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268 encounters
BFRO YEAR: Early 70's Harford County, Maryland Class B #1168

Man sees ape-like animal in back yard

The owner heard noises by his fenced trash area late at night and went to look with a rifle. He saw an ape-like animal outside the fence, fired into the air, and watched it stand up with its shoulders and head above the 6-foot fence before fleeing through bushes toward the woods. Footprints were left only in soft dirt by the bushes and one was preserved as a plaster cast.

Partial sightingUnidentified soundTracks
BFRO YEAR: 85-present Whittemore, Iosco County, Michigan Class B #14854

Possible ongoing activity outside Whittemore

The witness reports recurring nighttime activity over many years at her parents' wooded property. She and others hear footsteps pacing them along the tree line, loud crashing movement, screeching sounds and cracking noises, often accompanied by a strange smell. Family members and visitors have also reported red eyeshine and ape-like figures, and large footprints were found in snow. An investigator later visited, interviewed family members and noted unusual stick and vegetation features in the woods.

FootstepsScreamUnidentified soundMovement onlyOdor
BFRO YEAR: 2008, 2009 Jackson, Fife Lake, Grand Traverse County, Michigan Class B #32976

Possible daylight sighting by a mountain biker in the Pere Marquette State Forest

The witness was mountain biking on a game trail in thick forest when he stopped in a clear-cut opening to repair a flat front tire. A loud thump came from a burnt-out RV about 50-60 yards away, and he saw a large jet-black furred head appear in a broken window about six feet off the ground. The head tilted slowly to the side as he remounted his bike, and he rode back to his cabin using GPS. He reported smelling a pungent odor at the site and again outside his cabin the next morning, which he interpreted as the animal having followed him.

Partial sightingOdorUnidentified sound
BFRO YEAR: 1985 86 Lakeland Fla, Polk County, Florida Class B #3918

Hunter has unexplained, late night encounter while in small boat on Saddle Creek

Late at night the witness paddled a small boat up a creek with two dogs and heard something following on the bank, then a loud blowing noise. The dogs refused to go ashore and later barked intensely. The witness shone a light and saw a large ape-like figure running away over a hill, then noticed a group of tracks while leaving. A skunk-like brassy odor was noted before the sighting.

Partial sightingTracksOdorUnidentified sound
BFRO YEAR: 08 Baker Fl, Okaloosa County, Florida Class B #25037

Kayaker experiences frightening incidents while traveling down Yellow River

While kayaking a long stretch of river in northwest Florida near dusk, the witness heard moaning to yelling sounds and smelled a strong musky odor. Rocks were thrown from the treeline toward the water and near the kayak, while sticks and trees were heard breaking. The witness also heard coyotes and loud unidentified sounds suggesting animals fighting, felt followed for much of the trip, and never saw the source.

VocalizationOdorRock throwingUnidentified soundTree break +1
BFRO YEAR: 1975-76 North Key Largo, Monroe County, Florida Class B #24241

Family has a strange and terrifying encounter while fishing in the Everglades National Park

While night-fishing beside a canal in the Everglades with his parents as a young child, the witness heard something pacing back and forth in dense vegetation behind them. His father threw a piece of coral, shone a spotlight, and shouted, but the movement continued without any visible source or response. Frightened by the persistent, methodical pacing, the family fled in their car without breaking down their fishing rods.

FootstepsUnidentified soundMovement onlyAnimal behaviourPossible misidentification
BFRO YEAR: '92-'93 Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee Class B #11682

Young men have frightening vocalization incident near Stones River

The witness and two companions hiked a horse trail along a river at night. They heard repeated loud branch breaks that seemed to follow them as they tried to leave. At the base of a bluff area they heard an extremely loud scream that echoed down the river, then ran to a nearby house where they heard the scream again from the woods.

Tree breakUnidentified soundScreamOdor
BFRO YEAR: 1976-77 Pollock Pines, El Dorado County, California Class B #4790

Family finds large footprints and hears strange sounds near Pollock Pines

During a family walk on a mountain logging trail in the late 1970s, the group heard branches breaking around them. Near a recently fallen tree they found a wet blood-like substance on the log and a very large fresh human-like footprint that dwarfed an adult man's boot. The group quickly left the area and returned toward the cabin.

TracksUnidentified sound