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23 encounters
30 September 2015 Lee Vining, Mono County, California Class B #49896

Possible encounter at night by hunters camping at Virginia Lakes

A family was camped in a trailer near a treeline with a deer carcass stored nearby. During the night the family was awakened by rocks hitting the trailer, knocking sounds, growls, screams and whoops. The witness later went outside with a flashlight and saw a single glowing red eye high in the treeline. In the morning stacked rocks were gone, footprints were found, and a large pine by the carcass had been pushed over.

Rock throwingWood knockGrowlScreamWhoop +3
25 March 2007 Strawberry, Tuolumne County, California Class B #18403

Possible road-crossing sighting in daylight near Strawberry

The witness stopped along a one-lane road to let dogs out and glimpsed two dark figures crossing the road quickly at a curve, seeing only their upper halves. The figures disappeared around the turn and were not seen again despite visibility of the road beyond. About an hour later the witness returned and found a slide mark and a possible ball-and-toe impression on the muddy bank where the figures had crossed. The witness first took them for hooded people but later considered them possibly bigfoots due to their appearance, upright bipedal movement, and lack of a trail.

Partial sightingRoad crossingTracks
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
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
21 June 2003 Orleans, Humboldt County, California Class B #6520

Hiker sees footprint near Willow Creek

The witness was scouting an area southwest of Louse Camp near Bluff Creek in the morning and found a single large footprint in an old mud puddle, which they recorded on video. The print was described as 16 inches long and almost 6 inches wide at the heel. Several snapped trees were also noted in the area.

TracksTree break
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
30 August 2002 Downieville, Sierra County, California Class B #7363

Family Encounters Red Eyes and Unusual Smells

The witness group was camped in a Sierra County campground and walked to an outhouse at night with a small flashlight. The witness shone the light toward the outhouse area below the trail and saw two red eyes that appeared to crouch down, then quickly returned to camp. A foul odor noticed around the outhouse lessened when others checked shortly after, and the next morning the group found small uprooted trees and no odor, estimating the eyes had been 7 to 8 feet off the ground.

EyeshineOdorTree break
22 September 2001 Huntington Lake, Fresno County, California Class B #5418

Hikers find footprints and hair near Huntington Lake

Three hikers in the Rock Creek area found a line of very large footprints crossing a meadow to the north. They counted over a dozen identifiable tracks with deep impressions and long strides, and saw no other human footprints. Beside one print they found a broken branch with hairs on the bark, and later reported photos and analysis of the hair.

TracksHair
22 April 2001 Long Barn, Tuolumne County, California Class B #3071

Man see large prints outside of Long Barn

A witness hiking on snowshoes along a gated forest road in fresh snow found six large prints crossing the road. He photographed the prints and measured them with a ski pole, noting a straight-line trackway with a long stride and no other footprints nearby. He did not leave the road to follow the trail, and the prints were melting rapidly when he passed again about an hour later.

Tracks
March 2001 Twain Harte, Tuolumne County, California Class B #3072

BFRO Investigators detail activity around Twain Harte

Investigators found fresh broken trees, dozens of footprints and two nests where a trail crossed a road and staked out the spot. No creature was seen, but something large moving on two feet approached the stakeout before fleeing downhill through brush when a car passed. The sign was documented the next day with footprint and tree-break measurements and a body-length impression in one nest.

TracksTree breakStructure or nestFootstepsMovement only
July 2000 Ft. Jones, Siskiyou County, California Class A #2928

Eighteen campers find hut; videotape distressed bigfoot walking down mountain ridge

A large camping group found a hut-like structure made of snapped boughs and filmed it in detail. While examining the structure, a group member pointed out a distant figure moving along a ridge. The witness videotaped the figure for several minutes as it moved back and forth, gestured, and disappeared behind rocks.

Full-body sightingSilhouetteStructure or nestAnimal behaviour
17 July 1996 El Dorado County, California Class A #2137

Placerville track found and cast

The witness reports discovering several large footprints near a small stream northeast of Placerville, with broken branches nearby. Only one print was clear enough to photograph, and the witness returned the next day to make a plaster cast. The cast was shown to Fish and Game staff who dismissed it, and it has since been kept in storage.

TracksTree break
March 1994 Arcata, Humboldt County, California Class B #11519

Plinkers find pushed-over trees blocking a road and smell foul smell near Horse Mountain

The witness and a companion returned the day after target shooting in hills east of Arcata to find several trees broken across the road. The limbs were described as physically broken rather than cut. They also noticed a bad odor at the site.

Tree breakOdor
August 1993 Bluff Creek, Del Norte County, California Class A #2954

A field researcher describes the events of his two week long solo backpacking trip in the Bluff Creek area

The witness was camped alone at the intersection of four logging roads in Northern California, tending a campfire late at night. He became aware of a pair of reflective eyes watching him from behind a bush about 70 feet away and watched them for over an hour as the fire died down until they disappeared. In the morning he found large foot-shaped flattened grass impressions leading to and from the spot behind the bush.

EyeshineTracksAnimal behaviour
July 1986 Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California Class B #8598

Daylight Sighting by Hikers Near Bennett Mountain

The witness and two companions were hiking toward Bennett Peak and stopped to rest before a large climb. They heard loud snapping and cracking of limbs across a valley and saw a large hairy back moving very fast uphill through brush, clearing foliage out of its way. Afterward they visited the spot and found broken branches several feet above the ground.

Partial sightingTree break
June 1986 Old Shasta, Shasta County, California Class A #2845

Unusual "Wild" Smell from Animal Walking Around Camper's Truck Near Sheep Camp

The witness and a companion were sleeping in a truck bed while camping when they were awakened by something circling on foot. The circling continued for about 1.5-2 hours with branch-breaking sounds, grunting, and a strong wild odor, while they remained lying down without looking. Near dawn the sounds moved off to the southwest, and in daylight they found disturbed pine needles and broken tree limbs nearby.

FootstepsVocalizationOdorTree break
December 1985 Del Norte County, California Class A #1551

Campers hear screams, and find large footprints

The witness and a companion were walking a dog on a loop trail in redwood forest when the dog lunged up a steep embankment toward crunching and branch-breaking sounds from above. They followed a short distance to a ridge and found freshly broken lower tree branches up to about ten feet high and large human-like foot impressions in the duff that lacked claw marks. The source of the noise was gone by the time they reached the top, and they returned cross-country to the main trail.

FootstepsTracksTree break
October 1985 Humboldt County, California Class B #2176

Large footprints found by witnesses

The witness and a friend were walking their dog on a trail when the dog lunged up a steep embankment toward loud crunching and branch-breaking sounds from above. They followed a short way to the top of a ridge but the source of the noise was gone. On top they found freshly broken lower tree branches up to 10 feet high and foot-like impressions in the duff without claw marks, then returned cross-country to the trail.

TracksTree breakFootsteps
1977 Mendocino County, California Class B #2199

Witness heard stomping and crashing of small trees.

The witness was lying in a tent at night in woods near Mendocino when loud stomping and crashing of small trees was heard about fifty yards away. The sounds lasted about 30 seconds and were interpreted as a biped moving quickly, apparently pursued by barking dogs. After the crashing stopped, a dog was heard yelping as if badly injured, then silence fell. The next morning the witness found broken vegetation but no clear sign of its cause and moved camp.

FootstepsMovement onlyTree break
November 1964 Zenia, Trinity County, California Class B #6962

Friends hear late night scream near Garberville

After returning late from a dance, three people sitting indoors heard a loud wailing cry from bluffs across the road that rose in pitch and lasted several minutes. Frightened, they stayed inside with doors locked for the night. The next morning two of them found a freshly cleared, trampled area on the blufftop where trees had been pulled from the ground, with a strong smell but no tracks due to hard ground.

ScreamTree breakOdor