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27 encounters
17 August 2011 Mogadore, Portage County, Ohio Class B #31246

Possible nightime encounter while fishing at Mogadore Reservoir

Two companions were night fishing at a reservoir when they heard tree knocks and unfamiliar calls that seemed to get closer. They decided to leave and found one of two large catfish missing from the back of the truck, then the companion was struck in the chest by a small thrown rock. Frightened, they packed up and left quickly.

Wood knockVocalizationRock throwingProperty disturbanceMovement only
12 December 2010 Atwater, Portage County, Ohio Class B #28730

Possible vocalizations heard while training hunting dogs near Atwater

Four people were coon hunting at night when their dog-tracking signal failed and dogs became frightened and quit hunting. The group heard repeated loud groaning and wailing howls that they estimated came from about fifty yards away. They recovered the dogs and left the area feeling intimidated and unwelcome.

Howl
17 June 2009 Atwater, Portage County, Ohio Class B #31000

Possible night time encounter while fishing near Atwater

Two brothers were night-fishing from a secluded point when they broadcast loud predator calls for about 90 minutes and then sat quietly. The witness heard footsteps approaching through the woods and shone a high-powered spotlight toward the sound. A loud, deafening scream/roar erupted, terrifying both men, who then gathered gear and left with one covering their exit. They reported sensing movement about 20 to 30 yards away and hearing branches breaking in another direction but seeing no distinct shape.

ScreamFootstepsMovement only
10 June 2008 Mogadore, Portage County, Ohio Class B #23980

Woman recounts possible night time encounter near Mogadore

A group walking on a path by a closed campground at night heard something large crashing through trees alongside them. A very large rock then landed a few feet away with enough force to vibrate the ground, followed by a loud growl. The group left the area immediately.

FootstepsRock throwingGrowl
October 2003 Ravenna, Portage County, Ohio Class A #7224

Ongoing Encounters with "Fang" on old family land

The witness and the witness's younger son were hiking at dusk in thick woods. They found very fresh footprints beside a thicket too dense to enter. As it got darker they reported smelling the creature.

TracksOdor
November 2002 Mantua, Portage County, Ohio Class B #5406

A family is hearing howling behind their home identical to the howls on the BFRO website

The witness reports repeatedly hearing howling from the woods behind a home in northern Portage County, Ohio, described as closely matching howling examples heard on the BFRO website. The sounds are heard regularly in the evening after dusk, with the most recent hearing while working in the backyard about two weeks before the report. No visual encounter is described.

HowlScream
August 1999 Ravenna, Portage County, Ohio Class B #982

Tracks found in West Branch State Park

While scouting for deer season, the witness found fresh barefoot-like tracks going through deep mud, briars and a mud swamp instead of the dry trail. The tracks were narrow, deep, long-toed with an apparent left-foot injury, and had a long stride. The witness followed the trackway from the lake inlet across the swamp for about 700 yards until it was lost on dry ground in the forest.

Tracks
April 1997 Kent, Portage County, Ohio Class B #4967

Loud vocalizations and other noises heard late at night near railroad tracks.

The witness was working late at night at home with windows open. A loud impact-like bang was heard, followed by three or four loud yells described as non-human and unlike a house pet, seemingly coming from woods behind the apartment complex near railroad tracks. The witness felt the yells resembled descriptions of a possible Bigfoot yell heard at a seminar.

Unidentified soundVocalization
October 1995 Hiram, Portage County, Ohio Class B #5259

While driving to a job a man witness's an unknown eight foot tall biped cross the road

The witness was driving uphill in the morning when they saw a tall dark figure crossing the road at the crest ahead, initially perceiving it as a man carrying sticks. The witness reached the spot quickly and found no one there, noting the roadside was heavily wooded with culverts. Years later the witness concluded the figure may have been a Bigfoot seen from about 200 feet away.

Road crossingSilhouette
12 February 1994 Edinburg, Portage County, Ohio Class A #28820

Man recounts sighting from his teens near Edinburg

Two companions were fishing at a mostly frozen pond in winter when a large hair-covered bipedal figure stood up on the far shoreline. The figure walked up a steep hill, turned at the top to look back at them, then left. The witnesses watched for about one to two minutes and then left as well.

Full-body sighting
July 1986 Ravenna, Portage County, Ohio Class B #40040

Man recalls possible sighting while driving at night next to the Ravenna Arsenal

The witness was driving home in the early morning when headlights swept across a fence line near a military installation. The witness saw a large broad-bodied figure standing by the fence, slightly taller than the fence, with one arm appearing raised. After stopping and backing up to look again, the witness could not relocate the figure.

Silhouette
Summer 1983 Brimfield, Portage County, Ohio Class B #4969

Silhouette seen protruding above brushline near Mogadore Reservoir.

The witness was walking home on a road late at night when they noticed a man-like silhouette standing on a hill with its upper half visible above scrub brush. Both the witness and the figure fled in opposite directions. The night was bright and moonlit, and tree frogs were unusually quiet.

SilhouettePartial sighting
Summer 1976 Aurora, Portage County, Ohio Class B #4966

Large footprints, area of matted grass and sounds of bipedal footsteps noted along shores of Aurora Lake

The witness and a companion hiked through a creek bed to a long-visited spot in the woods. They found a large area where tall weeds and trees had been matted down into a bed-like clearing with outer vegetation bent outward. While examining it they heard heavy bipedal footsteps and breaking twigs approaching through dense foliage but could not see the source. They retreated to the road while the unseen source followed at a distance, staying about 100 feet away.

Structure or nestFootsteps
November 1970 Edinburgh, Portage County, Ohio Class B #4968

Tracks found along soybean field near Edinburgh

The witness and a relative followed large human-like tracks in mud from the edge of a soybean field through a forest into a clearing. The clearing contained many dog prints in a circle and blood on the ground. The tracks then continued into a bog.

Tracks
BFRO YEAR: 1962? Aurora, Portage County, Ohio Class A #3651

Sighting in the Audubon wildlife preserve, outside Aurora

The witness rode a bike into a forested wildlife area with a stream and swamp. About 50 yards away, the witness saw a reddish-haired figure walking south toward a road, initially thinking it was a man before deciding it was not. The witness did not recall the lower half of the body, became frightened, and left quickly, only later associating the experience with Bigfoot.

Partial sighting
about 12 years ago Garrettsville, Portage County, Ohio Related account #39037

Tracks near Garrettsville, Ohio

About 12 years ago the family found a single large human-like footprint with deformed toes near the barn while hearing screaming wailing from the woods.

TracksScream
in the dead of winter Garrettsville, Portage County, Ohio Related account #39037

Howl near Garrettsville, Ohio

The family heard a high-pitched screaming howl from the creekbed on several winter nights.

HowlScream
BFRO YEAR: 09-12 Garrettsville, Portage County, Ohio Class B #39037

Possible ongoing activity reported by a family living close to the Ravenna Arsenal

The witness family has lived in a wooded home near a creek since 2000. In spring they repeatedly hear a loud ape-like whooping call at dusk continuing into the night, gathering outside to listen. They later heard online recordings of alleged Bigfoot vocals and felt they matched, leading them to interpret the sounds as Bigfoot.

Whoop
BFRO YEAR: 1994-95 ATWATER, Portage County, Ohio Class A #359

Daylight sighting by motorcyclist near Atwater

The witness and a sibling were riding a motorcycle through former strip-mine land in the late afternoon. They approached two distant figures first mistaken for acquaintances, then perceived as large hair-covered human-like beings that stood and left on two legs. After the beings looked toward them and disappeared into the woods, the pair heard loud branch-breaking as something ran off, then they left the area quickly.

Full-body sightingFootsteps
BFRO YEAR: 1985-86? Kent, Portage County, Ohio Class B #12736

Student hears vocalization near the Cuyahoga River

The witness and a fellow student were walking through a small wooded shortcut late at night on the way home from a rehearsal. Halfway through they heard a brief unearthly high-pitched shriek from the woods and fled to a nearby grocery parking lot. The witness remembered the incident for years, initially attributing it to an animal.

Scream