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122 encounters
1 October 2011 Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois Class A #39268

Homeowner has nighttime sighting near Edwardsville

Around 1 a.m. at home, the witness heard a throat-clearing sound and looked out a hallway window toward the yard. Using night vision, the witness watched a large human-like figure standing about 40 yards away between the woods and a shed, staring up into the trees. The figure was gone by the time the witness tried to have another household member see it.

Full-body sightingVocalization
7 September 2011 Midlothian, Cook County, Illinois Class B #30601

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.

TracksStructure or nestUnidentified soundVocalization
18 July 2011 Marseilles, La Salle County, Illinois Class A #30003

Late night encounter by a motorcyclist outside of Marseilles

The witness was riding a motorcycle home from night work at about 1 a.m. when making a turn beside a cornfield. A large dark figure was seen standing at the field edge a short distance away. It leaned forward and gave an extremely loud high-pitched scream-like call heard again moments later, and the witness accelerated away without looking back.

Full-body sightingScream
July 2011 Manteno, Kankakee County, Illinois Class B #29836

Family experiences strange occurences while fishing Kankakee River

Four people were night fishing when the two who stayed by the fire reported footsteps and brush movement behind them. The witness later heard walking sounds, a grunt/growl from 20-30 yards away, noticed a strong pungent odor, and heard a whooping sound from the same direction. As the group walked out around 12:30 a.m. the witness felt they were being followed toward the bridge. No creature was seen.

FootstepsGrowlWhoopOdorAnimal behaviour
15 April 2011 Equality, Hardin County, Illinois Class A #29165

Possible observations using thermal imager southeast of Equality

The witness was with two companions walking a forest trail back to camp near midnight while using a thermal monocular and making howls and whoops. After hearing four return howls, the witness saw a bright heat signature through the thermal that peeked from behind a tree, disappearing and reappearing on alternating sides for about a minute. A companion also viewed it through the thermal and reacted with surprise. When the companions moved closer, the source grew smaller, moved through thick vegetation from right to left, and disappeared, with the witness discerning only what looked like a head.

Partial sightingHowl
18 November 2010 Rushville, Schuyler County, Illinois Class B #33040

Possible sighting by a deer hunter west of Rushville

The witness was deer hunting in a valley at dawn when a loud scream was heard nearby. The yell was loud enough to startle turkeys roosting overhead. Looking toward the sound, the witness saw a tall black animal about 70 yards away that then disappeared.

Full-body sightingScream
2 November 2010 Midlothian, Cook County, Illinois Class B #28525

Possible vocalizations and stick structures found in Bachelors Grove Cemetery

On the morning of 2 Nov 2010 the witness, a companion, and an investigator were in heavily wooded preserve land by a cemetery looking at tree structures when sirens sounded. They distinguished a different howl-like sound about 200 to 300 yards to the north, heard three times in total. The sound was captured on audio and a segment was later isolated. No creature was seen.

Howl
17 October 2010 Canton, Fulton County, Illinois Class A #28568

Nighttime sighting near a dumpster by a bicyclist in Canton

A bicyclist riding home late at night heard a noise by a dumpster behind a shed and saw a short stocky dark bipedal figure. The figure turned and walked into thin woods toward a cornfield, and the rider fled home to tell a companion. The companion checked the site minutes later but found only a trapped raccoon in the dumpster.

Full-body sightingUnidentified sound
5 September 2010 Metroplis, Massac County, Illinois Class A #37972

Nighttime observation involving a pond on a farm near Metropolis

On Labor Day weekend 2010 at a family farm, the witness and companions shone a high-powered spotlight on a creature standing chest-deep in a pond about 30-40 yards away. They watched it move, pick objects from the water and chew on them until the light died. Immediately after, they heard a splash, movement through woods, and repeated series of booms followed by loud bellowing that seemed to answer from another part of the property.

Partial sightingVocalizationWood knockFootsteps
7 August 2010 Shelby County, Illinois Class B #28144

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.

Wood knockObject throwingGrowlVocalizationScream +2
5 May 2010 Princeville, Peoria County, Illinois Class B #27692

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.

VocalizationScreamOdorTracksMovement only
January 2010 Ellisville, Fulton County, Illinois Class B #27146

Deer hunters hear possible vocalizations and find strange footprints near Ellisville

Early on Jan. 5, 2010 the witness was dropped off to hunt when an extremely low growl was heard and horses in a nearby field ran in apparent fear. About thirty minutes later after moving to a stand, the witness heard single wood knocks coming from three different directions, along with sounds resembling screech owls from the same directions. No source was seen.

GrowlWood knockUnidentified sound
October 2009 Beecher, Will County, Illinois Class A #42140

Hiker has daylight sighting in Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve

The witness was walking alone on trails at the preserve in the afternoon and heard a twig snap followed by two gorilla-like grunts near a loop trail. The witness then followed a path through tall grass toward the treeline. About 40 feet away, a brown slender entity about six feet tall was seen running silently inside the trees, grabbing a small tree while moving fast and slightly stooped. The witness walked back to the main trail without running and found only their spouse waiting.

Full-body sightingVocalizationUnidentified sound
July 2009 Colchester, McDonough County, Illinois Class B #40995

Possible sighting of animal playing peek-a-boo at Argyle Lake State Park

Two companions hiking back toward their car noticed the woods go silent and heard something moving in brush alongside them and crossing behind them, along with a musky skunk-like odor. Near the last bend the reporter glanced back and saw a wide, dark-brown figure squatting beside a low dead tree about 100 yards away. They kept walking, then ran to the car and drove off and rarely spoke of it afterward.

Partial sightingFootstepsOdor
22 January 2009 Herod, Saline County, Illinois Class A #25362

Night time sighting by two witnesses at trailhead in Shawnee National Forest

The witness and her father were walking back to the trailhead parking area at night when the father noticed eyeshine in the trees to the side of the trail about 30-40 feet away. With headlamps on, they both observed shining eyes and the outline of a rounded head that turned to look at them before they turned their lights off. The figure then walked away downhill with heavy deliberate bipedal steps, paused, and remained nearby while the witness spoke softly before they left quietly. After returning home they photographed smudge marks on their vehicle that had not been noticed earlier.

EyeshinePartial sightingSilhouetteFootsteps
27 December 2008 Canton, Fulton County, Illinois Class B #28569

Wood knock and possible nighttime sighting east of Canton Lake

The witness was walking at night from a camper toward town when a loud fall-like noise occurred ahead in the road. A shadowy fur-covered biped stood up about 30 feet away and walked calmly across the road before disappearing into vegetation. The witness continued past the spot believing the creature stayed hidden nearby without further interaction.

Road crossingSilhouettePartial sightingWood knockUnidentified sound
26 November 2008 Metropolis, Massac County, Illinois Class B #25924

Possible encounter and vocalizations heard by bowhunter near Metropolis

The witness was bow hunting and was packing his truck to leave about an hour after dark with his flashlight off. A small noise from his tree stand startled something behind the truck that ran away down a hill on two legs making loud crashing noise. From the bottom of the hill and while moving away across a road and fence, the animal vocalized about a dozen times, stopping about every 50 yards to turn and scream toward the witness.

ScreamFootsteps
21 October 2008 Elizabethtown Or Iron Furnace, Hardin County, Illinois Class B #24975

Family experiences large rocks being thrown and hear an unknown scream outside the Shawnee National Forest

The witness and two relatives were setting up a telescope near a group campfire when rocks landed near them on three occasions while movement was heard in dense dark woods with nothing seen. Those at the fire denied throwing anything. Hours later a loud high-pitched scream was heard that the witness did not recognize, and a next-day search found no clear footprints due to heavy leaf cover.

Rock throwingScreamMovement only
19 September 2008 Mount Vernon, Washington County, Illinois Class A #24766

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.

ChatterGrowl
25 August 2008 Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois Class A #36571

Dusk sighting in a backyard near Edwardsville

At dusk the witness heard a weed-eater-like whirling sound from the woods behind the backyard and walked back to investigate. He saw a dark figure sitting with its back to him that stood up, gathered something to its chest, and quickly left into the woods. He described the figure as female, about six feet tall, about 30 yards away.

Full-body sightingVocalizationAnimal behaviour