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245 encounters
8 August 1984 Forks Of Salmon, Siskiyou County, California Class B #1058

Campers observed by unknown animal

The witness and two companions were camped by a remote lake after dusk when they noticed amber eyes in the woods up the hill. After rocks were thrown, the animal stood and moved toward them on two legs, then circled their camp for about three hours while staying outside the firelight. The witness described it as 7 to 8 feet tall, agile on two legs, and curious rather than aggressive, and it left after fuel thrown on the fire made a flare. No tracks or other sign were found the next morning.

EyeshinePartial sightingUnidentified sound
August 1984 Not Sure., Shasta County, California Class B #8184

Large Footprints Found, Vocalizations Heard by Vacationer Near Lake Shasta

While on a family houseboat trip, the witness walked up a creek bed and found two sizes of bare human-like five-toed tracks that crossed sharp rocks and entered the woods. That night while sleeping atop the beached houseboat with a relative, both heard two loud distant resonant screams that rose high then dropped into a gargle-growl. The relative also later reported hearing heavy footsteps, breathing and grunting along the shore before dawn.

TracksScreamGrowl
August 1984 Truckee, Calif., Nevada County, California Class B #3424

Couple see large footprint near Emigrant Gap

The witness states her husband found a large human-like print in soft dust beside a dirt road while cutting firewood and drove her about 20 miles to see it. She states she viewed a clear print about 15 inches long with five toes. No creature itself was reported seen.

Tracks
August 1984 Mono Hot Springs Resort, Fresno County, California Class B #3605

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.

Scream
July 1983 Woodsford, Alpine County, California Class B #7336

Runner Hears Unusual Whistle Near Woodsford

The witness was walking cross-country between two lakes when a loud two-tone whistle came from ground level behind to the left. The witness called out, whistled back, and searched the thick brush to within about 10 feet of the source but saw no people, animals, or birds. The source of the sound remained unidentified.

Whistle
August 1981 Humboldt County, California Class B #2142

Campers smell foul odor

Around midnight during a meteor shower outing, the witness was alone in a clearing, felt watched, then heard nearby rustling and ran back to camp. Shortly after, the group noticed an extremely strong sulfurous musky odor coming from a stand of trees. They pursued stomping and thrashing sounds uphill but never saw the source, and the pursuers fled after the sound and smell abruptly stopped.

OdorMovement onlyFootstepsAnimal behaviour
1 August 1981 It Might Be Shaver Lake, But It Is Hard To Tell. At Any Rate, We Were A Very Long Way From Shaver Lake Or Any Other Town, Up In The Mountains. We Parked The Car At Courtright Reservoir., Fresno County, California Class B #4929

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.

Whoop
2 July 1981 Jenner, Sonoma County, California Class B #6971

Couple hear late night scream near Fort Ross

While bicycle-camping overnight at Fort Ross, the witness and a companion were awakened around 1 a.m. by an extremely loud, prolonged scream very close to their tent. They stayed frozen in the tent listening for about an hour, and later heard a similar scream from farther away near the lower parking area. They did not see the source and did not look for tracks the next morning.

Scream
June 1981 Hathaway Pines, Calaveras County, California Class B #431

Sound and Footprint Reports from Stanislaus National Forest

The witness and family were camping in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness in 1981 when deep howls were heard nightly for three nights from about 11 p.m. until dawn. The sounds reportedly began after two men with dogs went into the forest after dark and circled a ridge before returning near camp. A pet dog was described as very afraid, and the witness said the howls did not resemble known bobcat or mountain lion sounds.

Howl
September 1980 Weaverville, Trinity County, California Class B #7773

Hunters hear late night screams in the Trinity Alps Wilderness

Two hunters camping overnight on a ridge to be positioned for opening day heard a single extremely loud scream that shifted from high-pitched to deeper growl-like tones from the direction of a nearby tree line. About half an hour later their tethered mule became highly agitated and was found favoring a front leg that later swelled markedly despite no visible wound. Searches that night and the next morning revealed no source, tracks, or sign of trauma.

ScreamGrowl
August 1980 Bridgeport, Mono County, California Class B #13613

Hikers find footprints, hear sounds, etc., near Leavitt Meadows

While camped in high alpine forest, the witness went to a snowdrift above camp and found two lines of large footprint-like impressions that had not been there the day before. The lowest prints showed clear toes with a deeply impressed big toe, while higher prints were smeared sideways as if the makers stepped into their own prints ascending the steep slope. The group followed the two trackways, spaced about eight feet apart, to the top of a cliff.

Tracks
16 May 1980 Big Pine, Inyo County, California Class B #21684

Man describes childhood incident, a possible approach at Seven Lakes

The witness reports camping overnight in a tent with a relative in a remote glacial valley during a snowstorm. Around 3:45 a.m., they heard very heavy bipedal footsteps approach and stop a few feet from the tent, remaining silent for about five minutes before continuing toward a frozen lake and rugged ridgeline. The pair did not see the visitor and did not check for tracks, but left quickly at first light feeling frightened and unwelcome.

Footsteps
February 1980 Bakersfield, Kern County, California Class B #13096

Possible nighttime road crossing sighting by motorist near Lamont

The witness and a companion were driving at night on a rural road through farmland when they saw a dark, hairy figure cross the road ahead of them. The figure moved quickly from one side to the other in long, smooth strides without looking toward the car and disappeared into a field. The witness turned back to look with bright lights but saw nothing, and a search the next day found no tracks because the ground was wet and muddy.

Road crossingPartial sighting
October 1979 BLACK ROCK, Tulare County, California Class B #12328

Hunters are awakened by loud, repetitive vocalizations in Monache Meadows

The witness and a companion were camped overnight during a hunting trip when they were awakened around 2 a.m. by very loud howling from a meadow. The sound was described as sad but not threatening and continued intermittently for about an hour while they searched with a spotlight from a vehicle without seeing anything. They then returned to camp.

Howl
September 1979 Weed, Siskiyou County, California Class B #5220

Son and step Father have a strange encounter on the north/east side of Mt.Shasta

The witness and a relative were camping in a remote wooded area when the witness was awakened around 3 a.m. by noises around the truck, including an ice chest being knocked over and a violent impact that rocked the vehicle, followed by a loud piercing scream-like sound. The relative also woke, and in the morning they found the camp in disarray with a dozen eggs missing, the empty carton later found away from camp, and a dent in the truck. No creature was seen and no tracks were found, and the pair stayed up until morning before leaving.

ScreamVehicle contactProperty disturbance
July 1979 Lake Shasta, Shasta County, California Class B #2770

Couple Has Frightening Encounter Near Lake Shasta

A couple drove to a remote meadow near Squaw Creek and camped overnight. After the campfire burned low at night they heard loud breaking branches, rushing movement circling and approaching the camp, and a loud howl-like vocalization, while their dog growled and a strong foul odor was present. They kept the fire large, shone flashlights into the woods without seeing eyeshine, and left at daylight, later associating the incident with Bigfoot after a friend's comment.

HowlFootstepsMovement onlyOdor
16 December 1978 Avery, Calaveras County, California Class B #5477

Teenager has a nighttime close encounter and then sees tracks in the snow in Avery

The witness spent a winter night sleeping on a couch in an unfinished hillside cabin while two dogs slept nearby. During the night a large-sounding movement was heard outside that agitated the dogs for about fifteen minutes, but the witness did not look outside. The next morning the witness found a line of large five-toed footprints in snow that appeared to pass the cabin, step over a barbed-wire fence, and jump a creek before continuing uphill, but heavy snow later covered them.

FootstepsTracks
December 1978 Alpine County, California Class B #803

Tracks found by vacationers

The witness was playing in the snow near a river when they noticed a set of large tracks. The tracks led from the river into a patch of low trees. The witness did not follow the tracks out of fear.

Tracks
October 1978 Hayfork/Hyampom, Trinity County, California Class B #2581

Very large, black, human-looking sihouette seen

After dark, two riders on horseback were traveling on a back trail from the fairgrounds toward a friend's house. One horse alerted to something ahead, and the riders observed a very large, silent, human-like silhouette that moved diagonally into the brush. One rider greeted it, initially thinking it was a person, and they continued to the house without discussing it until morning. The next day they returned and found flattened dry grass where it had stood.

Silhouette
September 1978 Strawberry, Tuolumne County, California Class B #7676

Hunters have strange night experiences near Groundhog Meadow

A witness and his son were camping by a horse corral after building deer blinds. Early in the evening they heard two loud low-pitched screams from different directions, then later watched a pair of red eyes about six to seven feet off the ground for about an hour. Later that night something struck the side of their truck-mounted camper hard enough to shake the truck, but they found nothing outside.

ScreamEyeshineVehicle contact