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273 encounters
November 1974 La Fayette, Walker County, Georgia Class B #7464

Deer hunter describes possible stalking on Pigeon Mountain

While tracking a wounded buck down the mountain at dusk, the witness heard parallel movement with breaking limbs, rustling leaves, a grunt and a growl. The sounds mirrored the witness's own stops and starts and at times fell silent. The witness fled through a briar patch to a truck, heard grunting again behind, and never saw the source.

GrowlVocalizationFootstepsMovement onlyAnimal behaviour
Spring 1974 Atwood, Gibson County, Tennessee Class B #11328

Young girl has sighting near Milan

The witness and an older sibling took a vehicle to a burn site at the woods edge to burn household trash. While watching the fire, the witness heard a loud growl and saw a black, hairy, man-shaped figure walking into the woods over a slight rise. The pair fled to the house, where penned dogs were barking excitedly.

Partial sightingGrowl
8 June 1973 Prairie Du Rocher, Randolph County, Illinois Class B #42547

Woman recalls her possible encounter on a farm outside Prairie du Rocher.

The witness was camped alone with a dog near a sinkhole on a farm bluff to feed horses in the morning. After building a fire and cooking, loud grunts, growls and scream-like screeches came from the sinkhole while many young trees shook violently despite little wind. Horses stared then fled, the dog stayed close shaking, and a brief odd odor was noticed. Frightened, the witness doused the fire and left with the dog, and reports avoiding woods since.

VocalizationGrowlScreamMovement onlyOdor
Summer 1973 North Liberty, Johnson County, Iowa Class B #27978

Memory of a possible encounter as young girls riding horses at night near the Coralville Reservoir

Four girls were riding horses on a moonlit night when their horses stopped and focused on a hilltop ahead. They heard a loud guttural growl mixed with vowel-like sounds and wood snapping, which frightened them. They galloped back to the farm where they were staying. The next morning they found a small wooden corral they had built on that hilltop broken apart.

GrowlVocalizationTree break
August 1972 Reno, Washoe County, Nevada Class B #5770

Four feral dogs chase sasquatch

On a clear night in August 1972, the 12-year-old witness was reading late in his bedroom when feral dogs chased something into his backyard. He heard heavy bipedal footfalls, a violent impact against the house corner and window, a grunt, and then a short deep growl directed at the dogs, followed by silence. The intruder then fled over a cedar fence as the dogs pursued, leaving a strong foul odor. Next morning the witness found a flattened flowerbed and trellis, a toppled lumber stack, and a tuft of hair of uncertain origin on the fence.

FootstepsGrowlVocalizationDoor or window contactProperty disturbance +1
15 July 1972 Burleson County, Texas Class B #1632

Family camping at Lake Somerville is menaced by a loud screaming creature

The witness and relatives were camped overnight when a foul stench filled the air and an extremely loud scream beginning as a growl was heard. The dog hid, and rounds fired into the air temporarily drove the source away, but it returned repeatedly until dawn despite a large fire. Nothing was ever seen and no unusual tracks were found, though a nearby stand of broken saplings carried the same odor.

ScreamGrowlOdorTree break
July 1970 Tooele / Herriman, Salt Lake County, Utah Class B #38797

Woman recalls childhood experience of a terrifying night-time encounter while camping near Kennecott Copper mine

A family group of six was inside a large tent at night during a thunderstorm when they smelled an overpowering odor and heard loud screaming approach. A large hairy figure stood over the tent, visible in lightning flashes, screaming for several minutes while the occupants huddled in fear. An adult companion left the tent, apparently confronted the creature amid scuffling and growling, then returned pale and blocked the zipper until dawn when the group left.

OdorScreamGrowlPartial sightingSilhouette
1970–1979 Bearbrook State Park Spands Allenstown & Deerfield, Merrimack County, New Hampshire Class B #48354

Woman recalls scary night while at a Girl Scout campground in Bear Brook State Park

The witness was sleeping in a tent with other campers during a Girl Scout overnight stay when she was awakened by something pressing on the tent and making grunting sounds. After she scratched the tent fabric and made a loud sound herself, she felt something solid outside and heard a loud grunt or growl followed by crashing away through the underbrush. The other occupants screamed, camp leaders said everyone was accounted for, and an unrecognized funky odor was noticed.

GrowlFootstepsOdorProperty disturbance
Summer 1970 Inyo County, California Class B #2182

A large, unseen growling animal breaks large branches as it moves quickly up a hillside

The witness and a companion hiked about five miles up a creek to fish and felt they were being watched as the forest went unusually quiet. During an afternoon thunderstorm a lightning strike hit across the creek, after which they heard a growling or grunting sound and branches breaking high in trees moving rapidly up the creek and mountain out of hearing. The witness briefly saw a large shadow moving in the woods but nothing conclusive, and they could not search for prints because a fire from the strike caused evacuation.

GrowlMovement only
Summer 1970 Snoqualmie, King County, Washington Class B #1384

Vocalizations heard by hikers

In summer around 1970, the witness and a friend were walking on an old dirt road through dense forest. About 50 feet ahead they heard a loud growling and screaming sound, saw trees shaking with sunlight breaking through the canopy, and felt the ground shake. They ran about half a mile out of the woods and the witness reported it to family that evening.

GrowlScreamMovement only
Spring 1966 Only Logging Camps, Clallam County, Washington Class B #13816

Possible encounter with soldier training training in the Olympic National Forest

The witness was taking part in a nighttime military training exercise in a forested area in 1966 and was returning alone to the company area around 3-4 a.m. He noticed the outline of a large upright figure coming down a steep sandy hill toward a logging road while hearing footsteps and shifting dirt. When he challenged the figure, it responded with a loud growl, and he ran to the campfire without hearing pursuit. He initially told others the pursuer was a bear but later concluded it had walked on two legs and was a bigfoot.

SilhouetteGrowlFootsteps
Fall 1964 Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina Class B #5381

Solider describes late night encounter on Fort Jackson

While on a solo night escape-and-evasion march at Fort Jackson, the witness stopped at a fire-lane crossing around 2 a.m. in total darkness. Something approached, moved away after being challenged, made growling talk-like sounds, then approached again before crashing away through brush. Startled, the witness ran and eventually reached another soldier with a fire and truck.

VocalizationGrowlFootstepsMovement only
Summer 1964 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah Class B #28095

Man recalls possible encounter at a family cabin in Big Cottonwood Canyon outside Salt Lake City

In August 1964 two teenagers were walking back to a family cabin in Big Cottonwood Canyon after dark when they heard footsteps matching their movements and a low unearthly growl. They ran through a gully to the cabin and locked themselves inside. They then heard the nearby outhouse door open and slam, saw nothing when they turned on an outside light, later heard the door fling open with crashing in brush, and spent the night upstairs.

FootstepsGrowlDoor or window contactMovement only
1956 Prattsville, Vinton County, Ohio Class B #4982

Personal encounter of a camper as well as a history of encounters concerning his family members, dating back 40 years.

The witness and a companion were sleeping in a tent on a hill while camping. In the early morning hours the witness was awakened by a deep growling grunt very close to the tent, followed by brush sounds as something moved away. In the morning the witness searched for tracks, fur, or other sign but found nothing, and concluded the sounds had been made by a bigfoot.

GrowlMovement only
BFRO YEAR: 1980-81? Mission, British Columbia Class B #15141

Possible stalking and rock throwing in the Fraser Valley

Three companions walking back from swimming along a forestry road felt watched and heard snapping branches and rustling paralleling their movement. When they shouted and threw rocks toward the roadside bushes, rocks were thrown back at them while growling sounds were heard and the accompanying dog barked. Frightened, they ran to a nearby activity centre and later told a parent, who suggested a bear.

FootstepsGrowlRock throwingUnidentified sound
BFRO YEAR: 1978-80 Prosperity, Washington County, Pennsylvania Class B #50123

Audio recording of possible screams, growls, and fight with a dog from the Late 70's near Prosperity

On a fall evening just before dusk, the witness, then a child, and the father were at their farm when the father heard a loud disturbance in a wooded valley below a field. The father took a tape recorder and walked toward the sounds of a loud growling/roaring creature apparently fighting a neighbor's dog while the child waited uphill by a feed trough. The creature was never seen because it was too dark in the woods, and the father returned uphill. The neighbor's dog was never seen again.

GrowlScream
BFRO YEAR: about 1980 Lewistown, PA In Mifflin County, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania Class B #22599

Hunter has unusual experience while spring turkey hunting

The witness was scouting for turkeys in spring on the southern side of Jacks Mountain when turkey-like clucking from dense brush drew him closer. Each time he approached, a very low guttural growl came from the brush where nothing could be seen, stopping when he backed away while the clucking resumed. After two or three such approaches he left the area.

GrowlUnidentified soundPossible hoax
BFRO YEAR: 1985 - '87 McKean County, Pennsylvania Class B #3570

Loud scream heard by three witnesses.

Three bow hunters met in a field after dark while walking out. From a small woodlot about 70 yards away they twice heard a loud scream turning into a guttural growl with heavy breathing. One hunter briefly ran then returned, and the group left quickly after shining a weak light toward the sound without seeing anything.

ScreamGrowlVocalization
BFRO YEAR: 1996-98 Indiana, Indiana County, Pennsylvania Class B #3002

Two brothers investigate strange whistling, hear growling

Over several summers the household repeatedly heard a loud high rising whistle in the early morning from the same wooded spot near home. In the third summer the witness and a relative walked toward the sound with baseball bats and got within about 25 yards. While the whistle continued they heard a wet growling sound at the same time and fled. The whistling was heard only once the next year and then stopped.

WhistleGrowl
BFRO YEAR: about 1960 LeSage, Cabell County, West Virginia Class B #3582

Hunters hear vocalization in a hollow off Route 2, near Lesage

The witness and two companions were coon hunting at night in a hollow when their dogs became frightened and refused to lead. From 80 to 100 yards ahead they heard an extremely loud 6- to 7-second bellow-roar rising to high-pitched cries, then later a low 5-second growl from about 50 yards and a second shorter high-pitched scream after reaching the ridge top. They never saw the source and returned home without further incident.

ScreamGrowl