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194 encounters
Summer 1974 Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach County, Florida Class B #45551

Recollection of setting up camp and observing a tall bi-pedal animal running near Palm Beach Gardens

While setting up camp in the late afternoon near a wooded area with a man-made canal and large dirt pile, the witness saw a very tall, brown-haired bipedal figure run across an open field about 100 yards away. The figure paused to look toward the group, then ran quickly up the steep dirt pile, paused to look again, and disappeared over the other side. The group decided not to remain to camp that night.

Full-body sighting
1974–1976 Waukeena East Of Tallahassee, Jefferson County, Florida Class A #40784

Memory told of a large hairy biped approaching a family as they dumped their garbage near Waukeenah

Relatives stopping at a communal trash dump in daylight saw a very large, naked, reddish-brown hair-covered male figure emerge from the tree line about 70 feet away. The figure growled and grunted as it approached quickly to within about 30 feet, emitting a strong rotten odor. The family retreated to their car and drove away. The reporter states he was reportedly present but has no memory of the incident.

Full-body sightingGrowlVocalizationOdor
1974 Davie, Florida #http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfoothotspot/2017/02/03/sc-ep295-the-creature-was-hit-by-the-police-car

Sasquatch sighting near Davie, Florida (1974)

A few nights later a loud scream and shotgun blasts came from a cattle rancher's property. While following a deputy's patrol car, the witnesses saw the creature run from the dark and be struck, stopping the car. It got up limping, struck the hood, screamed, and left toward the swamp. At the pasture the prize bull was found dead with its torso in one place and head about 100 yards away, followed by an all-night search with dogs and helicopters that found nothing.

Full-body sightingVehicle contactProperty disturbanceScream
1974 Davie, Florida #http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfoothotspot/2017/02/03/sc-ep295-the-creature-was-hit-by-the-police-car

Sasquatch sighting near Davie, Florida (1974)

About a week after the first sighting, gunshots were heard from the nearby horse stable. The witness rode over and learned a large creature had grabbed a wild horse from behind. The horse kicked free, jumped the corral, and fled while the rancher shot at the creature. Next day the horse showed hand-like pressure marks, not claw scratches, on its hindquarters.

Full-body sightingProperty disturbanceHandprint
1974 Davie, Florida #http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfoothotspot/2017/02/03/sc-ep295-the-creature-was-hit-by-the-police-car

Sasquatch sighting near Davie, Florida (1974)

Around 3 a.m. the dogs reacted, floodlights came on, and a huge shadow crossed the wall. The witness peeked out the front picture window and saw a very tall hairy biped that flexed and screamed. It then walked along the fence, ate a wild watermelon, drank from a neighbor's man-made lake, and left toward the swamp. Next morning large footprints were found but were trampled before casting.

Full-body sightingScreamTracks
May 1973 The Closest Town Would Have Been Naples. But We Thought It Was Too Far To Lodge Or Get A Meal., Collier County, Florida Class A #2856

Construction worker has startling encounter outside hunting cottage

The witness and a relative camped overnight at two unfinished houses in swampy pine woods while on a work assignment. After dark by a campfire the witness saw eyes and then watched a tall upright figure cross an open area and take bacon left near the fire. The witness retreated into the house, retrieved rifles, and kept watch through the night. No usable tracks were found the next morning.

Full-body sightingOdorUnidentified sound
29 July 1972 Chuluota, Seminole County, Florida Class A #37304

Best friends recall watching their dirt bike being canvassed by a hairy biped while camping at Lake Mills

Two companions were sleeping at a lakeside camp when one was awakened around 4 a.m. by snapping brush. A tall reddish-brown furry biped entered camp, bent over a parked motorcycle and gently touched it with both hands while ignoring the witnesses, then stood and walked away through thick brush. The witnesses waited, fled on the motorcycle, and later returned by car to retrieve their gear.

Full-body sightingFootsteps
1969–1980 Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida Class A #723

creature sitting on a wood pile seen watching witness.

The witness was staying overnight at the family property and went outside about 2 a.m. to quiet barking kennel dogs. On the way out and again on the way back, the witness noticed a large silver-colored being sitting calmly on a woodpile and watching. The witness went inside, locked the door, awoke shaking three hours later, and later called a friend and drew what was seen.

Full-body sighting
1963 Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida Class A #41995

Memory told of a close encounter with a man-ape outside Gainesville

A child jogging on a dirt road in the evening to a friend's home encountered a large hairy figure that stepped out of roadside woods about 30 feet away. Both the witness and the figure stopped and stared at each other for a few seconds before the figure tilted its head. The witness then ran to the friend's home; the figure made no sound and did not follow.

Full-body sighting
March 1961 Hernando City, Citrus County, Florida Class B #28678

Man recalls a possible up-close nighttime encounter on Gilchrist Island

Late at night while returning to his Boy Scout camp on an island, the witness took a shortcut through a clearing and approached what he thought was a stump to about six feet away. The shape stood on two legs revealing a broad, hair-covered bipedal figure that stared at him briefly before walking then running away through palmettos with loud crashing footsteps. He returned to camp frightened and was told by the adult leader to go back to sleep.

Full-body sightingSilhouetteFootsteps
1955 Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida Class A #13034

Early evening sighting by residents on the Hillsborough River

In the mid-1950s the witness and a companion were watching a drive-in movie from across the river after dark. They heard something behind them, turned, and saw a large hairy creature backlit by a lamplight. They fled immediately without looking back.

SilhouetteFull-body sightingUnidentified sound
1940–1949 Lake Wales, Florida #1f8ff750-46df-47ab-9d7d-fec2c6137c69

Cryptid sighting near Lake Wales, Florida (1940)

An older woman wrote that she and her uncle set traps for disappearing oranges and caught a tiny hair-covered naked man speaking an unknown language. Police put him in an orange crate, then the house was pelted with sticks, stones and oranges by dozens of similar beings until he was released. A later police worker recalled the crate incident.

Full-body sightingRock throwingObject throwing
1918 Florida #a1037b54-6796-41ce-9ea4-e7ea731aa4d8

Sasquatch sighting in Florida (1918)

In 1918 a boy was reportedly abducted near the pond. Community members pursued, recovered the boy, who was scratched up, and captured the creature. The teller notes the creature did not seem intent on harming the boy and describes it as acting lonely rather than aggressive.

Full-body sightingHistorical accountFolklorePossible misidentification
1884 Florida #a1037b54-6796-41ce-9ea4-e7ea731aa4d8

Sasquatch sighting in Florida (1884)

In 1884 a rural community living around Ocheesee Pond lost livestock and heard eerie nighttime calls from the water. After children were frightened by a hair-covered figure, residents formed a posse, captured it, and transported it chained to the governor in Tallahassee. The governor could not place it and sent it to the nearby Chattahoochee hospital, where it died and was buried under later construction.

Full-body sightingVocalizationHistorical accountFolklore
1800–1979 Barden, Florida #1f8ff750-46df-47ab-9d7d-fec2c6137c69

Sasquatch sighting near Barden, Florida (1800)

The guest described a longstanding local legend of an 8 to 10 foot tall skunk ape that lounges around and is often seen carrying a lantern. Stories go back to the 1800s and include chasing people off horses, with a revival around the late 1960s. A store owner later admitted dressing a boy in a monkey costume to fake some sightings, which leaves earlier reports unresolved.

Full-body sightingPossible hoax
BFRO YEAR: 1947/48 Palatka, Putnam County, Florida Class A #4795

While riding horse, young teen has day time sighting not far from Palatka

Around 1947-48 on a hot summer day, the witness was riding a horse through pine woods to visit a neighbor when a large dark hairy figure was seen at a distance by a pine tree. The figure appeared to make repeated up-and-down movements with its arms raised and paid no attention to the witness. The horse stopped, pointed its ears forward, and refused to approach, so the witness watched briefly from a safe distance.

Full-body sighting
BFRO YEAR: 1971-72? Putnam Hall, Putnam County, Florida Class A #1021

Large Creature standing in road

The witness and a companion were driving at night when an entity was standing in their lane and they had to swerve to avoid hitting it. They reported getting a good look as they passed, describing a tall, hairy, man-like figure. The driver was frightened and would not stop or turn around.

Full-body sightingRoad crossing
BFRO YEAR: 74-75 Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, Florida Class A #414

Year long sightings by family

The witness describes repeated nighttime visits to a rural property over about a year by a family of large hairy creatures that ate fruit, looked in trailer windows, and once bit a penned hog. The witness reports seeing three individuals of varying heights, hearing frequent chattering, noticing odor, tracks and hair, and attempting to hunt them without driving them away. After about a year the visits stopped, believed to have ended when habitat regrew.

Full-body sightingChatterOdorTracksHair +1
BFRO YEAR: 2002-2003? Lake Park,, Palm Beach County, Florida Class A #30929

Daylight observation of a hair-covered bipedal figure in the Grassy Waters Preserve

The witness and a companion were walking a preserve boardwalk in the early morning after being denied a guided canoe trip. From the boardwalk they watched a tall dark figure at the base of a distant cypress tree repeatedly squat, dig in the mud, stand, and bring a hand to its mouth for several minutes. Two park rangers were also present, but requested binoculars fogged and were unusable. The witness described the figure as human-like in posture and movement and did not consider it a bear.

Full-body sightingAnimal behaviour
BFRO YEAR: early 2000 Orlando, Orange County, Florida Class A #32746

Man recalls his nighttime sighting of a tall hair covered biped outside Orlando

The witness and a cousin were parked late at night beside a playground near a small lake and woods after driving home. The witness, still in the car, saw a huge dark fur-covered figure standing nearby in dim light. When the witness opened the door and the car was started, the figure moved off to the right as they drove away toward their neighborhood. They briefly returned to look for it but found no trace.

Full-body sighting