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354 encounters
July 1982 Mendocino County, California Class A #2198

Creaure heard running away by campers.

The witness stayed behind from dinner with a bloody nose and, while at a restroom, heard slow footsteps moving in brush hidden by high bushes. After telling other campers at dinner, the group returned and found large manlike footprints in hard ground. When footsteps were heard again, the witness and another camper chased the source uphill, heard it running away, and found only toe-prints.

FootstepsTracks
April 1982 Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California Class A #25444

High school teacher recalls a nighttime sighting while camping in the Los Padres National Forest

Four people camped by a river heard a loud crashing sound while eating dinner. They saw a large hairy biped running down a nearby trail illuminated by their campfire. After they yelled it glanced toward them, continued over a ridge and out of sight within seconds. They kept watch in shifts overnight and found no tracks the next morning.

Full-body sightingFootstepsMovement only
August 1981 Humboldt County, California Class B #2142

Campers smell foul odor

Around midnight during a meteor shower outing, the witness was alone in a clearing, felt watched, then heard nearby rustling and ran back to camp. Shortly after, the group noticed an extremely strong sulfurous musky odor coming from a stand of trees. They pursued stomping and thrashing sounds uphill but never saw the source, and the pursuers fled after the sound and smell abruptly stopped.

OdorMovement onlyFootstepsAnimal behaviour
1 August 1981 It Might Be Shaver Lake, But It Is Hard To Tell. At Any Rate, We Were A Very Long Way From Shaver Lake Or Any Other Town, Up In The Mountains. We Parked The Car At Courtright Reservoir., Fresno County, California Class B #4929

Teenager hears unusual daytime vocalization near Courtright Reservoir

The witness was fishing alone at dusk near camp at Fleming Lake when repeated distant undulating wailing calls were heard from a valley to the north/northeast. The calls came in five or six bouts of five to six rising-falling segments each over about a minute and were estimated to originate one to two miles away. Two companions at camp did not hear the sounds, and nothing else unusual was noticed for the remainder of the trip.

Whoop
2 July 1981 Jenner, Sonoma County, California Class B #6971

Couple hear late night scream near Fort Ross

While bicycle-camping overnight at Fort Ross, the witness and a companion were awakened around 1 a.m. by an extremely loud, prolonged scream very close to their tent. They stayed frozen in the tent listening for about an hour, and later heard a similar scream from farther away near the lower parking area. They did not see the source and did not look for tracks the next morning.

Scream
June 1981 Hathaway Pines, Calaveras County, California Class B #431

Sound and Footprint Reports from Stanislaus National Forest

The witness and family were camping in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness in 1981 when deep howls were heard nightly for three nights from about 11 p.m. until dawn. The sounds reportedly began after two men with dogs went into the forest after dark and circled a ridge before returning near camp. A pet dog was described as very afraid, and the witness said the howls did not resemble known bobcat or mountain lion sounds.

Howl
September 1980 Weaverville, Trinity County, California Class B #7773

Hunters hear late night screams in the Trinity Alps Wilderness

Two hunters camping overnight on a ridge to be positioned for opening day heard a single extremely loud scream that shifted from high-pitched to deeper growl-like tones from the direction of a nearby tree line. About half an hour later their tethered mule became highly agitated and was found favoring a front leg that later swelled markedly despite no visible wound. Searches that night and the next morning revealed no source, tracks, or sign of trauma.

ScreamGrowl
16 May 1980 Big Pine, Inyo County, California Class B #21684

Man describes childhood incident, a possible approach at Seven Lakes

The witness reports camping overnight in a tent with a relative in a remote glacial valley during a snowstorm. Around 3:45 a.m., they heard very heavy bipedal footsteps approach and stop a few feet from the tent, remaining silent for about five minutes before continuing toward a frozen lake and rugged ridgeline. The pair did not see the visitor and did not check for tracks, but left quickly at first light feeling frightened and unwelcome.

Footsteps
May 1980 Green Valley, Los Angeles County, California Class A #21674

Sasquatch sighting near Green Valley, California (1980)

Two teenagers were camping for a week in mountainous pine forest to train for military service. On the second evening at dusk while walking armed along a dirt road, they encountered a very tall dark-haired bipedal figure standing on the road watching them. After a brief staredown the figure turned and walked unhurried into the forest with heavy breaking-branch footsteps, and the next day large footprints were found leading away across a creek.

Full-body sightingFootstepsTracks
October 1979 BLACK ROCK, Tulare County, California Class B #12328

Hunters are awakened by loud, repetitive vocalizations in Monache Meadows

The witness and a companion were camped overnight during a hunting trip when they were awakened around 2 a.m. by very loud howling from a meadow. The sound was described as sad but not threatening and continued intermittently for about an hour while they searched with a spotlight from a vehicle without seeing anything. They then returned to camp.

Howl
September 1979 Weed, Siskiyou County, California Class B #5220

Son and step Father have a strange encounter on the north/east side of Mt.Shasta

The witness and a relative were camping in a remote wooded area when the witness was awakened around 3 a.m. by noises around the truck, including an ice chest being knocked over and a violent impact that rocked the vehicle, followed by a loud piercing scream-like sound. The relative also woke, and in the morning they found the camp in disarray with a dozen eggs missing, the empty carton later found away from camp, and a dent in the truck. No creature was seen and no tracks were found, and the pair stayed up until morning before leaving.

ScreamVehicle contactProperty disturbance
July 1979 Lake Shasta, Shasta County, California Class B #2770

Couple Has Frightening Encounter Near Lake Shasta

A couple drove to a remote meadow near Squaw Creek and camped overnight. After the campfire burned low at night they heard loud breaking branches, rushing movement circling and approaching the camp, and a loud howl-like vocalization, while their dog growled and a strong foul odor was present. They kept the fire large, shone flashlights into the woods without seeing eyeshine, and left at daylight, later associating the incident with Bigfoot after a friend's comment.

HowlFootstepsMovement onlyOdor
May 1979 Del Norte County, California Class A #1664

While sitting around a campfire witnesses saw a set of red glowing eyes

The witness and four companions were sitting and talking around a campfire at night when they heard loud crashing and rustling about 50 feet away in the woods. They reported seeing a pair of red glowing eyes about eight feet high that watched them for about a minute, though no body outline was visible in the dark. The source of the eyes then turned and moved away through the woods making crashing sounds.

EyeshineFootstepsAnimal behaviour
16 December 1978 Avery, Calaveras County, California Class B #5477

Teenager has a nighttime close encounter and then sees tracks in the snow in Avery

The witness spent a winter night sleeping on a couch in an unfinished hillside cabin while two dogs slept nearby. During the night a large-sounding movement was heard outside that agitated the dogs for about fifteen minutes, but the witness did not look outside. The next morning the witness found a line of large five-toed footprints in snow that appeared to pass the cabin, step over a barbed-wire fence, and jump a creek before continuing uphill, but heavy snow later covered them.

FootstepsTracks
September 1978 Strawberry, Tuolumne County, California Class B #7676

Hunters have strange night experiences near Groundhog Meadow

A witness and his son were camping by a horse corral after building deer blinds. Early in the evening they heard two loud low-pitched screams from different directions, then later watched a pair of red eyes about six to seven feet off the ground for about an hour. Later that night something struck the side of their truck-mounted camper hard enough to shake the truck, but they found nothing outside.

ScreamEyeshineVehicle contact
June 1978 Grass Valley, Nevada County, California Class A #3421

Family has unusual experience outside Grass Valley

A group gathered around a late-night bonfire at a rural ranch heard an extremely loud screeching howl from a nearby canyon and heard brush breaking as something large approached. The group fled to the house, and the witness briefly left her young child outside before going back to retrieve her. The child later said a very big, very hairy figure walked up to her, looked at her, and then walked away.

ScreamHowlFootstepsFull-body sighting
1978 California #69b382a5-30f0-4438-8cab-1f270c00d963

Growl in California (1978)

On the same trip, after hitchhiking back toward the parked truck, the witness got out in pitch darkness without a flashlight. From the side of the road the witness heard a grunt and movement approaching, then ran to the truck, started it, and drove away without seeing the source.

GrowlMovement only
1978 California #69b382a5-30f0-4438-8cab-1f270c00d963

Footsteps in California (1978)

While on leave and hiking toward Yosemite Falls, the witness slept in a mummy bag without a tent. After dark something approached on two feet and repeatedly pushed the bag with what felt like fingers and knuckles, then walked away. The witness waited, looked around, and saw nothing.

Footsteps
1978–1979 Leggett, Mendocino County, California Class B #4182

Hiker finds an “A” frame type of nest in the Mammoth Lakes area

The witness, his mother, younger brother, and dog were hiking a trail while camping in a Mendocino County state park. They heard something moving parallel to them, then heard loud wooden knocks followed by a loud guttural huff from near a tree. Without seeing the source, they ran back to camp.

Wood knockGrowlUnidentified sound
Spring 1978 Orleans, Klamath River Area., Humboldt County, California Class B #4642

Prospector has possible morning encounter on east side of Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation

In 1978 the witness was prospecting alone on a mountain trail and was overcome by intense fear. The witness left the trail, knelt and covered the eyes while something bipedal approached, paused nearby, then continued downhill. The witness did not look until it had left and therefore never saw it.

Footsteps