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Law enforcement officers find and follow fresh snow tracks 33 miles NE of Moline
After midnight an on-duty officer searching for a stolen snowmobile along a river heard loud crashing and heavy running in a treeline. He then found large human-like footprints in snow, with two larger sets and one smaller set, showing a long stride and signs of running. He and two deputies photographed the tracks and interpreted the trail as individuals scouting, pausing, and circling before leaving, then withdrew from the area.
Hunter describes strange encounters and finds a possible footprint near Kickapoo State Park
The witness was bowhunting deer alone from a tree stand in the evening and shot a buck. While climbing down and tracking the deer in near-dark, the witness heard loud screaming-growling noises, smelled a strong pungent odor, and saw a huge silhouette about 30 yards away on a hillside. The witness left the woods while still hearing the noises and returned the next morning to find the blood trail ended with no deer.
Possible footprints found east of Belleville near Illinois Route 4
The witness was walking through woods near a river toward a field used for searching for artifacts in the evening. They heard loud crashing described as something moving fast and hard and breaking limbs. They then found several footprints in mud left after rain, one of which was photographed and measured.
Possible nighttime sighting and vocalizations in a backyard near Old Ripley
The witness was in bed late at night when barking dogs prompted them to go outside. They saw a dog run under the porch and something retreat into the woods. After shouting and tossing a small stone into the trees, the witness heard a shriek/howl and the stone was thrown back to land at their feet. The witness ran inside, then returned with a flashlight to find twisted vegetation and snapped branches and noted a foul smell.
Possible vocalization and footprint found near Bachelors Grove Cemetery
The witness and a companion visited Bachelor's Grove in the afternoon to check structures described in a prior report. They observed hand-made tree pyramids, an X, and an arch, heard a siren-like sound and faint mumbling voices, and saw no unknown animals. After the companion left, the witness found a large old footprint with visible toes and additional faint impressions forming a long-stride trackway.
Wood knocks, vocalizations and possible footprint found in rural cemetery near Shelbyville
Over a couple months of visits to a small rural cemetery, the witness and companions repeatedly heard wood knocks surrounding them, logs or objects being thrown, and a walnut thrown back toward them. They also heard growls, hissing, grunts, yells and screams on separate occasions, and once heard a large unseen thing charge to the cemetery edge then go silent. They never saw the source, reported no departing footsteps, and described a persistent feeling of being watched and warned from entering the woods.
Mushroom hunter hears vocalizations and finds footprints near Jubilee College State Park
The witness was hunting with a dog on a sunny afternoon when the dog became agitated and a strong odor was noticed. The witness heard grunt-like noises followed twice by a loud scream or yell, plus cracking and movement in trees and brush, while the dog returned frightened with raised hair. After driving to a more open area across a shallow creek, the witness found two very large barefoot-like footprints that seemed too large and out of place to be human.
On-going activity experienced by a family east of St. Louis
The witness and a relative were wood-knocking in the backyard at night. After the witness knocked five times, they heard a high-pitched chatter from one direction and a grumbling sound from another direction for about a minute. Additional knocking produced no further response that evening.
Family hears vocalizations and finds footprints in their backyard east of Pekin
The witness's brother was sleeping in a tent in the yard and woke around 12:30 a.m. feeling uneasy after hearing something outside. He looked around the tent, saw nothing, and went inside the house to sleep on the couch. The next morning very large footprints were found right outside the tent in wet sand and were photographed.
Deer hunter has early morning sighting from tree stand near Pearl City
The witness climbed into a tree stand before dawn to bow hunt. While it was still dark, something breathed heavily beneath the stand for about 10 minutes then walked away to the southeast. Shortly after sunrise in light fog, the witness saw a large human-like figure about 100 yards away walking east at a fast pace. After climbing down, the witness followed its footprints eastward.
The "Big Muddy Monster" flap of Murphysboro
In the late 1970s to early 1980s, residents around the Big Muddy River reported a foul-smelling, hairy hominid-like creature. Witnesses described seeing and hearing it near the river and finding footprints, with size and color accounts varying. The writer compiled these secondhand accounts and notes the creature was never reported as violent.
Memory told of a possible encounter and footprint found along Horse Creek north of Pawnee
Two companions walking along a wooded driveway in the afternoon heard unidentified tapping sounds and entered the woods to investigate. They found freshly matted grass and a human-like bare footprint with five toes in dried mud. Shortly after, the companion shouted to run as loud timber-breaking crashes and movement occurred in dense undergrowth behind him. The reporter did not see the source, but the companion reportedly saw something about seven feet tall, after which both fled to the driveway.
Memory told of possible vocalizations and footprints found near Atwood
On a winter evening around 10 p.m., the witness opened the door to let a dog out and heard an immense scream-howl from just north of the house. The sound felt like a physical impact and frightened the dog so it would not go outside. The witness's mother also heard the vocalization from inside the house.