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245 encounters
Spring 1978 Auburn, Placer County, California Class B #3612

Two fishermen have truck shaken early one morning, outside of Auburn

The witness and a relative parked a heavy flatbed truck in a wooded area to sleep for a few hours before fishing at dawn. Around 5 a.m. something shook the truck violently side to side several times, waking both occupants. They smelled a strong rancid odor, saw nothing in the darkness, and stayed in the cab until daylight before leaving without checking for tracks.

Vehicle contactOdorPossible misidentification
1978–1979 Leggett, Mendocino County, California Class B #4182

Hiker finds an “A” frame type of nest in the Mammoth Lakes area

The witness, his mother, younger brother, and dog were hiking a trail while camping in a Mendocino County state park. They heard something moving parallel to them, then heard loud wooden knocks followed by a loud guttural huff from near a tree. Without seeing the source, they ran back to camp.

Wood knockGrowlUnidentified sound
Spring 1978 Orleans, Klamath River Area., Humboldt County, California Class B #4642

Prospector has possible morning encounter on east side of Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation

In 1978 the witness was prospecting alone on a mountain trail and was overcome by intense fear. The witness left the trail, knelt and covered the eyes while something bipedal approached, paused nearby, then continued downhill. The witness did not look until it had left and therefore never saw it.

Footsteps
October 1977 Strawberry, Tuolumne County, California Class B #1955

Witness reports loud screaming near Strawberry

A witness at recreational cabins reported hearing very loud, high-pitched screaming for approximately two minutes around 1 a.m. The sound was estimated to originate from less than 50 meters away. The cabin was in the southeast portion of a lake with no other cabins behind it.

Scream
August 1977 Hayfork/Hyampom, Trinity County, California Class B #2579

Series of footprints 17" in length

The witness and two companions were on horseback to put up horses at night near a town dump and fairgrounds. They observed a black standing figure but could not see a face despite fairly good visibility from stars and lights. The next day they returned and found dry grass flattened where the figure had stood. The witness noted bears frequent the area but judged this was not a bear.

Partial sightingSilhouette
July 1977 Sawyer's Bar, Trinity County, California Class B #7352

Hiker see prints and hears sounds in the Trinity Alps

The witness was camped beside a creek during a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike when he heard low voice-like sounds coming from opposite ridges. Feeling uneasy as he also heard limbs and sticks breaking on the ridgeline, he broke camp and hiked out by moonlight. The next morning at a side creek he found vegetation slid down and up where something had crossed, with one large clear footprint in a sandbar, which he photographed with his foot alongside for scale.

VocalizationFootstepsTracks
July 1977 Bear Valley, Calaveras County, California Class B #4366

Hikers have late night experience near Spicer

The witness and a companion were camping in a tent near a river. Late at night they heard loud screams and then footsteps on a dry creek bed behind the tent. The witness saw a large silhouette move past a tree toward the river, heard splashing and screaming, then footsteps approach the tent and run away. They waited for daylight and left quickly.

SilhouetteScreamFootsteps
February 1977 Weaverville, Trinity County, California Class B #7231

A young man and friends had two consecutive night encounters with an unknown creature

In February 1977 five youths camped in two VW buses at a remote, densely forested campground in the Trinity Alps. On two consecutive nights around 10:30 p.m., something rushed down the steep hill behind camp and violently rocked the bus the witness slept in. The first morning packs were found strewn and torn open; the second night a large boulder was found wedged behind the bus tire and the other bus had shifted about five feet toward the river. The group reported seeing nothing because windows were iced over, noting only hillside skid marks, rushing noises, and a brief strong odor before leaving early.

Movement onlyUnidentified soundVehicle contactRock throwingProperty disturbance +1
January 1977 Groveland, Tuolumne County, California Class B #7097

Campers hear late night vocalizations at Carlon Station

The witness and two companions were snow camping in a tent when they were awakened in the early morning by loud footsteps in snow, puffing and grunting, and repeated piercing screams from a ridge above camp. The sounds moved around the campsite for about an hour before fading as the source walked away over the ridge. The group kept watch until daylight, then packed up and left quickly without seeing the source or approaching the ridge to look for tracks.

FootstepsGrowlScreamVocalization
Winter 1977 Tuolumne County, California Class B #2887

Loud, High-pitched Animal Screams Heard Outside a Cabin Late at Night

After midnight while getting ready for bed in a cabin near Pinecrest Lake, the witness heard extremely loud high-pitched screaming from behind the cabin that lasted over a minute. The witness judged the sound to be very close and unlike any known animal, ruling out cats, humans, and bears at the time. Months later the witness read a description of similar screaming and associated the sound with Bigfoot.

Scream
Summer 1977 Sawyer's Bar, Siskiyou County, California Class B #5637

Campers have frightening experience in the Marble Mountains Wilderness

In summer 1977 the witness and a companion were backpacking and camped at a trail junction near a creek in forested mountain country. In the middle of the night they were awakened by loud crashing of logs and rocks being hurled in the streambed below. Bipedal footsteps then approached up the slope to behind nearby trees, with heavy breathing heard high in the air and a humph sound after the witness shouted, before the creature walked away parallel to the creek.

FootstepsRock throwingObject throwingVocalization
1977 Mendocino County, California Class B #2199

Witness heard stomping and crashing of small trees.

The witness was lying in a tent at night in woods near Mendocino when loud stomping and crashing of small trees was heard about fifty yards away. The sounds lasted about 30 seconds and were interpreted as a biped moving quickly, apparently pursued by barking dogs. After the crashing stopped, a dog was heard yelping as if badly injured, then silence fell. The next morning the witness found broken vegetation but no clear sign of its cause and moved camp.

FootstepsMovement onlyTree break
November 1976 Lake Hughes, Los Angeles County, California Class B #27687

Possible tracks found in snow and mud on family property many years ago near Lake Hughes

Four deer hunters stopped at a relative's ranch for lunch and fed hogs when horses in a back pasture became highly agitated for about 30 minutes. They found very large, deep tracks circling the pasture with a strong wet-dog and rotten-egg odor still present. They followed the bipedal trackway to a very steep hill where the steps ascended out of reach, tried and failed to replicate the stride and step-up, then left without ever seeing the maker.

TracksOdor
September 1976 Lee Vining, Mono County, California Class B #10718

Campers hear a vocalization near Tenaya Lake

A group camping by a lake at night heard animal sounds go quiet followed by a very loud vocalization that rose from low to a high shrill pitch. Other campers from near the mountain came down the trail with their gear to leave, saying the scream had been right by them and they had seen something run toward and past the witness camp. The witness group did not see anything but noticed a strong dirty or wet dog smell after leaving their tents and waited until daylight to leave.

ScreamGrowlOdorMovement only
September 1976 Azusa, Los Angeles County, California Class B #1634

Varmint hunter has a night encounter with a large animal

While night hunting with a dying-rabbit call, the witness heard extremely loud, threatening screams from an unseen animal on a ridge. The animal screamed three times while moving to get downwind of the witness. The witness used a powerful hunting light and reported catching its glowing eyes, and described being truly frightened.

ScreamEyeshine
Summer 1976 Mendocino County, California Class B #2201

Creature seen in the woods by hunter

While deer hunting in the morning, the witness and a companion heard loud noise from a wooded gully and then met an elderly hunter climbing out. The elderly hunter appeared pale and frightened and told them he had just seen a huge bigfoot at the bottom and had dropped his rifle while fleeing. The witness and companion later recovered the abandoned scoped rifle, but the elderly hunter kept walking away and left.

Unidentified sound
1 September 1975 Crescent City, Del Norte County, California Class B #5260

Family sees prints near Crescent City

The witness was traveling with family members when their vehicle pulled over and everyone got out. The group noticed many large footprints in sand along a small river leading uphill toward the forest. They then heard a noise from the ridge across the river and briefly saw a large creature moving bipedally over the ridge out of sight, after which they got back in the vehicle and left.

Partial sightingTracksUnidentified sound
June 1975 Paskenta, Tehama County, California Class B #6706

Hikers see large print in Yolla Bolly Wilderness

The witness and a companion were backpacking in a remote wilderness and stopped at a trail seep to collect water. In the mud they found a single very large footprint that was filling with seep water. They felt it was not a bear or human track, camped nearby uneasily overnight without hearing anything unusual, and left at first light.

Tracks
Fall 1975 Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara County, California Class B #13236

Boar hunters find fresh footprints north of Lake Cachuma

Two hunters on a hillside noticed movement below them and went downhill to investigate but found nothing. About 5-10 minutes later after climbing back to the trail they found large deep footprints overlying their own earlier footprints. They followed the prints for about a mile to a vantage point where the trail ahead was empty, then gave up and returned.

Movement onlyTracks
1 September 1973 Fresno County, California Class B #2996

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.

TracksOdor