgia Class A #2393

The Georgia chopper crash story has been debunked. See msg from P. Caulkins in the investigator notes

A military policeman and four squadmates were guarding a burned helicopter crash site overnight in forested mountain terrain. Around 10 p.m. they heard loud howl-like screams from near the wreckage and advanced with a flashlight. They reported seeing three tall hair-covered bipeds scavenging the wreckage and dragging remains, then fired handguns blindly after the light was dropped. They held position until dawn, found no bodies or blood, and left without telling the crash investigators.

Full-body sightingHowlScream
September 1985 Shell, Sheridan County, Wyoming Class A #1244

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

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.

Full-body sightingVocalization
August 1985 Hyampom, Trinity County, California Class A #2490

Nighttime sighting by camper near Hyampom, along South Fork of Trinity River

The witness was sleeping on a river beach with companions and woke past midnight. Across the river in bright moonlight the witness saw a large bipedal creature shaking a big pine tree, then running in an arc into the woods. The next morning the witness and a companion found large four-toed tracks in the sand where the creature had run.

Full-body sightingTracksUnidentified sound
1 July 1985 Pineville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana Class A #5609

Child has encounter while looking at the night sky

In 1985 the witness stood in a large backyard bordering pine forest late in the evening to look for a comet when an extremely loud scream came from the forest edge. While running toward the house the witness saw a very large upright creature standing in shadows at the tree line that seemed to move after the witness slipped. The witness ran inside to report it to a relative and returned the next day to sit in the branch level with where the creature's head had been.

ScreamPartial sighting
June 1985 Twin Valley, Scioto County, Ohio Class A #5229

Man recalls seeing a strange bipedal animal during his one and only hunting trip

The witness, then 15, was squirrel hunting with two relatives in forested hills when he descended into a hollow and saw a dark brown creature sitting on a large rock. The creature stood on two legs and ran off quickly while walking noises were heard on both sides and a strong odor filled the air. The group left the area shortly after at the father's urging.

Full-body sightingFootstepsOdor