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194 encounters
October 1984 St. Augustine, St. Johns County, Florida Class A #1003

Two horseback riders see hairy creature

Two companions were riding horses south alongside railroad tracks when they noticed a foul odor, breaking branches, restless horses, and the sound of movement on the track rocks. They then saw a single slim, reddish-brown hair-covered figure standing in a partial crouch in the middle of the tracks about 150 yards away, watching them. The witnesses struggled to control their horses and left the area without returning.

Full-body sightingOdorFootstepsUnidentified sound
June 1984 Pasco County, Florida Class A #737

creature seen in an open field by witness.

The witness group was in an open field when they heard a howling/growling noise from the tree line. They approached and saw a creature crouched down that then stood about eight feet tall before running quickly toward a swamp. They did not follow into the swamp but found bark shredded from the tree where it had been.

Full-body sightingHowlGrowlTree break
November 1983 Naples, Collier County, Florida Class A #607

while hunting hogs near a cypress bayhead, witness saw a dark brown/black bi-pedal creature.

The witness was hunting hogs alone between two cypress bayheads when a dark object at the treeline stood on two legs and turned to face them. They watched it for about 10 to 15 seconds before it went into the bayhead. Afterwards they found a lingering foul odor and bent grass at the spot but no bare dirt for tracks, and did not follow it.

Full-body sightingOdor
March 1983 Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida Class A #25978

Bluff charge by a sasquatch at sunrise on Manatee River, 30 miles south of Tampa

The witness returned early in the morning to a familiar fishing spot by a river. A large hair-covered creature stepped onto the trail, noticed the witness, and ran toward them. The witness climbed over a tall fence to escape and was confronted face-to-face across the fence before fleeing along the fence line as the creature chased from the other side until it was stopped by dense vegetation.

Full-body sightingGrowlFootsteps
January 1982 Milton & Allentown, Santa Rosa County, Florida Class A #989

Deer hunter spots a large animal run across open area

The witness was deer hunting in the morning near Milton, Florida, overlooking a cleared powerline area. From about 100 yards away, the witness saw a large reddish-brown animal running bipedally across the clearing at high speed. The witness then left the area and did not return.

Full-body sighting
1982–1983 Clewiston, Hendry County, Florida Class A #11762

Daylight sighting by motorist couple in the Montura Estates area

The witness and her husband were driving slowly through a sparsely populated development after shopping. They noticed a tall, dark, hair-covered figure walking along and then across the road ahead of them. When they closed to about 100-150 feet and stopped, they observed its long hair, large size, and human-like walk before it stepped into dense vegetation and disappeared. They searched nearby roads but did not see it again.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
7 August 1981 Sarasota, Sarasota County, Florida Class A #10867

Youths have daylight sighting in wooded area of Sarasota

Three children were playing in a densely wooded area when they heard a loud crack like a stepped-on stick. They saw a tall hairy man-like figure watching them from near old vehicles and a ditch. The figure moved into full view, grabbed a tree branch and leaned forward to look at them, after which all three fled and did not return.

Full-body sightingSilhouette
August 1981 Bronson, Levy County, Florida Class A #27250

Woman remembers observing a bi-pedal hair-covered adult and youth while driving near Bronson

The witness was driving to an early class on a clear morning when a large hair-covered biped emerged from the tree line and crossed the highway in a couple of steps. The figure paused by a fence to look toward the witness, then lifted a smaller hair-covered figure from the weeds onto its hip. It then stepped over a barbed-wire fence and walked unhurried into the woods.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
1981–1982 Port Richey, Pasco County, Florida Class A #26581

Man remembers observing a hairy, bipedal creature in the headlights of his car near Port Richey

After an evening class, the witness drove along a dirt access road beside a marsh and stopped when a slim hair-covered creature stepped into the headlights and stood in the road about 40-50 feet away. The creature stared toward the car for several seconds, then walked calmly across the road into the marsh. The witness got out to look and listen but detected no odor or sound, and found no tracks the next morning.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
1980–1989 Geneva, Alabama, Holmes County, Florida Class A #9545

Motorist has morning sighting on road outside Sweet Gum Head

The witness was driving home from a night shift in the morning when she saw a very tall dark figure ahead on the road. The figure crossed the road and walked straight into thick woods as she approached. As she got closer she realized it was completely covered in medium brown hair and about seven feet tall, which frightened her and she drove on. She avoided the route for a time but later resumed using it without further sightings.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
August 1979 Ochopee, Collier County, Florida Class A #7205

Morning sighting by carpenter crew near Ochopee

A work crew waiting on the roof of a house in early daylight watched a tall hairy figure come out of the basement and walk upright toward nearby trees. The figure then squatted about 40 yards away facing the crew without sound before standing, looking west, and vanishing within a few steps. The crew later noted a foul odor and a makeshift sleeping spot of clothes, rags, weeds and fur under the basement stairs.

Full-body sightingOdor
July 1978 Jupiter, Martin County, Florida Class A #5369

Man recalls childhood evening encounter in Johnathon Dickenson State Park

The witness was camping with family and jogged alone to an observation tower in the evening. After resting on top, the witness climbed down, slipped and landed noisily in brush. A hair-covered animal about 25 yards away raised its head, stared briefly, then ran across the clearing, rising to two legs before crossing the road and vanishing into woods. The witness ran back to camp, where family dismissed the account.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
January 1978 Brewster, Polk County, Florida Class A #24032

Multiple witness motorist sighting in daylight at the edge of the Alafia River

On New Year's morning in 1978 the witness was riding as a passenger south on Highway 37 over the Alafia River when she saw a large hairy figure squatting at the water's edge splashing water. She got out at the bridge rail for a closer look; the figure looked up, stood, briefly faced her, then climbed the bank into the woods. Her sister, the driver, saw it as it entered the woods, after which they left in the car.

Full-body sighting
15 November 1977 Marion County, Florida Class A #728

a close-range, daytime sighting by a 67-year-old Baptist minister

A minister cutting wood with a chain saw in a national forest noticed an upright, hairy creature standing in palmetto bushes and watched it for about 30 seconds. The creature was described as very tall with dark hair on the head and chest, little hair on the arms, none on the face, with a flat face and nose and sunken eyes. The witness went back to a truck to get an ax, but the creature had disappeared upon return.

Full-body sighting
November 1977 Naranja Near Homestead Fla., Dade County, Florida Class A #21951

Man describes figure looking into window outside Homestead

In fall 1977 a teen woke just before sunrise and looked out his screened window, exchanging grunts with something outside that made the screen vibrate. He and his father then went outside and watched a very large hair-covered creature near the woods that faced them before running into the woods, breaking two small pines as it left. The next day a neighbor reported seeing the creature as well.

Full-body sightingVocalizationTree break
October 1977 Palm Harbor, Pinellas County, Florida Class A #47378

Memory told of a close nighttime encounter while hunting rabbits in a rural backyard near Palm Harbor

Late one night the witness and his father turned on yard floodlights to shoot rabbits. The witness saw a stocky fur-covered biped rise from a crouch near the treeline about 30 yards away and stride rapidly into the pine forest with its head tilted to the left. The father, facing the opposite way, only heard loud crashing exit sounds, and both later heard distant hunting dogs barking in an unusually agitated way.

Full-body sightingFootsteps
20 June 1975 Redland, Dade County, Florida Class A #49084

Memory told of a 'Hairy Man' crossing Hwy. 27 north of Homestead

Late at night in June, the witness was driving south on a dark two-lane highway through swampland with three children asleep in the back. She saw a large hair-covered figure come up from a roadside canal, stand on two legs and cross in front of her car. She slowed to almost a stop and watched it at very close range as it turned toward her before walking into the canal, then woke the children to tell them.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
15 January 1975 Coral Springs, Broward County, Florida Class A #592

Two witnesses observed a large, black-brown human-like form between Wiles Rd. and Sample Rd

The witness and a relative were playing in a vacant lot across a narrow canal from a wooded area with a dirt-bike trail. They heard grunting and movement in bushes beside a large tree and saw a large black-brown human-like figure near the tree. The figure reportedly snapped a thick branch at its base with ease, then ran into the woods knocking down small trees.

Full-body sightingVocalizationTree breakMovement only
September 1974 Lakeland, Polk County, Florida Class A #11812

Twilight sighting on the west side of Lakeland

Two people were sitting outside watching the sunset when they heard muffled tapping like wood being chopped from behind a house across the street. They stood to look and then watched a very large upright monkey-like animal climb a pine, jump to another tree, pause briefly, and jump down from an estimated 20 feet.

Full-body sightingWood knock
20 July 1974 Davie, Broward County, Florida Class A #44837

Years of South Florida Skunk Ape stories supported by witness accounts and newspaper articles

In July 1974 the witness and his older cousin were staying overnight in a relative's sitting room in southern Florida. Late at night under floodlights they watched a tall hairy biped outside the picture window scream, then walk around the property while they followed it from window to window. They saw it eat a watermelon with both hands and scoop water to drink before leaving on a wooded trail.

Full-body sightingScreamAnimal behaviour