Search results

354 encounters
8 August 2005 Wright's Lake, El Dorado County, California Class A #15821

Backpacker's moonlit encounter near the trail from Wright's Lake to Enchanted Pools

While camping alone at night near a stream, the witness heard a deep growl and saw a crouched dark mass at the treeline, fired warning shots, then heard rocks repeatedly splashing in the stream for hours and heard deep oof sounds on a later approach. Near dawn a very tall hair-covered female-like figure stood by the tent and walked rapidly toward the witness despite additional warning shots, then ran away over granite and out of sight. The witness remained in place until daylight and then hiked out.

Full-body sightingPartial sightingSilhouetteGrowlVocalization +2
23 July 2005 Huntington Lake, Fresno County, California Class B #12165

Camper hears nightime vocalizations near Florence Lake

The witness was camping overnight in a tent after fishing. During the night the witness woke and heard two loud, unfamiliar vocalizations from the east, several seconds long and seconds apart, then silence. Two companions sleeping in a car did not hear the sounds.

Vocalization
12 July 2005 Susanville, Lassen County, California Class B #15039

Possible vocalizations heard by resident near Lassen National Forest

The witness was outside early in the morning when dogs a few blocks away began barking fiercely. A loud, ape-like howl then joined in and at times drowned out the dogs. The vocal exchange lasted several minutes before stopping. The witness did not see the source and did not know if anyone else heard it.

Howl
2 July 2005 Orleans?, Humboldt County, California Class B #13362

Possible vocalizations near Bluff Creek

The witness and three children were in a tent at a campground when loud whooping calls began from multiple directions around them. The calls lasted about ten minutes and included click-like sounds at the start and a loud thud as the sources moved away. The witness stayed inside with a frightened child and did not see the callers, finding no tracks the next morning.

WhoopUnidentified soundFootsteps
July 2005 Mammoth, Mono County, California Class B #20306

Young man claims possible sighting at night near Lake Mary, outside Mammoth

The witness was staying at a cabin near Lake Mary and took two dogs for a night walk. The dogs began growling and pulling toward sounds of rustling leaves and breaking branches. The witness shone a flashlight and saw a huge ape-like but human-built figure about 200 feet away watching and swaying between trees. After a minute or two the figure turned and walked away, and the witness hurried back to the cabin.

Full-body sightingFootstepsOdor
16 January 2005 Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, California Class B #10279

Family hears unusual calls

The witness was walking a dog on a residential hillside after dark when an unfamiliar loud howling/yelling sound was heard repeating at intervals. The witness brought a spouse outside to listen, noting that no local dogs were barking at first. After a time a dog began barking and the unfamiliar sound stopped and did not return that night.

Howl
21 September 2004 Oroville, Butte County, California Class B #9368

Photographer hears early morning vocalizations near Lake Oroville

The witness parked her truck near Lake Oroville before sunrise to photograph valley lights. While sitting with the driver window down, she heard a loud angry roar that rapidly approached from behind and stopped at the rear passenger side of the truck. She saw nothing in the darkness and drove away frightened.

Vocalization
24 July 2004 West Point, Calaveras County, California Class B #9051

Family hears strange sounds near West Point at dusk

A couple picnicking by a creek at dusk heard a loud howl from downstream with gibberish-like barking between howls, then an answering howl from the ridge behind them. Cattle downstream moved upstream away from the sound. They left at dark, drove downstream toward the first howl location, saw a buck fleeing the creek bottom, and found no people at creek access areas.

HowlChatterAnimal behaviour
5 July 2004 Weitchpec, Humboldt County, California Class B #9439

Two campers hear creatures calling throughout night near Bluff Creek

Two brothers camping at Onion Lake heard loud, rough grunts lasting about a second from multiple directions around camp, apparently answering each other from about 9 p.m. until about 5 a.m. A deer ran into camp after the first grunt and several deer stayed close to the tent all night. Despite searching with a spotlight the witnesses saw nothing and heard no movement through brush, and found nothing the next morning.

Vocalization
21 June 2004 Oroville CA, Butte County, California Class B #8896

At dusk, swimmers hear vocalizations and whistles near Lake Oroville

Three people were at a lake launch ramp at dusk when the witness imitated a whistle from a recording. Movement was heard approaching through brush above the lake to within about 200 feet. A light showed eyes low along the treeline, and whistling exchanges continued until the group left in their car.

EyeshineWhistleFootstepsVocalization
June 2004 Idyllwild, Riverside County, California Class B #26152

Backpackers hear whoops and tree push over SE of Round Valley in the Mt. San Jacinto Wilderness Area

The witness and his son were in sleeping bags in their tent when they heard a loud low-pitched whooping call from boulders just above them. About an hour later the witness heard a loud boom close to the tent. Two mornings later he found a fresh green pine snapped at its base on the boulders near camp, which he inferred was pushed over by the animal that made the sounds.

WhoopUnidentified soundTree break
Winter 2004 Georgetown, El Dorado County, California Class A #11656

Couple Has Early Evening Encounter Near Stumpy Meadow Reservoir

The witness and a companion spent the day fishing and prospecting near a dam and spillway while feeling watched. As light faded they walked back toward their car, sensing something pacing them unseen and stopping when they stopped. After reaching the dam road in darkness, the witness saw one large dark form and two smaller forms move around the spillway and up a hill, then heard them make repeated guttural, sentence-like sounds in response to a shout before disappearing over the ridge.

Partial sightingSilhouetteRoad crossingVocalizationChatter +2
24 December 2003 Twain Harte, Tuolumne County, California Class A #10980

Man has late night sighting near Twain Harte

After midnight the witness, sleeping in a cabin bedroom, was awakened by vibration and the sense of someone walking on the porch. Looking toward the porch light through a window about twenty feet away, the witness watched a hair-covered figure with its back turned, which then turned, looked toward the window and leaned to peer inside before jumping off the six- to eight-foot-high porch. The witness kept watching in fear and did not tell others or search for traces in the morning.

Partial sightingFootsteps
16 November 2003 Orleans, Humboldt County, California Class B #7452

Campers Hear Unusual Evening Sounds

Two campers spent a rainy night at a campground after noticing a skunk-like odor on arrival. Through the night they heard ape-like hoots, single-note whistles, repeated wood-on-wood whacks from several directions, heavy two-legged footsteps, and nearby rockslides. They saw nothing in the dark and left the next morning, noting the steep bowl-shaped hillside could carry sounds from far uphill.

VocalizationWood knockFootstepsWhistleOdor
14 October 2003 Foresthill, Placer County, California Class B #7331

Fisherman hears late night scream near French Meadows Reservoir

The witness and a companion were camped overnight after fishing, and the witness repeatedly made loud whoop calls hoping for a reply. Around 1:30 a.m., after the companion had gone to sleep, the witness heard a single return vocalization from a roadless direction. The companion did not hear the return. The witness saw nothing and did not investigate the area.

Vocalization
September 2003 Tuolumne, Tuolumne County, California Class B #25648

Possible nighttime encounter, food taken from hunters camping near Tuolumne

The witness joined a small group for an overnight camp to practice outdoor skills. In the evening the witness walked east of camp, noticed a strong foul smell and heard vegetation breaking nearby before running back to the group. Overnight the campers were awakened by sounds around the camp followed by a loud crash, and by morning the food hung high above ground was gone, the supporting limb was damaged, and a foul smell lingered. The group then packed and left the area.

OdorFootstepsUnidentified soundTree breakProperty disturbance
September 2003 Crescent City Ca, Del Norte County, California Class A #6946

Fifty-four year old salesman has a very close highway encounter

The witness was driving north on Hwy. 101 to visit a friend and pulled onto a wide spot to let faster cars pass. While stopped with the passenger window open, the witness heard an extremely loud scream and then saw a tall, dark-haired, muscular creature a few feet from the car. The creature took a couple of large steps toward the redwoods, went around a tree, and disappeared into dense brush. The encounter lasted only a few seconds and left the witness badly shaken.

Partial sightingScream
17 August 2003 Pollack Pines, El Dorado County, California Class B #6868

Campers hear late night screams near Pollack Pines

The witness was camping with family near a lake and was awake with a child around 1-2 am when a very loud drawn-out scream was heard from woods to the south. A similar sound answered from across a cove to the west and repeated many times, growing louder before stopping. Relatives in nearby tent sites also heard the sounds, while the witness's spouse and children slept through them.

Scream
7 August 2003 Arnold, Calaveras County, California Class B #8226

Campers hear late night screams near Arnold

The witness and a friend were stationary outdoors at night when they heard three loud, powerful screams from uphill in dense, rugged terrain. The first scream was estimated about 50 yards away, with subsequent screams sounding progressively farther at about 100 and 200 yards and minutes apart. The witness described the sound as human-like but guttural with bass, offensive or warning in character, and unlike known wildlife. After looking around and firing rocks with a slingshot, they heard the final, more distant scream.

Scream
10 June 2003 Placerville, El Dorado County, California Class B #8650

Brothers hear unusual, late-night vocalizations near Sly Park

The witness reports hearing various vocalizations at night during summer at a family home bordering National Forest in Sly Park, last heard the previous summer, experienced with a brother. The witness, brother, and mother also reported very large human-shaped bare footprints with a long stride in a dirt roadway, with no casts or photos taken. They also reported finding twisted and broken tree limbs nearby and submitted photos of the damage, described as occurring where machine cause was unlikely.

VocalizationTracksTree breakTwist