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182 encounters
June 1976 Azusa, Los Angeles County, California Class A #2249

One of three incidents in a restricted area

The witness and a companion were walking back to their car after fishing in darkness when they heard footsteps moving ahead of them. The steps paused when they paused and resumed when they moved, stopping again in a clearing. When they called out, the unseen source turned and ran rapidly through dense brush.

Footsteps
Fall 1976 Tehachapi, Kern County, California Class A #9661

At noon, a young lady on horse back has a face-to-face encounter

When 14, the witness rode a horse on a family ranch near Tehachapi to the edge of a pine forest where a long-dead cow lay. There she saw a tall, black-haired, human-like figure leaning against a large tree, and they looked at each other for about a minute. Frightened, she turned back to the ranch and says she never returned to that area.

Full-body sighting
July 1975 San Bernardino County, California Class A #2229

A scout troop's late night sighting at the edge of their camp near Barton Flats. Multiple witnesses. Reporting witness now a law enforcement officer

The witness was camping with a scout troop when loud howl-like screams were heard late at night. A few hours later, after being awakened by rustling in nearby brush, the group shone a flashlight into the treeline and saw a tall hair-covered figure watching them. The figure then turned and walked with long steps northeast up a wooded hill out of sight.

ScreamHowlFull-body sightingEyeshineMovement only
June 1975 Orick, Humboldt County, California Class A #1108

Bigfoot sighted in Stony Lagoon south of Orick,Ca by two men camping who were so frightened they left in middle of night.

Two people camped overnight near the beach while traveling to fish. Under bright moonlight they watched a large humanlike figure trot south down the beach, and a companion called to it without effect. They later found very large widely spaced footprints in the sand, heard noises in nearby brush, and the companion reported eyeshine before they quickly left.

Full-body sightingTracksEyeshineUnidentified sound
October 1974 Quartz Hill, Los Angeles County, California Class A #1742

Two young men have a face to face encounter

The witness and his cousin heard noises outside the house for about 20 minutes and went into the backyard with a flashlight. They saw a tall hair-covered figure standing just beyond a six-foot fence staring at them. After a few seconds they ran back inside frightened. The next morning they found two deep impressions in the sandy soil beyond the fence.

Partial sightingEyeshineFootstepsTracks
September 1974 Dos Rios, Mendocino County, California Class A #7860

Hunter has daytime sighting near Dos Rios

The witness was deer hunting alone in a canyon when he spotted a nude human-like figure coming up the canyon from a long distance. He watched it through a riflescope and then with the naked eye as it reached about 80 yards across the canyon, briefly entering manzanita brush and then reappearing to continue uphill. He described a tall, slender, muscular hair-covered figure walking hunched over that did not appear to notice him.

Full-body sighting
July 1974 Alturas, Modoc County, California Class A #875

Man has sighting near Alturas

The witness was camping by a pond with family and stayed up late by the campfire. Around 1 a.m. he heard noise in the cattails across the pond and approached with a flashlight. A tall hair-covered figure stood up, screeched, faced him briefly, then walked toward the forest like a man. He later found flattened cattails and a strong urine odor at the spot.

Full-body sightingScreamGrowlOdor
15 April 1974 Gorda, Monterey County, California Class A #12247

Two teenage girls have daytime encounter on Big Sur Coast

In early spring 1974, the witness and a same-aged companion were sitting on the sand at a Big Sur beach campground. The witness looked toward the mountainside and saw a large dark bipedal figure running rapidly downhill over steep rugged terrain. After alerting her companion, who also glimpsed the figure as it entered the treeline, both girls fled to the campground. The sighting lasted an estimated 10 to 15 seconds on a sunny late morning.

Full-body sighting
Summer 1974 Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California Class A #27983

Motorists encounter unusual creature on Highway 46 near Paso Robles, CA

The witness and a companion were driving on Highway 46 after dark when they stopped for a small hair-covered creature in the road holding a chicken. The creature stood on two legs and ran past their vehicle and up over an embankment behind them. The witness briefly considered turning around to pursue it but decided against it for fear larger adults might be nearby.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
September 1972 Mammoth Lakes, Inyo County, California Class A #8487

Hiking boy has close encounter in High Sierra

In September 1972 the witness was backpacking down a trail from a lake with his father and a companion when he moved ahead alone into a small meadow. About 12 feet away he saw a large hairy animal bent over digging, which then stood erect to an estimated 8 feet or more with its back to him before he hid behind a boulder. When he looked again it was gone, and companions arriving minutes later saw only broken brush and hair. He kept the account secret for decades until later seeing films that matched his memory.

Full-body sighting
November 1968 Oceanside, San Diego County, California Class A #2907

Four Camp Pendleton soldiers confront bigfoot during nighttime training exercise

During night infantry training, the witness and three other Marines were dug in atop a hill when they heard rocks rolling as something climbed toward them. A very large, wide figure with long arms and a pointed head stood up within a few feet of them, remained briefly as they watched in fear, then walked between their positions and disappeared over a hill behind them. The group confirmed afterward that all four had seen the same thing but agreed not to report it at the time.

SilhouetteFootsteps
July 1968 Fresno County, California Class A #2876

Sighting by a Backpacker Near Bullfrog Lake

The witness was hiking back toward camp in daylight when they noticed a small bear-like figure showing interest in a backpack at the camp from about 100 yards away. After watching for about two minutes, the figure stood and walked bipedally into the trees with person-like arm swing and a smooth gait, disappearing at 200-250 yards. The witness interpreted the figure as a young Sasquatch about 4.5 feet tall and reported feeling that something unnatural was being witnessed.

Full-body sighting
20 October 1967 Del Norte County, California Class A #1563

Two men on horseback film a bigfoot as it retreats out of the creek bed and into the woods. The footage is referred to as the Patterson-Gimlin footage, named after the two men who obtained it

Two witnesses on horseback following a creek-bottom trail reported seeing a bigfoot drinking from the creek. The creature stood up and walked away while one witness filmed its retreat with a handheld movie camera. Investigators later visited the site and measured tracks to estimate the figure's height.

Full-body sighting
March 1967 Happy Camp, Siskiyou County, California Class A #12294

Daylight sighting near Happy Camp

A pregnant witness took her two young sons uphill to clear the screen on a water holding tank intake. A cat with them arched and screeched, drawing her attention to a huge black man-like figure with long flowing hair. The figure crouched then stood and ran uphill bent over, weaving around branches quickly and quietly. She grabbed the children and ran back downhill.

Full-body sighting
August 1966 Albion, Mendocino County, California Class A #8059

Teenagers have sighting of two creatures near Albion

In summer 1966, the witness and her older sister were talking in a parked car near a river in Albion in the evening while the rest of the family was on a nearby boat. Across the river they watched two large, hairy, bipedal animals chase a flock of about 50 sheep around a fenced pasture for 20-30 minutes. After dark they hid in the locked car overnight and reported the event to their parents in the morning, later learning several sheep had been killed with bellies and internal organs eaten.

Full-body sightingPossible misidentification
July 1966 Callahan, Siskiyou County, California Class A #1792

Sighting at East Boulder Lake

A camp counselor leading about two dozen children on a backcountry hike reported encountering an erect, reddish-brown hairy creature at close range on a ridge in daylight. The creature watched the group for about a minute, then fled upslope on two legs. That night at a lakeside camp the group reported a strong skunk-like odor, distant landslides, a small dim green light, snapping branches, and large shadowy figures moving among trees for about two hours. Activity reportedly ceased after two counselors left to seek medical help for an ill child.

Full-body sightingSilhouetteOdorUnidentified sound
Fall 1966 Weed, Siskiyou County, California Class A #1473

Family has early evening sighting near Weed

The family was finishing work at their bee yard in the evening when the father noticed a man-like figure standing by a tall stump. A very loud yipping yell was heard twice, the family dog reacted fearfully, and nearby coyotes fell silent. The figure loped away with dangling arms and long, sure-footed strides, and comparison to the stump afterward led the father to estimate it at about nine feet tall.

Full-body sightingVocalization
July 1965 Yuba City, Sutter County, California Class A #9202

Man remembers childhood daytime sighting along the Feather River

The witness walked to the top of a levee to look for a snake seen the day before. On the other side in a cottonwood tree he noticed a large ape-like creature with one leg swinging below a branch, and they made eye contact. After watching briefly he ran down the levee without looking back and told a relative, and the family then avoided the levee.

Full-body sighting
July 1965 Myers Flat, Humboldt County, California Class A #6963

Teens have unusual experience near Myers Flat

Five boys were camping overnight in a repaired old logging cabin in the woods. During the night they were awakened by huffing, shuffling and prying sounds as something circled and probed the cabin walls. When the door was opened they saw only dark hairy legs in the darkness, a companion fired a rifle, and the creature screamed and fled with heavy thuds, leaving torn ground and indentations.

Partial sightingScreamUnidentified soundFootstepsProperty disturbance +1
August 1964 Ojai, Ventura County, California Class A #24648

Man retells his close, visual encounter at dawn on Pine Mountain as a young deer hunter

The witness, deer hunting at dawn from a ground position below a relative, watched a tall hair-covered biped step into a fire lane, pause and look toward the witness after hearing the witness speak, then cross and wait in brush before leaving downhill. The witness later found large barefoot-like tracks and noticed a strong foul odor at the crossing site. The witness did not shoot and initially told no one.

Full-body sightingFootstepsTracksOdor