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Possible footprints found near Algonquin
After a major blizzard, the witness and her husband noticed a long line of large footprints crossing their snow-covered backyard. The trackway appeared to start near the patio by the garage, pass toward an outhouse, and continue toward a fence and adjoining trail and woods. No creature was seen, and no photos of the tracks were taken before the snow melted.
Hiker finds possible footprints in Timber Ridge Forest Preserve (w/photos)
The witness was hiking on a new gravel path through a forest preserve at lunchtime. In wet crushed gravel that preserved other footprints, the witness noticed bare footprints about 13 inches long with five toes that appeared deeper than shoe prints and traced them back to thick grass. The witness photographed the prints with a glove for scale and found the step distance too long to comfortably match.
Daylight sighting by a motorist near Brookfield Zoo
The witness was driving in the morning when they saw a very tall, hairy figure running through woods beside the road. They stopped, pulled over, and went back to the spot on foot. There they found broken branches and a strong musky odor but no tracks or fur.
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.
Possible footprints found near Mackinaw River
The witness was building a house near the Mackinaw River and searching the disturbed mud for arrowheads. Beginning in late September, they noticed bare footprints in the mud larger than their own size 13 foot, including during cold weather. The follow-up clarified a total of three prints estimated at about 14 inches long and 6 inches wide without actual measurement, with photos too unclear to publish. The witness doubted anyone would walk barefoot in cold mud at a construction site.
Hikers find possible footprints by a cornfield north of Norris
The witness and a companion were hiking when the companion found large footprints in mud beside a field. They described three deep prints with visible toes that were larger than a boot and spaced wider than a human step, appearing to go into the field and then back into the woods. An investigator later recorded measurements of fifteen inches long by six inches wide.
Possible footprint and handprint found in Plum Creek Play Meadow - Forest Preserve
The witness reports finding a single large footprint along a forest trail in a small forest preserve and photographing it in daylight in July 2008. The print was estimated at 12 inches long and compared to a men's size 12 shoe. No creature was seen. A large hand print found the following summer is treated as a separate event.
Possible footprints found northwest of Robinson
About four years ago in winter, the witness found about eight large footprints in fresh snow near the driveway leading from the road toward a pond fence where they stopped. The witness tried to follow the trail but found no further prints beyond the fence. The night before the discovery, the witness's dog had run toward the end of the driveway acting aggressive, but the witness saw and heard nothing when checking.
Vocalizations and a sighting with a spotlight near Murrayville
In 2007 the witness led an armed group with spotlights to an area where relatives had heard screams. He shone a light across a field and saw a large dark hairy figure with outstretched arms run away in a split second. The group pursued into trees hearing walking and branches breaking but found nothing.
Family hears vocalizations and finds footprints in their backyard east of Pekin
The witness's brother was sleeping in a tent in the yard and woke around 12:30 a.m. feeling uneasy after hearing something outside. He looked around the tent, saw nothing, and went inside the house to sleep on the couch. The next morning very large footprints were found right outside the tent in wet sand and were photographed.
Two teens have daylight sighting near Alton
Two companions were building a squirrel-hunting blind at the edge of the woods when a dead tree they had been unable to push over cracked and fell. They then saw a tall, upright, hair-covered figure standing nearby. The pair quickly left the area and ran home.
Deer hunter has early morning sighting from tree stand near Pearl City
The witness climbed into a tree stand before dawn to bow hunt. While it was still dark, something breathed heavily beneath the stand for about 10 minutes then walked away to the southeast. Shortly after sunrise in light fog, the witness saw a large human-like figure about 100 yards away walking east at a fast pace. After climbing down, the witness followed its footprints eastward.
Hikers find large footprint along Franklin Creek
The witness and companion were hiking in the Franklin Creek area when they found a large footprint by the creek about two miles from the parking lot. They had to leave to return before dark and heavy rain. The creek later flooded and washed the print away.
Recollection of possible encounters at a cemetery in the village of Cuba
Late at night four friends walking past a graveyard noticed a very large object resting on a branch in a large tree. After they shone a flashlight at it, the object dropped about twenty feet and ran quickly toward woods behind the graveyard. The witness returned at sunrise and found very large impressions in the grass with a stride neither he nor a taller companion could match, leading him to estimate the creature at seven to nine feet tall.
Possible footprints found five miles east of Vandalia
The witness and a companion were walking a foot path around a lake in a small park. They found two large footprints crossing the path from the lake side into the woods and photographed them. The area was unusually quiet and the witness recalled feeling as if they were being watched.
Tracks found on a creek bed near Chandlerville
The witness and a relative were taking a break from farm work to shoot targets on ice by a creek behind the farm. The witness noticed a large five-toed footprint in the ice, described as twice the size of a normal human foot, with a heel print on the opposite bank and no additional prints. The witness, who described experience with animal tracks from trapping and hunting, thought the prints could have been made by a big foot.
Man remembers his daytime sighting as a youth living south of Hennepin
The witness was riding a BMX bike on a snow-covered road in the afternoon when they saw a tall, long-haired figure crossing the road about 50 yards ahead. The figure was described as about eight feet tall with light brown hair. The witness ran inside for a camera but could not find one, and the next day found footprints with a relative.
Youth has nighttime sighting along Rock River
The witness was home alone in the evening when the dogs became agitated and ran toward the pasture and river. The witness followed carrying a shotgun and observed a hairy humanlike figure near where the dogs stopped at the river edge. After a shot was fired into the air the figure departed with a distinctive walk and the witness returned quickly to the house. Large footprints were noted in the snow between the pasture and the river.
The "Big Muddy Monster" flap of Murphysboro
In the late 1970s to early 1980s, residents around the Big Muddy River reported a foul-smelling, hairy hominid-like creature. Witnesses described seeing and hearing it near the river and finding footprints, with size and color accounts varying. The writer compiled these secondhand accounts and notes the creature was never reported as violent.
Memory told of daylight sighting while mushroom hunting along Happy Hollow Road near Gorham
While mushroom hunting with a child near a creek, the witness noticed movement behind a tree across the creek and then saw part of a dark hair-covered entity, including knee, shoulder and face. The entity moved behind the tree out of view, and the witness left immediately with the child. She later returned with a firearm and found footprints where the entity had stood.