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234 encounters
March 1995 Florida City Everglades National Park, Monroe County, Florida Class A #36218

Early morning encounter during a rest stop near Florida City

Two friends drove into the Everglades park in the early morning and parked at a pine habitat to nap in their car. They were awakened by an ape-like animal looking into the tinted windows, touching the car, and then rummaging through a nearby dumpster for an extended period while emitting a strong rotten odor. The animal eventually walked away howling, and the witnesses drove to Flamingo where they reported the encounter to rangers.

Full-body sightingVehicle contactProperty disturbanceOdorHowl
18 December 1994 Fasevile Ga, Gadsden County, Florida Class A #246

Daylight sighting by hunter near FL / GA border

In 1994 the witness was hunting on a farm in Florida when a strong foul odor was noticed. Shortly after turning a curve, the witness saw a tall brown bipedal animal about 40 yards away that turned and ran very quickly into the woods. A deep grunt-like vocalization was also heard. The witness did not shoot, citing uncertainty about what it was.

Full-body sightingOdorVocalization
7 July 1994 Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida Class A #14427

Man recalls having a dead rabbit thrown at him while riding his ATV near Live Oak

The witness was walking a logging-road loop with two dogs in the afternoon when the woods went quiet and the dogs froze. About 50-60 yards uphill the witness saw a very large shape standing among oaks and brush. The shape grabbed and shook two oak trees and made a loud wailing scream, after which the dogs disappeared and the witness left quickly for the house.

Partial sightingScreamOdorAnimal behaviour
6 July 1994 Wellborn, Suwannee County, Florida Class B #20981

Two Fishermen describe a possible bluff charge outside Wellborn

Two people were fishing for catfish in a creek at night when they heard footsteps approaching through dense woods. After they called out, the footsteps paused and then rushed toward them, splitting into two individuals that ran past them through the creek while splashing and breaking limbs. The witnesses reported no visual contact due to darkness and woods and no vocalizations, then fled the area leaving their gear.

Footsteps
3 March 1994 Marion County, Florida Class B #11387

Screams Heard While Camping in the Ocala National Forest

On the first night of a family camping trip in Ocala National Forest in summer 1994, the witness was awakened by a loud rattle of a bag of soda cans beside the picnic table. After she spoke, the rattling stopped and she then listened for a long period to loud, almost continuous distant screams to the north that she could not identify. In the morning nothing at the campsite was disturbed, and she did not hear the screams again the next night.

ScreamProperty disturbance
Fall 1994 Coconut Creek/Coral Springs, Broward County, Florida Class B #1831

Foot steps heard while walking on trail at night

In the spring of 1994 the witness was camping with friends and walked alone on a trail around 1 a.m. He heard footsteps keeping parallel in dense brush to his right and judged from the stepping pattern that it was walking on two feet. Frightened as the sounds moved closer, he returned to camp, woke friends, and went back to search but found nothing.

Footsteps
February 1992 Miami, Monroe County, Florida Class B #1283

Heard and then chased by creature

The witness was walking alone at night on a pond path toward a cabin when he heard footfalls and breaking twigs that stopped when he stopped and resumed closer each time he walked. He shouted and then ran toward a clearing near the director's trailer while the sounds followed closely, including breathing heard from above head height behind him. On reaching the clearing the sounds retreated into the woods and went silent. The director was told and fired several shots, suggesting an escaped exotic cat as an explanation.

FootstepsUnidentified sound
23 November 1990 Cocoa, Brevard County, Florida Class A #33789

Memory told of a close encounter while frogging at night on the upper St. Johns River

On a Friday night the witness parked an airboat in an oak hammock to drink coffee before frog gigging. Clumps of mud were thrown toward the boat, hitting the rudders and bow. When the witness shone a headlamp toward the source, he saw a large hairy figure staring at him and fled by boat to the middle of the next lake where he stayed until sunrise.

Partial sightingObject throwingUnidentified sound
1990 Greenwood, Jackson County, Florida Class A #724

Upright creature seen by 3 men fishing in a boat 3 miles from Greenwood

The witness and two companions were fishing in a swampy wooded area from a small paddle boat when they heard loud walking in the woods. They looked toward the sound and saw an upright gray-haired entity about 70 to 80 feet away, with its lower body hidden by bushes. They estimated it stood about 7 to 8 feet tall and noted it had very large eyes.

Partial sightingFootsteps
1990–1994 Florida #61f1bd31-f605-42c2-b8bf-f866ae80fba5

Sasquatch sighting in Florida (1990)

The witness motored by airboat at night into an oak hammock to gig frogs and stopped for coffee. After hearing tearing vegetation, ground banging and a loud shrieking scream, large clods of mud were thrown at and onto the boat. Shining a headlamp, the witness saw a huge brown-haired biped about 25 to 30 feet away pumping its arms in an aggressive display, then started the boat and fled to the middle of a nearby lake until daylight and has avoided the spot since.

Full-body sightingScreamObject throwingVehicle contactAnimal behaviour
15 September 1989 Cocoa, Brevard County, Florida Class A #591

Driver stops car momentarily on Nova Rd., witnesses a 7-8 foot tall dark creature approach his car..

The witness and a relative were driving at night and stopped in the middle of a desolate road so the witness could step out. After a warning from the relative, the witness heard branches breaking and increasing footsteps from woods by the road and saw a tall dark upright figure running toward the car. The witness got back in the car and drove away, then saw the figure standing in the road behind them in the brake lights.

Full-body sightingFootstepsMovement only
June 1987 Immokalee, Collier County, Florida Class B #20420

Possible nightime encounter near Lake Trafford

Late at night the witness's family was at home when a dog outside sounded distressed. A relative went out, saw a large shadow by the shed, retrieved a firearm, then saw something flee down the driveway and fired, after which a loud growl-howl was heard followed by silence. The next morning the family found unfamiliar footprints and believed the visitor had leapt across a nearby canal.

SilhouetteMovement onlyGrowlHowlUnidentified sound +1
10 April 1987 Cassia, Lake County, Florida Class A #32249

Memory told of close encounters while working as a fence contractor near Cassia

The crew was camped on the bank of Blackwater Creek eating dinner when a splash revealed their cooler in the creek was missing. Shortly after, a companion returned shaken saying something had watched him from across the creek. The witness shone a spotlight across the narrow creek and the group saw a large hair-covered biped stand up, its eyes shining, block the light with its forearm, vocalize, and flee. The men then left for a motel for the remainder of the job.

Full-body sightingEyeshineGrowlHowlOdor +1
November 1986 Lake Butler, Union County, Florida Class B #23498

Bow hunter describes possible tracks, sounds and scat north of Lake Butler

The witness was archery hunting from a ground blind near a hog wallow when he heard close grunting and breathing that he could not see. After the sounds stopped he inspected the area and found very large scat and large deep tracks leading to and away from the scat. He first assumed hogs and then a very large bear made the sign, but later judged the scat too large for a Florida black bear.

VocalizationTracksScatOdor
August 1985 Coral Springs, Broward County, Florida Class B #17011

Man describes teenage incident -- possible intimidation approach at 2 AM in Coral Springs, at the edge of the Everglades

Three children were camping in a tent in a backyard near a canal when they heard loud dumpster noises and deep grunting from across the canal. They then heard heavy footsteps approaching and a large splash about 50 yards away as something appeared to enter the canal toward them. They fled screaming to the house, and the adult found the tent leveled, moved from its stakes, and covered in water and mud.

VocalizationFootstepsProperty disturbance
October 1984 St. Augustine, St. Johns County, Florida Class A #1003

Two horseback riders see hairy creature

Two companions were riding horses south alongside railroad tracks when they noticed a foul odor, breaking branches, restless horses, and the sound of movement on the track rocks. They then saw a single slim, reddish-brown hair-covered figure standing in a partial crouch in the middle of the tracks about 150 yards away, watching them. The witnesses struggled to control their horses and left the area without returning.

Full-body sightingOdorFootstepsUnidentified sound
June 1984 Pasco County, Florida Class A #737

creature seen in an open field by witness.

The witness group was in an open field when they heard a howling/growling noise from the tree line. They approached and saw a creature crouched down that then stood about eight feet tall before running quickly toward a swamp. They did not follow into the swamp but found bark shredded from the tree where it had been.

Full-body sightingHowlGrowlTree break
26 August 1983 Orlando, Orange County, Florida Class B #34787

Memory told of hearing a loud breathing-growl while camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness

The witness was awake alone inside a pop-up camper at night while relatives were away and two children slept. She heard very loud heavy breathing and growling immediately outside an open window about seven feet off the ground. She shouted for it to leave, the sound stopped at once, and the children woke. She later inferred the source must have been 7 to 8 feet tall and believes it may have been a Bigfoot looking into the camper.

Growl
16 July 1983 Brooksville, Citrus County, Florida Class B #595

Father and son were out scouting for deer when they spot large eyes 8 foot off the gound, also hear loud scream.

Two people were spotlighting deer in a wildlife management area in central Florida around 2 a.m. for bow-season scouting. They observed a pair of eyes estimated about 7 to 8 feet off the ground and about a foot apart from roughly 150 feet away. As they left they heard an extremely loud piercing scream and drove away quickly without later searching for sign.

EyeshineScream
7 July 1983 N. Ft. Myers/Riverdale, Lee County, Florida Class B #20333

Possible Nighttime Encounter by Girls on Horseback north of Ft. Myers

The witness and a companion were riding horses at night along a dirt road bordered by ditches, woods and pastures when the horses became nervous. The witness heard something moving parallel to them in the woods, keeping pace even as they urged the horses from a gallop to a full run across several fence lines. The parallel movement stopped where the woods ended at the edge of the witness's property. A later search by truck found where something had been, but the creature was never seen.

FootstepsOdor