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Possible sighting and howls heard by deer hunters in John Muir Wilderness
Two deer hunters hiking back to camp at dusk near Heart Lake heard loud bellowing howls and watched a deer flee through brush. They then saw a tall dark figure on the ridgeline that first resembled a standing bear but looked like neither a bear nor a man through a rifle scope. The figure ran downhill after the deer and disappeared into brush, and the hunters later found a very large footprint where it had stood.
Hikers describe possible stalking and vocalizations the John Muir Wilderness
Three backpackers hiking toward Hobler Lake at dusk noticed a large reddish-brown animal moving parallel to them for about an hour. After dark the witness saw a tall, wide, long-armed furry biped watching from behind a tree, which walked away when spoken about. The group camped at the lake, later hearing disturbance sounds and finding camp items slightly moved.
Camper hears nightime vocalizations near Florence Lake
The witness was camping overnight in a tent after fishing. During the night the witness woke and heard two loud, unfamiliar vocalizations from the east, several seconds long and seconds apart, then silence. Two companions sleeping in a car did not hear the sounds.
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.
Cousins have late night experience with strange screams near Huntington Lake
The witness and a relative were walking in a meadow below ranch buildings around dusk when they heard a prolonged loud screaming vocalization from nearby trees and heard movement circling the meadow. They retreated to ranch buildings and continued hearing vocalizations around the ranch overnight. The next day they found no tracks on frozen ground but found a large handprint with long fingers on a food storeroom door.
Campers hear strange late night sounds near Florence Lake
After fishing, the witness and a companion set up camp for the night and sat by a campfire after dark. They heard a low horn-like sound that seemed to approach from a ledge behind the camp. They then briefly saw a pair of pale glowing eyes in that direction. After a warning shout and a warning shot, they quickly packed up, extinguished the fire, and drove home.
Witness heard a large animal moving in the forest
While mountain biking, the witness heard a large animal moving in brush off the trail but could not see it. About 200 yards farther up the trail, the group found very large detailed footprints overlying companions' tracks, which left the trail for a meadow and reappeared crossing the road about half a mile farther on. Coincidentally encountered bear hunters also examined the prints and were unfamiliar with them.
Three teenagers hear vocalizations at dusk, while fishing in Doris Lake in John Muir Wilderness
The witness and two companions were fishing on a lake at dusk when they heard a loud scream from across the lake in the forested mountains. No people or animals were visible in the area. About a minute later they heard the same scream a second time. Frightened, they reeled in their lines and ran back to the nearby resort without stopping.
Teenager hears unusual daytime vocalization near Courtright Reservoir
The witness was fishing alone at dusk near camp at Fleming Lake when repeated distant undulating wailing calls were heard from a valley to the north/northeast. The calls came in five or six bouts of five to six rising-falling segments each over about a minute and were estimated to originate one to two miles away. Two companions at camp did not hear the sounds, and nothing else unusual was noticed for the remainder of the trip.
Two campers find a 17 inch footprint near their camp
The witness and a companion were backpacking to fish when they missed a trail marker and camped overnight on a bluff below a canyon rim. The witness reported feeling watched overnight. The next morning the companion found a single large five-toed footprint in wet sand near a spring about 80 feet from camp, which both examined. Noting rain the prior morning had left drop patterns everywhere except the print, and smelling a musty odor, they left the area.