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64 encounters
22 January 2009 Herod, Saline County, Illinois Class A #25362

Night time sighting by two witnesses at trailhead in Shawnee National Forest

The witness and her father were walking back to the trailhead parking area at night when the father noticed eyeshine in the trees to the side of the trail about 30-40 feet away. With headlamps on, they both observed shining eyes and the outline of a rounded head that turned to look at them before they turned their lights off. The figure then walked away downhill with heavy deliberate bipedal steps, paused, and remained nearby while the witness spoke softly before they left quietly. After returning home they photographed smudge marks on their vehicle that had not been noticed earlier.

EyeshinePartial sightingSilhouetteFootsteps
27 December 2008 Canton, Fulton County, Illinois Class B #28569

Wood knock and possible nighttime sighting east of Canton Lake

The witness was walking at night from a camper toward town when a loud fall-like noise occurred ahead in the road. A shadowy fur-covered biped stood up about 30 feet away and walked calmly across the road before disappearing into vegetation. The witness continued past the spot believing the creature stayed hidden nearby without further interaction.

Road crossingSilhouettePartial sightingWood knockUnidentified sound
Spring 2008 Barrington, Lake County, Illinois Class B #26039

Motorist has possible sighting near Barrington

Two people driving in the predawn hours saw a large dark-gray figure crossing the road in their headlights. They reported seeing only from the mid-chest down, describing it as upright on thick muscular hind legs and stooped over. It left the roadway into woods behind a house, and the witnesses drove away without stopping. A later daytime check found nothing.

Partial sightingRoad crossingSilhouette
2008 Woodstock, Illinois #88f3d0d6-b979-4b91-9f6c-283de68d71ec

Sasquatch sighting near Woodstock, Illinois (2008)

While attending a spiritual retreat, the guest walked in the woods on a break and noticed a uniformly black fuzzy figure about 150 feet away near the main trail. The figure appeared to be spying on approaching attendees, stepping high over brush. It seemed to pass behind a large tree trunk and never reappeared.

Partial sightingAnimal behaviour
16 October 2006 Sorento, Bond County, Illinois Class A #23395

Deer hunters have close sighting along Dry Fork Creek

The witness was hunting with two young companions and entered the woods to track a wounded deer. They heard pounding on a tree, thrashing and shaking of vegetation, and screaming/squealing sounds, and encountered a very foul rotting-meat odor that was strong near the truck. A young companion reportedly saw a black, hairy, muscular animal about six feet tall descend from a tree and shake brush, though the face could not be seen.

Wood knockPartial sightingScreamOdor
Summer 2006 Marion, Williamson County, Illinois Class B #15393

Woman describes her son's possible sighting near Lake of Egypt in Shawnee National Forest

After dark the witness went down to a lake dock to remove a battery charger from a bass boat and shined a spotlight across the cove. He noticed a tall dark figure in 6 to 7 foot grass, whistled at it and heard a different whistle returned. When he looked back the figure was moving away through the weeds, and he ran back to the house.

Partial sightingWhistle
10 June 2005 Seneca, Grundy County, Illinois Class A #12439

Three men have daylight sighting near Seneca

Three people parked near a bend in a road to look at the spot of an earlier sighting. They watched a large silhouette leaning against a tree that slowly raised an arm toward its face and later disappeared, while a smaller fur-covered figure was seen walking in the open and then running when approached on foot. The larger figure was also reported to turn its head to watch a passing truck.

SilhouettePartial sightingFull-body sightingAnimal behaviourOdor
2 June 2005 Seneca, Grundy County, Illinois Class A #11831

Snake hunter has daytime sighting near Seneca

The witness was hunting snakes along roads in the evening and stopped to check a spot. Near a tree line opening the witness heard rustling and saw the upper rear portion of a large figure. The figure turned slightly toward the witness, then walked away. The witness also reported a strong musky odor.

Partial sightingOdorMovement onlyAnimal behaviour
8 July 2004 Alton, Madison County, Illinois Class A #10535

Two teens have daylight sighting near Alton

Two companions were building a squirrel-hunting blind at the edge of the woods when a dead tree they had been unable to push over cracked and fell. They then saw a tall, upright, hair-covered figure standing nearby. The pair quickly left the area and ran home.

Partial sightingTree break
15 November 2000 Webster, Hancock County, Illinois Class A #3521

Deer hunter sees large hairy black creature that "plays peekaboo" near Webster

The witness was walking around timber at dusk during deer season and came upon a tall, black, hairy figure shaking a tree. The witness stopped to watch and spoke to it, then walked to an open field and shot at deer. After the shot, the figure was heard running away through the timber.

Partial sightingFootsteps
15 September 1999 Kewanee, Henry County, Illinois Class A #8696

Nighttime sighting of gray upright animal near Kewanee

Late at night the witness was driving home from a second-shift job along a rural road by Mud Creek. The headlights illuminated a tall, greyish hairy figure standing on two legs and leaning on a wire fence beside a cornfield. After a few seconds the figure turned and ran on two legs into the corn toward nearby woods.

Partial sighting
Summer 1999 Cuba, Fulton County, Illinois Class B #38765

Recollection of possible encounters at a cemetery in the village of Cuba

Late at night four friends walking past a graveyard noticed a very large object resting on a branch in a large tree. After they shone a flashlight at it, the object dropped about twenty feet and ran quickly toward woods behind the graveyard. The witness returned at sunrise and found very large impressions in the grass with a stride neither he nor a taller companion could match, leading him to estimate the creature at seven to nine feet tall.

Partial sightingTracks
May 1998 Hardin, Calhoun County, Illinois Class A #202

Woman sees black shiny figure standing by tree disappear into forest

The witness was riding in a truck at daybreak when she saw a small black furry animal standing upright by a tree beside the road. She did not mention it at the time and no one else in the truck noticed it. It turned sideways and disappeared quickly into the vegetation in less than a minute.

Partial sighting
11 October 1997 Otterville, Jersey County, Illinois Class B #30645

Motorists have possible late night sighting south of Otterville

The witness and a companion were driving at night after dinner when their headlights illuminated a dark furry figure on the side of the road. The figure was bent over and then stood up as they passed, showing only its backside, with its hips roughly level with the hood of a small pickup. The witnesses drove back to look again but the figure was gone. The witness kept the account private for years for fear of ridicule.

Partial sighting
29 June 1996 Freeburg, St. Clair County, Illinois Class A #55224

Memory told of daylight sighting while dirt bike riding east of Freeburg

The witness was riding a small motorcycle to a lake in old strip mines in the late afternoon. She saw a hairy figure squatting at the water's edge appearing to sift or dig with its hands. The figure turned and moved very quickly toward her, prompting her to flee; when she looked back it was gone. A relative later checked the spot and found no sign anyone had been staying there.

Partial sighting
22 October 1994 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois Class A #19910

Nighttime sighting by property owner near Kishwaukee River.

Late at night at the witness's home near dense woods, the witness was getting into a car when a noise prompted turning on the headlamps. A tall figure was seen peeking from behind a tree about 30 feet away and held eye contact for several seconds. The figure then turned and ran for several hundred feet, clearing a 5-6 foot fence without breaking stride despite fog.

Full-body sightingPartial sightingUnidentified sound
Summer 1987 Marseilles, Ill, La Salle County, Illinois Class A #33859

Woman recalls daylight sighting north of Marseilles

About 20 years ago on a sunny afternoon, the witness walked toward the creek at the back of her property after noticing her horses were excited. She then observed a six-foot-tall dark brown bipedal animal walking up the bank and into the woods. Her dogs stayed close to her side at the time.

Partial sighting
getting to be wintertime 1984 Decatur, Illinois #http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfoothotspot/2017/11/03/sc-ep376-the-dog

Dogman sighting near Decatur, Illinois (1984)

Late on a bright-moon winter night after the house had been quiet, a thunderous bang shook the wall. The guest looked up and saw a dog-like face with a white toothy grin and yellow eyes looking down through the upper pane, nose pressed to glass. After staring, it slid toward the open window above his head making a squeak on glass, banged the wall again, and the guest fled to the living room couch. He avoided the room, kept curtains closed, and the family moved that spring.

Partial sightingDoor or window contact
July 1983 Seneca, La Salle County, Illinois Class A #11911

Campers have lengthy nighttime encounter near Seneca

Two companions camped in a remote wooded area after clearing a small site and lighting a fire. For several hours something circled the camp a few yards away, producing walking and breathing sounds and a musky odor. One companion glimpsed the figure in firelight as a much taller and wider upright figure, and it followed them out and crossed a road in a few steps as they left.

Partial sightingRoad crossingFootstepsUnidentified soundOdor +1
17 August 1979 West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois Class A #11273

Youth has sighting along abandoned railroad line on edge of West Frankfort

On a summer evening in the late 1970s, the witness rode a bicycle onto an abandoned railroad-bed trail near woods. Behind dumped washers and dryers the witness saw a hair-covered figure that stood upright, grunted, and shook a sapling. The witness fled east, looked back to see the figure on the trail, then watched it walk back into the treeline.

Partial sightingEyeshineVocalizationAnimal behaviour