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182 encounters
June 1991 Mendota, Fresno County, California Class A #11897

Three young adults encounter large aggressive biped while fishing the San Joaquin River

Three people were fishing at night at a pool on a river near a bridge when they saw a frightened coyote run past and heard splashes. A large dark figure standing waist-deep in the river about 40 yards away then threw boulders toward them, with the closest landing a few yards away and splashing water on them. The group shouted, reeled in their lines, and fled through trees and a field to their car. They returned the next day and judged the water depth and boulders inconsistent with a person.

Partial sightingRock throwing
18 May 1991 Lee Vining, Mono County, California Class A #23768

Brief, blurry video footage of a possible sasquatch at Mono Lake

On a cold overcast morning in May 1991 a family day-hiked and filmed near Mono Lake. No one noticed anything unusual at the time. About 17 years later, while rewatching the VHS tape, the family noticed a large black upright figure moving briefly between rock formations in the background of the final seconds.

Partial sighting
Fall 1991 Petaluma, Sonoma County, California Class A #3169

Man sees creature crossing road near Petaluma

The witness was traveling by car at night with a companion when a large bipedal figure appeared in the middle of the road. The figure reportedly paused to look at the witness's car and an oncoming car, then ran across the road. It cleared a five-foot barbed-wire fence without using its arms and ran uphill out of sight.

Road crossingFull-body sighting
15 May 1990 Livermore, Alameda County, California Class A #62497

Night time sighting by two witnesses four miles south of Livermore

The witness and a companion parked at night with a larger group to visit abandoned ruins. While getting out of the cars, both watched a tall furry brown bipedal creature cross a hillside about 40 feet away in flashlight light, then climb uphill out of sight. They initially withheld the sighting from the rest of the group and the witness later looked for tracks without success.

Full-body sighting
1990 Lassen County, California Class A #2191

Creature seen walking away at a fast pace.

The witness claimed to see a tall brownish figure about 100 yards away in a clearing while returning to a hunting camp. The figure was moving away quickly while looking back over its shoulder, with long arms swinging. The witness did not go back that night and a next-morning search with camp companions found no tracks because the ground was rocky.

Full-body sighting
5 May 1989 Weed, Siskiyou County, California Class A #174

Camper awakes to a very large hairy figure

The witness reports waking in the back of a truck at a campground in the pre-dawn hours and seeing a large dark form leaving the canopy window. She looked out and watched a very large, dark, hairy bipedal figure move quickly uphill into dense pine forest. Afterward she woke her companion, both noticed a dank musky odor, and they promptly left the camp.

Full-body sightingOdor
Summer 1989 Pope Valley, Napa County, California Class A #2210

Various incidents near rural homes in the Pope Valley area

The witness and a friend were sitting on the parents' porch at night when a tall hair-covered figure walked over a crest in front of the house. Upon spotting them it ran away bipedally without dropping to all fours. The encounter lasted only seconds and left both witnesses shocked and afraid.

Full-body sighting
October 1988 Tulare County, California Class A #2183

Backpackers hear loud screams in the distance on the same day a crew of trail bridge builders has an encounter with a screaming bigfoot a few miles away

Two companions on a multi-day backpacking trip were sitting in camp at dusk at a high lake when they heard a single loud unearthly screaming howl from a distance. They described it as having huge volume, trailing off rather than stopping abruptly, seeming sad rather than threatening, and unlike any human, bear, or other known sound. Exhausted, they slept in the tent and forgot the incident until days later when they read a newspaper account of a close-range sighting reported the same day a few miles away.

HowlScream
October 1988 Bass Lake Ca., Madera County, California Class A #83

Early dawn sighting by hunters near Bass Lake

Two hunters waited in a parked truck below a ridge at dawn hoping for deer. They watched a dark figure dig in brush for about 30 minutes then walk toward them. At about 50 yards they concluded it was not a man but a large black-furred biped. When a truck door latch sounded it looked then ran behind a tree and was gone when approached.

Full-body sighting
October 1988 Hoopa, Humboldt County, California Class A #11576

Woman has close up night sighting in car lights on Highway 299

Two people in a car at night watched a large hair-covered figure enter the highway from the driver's side and cross in three unhurried strides while turning its upper body to glance at them. The passenger described a tall robust adult male with long legs, human-like hands and nose, and shaggy hair darker with a rusty hue on the torso and face and lighter dirty-blonde on the arms. The figure moved with a fluid human-like arm swing but with same-side arm and leg moving together.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
October 1987 McCloud, Shasta County, California Class A #2844

Loud Screams Heard by Hunters While Camping Near a Natural Spring

Two hunters were camped overnight during deer season when they noticed a bipedal figure crossing a moonlit clearing. Shortly after, they heard loud screaming and crashing in brush on the hillside, followed by a log coming down, a strong urine-like odor, and renewed screams. Later, from inside their tent, both saw a very large shadow pass between the campfire and the tent. The next morning they found no tracks but noticed a large log newly present near their vehicle by the spring.

Partial sightingSilhouetteScreamFootstepsObject throwing +1
September 1987 Nevada City, Nevada County, California Class A #12649

Man recalls daytime sighting in a canyon outside Nevada City

Two companions were pushing their bicycles up a steep old mining road when they heard crashing from across a canyon. They watched a tall dark-haired biped run down the opposite slope toward them, snapping small trees in its path. Frightened, they fled uphill on their bikes until they neared the top and lost sight and sound of it.

Full-body sightingTree break
Summer 1987 Laytonville Ca., Mendocino County, California Class A #6521

Woman hears late night scream and has close encounter near Laytonville

The witness was sleeping in a sleeping bag on a river bank with companions when she woke to bipedal footsteps on a ledge above. A large figure stood behind willow canes about 10 feet away, yelling with speech-like inflection while stomping, shaking vegetation, and giving off a skunk-like odor. After a few minutes the figure left without the witness seeing or hearing its departure, and she stayed awake until morning.

Partial sightingScreamFootstepsOdor
15 June 1986 Carmel CA, Monterey County, California Class A #12292

Daylight sighting by hikers in Ventana Wilderness

The witness and his son were hiking a ridgeline trail with the son walking ahead. The son encountered a large hairy biped running toward him, screamed, and watched it run past him downhill into dense brush. The witness ran forward after hearing the scream, heard loud crashing in the brush, and caught only a brief glimpse of a dark shape disappearing.

Full-body sightingPartial sightingFootsteps
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
Summer 1986 El Dorado County, California Class A #2121

Lake Tahoe sighting by a motorist

The witness and his wife were driving east on Highway 50 late at night in late summer 1986. As they made a turn on an S-curve, their headlights lit up a large hairy human-like figure walking along the hillside at the roadside about 40 yards ahead. When the road curved away, the figure vanished into darkness, and the two occupants confirmed to each other they had both seen it.

Full-body sighting
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
August 1985 Hyampom, Trinity County, California Class A #2490

Nighttime sighting by camper near Hyampom, along South Fork of Trinity River

The witness was sleeping on a river beach with companions and woke past midnight. Across the river in bright moonlight the witness saw a large bipedal creature shaking a big pine tree, then running in an arc into the woods. The next morning the witness and a companion found large four-toed tracks in the sand where the creature had run.

Full-body sightingTracksUnidentified sound
25 October 1983 Sonora, Tuolumne County, California Class A #1919

Friends have night sighting above Sonora

Two men returned at night to a fenced rural property above Sonora after viewing a motorcycle for sale. A tall, wide human-like figure stepped from brush a short distance away, looked at them, then crossed the clearing toward a shed in a few strides while making a huff sound. One man got into their truck while the other backed onto the hood with a knife, and they later spent a sleepless night guarding the cabin door.

Full-body sightingSilhouetteVocalizationOdor
1 January 1983 Meyers, El Dorado County, California Class A #6746

Man has sighting after massive landslide on Highway 50

The witness was traveling by truck when a mudslide blocked Highway 50 and stopped with others to view the slide area. The witness then saw a large dark bipedal figure high on the steep hillside across the river, apparently also looking at the slide. The figure stayed upright for about 15 seconds, appearing to lean on a small tree, then walked uphill out of sight, moving more smoothly than a bear on two legs.

Full-body sighting