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Possible vocalizations heard from the Bear Heaven Campground east of Elkins
The witness spent the night alone in the cab of his truck at Bear Heaven campground without a tent or fire. Around 3 a.m. a loud double whoop was heard from very close range, followed after a pause by a second similar call. A fainter similar call was heard answering from a distance. The source was not seen.
Hunters hear possible vocalizations, large head seen peeking from behind boulders near Franklin
On the afternoon of opening day, the witness climbed toward a treestand set among boulders and thick vegetation. From the boulders behind him he heard a growl and rock-clashing sounds, then saw a large dark head and shoulders duck behind a boulder. He backed away to about 100 yards while watching, saw it peek out and hide again, then left the area.
Traveler hears possible vocals from the forest during a roadside stop near Sugar Grove
The witness stopped roadside at night after hearing three whoop-like calls from downslope. The witness imitated the calls and heard a two-call reply, imitated that, then heard a sharp wood crack and a different, agitated howl. A passing vehicle ended the exchange, and further imitation attempts during a 40-45 minute wait received no response.
Hiking couple has brief sighting, then hears primate vocals, then sees tree shaking, in Otter Creek Wilderness
A couple hiking in the Otter Creek Wilderness became disoriented after several hours. They noticed a large dark silhouette on a ridge about 100 yards away, then heard monkey-like sounds for about 30 seconds and saw a tall thin tree violently shaken. They interpreted the displays as threatening and quickly left the area.
Lone hiker wakes to rock clacks and heavy foot falls on the Allegheny Trail near Durbin
The witness camped overnight in a tent at a shelter along the Allegheny Trail. At dawn he was awakened by stones clacking together that moved back and forth north to south for an extended period. Shortly after the clacking stopped, he felt and heard heavy footsteps approach from behind the shelter and step on a plastic tarp beside it. He shouted from inside the tent, after which he heard no further movement.
Fishermen hear loud screams while camped at Wildell
The witness and a companion were camped near Wildell for trout fishing. Around 11 p.m. while eating by the campfire they both heard a very loud, long yell from across the river that started loud, rose higher, and lasted 5 to 6 seconds. They listened for another call but heard nothing more that night.
Turkey hunters hear possible howl and bipedal steps approach their camp near Brandywine
The witness and two companions hiked into rugged forest to camp overnight for turkey hunting. Late at night they heard a prolonged unfamiliar howl, and a few hours later heard slow heavy footsteps approach within feet of their tent before withdrawing when spoken to. The next morning they found a large scat pile uphill and then left the area.
Rural residents describe loud vocalizations and strange incidents near Iaeger
The witness was sitting on the front porch late at night when he heard a loud scream at a distance, followed later by crashing brush and a series of loud moans, growls and howls from across the road. He judged the vocalizations as extremely powerful and unlike any known animal and inferred the source was very large. He went inside and locked the doors.
Possible activity outside a residence near Lavalette
The witness and a relative were sitting on a hill near outbuildings watching a hollow at night when a passing car's lights revealed a tall standing figure below them. The figure turned toward them, and after the car passed they heard breathing and running coming uphill toward them. Both fled to the nearby house and heard nothing further that night.
Wood knocking startles target shooter outside of Shady Spring
The witness was alone target shooting on an abandoned strip mine in the late afternoon. After emptying a magazine he heard extremely loud knocking sounds coming from downhill. He listened for a couple of minutes and then left the area without searching because of the volume and being alone.
Possible vocalizations heard by backpackers in Otter Creek Wilderness
The witness and two companions were backpacking and camping in a wilderness area, working to start a fire at dusk when the witness and one companion heard a loud, long howl-like scream repeated three times from far up a hollow. The witness judged it unlike any known local animal call. Later that night after the fire burned down, the witness alone heard loud stomping and large branches snapping near the creek close to camp for a few minutes.
Possible sighting by child near home outside Arnoldsberg
A woman and a child went to a relative's house to feed a dog. The child chased the dog around the house out of sight, then screamed and ran back saying a monkey-like creature growled and ran into the woods, later adding there was a little one with its mother. The woman did not see the creature but heard movement in the brush.
Possible vocalizations and rock clacking near Knob Fork
The witness was on a hunting trip with three companions and went to collect firewood in the evening. An extremely loud scream-like vocalization was heard from a nearby valley, prompting the pair collecting wood to return to camp. The group continued to hear similar vocalizations from multiple directions through the night, along with sounds like rocks being knocked together near camp. Nothing was ever seen.
Possible vocalizations heard by camper near Tygart Valley River
The witness spent the summer camping in a tent in a meadow while working away from home. On many nights he was awakened after midnight by repeated long moaning sounds and at times heard walking sounds near camp, but a flashlight search revealed nothing. He also reported occasionally hearing wood knocks and bipedal footsteps trailing him along the woodline, with the source staying hidden behind vegetation.
Participant observations during BFRO WV Expedition
On the second night of the expedition, the witness and two companions walked back along a riverside trail talking with lights off. They repeatedly heard loud splashes from across the river that appeared to keep pace with them as they moved. They stopped after each splash to listen but heard no footsteps over the river noise, then returned to camp.
Possible vocalization and stalking near Spruce Flat
The witness and a companion were walking along a road late at night when they heard a strange drawn-out hoot-like vocalization and heavy footsteps approaching through a field. The unseen source circled around them in the dark, vocalized again, and reportedly knocked down an old barbed-wire fence ahead of them. The pair never saw the source of the sounds.
Woman experiences rock throwing, vocalization during walk
The witness was walking with a dog on a gravel road through woods when she heard repeated banging like something striking a tree. Two rocks were then thrown from the woods and narrowly missed her as she hurried away. Near a bend in the road she heard a loud low growl followed by a scream and fled running. She later learned a family member had been home the whole time and days later saw a large oddly shaped footprint near the roadside.
Possible whoops heard in logging area outside the Monongahela National Forest
The witness, a wildlife biology student surveying songbird nests in a clear-cut, heard a very loud repetitive whooping from a ridge about 100 yards above for 3 to 4 minutes. The witness scanned with binoculars but saw nothing, then hiked to the ridgetop about 10 minutes later and found it unusually quiet with game trails. The witness later concluded the sound matched an archival whoop recording and was not a known bird.
Logging reveals a brief sighting of a bipedal creature near Pennsboro
In late summer 2002 the witness was walking alone on a logged ridge in the early evening and heard a tree fall nearby. Shortly after, the witness saw a very large brown figure lope between trees on the ridge, perceiving only an arm and leg and no head. Days later the witness returned and judged from the tree positions that the figure would have been seven to eight feet tall if human.
On-going encounters makes rural family cautious
In June 2001 the witness's children discovered large footprints in the field behind the family mobile home and photographed them. About a week later the children heard something running across the hillside while playing at the creek, and the family dog chased it and later returned covered in slime. The children later encountered large rocks rolling toward them on the hill, and the witness heard a loud prolonged growl, with a horrible unidentified odor lingering after the hillside activity.