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24 encounters
10 October 2014 Utica, La Salle County, Illinois Class A #46878

Hiker has a daylight sighting in Buffalo Rock State Park

The witness was standing on an effigy overlook in a state park around midday. A single upright animal reportedly emerged from brush about 50 feet away and traveled about 150 feet along a brushy river embankment before going back down toward the river, making crashing noise in vegetation. The witness observed it from the side and rear, describing it as tall, muscular, and dark, with long arms, but did not see its face.

Partial sightingMovement only
14 December 2012 Litchfield, Montgomery County, Illinois Class A #39568

Nighttime sighting from a window by a young woman near Lake Lou Yaeger

The witness was in bed around 2 a.m. when a powerful stench prompted a look out the bedroom window. A partially cut tree about 100 feet away began to topple, and a camera flash revealed a large brown hunched figure about ten feet from the house, possibly with a second figure near the woodline. The figures left into the woods, and the next day the witness found the tree down with the saw bar displaced and many tracks and cracked walnuts nearby.

OdorPartial sightingTree breakTracks
12 May 2012 Oquawka, Henderson County, Illinois Class A #43619

Motorist has twilight sighting south of Oquawka

The witness was driving in a truck and stopped upon seeing a large hairy figure standing in a shallow creek. After shutting off the truck to watch, the witness heard a loud deep roar from across the creek but saw nothing there. When looking back, the figure had disappeared.

Partial sightingVocalization
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
16 November 2010 Brookfield, Cook County, Illinois Class A #28728

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.

Partial sightingOdorTree break
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
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
16 October 2006 Sorento, Bond County, Illinois Class A #23395

Deer hunters have close sighting along Dry Fork Creek

The witness was hunting with two young companions and entered the woods to track a wounded deer. They heard pounding on a tree, thrashing and shaking of vegetation, and screaming/squealing sounds, and encountered a very foul rotting-meat odor that was strong near the truck. A young companion reportedly saw a black, hairy, muscular animal about six feet tall descend from a tree and shake brush, though the face could not be seen.

Wood knockPartial sightingScreamOdor
10 June 2005 Seneca, Grundy County, Illinois Class A #12439

Three men have daylight sighting near Seneca

Three people parked near a bend in a road to look at the spot of an earlier sighting. They watched a large silhouette leaning against a tree that slowly raised an arm toward its face and later disappeared, while a smaller fur-covered figure was seen walking in the open and then running when approached on foot. The larger figure was also reported to turn its head to watch a passing truck.

SilhouettePartial sightingFull-body sightingAnimal behaviourOdor
2 June 2005 Seneca, Grundy County, Illinois Class A #11831

Snake hunter has daytime sighting near Seneca

The witness was hunting snakes along roads in the evening and stopped to check a spot. Near a tree line opening the witness heard rustling and saw the upper rear portion of a large figure. The figure turned slightly toward the witness, then walked away. The witness also reported a strong musky odor.

Partial sightingOdorMovement onlyAnimal behaviour
8 July 2004 Alton, Madison County, Illinois Class A #10535

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.

Partial sightingTree break
15 November 2000 Webster, Hancock County, Illinois Class A #3521

Deer hunter sees large hairy black creature that "plays peekaboo" near Webster

The witness was walking around timber at dusk during deer season and came upon a tall, black, hairy figure shaking a tree. The witness stopped to watch and spoke to it, then walked to an open field and shot at deer. After the shot, the figure was heard running away through the timber.

Partial sightingFootsteps
15 September 1999 Kewanee, Henry County, Illinois Class A #8696

Nighttime sighting of gray upright animal near Kewanee

Late at night the witness was driving home from a second-shift job along a rural road by Mud Creek. The headlights illuminated a tall, greyish hairy figure standing on two legs and leaning on a wire fence beside a cornfield. After a few seconds the figure turned and ran on two legs into the corn toward nearby woods.

Partial sighting
May 1998 Hardin, Calhoun County, Illinois Class A #202

Woman sees black shiny figure standing by tree disappear into forest

The witness was riding in a truck at daybreak when she saw a small black furry animal standing upright by a tree beside the road. She did not mention it at the time and no one else in the truck noticed it. It turned sideways and disappeared quickly into the vegetation in less than a minute.

Partial sighting
29 June 1996 Freeburg, St. Clair County, Illinois Class A #55224

Memory told of daylight sighting while dirt bike riding east of Freeburg

The witness was riding a small motorcycle to a lake in old strip mines in the late afternoon. She saw a hairy figure squatting at the water's edge appearing to sift or dig with its hands. The figure turned and moved very quickly toward her, prompting her to flee; when she looked back it was gone. A relative later checked the spot and found no sign anyone had been staying there.

Partial sighting
22 October 1994 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois Class A #19910

Nighttime sighting by property owner near Kishwaukee River.

Late at night at the witness's home near dense woods, the witness was getting into a car when a noise prompted turning on the headlamps. A tall figure was seen peeking from behind a tree about 30 feet away and held eye contact for several seconds. The figure then turned and ran for several hundred feet, clearing a 5-6 foot fence without breaking stride despite fog.

Full-body sightingPartial sightingUnidentified sound
Summer 1987 Marseilles, Ill, La Salle County, Illinois Class A #33859

Woman recalls daylight sighting north of Marseilles

About 20 years ago on a sunny afternoon, the witness walked toward the creek at the back of her property after noticing her horses were excited. She then observed a six-foot-tall dark brown bipedal animal walking up the bank and into the woods. Her dogs stayed close to her side at the time.

Partial sighting
July 1983 Seneca, La Salle County, Illinois Class A #11911

Campers have lengthy nighttime encounter near Seneca

Two companions camped in a remote wooded area after clearing a small site and lighting a fire. For several hours something circled the camp a few yards away, producing walking and breathing sounds and a musky odor. One companion glimpsed the figure in firelight as a much taller and wider upright figure, and it followed them out and crossed a road in a few steps as they left.

Partial sightingRoad crossingFootstepsUnidentified soundOdor +1
17 August 1979 West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois Class A #11273

Youth has sighting along abandoned railroad line on edge of West Frankfort

On a summer evening in the late 1970s, the witness rode a bicycle onto an abandoned railroad-bed trail near woods. Behind dumped washers and dryers the witness saw a hair-covered figure that stood upright, grunted, and shook a sapling. The witness fled east, looked back to see the figure on the trail, then watched it walk back into the treeline.

Partial sightingEyeshineVocalizationAnimal behaviour
April 1978 Gorham, Jackson County, Illinois Class A #41916

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.

Partial sightingTracks