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1,804 encounters
Fall 1987 Maple Falls, Whatcom County, Washington Class B #10258

Loud vocalizations repeatedly disturb family

The witness, then a child, was sleeping in the family's A-frame when very loud, high-pitched screams from behind the house woke the household. The father fired a handgun from a loft window and later used a spotlight, hearing something move away upslope but never seeing the source. Similar late-night screams recurred several times over the following week, and daytime searches found broken small trees and a rotten-egg smell but no tracks or other samples. The family moved away within a month.

ScreamOdorTree breakMovement only
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
13 September 1986 Twin City, Emanuel County, Georgia Class B #49544

Man and wife recall possible daytime sighting while fishing the Ohoopee River

While fishing from a jon boat, the witness and companion heard something crashing through the woods and saw a tall, reddish-brown hair-covered creature watching them from behind bushes. They paddled to their campsite across the river while the creature paced the opposite bank, with footsteps and breaking limbs heard. After an overnight splash and sounds of it leaving, they found hand and finger marks where it had climbed the muddy bank.

Partial sightingFootstepsTree breakHandprint
1 September 1986 Lakehead Ca., Shasta County, California Class B #2855

Man had deer stolen by creature near Lakehead

A homeowner had shot a deer and hung it in a tree behind the house. That night while going to let dogs out, he heard an unfamiliar scream and saw a large ape-like creature in the yard. The creature seized the deer and fled into the forest, tearing out a stretch of barbed-wire fence and leaving hair and tracks. A friend visiting the next day was shown where it stood and ran, including the tracks and hair.

Full-body sightingEyeshineScreamTracksHair
15 August 1986 Twisp, Okanogan County, Washington Class B #9392

Campers hear multiple vocalizations at Loup Loup Campground

A couple camping at a campground in the north-central Washington Cascades heard loud, powerful calls beginning shortly before dusk and continuing through the night. The sounds were described as unfamiliar, alternating between deep guttural tones and high-pitched tones, and seeming to come from two sources that moved toward each other along a creek drainage. The witnesses spent the night in their car and left at dawn without searching the brush for tracks.

VocalizationScreamGrowl
August 1986 Lumby B.C., British Columbia Class B #14166

Possible vocalizations heard in Lumby

In late summer 1986 two teenagers were on the deck of a house bordering wilderness when they heard a long, distant scream from behind the house. Startled, they hurried inside, secured the house, and the reporter briefly stepped onto the back porch with a shotgun. He heard distant movement but saw nothing further, and they stayed awake most of the night.

ScreamMovement only
1 August 1986 Bristol/Burlington Town Line, Hartford County, Connecticut Class B #74290

Whoops and knocks heard by four locals camping north of Bristol

Four young people camped overnight in a wooded area in summer 1987. During the night they heard knocking, whooping, and footsteps around their tent, and something stepped on a companion's hand through the tent wall. Two of them looked outside but saw nothing, hearing only something heavy moving away quickly. Years later they interpreted the incident as a Bigfoot encounter.

Wood knockWhoopFootstepsRock throwing
August 1986 Truckee, Nevada County, California Class B #16550

Solo camper's late night encounter outside Truckee

The witness had pulled off a remote forest road for the night and was sleeping beside the truck with dogs. In darkness heavy bipedal footsteps approached up the road and stopped a few yards away. The unseen source emitted an extremely loud prolonged scream then ran away down the road still screaming. The witness searched briefly by headlights for tracks, found none on the rocky road, and left when the dogs refused to leave the truck.

FootstepsScream
July 1986 Perry County, Kentucky Class B #2429

High-pitched growling scream heard by witnesses.

Two people were walking uphill on a rural road around 2 a.m. when they heard a strange loud scream from the wooded valley below. The sound occurred again about 20-30 seconds later, lasting longer and sounding much closer. They ran uphill to the companion's home.

Scream
July 1986 Rapid River, Delta County, Michigan Class B #5694

Campers have strange encounter near swamp in the Upper Peninsula

The witness and four companions were camped overnight on a ridge between a lake and a swampy area. Between about 1 and 4 a.m. they heard repeated loud screeching calls that approached from a distance to within tens of yards and circled their camp, sometimes accompanied by breaking branches but never revealing a source when lights were shone. After about three hours the sounds receded the way they had come, and the group left at first light without finding tracks.

ScreamMovement only
July 1986 Oakley, Summit County, Utah Class B #19983

Fisherman describes possible howls and camp stalking at Round Lake, Uinta Mountains

Two companions on a fishing and camping trip at Round Lake heard several loud, powerful howling moans from heavy timber below their overlook after sunset. The witness said the sounds did not resemble any coyote, wolf, human, or other animal familiar to him. Later that night something large moved through their camp, and the next morning horseback riders they met said something had spooked their horses overnight.

Howl
July 1986 Kennedy Meadows, Tulare County, California Class B #22815

Campers hear loud vocalizations near Kennedy Meadows

Two people camping by a campfire heard an extremely loud yell that faded into a deep growl, repeating for several minutes from the direction of a nearby meadow. They then heard a branch break and leaves moving just beyond the firelight while the companion's dog froze, shook, and stared into the darkness. They did not see the source, abandoned their tents to sleep in a vehicle, and remained frightened through the night.

GrowlVocalizationFootsteps
June 1986 Eagle, Eagle County, Colorado Class B #10505

Family describes possible encounter at campsite in Grizzly Creek Canyon

The witness was camping with family in a canyon. At night around the campfire they smelled a strong foul odor, the dogs barked toward the darkness, and loud guttural vocalizations came from just outside the firelight two or three times. After a few minutes the smell faded and the dogs calmed. The next morning they found smashed grass behind a boulder near the tent.

VocalizationOdor
May 1986 Crane Lake, St. Louis County, Minnesota Class B #28935

Airman recalls diverse encounters on excursion into Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

The witness and three companions were on a canoe-camping trip in the Boundary Waters. While visiting a creek waterfall alone, the witness heard circling footsteps and loud wood-on-tree knocks, then returned to camp. The group returned together, heard knocks nearby, and one companion briefly chased the sound before feeling lured away. That night they heard a loud splash near their island camp, and at dawn found a very large wet footprint by their canoes before leaving the area.

Wood knockFootstepsTracksMovement only
4 April 1986 Aberdeen, Brown County, South Dakota Class B #1445

Teenagers hear strange sounds near Aberdeen

Two friends were talking late at night in a farmhouse basement with the windows open when they heard a strange screeching or howl-like sound from a nearby field. They looked out the window but saw nothing, and the sound continued intermittently for about ten minutes. Neither could identify it as any known wildlife or farm animal, and a brief search the next day found nothing.

ScreamHowl
1986–1987 Coudesport,Sweden Valley, Potter County, Pennsylvania Class B #24301

Man remembers hearing strange vocalizations and seeing a hairy, upright figure while hunting in Sweden Valley

The witness was deer hunting alone in the afternoon near the top of a snowy ravine when he heard loud, unintelligible voices moving rapidly uphill. After hearing limbs breaking, he saw a tall hairy figure standing under a pine tree about 70 yards away, apparently shaking the tree and then stepping behind nearby trees where it disappeared from view. He reported feeling intense dread and chose not to approach to look for tracks, ending his hunting afterward.

Partial sightingVocalization
1986 Sumter County, Georgia Class B #2278

Hunting party shadowed by footsteps after loud vocalization heard from treeline

The witness waited alone at the bottom of a gully while two companions followed a deer's blood trail. A deep woofing sound came from the nearby treeline, prompting the witness to move to higher ground. After regrouping, the three heard heavy footsteps keeping pace with them as they hiked toward their vehicle, and shouting and gunfire did not stop the sounds before they reached the truck.

VocalizationFootsteps
11 November 1985 Barton City, Alcona County, Michigan Class B #7272

Hunters endure hour-long, intimidation behavior by unseen aggressor(s)

A group of hunters sitting at their campfire at night heard loud wailing, growling and howling sounds from just beyond the firelight, followed by the sound of trees snapping. They remained in camp as the sounds continued for an extended period before moving away into the woods. At daybreak they found snapped trees, uprooted brush, and heavily disturbed ground in the direction of the sounds.

ScreamGrowlHowlTree break
October 1985 Kernville, Tulare County, California Class B #11407

Two young men camping in the high country, hear vocals

Two companions were camping away from developed sites and sitting by a campfire in the evening when they heard loud shrill scream-growl vocalizations that seemed to come closer over time. The surrounding forest reportedly fell silent and they felt frightened and that something was close. They turned off music, readied firearms, heard another series of screams later that night, and slept with guns for protection.

ScreamGrowlFootsteps
October 1985 Humboldt County, California Class B #2176

Large footprints found by witnesses

The witness and a friend were walking their dog on a trail when the dog lunged up a steep embankment toward loud crunching and branch-breaking sounds from above. They followed a short way to the top of a ridge but the source of the noise was gone. On top they found freshly broken lower tree branches up to 10 feet high and foot-like impressions in the duff without claw marks, then returned cross-country to the trail.

TracksTree breakFootsteps