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54 encounters
August 1995 Outside Of Quincy California, But Very Remote Area, Plumas County, California Class B #65566

Stalking of Forest Service worker on Pacific Crest Trail outside Quincy

While working alone to clear trail, the witness heard something moving parallel to him downslope for a couple of hours. The footfalls sounded clearly bipedal and the unseen mover easily kept pace through steep, brushy terrain. The witness never saw the source, noticing only moving saplings, and the sounds stopped about half an hour from his truck.

FootstepsMovement only
1993–1994 Redwood National Park, Orick, Humboldt County, California Class A #2998

Daylight sighting by a horseback rider, near a pond in Redwood National Park

The witness was horseback riding with friends and stopped for lunch when crashing was heard in the brush. The witness rode toward the noise to look for elk and watched a small hair-covered creature trying to drink from a pool about 30 feet away. The horse became agitated so the witness left to tell friends, who returned and heard movement and saw ferns moving as something left toward the larger creek. The witness believed the crashing was made by a larger animal accompanying the young creature.

Partial sightingFootstepsMovement only
August 1990 Dorrington, Calaveras County, California Class B #6160

Group of hunters have unusual experience near Dorrington

Twelve hunters were sleeping in a meadow camp after a day of bow hunting. Around 2 a.m. something heavy ran through the camp emitting a high-pitched female-like scream. The runner shook a truck as it passed and knocked over a full ice chest but was not seen in the dark. No unusual prints were found the next morning.

ScreamVehicle contactProperty disturbanceMovement only
Fall 1988 Santa Paula, Ventura County, California Class C #2888

High-pitched Whistling Heard at Ant Campground

In 1988 at Ant Campground in the Condor Refuge, a report described high-pitched whistling and movement in the chapparal area along Aqua Blanca Creek. No visual contact or further details about the source were provided.

WhistleMovement only
1 July 1985 Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, California Class B #4886

Two men hear afternoon vocalization near Fort Bragg

The witness and a companion were at a house overlooking a river when they heard loud crashing from the forest across the river. They then heard vocalizations that began as grunting and a deep loud moo-like sound and rose into a very loud high-pitched scream. After vocalizing, the unseen source moved rapidly inland through the forest until its footsteps could no longer be heard. The witness concluded the sounds were made by a Bigfoot, noting the speed and distance covered did not match a cow.

VocalizationScreamGrowlFootstepsMovement only
1984 California #gid://art19-episode-locator/V0/ARLj0ESb7pT_OjeQZ2opwAzTqi1bKD3iT0XqF9Jr_cc

Property disturbance in California (1984)

Four people slept in an old hunting trailer after deer hunting. In the middle of the night something lifted the hitched back end a foot or two and dropped it, jolting everyone awake. The witness heard movement and objects being knocked over outside, while the father stopped an uncle from going outside and insisted they go back to bed, later dismissing it as a bear.

Property disturbanceMovement only
April 1982 Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California Class A #25444

High school teacher recalls a nighttime sighting while camping in the Los Padres National Forest

Four people camped by a river heard a loud crashing sound while eating dinner. They saw a large hairy biped running down a nearby trail illuminated by their campfire. After they yelled it glanced toward them, continued over a ridge and out of sight within seconds. They kept watch in shifts overnight and found no tracks the next morning.

Full-body sightingFootstepsMovement only
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
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
1978 California #69b382a5-30f0-4438-8cab-1f270c00d963

Growl in California (1978)

On the same trip, after hitchhiking back toward the parked truck, the witness got out in pitch darkness without a flashlight. From the side of the road the witness heard a grunt and movement approaching, then ran to the truck, started it, and drove away without seeing the source.

GrowlMovement only
July 1977 Nearest Town Would Be Lee Vining, Mono County, California Class A #1510

Brothers have early evening sighting near Lee Vining

Two brothers were gathering firewood near a lake at dusk when they heard heavy footsteps and crashing in dense brush. The writer saw the bushes shaking but no animal, while the brother, 10 to 15 feet away, saw a large dark-brown head moving rapidly above the brush. They fled in their truck and crashed into a tree on the way back to camp.

Partial sightingFootstepsMovement only
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
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
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
July 1975 San Bernardino County, California Class A #2229

A scout troop's late night sighting at the edge of their camp near Barton Flats. Multiple witnesses. Reporting witness now a law enforcement officer

The witness was camping with a scout troop when loud howl-like screams were heard late at night. A few hours later, after being awakened by rustling in nearby brush, the group shone a flashlight into the treeline and saw a tall hair-covered figure watching them. The figure then turned and walked with long steps northeast up a wooded hill out of sight.

ScreamHowlFull-body sightingEyeshineMovement only
1975 Oroville, California #3fb91ed8-671b-4aa4-891d-f46c90d44a22

Vocalization near Oroville, California (1975)

The witness had been sleeping in the back of his pickup at a secluded clearing after a late work shift. He heard loud, strange voices approaching rapidly through dense brush, smelled a strong foul odor, and sensed something large vault over the truck. He then saw a large dark shape moving away into the treeline while vocalizing, then drove away.

VocalizationScreamChatterFootstepsOdor +2
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
1970–1979 California #gid://art19-episode-locator/V0/I6n9Dlhaj2ac3zzQcBKURhFPfRrZmODZNOpz0vv2_aA

Unidentified sound in California (1970)

The witness was camping with two companions near a lake in Yosemite. After hearing cracking in brush in the afternoon, they heard a close loud roar rising to a high scream at night and smelled a wet-dog odor. Other campers said something ran past their tent, and the group stayed in the tent until sunrise then left without continuing their trip.

Unidentified soundVocalizationScreamOdorMovement only
Summer 1970 Inyo County, California Class B #2182

A large, unseen growling animal breaks large branches as it moves quickly up a hillside

The witness and a companion hiked about five miles up a creek to fish and felt they were being watched as the forest went unusually quiet. During an afternoon thunderstorm a lightning strike hit across the creek, after which they heard a growling or grunting sound and branches breaking high in trees moving rapidly up the creek and mountain out of hearing. The witness briefly saw a large shadow moving in the woods but nothing conclusive, and they could not search for prints because a fire from the strike caused evacuation.

GrowlMovement only
August 1963 Big Bear Lake Resort., San Bernardino County, California Class B #7759

Young man has strange encounter on a dark gravel road at Big Bear Lake Resort

The witness walked alone at night up a gravel mountain road toward a cabin after retrieving a wallet in town. Something unseen below the road in steep brush kept pace, breaking branches and dislodging rocks, stopping when the witness stopped and moving faster after rocks were tossed at it. Before reaching a bend where the road met the canyon, relatives arrived by car and the witness got in and left.

FootstepsMovement only