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113 encounters
6 December 1975 Pinckneyville, Perry County, Illinois Class B #3300

Trapper recalls large footprints he found while trapping near Pinckneyville

In the late 1970s in December, the witness's friend found a short line of very large barefoot humanlike tracks in mud along a strip-mine pond while running traps. The prints showed five toes and a stride the finder said was too great for him to match. The account was relayed by the reporter and later clarified when an investigator spoke directly with the track finder.

Tracks
October 1975 Gorham, Jackson County, Illinois Class B #40842

Memory told of a possible sighting along Happy Hollow Road near Gorham

The witness was riding in a vehicle with three relatives on a wooded road after sundown. As the vehicle came around a curve, the headlights illuminated a creature standing on a creek bank by a wooden bridge. The creature looked toward the vehicle, its eyes caught in the headlights, then turned and walked away.

Full-body sightingEyeshine
Fall 1975 Pinckneyville, Perry County, Illinois Class B #18584

Possible vocalization heard near Pyramid State Park

The witness was outside at a relative's rural farm at night when a loud, hair-raising vocalization was heard from across a lake. The witness ran to a shed where two relatives were working but had not heard the sound. Horses nearby became agitated and later avoided the area where the sound originated until daylight.

Scream
23 July 1974 Midlothian, Cook County, Illinois Class B #45041

Man recalls possibly seeing a bigfoot playing peek-a-boo in headlights while parked west of Midlothian

The witness was parked in a car with two companions at a forest reserve pull-off on a summer evening when a large furry hand appeared gripping a tree. Moments later a large furry head peeked around the tree and quickly withdrew without approaching. The group left the area immediately and rarely spoke of the incident afterward.

Partial sighting
Fall 1974 Sparland, Marshall County, Illinois Class B #55386

Witness recalls possible nighttime sighting near Sparland

The witness and a relative were outside their home at night waiting for a family member to return from hunting. They saw a bipedal figure approaching from the woods that they first mistook for the family member. The figure stopped and stood, then quickly went back into the woods, prompting the relative to bring the witness inside and secure the home. The family member arrived home later.

Partial sighting
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
1972–1978 Granite City, Madison County, Illinois Class B #32196

Memory told of family encounters near Granite City

The witness reports that while staying at the parents' rural property with a friend around dusk in late summer 1972, they observed a large hairy figure filling the barn doorway from about a hundred yards away. The pair ran to tell parents inside the house, and when they returned the figure was gone. The witness estimated the figure at eight feet tall, broad enough to fill the doorway, and brownish-black in color.

Full-body sighting
12 July 1969 Brereton And Norris, Fulton County, Illinois Class B #50155

Memory of seeing something chimp-like in the trees and being chased out of the woods near Brereton

In July 1969 the witness and two younger brothers were on bikes on a bridge over a creek when they watched a 4-foot dark brown young animal play in a tree about 300 feet away for five minutes. The witness felt overwhelming terror without seeing a threat and led the brothers away. While they rode about a half mile home, a brother reported a strange hairy man chasing them, which the witness interpreted as an adult protecting its young.

Full-body sighting
Spring 1968 Brussels, Calhoun County, Illinois Class B #42730

Childhood memory told of seeing an upright, white animal while playing in a creek near Brussels

Two children were playing with tadpoles in a slough along a creek in the afternoon. One looked up and saw a white, extremely hairy upright animal with very long arms standing behind the other child. The children ran to a house a quarter mile away, adults returned with them to the area, and the children were told not to tell anyone about what was seen.

Full-body sighting
October 1965 Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois Class B #40475

Memory told of strange occurrences while growing up near Castle Rock State Park

In the fall of 1965 the witness was staying in a trailer on the family property when loud screaming was heard approaching from the direction of the river. The witness and a relative heard something pacing behind the dwelling while the screaming continued, then striking the trailer sides four or five times. The witness fired a gun once from the doorway, after which no further sound was heard that night.

ScreamFootstepsProperty disturbance
24 August 1953 Lawrenceville, Lawrence County, Illinois Class B #49182

Memory told of a possible childhood encounter at Georgefield Barracks

The witness was staying at home with her older sister while her parents were out. After hearing movement outside and seeing a large head at the window, she opened the front door, turned on the porch light, and came face to face with a tall hair-covered figure. Her middle sister arrived and ran toward the figure, which then left and quickly disappeared. The sisters did not discuss the incident at the time and only recalled it decades later.

Partial sightingMovement only
BFRO YEAR: 84 to 86 Atwood, Piatt County, Illinois Class B #47469

Memory told of possible vocalizations and footprints found near Atwood

On a winter evening around 10 p.m., the witness opened the door to let a dog out and heard an immense scream-howl from just north of the house. The sound felt like a physical impact and frightened the dog so it would not go outside. The witness's mother also heard the vocalization from inside the house.

HowlScream
BFRO YEAR: 2000(?) Ste. Marie, Jasper County, Illinois Class B #10879

Mushroom hunters find series of large footprints near Ste. Marie

The witness and a companion were mushroom hunting when they found about ten barefoot-like prints crossing a muddy stretch of a mostly dry creek. The prints appeared to enter from water on one side and exit into water on the other, heading east toward a nearby river. The witness felt no barefoot person should have been in that remote bottoms area and no photos were taken before rain.

Tracks