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613 encounters
August 1989 Deleware, Delaware County, Ohio Class A #878

Hikers spot white bigfoot at Higbanks Park outside Columbus, OH

Three people hiking in a metro park heard a large heavy animal running in the woods and making an unnerving sound. A white, roughly 7-foot-tall creature then crossed the road in front of them from one wooded side to the other. After hearing it approach again, they fled and encountered a park officer.

Full-body sightingRoad crossingVocalizationFootsteps
1989 Minerva, Stark County, Ohio Related account #8406

Sasquatch sighting near Minerva, Ohio (1989)

The witness saw a large standing figure about 40 feet away that walked behind a shed while locking a relative's door.

Full-body sightingSilhouette
1989 Minerva, Stark County, Ohio Related account #8406

Door or window contact near Minerva, Ohio (1989)

Two relatives heard someone manipulating the patio door knob, turned off interior lights to look out, saw nothing, and locked the door.

Door or window contact
1989–1990 Youngstown, Ohio #e350072d-d820-4062-b4cd-fe3a33755a86

Dogman sighting near Youngstown, Ohio (1989)

Four teenage friends were spending the night around a large fire inside an abandoned steel-mill building. After wild dogs chased something over a nearby coke pile and were thrown off, a massive wolf-like creature appeared on the mound, then confronted the group, stood upright, growled, and followed them into the building up to the third floor while drooling heavily. A passing train sounded its horn, frightening the creature away, after which the group waited before fleeing on foot back to a friend's house.

Full-body sightingEyeshineGrowlFootstepsAnimal behaviour
14 September 1988 Germantown, Montgomery County, Ohio Class B #12789

Night time sighting by resident near Germantown

Late at night the witness left a friend's house to walk a short distance home and heard rustling and branches breaking behind him. While running he heard a loud high-pitched scream he did not recognize. He paused at his doorway and watched a large dark figure part pine trees and come over a fence in streetlight before fleeing inside.

SilhouetteScreamFootsteps
September 1988 Urichsville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio Class A #26997

Man recalls childhood observation of rock throwing near Urichsville

Two boys were hiking and exploring in remote hardwood forest in the afternoon when a rock struck a tree beside them. They looked uphill about 50 feet and saw a dark, roughly six-foot-tall figure watching them intently with a hunched, swaying posture. After pausing only a few seconds, both boys ran away and never returned to the spot.

Full-body sightingRock throwing
August 1988 Batesville, Noble County, Ohio Class B #4962

Hunter states that vocalizations heard near Batesville are identical to recordings on BFRO site

The witness spent several hours alone in a hayfield shooting groundhogs while hearing intermittent crashing and twig snaps from adjacent brush. At dusk after standing to retrieve game, the nearby brush erupted with loud crashing and a loud scream, and the witness shouted back reflexively. The witness then walked toward the barn with rifle ready while snapping sounds followed in the brush until fading near the barn.

ScreamFootsteps
June 1988 Sandyville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio Class B #4980

Night sighting near Sandyville

Four young people went to a collapsed train tunnel late at night and sat on top of the entrance. They reported an overpowering odor, snapping twigs, loud crashing through trees, a low growl, heavy footsteps they could feel, and a loud thud. As they ran back to their car, the reporter glimpsed huge hairy legs and a large hand with long dark nails, then they drove away quickly after the car lurched.

Partial sightingGrowlFootstepsMovement onlyOdor +1
19 May 1988 Warsaw, Coshocton County, Ohio Class B #4310

Footprints discovered along a creek on a sand bar

A large footprint was reported on a small sandbar where something crossed a creek in a wooded area. A second partial print was also noted before the trackway returned to solid ground. The better print was cast and later viewed and photographed elsewhere, with four toes visible on the cast.

Tracks
May 1988 Xenia, Greene County, Ohio Class B #31100

Possible stalking of ROTC Unit at Indian Mound Reserve

The witness was leading a small ROTC patrol on a nighttime escape-and-evasion exercise along creek and cliff trails. The group heard movement and walking above them with small rocks falling, found no one when they climbed to search, then heard heavy running footsteps and branches being swiped aside approaching them that caused the patrol to flee to a field edge. The opposing unit later said it never left base, and a next-day visit found snapped branches above head height but no tracks.

FootstepsRock throwingTree breakMovement only
Winter 1988 Smithfield, Jefferson County, Ohio Class A #4952

Evening sighting by ice fisherman near Friendship Lake

The witness and a relative were driving near a pond at dusk when they saw two large white hairy beings carrying a very large object over a hill toward the pond. When the witnesses stopped to watch, the beings dropped the object, fell to the ground, and tried unsuccessfully to hide in brush. The witnesses drove a short distance to turn around for a better view, and on returning about a minute later the beings and the object were gone.

Full-body sighting
1988–1989 South Vienna, Clark County, Ohio Class B #1018

A man driving stops to watch a hair covered creature walk across a cornfield

On Thanksgiving morning the witness was driving back from rabbit hunting and scanning open cornfields for deer when they stopped to watch a large dark hair-covered form walking upright across corn stubble toward the woodline about 1/8 to 1/4 mile away. The witness then left the area. The sighting occurred less than a mile from a lake bank where the witness and three companions had heard an unidentified scream and crashing sounds the previous year, which the witness now links to the same kind of animal.

Full-body sighting
October 1987 Oberlin, Lorain County, Ohio Class B #4957

Hunter has dusk sighting in Oberlin area

The witness was bow-hunting deer from a tree stand beside a cut path through pines at dusk. After hearing movement and deep grunts approach, the witness saw a large bipedal figure jump across the path while emitting a loud scream. The figure ran into a wooded area, and a neighbor also heard the screaming and wood-breaking sounds.

Partial sightingVocalizationScreamFootsteps
7 August 1987 Monroeville, Jefferson County, Ohio Class B #5778

Couple horseback riding catch a glimpse of unknown creature followed by a nasty smell and a loud moaning scream

A witness and a companion were riding horses on a familiar trail when the witness noticed a dark head-like shape to the side. Shortly after, the companion reported a terrible odor near a hedgerow, and then both heard a prolonged loud moaning or wailing sound from behind. They later returned to the locations but found no trace of the shape or odor, and concluded the experiences were connected.

Partial sightingOdorVocalization
March 1987 Lima, Allen County, Ohio Class A #3351

Late night sighting by teen at Lost Creek Golf Course

The witness was walking home across a golf course in the early morning hours when he heard a noise from a creek below a bridge. He looked down and saw a large dark-haired bear-like creature bent over drinking water, which looked up with a human-like face. After only a couple seconds he ran home without looking back.

Full-body sightingUnidentified sound
October 1986 Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio Class A #6062

Three teenagers witness a "thing" crouched on the road, stand up, take three quick steps, and jump over the reeds down a hill

Late at night in 1986 the witness was riding as a passenger with two friends on a curvy road toward an old Montessori. Under a streetlight they encountered a crouched figure sitting in the middle of the road. The figure stood up, took a few large steps and leaped over roadside reeds down the hill and vanished.

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
July 1986 Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio Class A #25961

Young woman has close encounter at night outside of Georgetown

The primary witness waited outside an abandoned farmhouse at night while companions explored inside. A large black hair-covered animal charged toward her through tall weeds and veered away at the last moment. She screamed and the companions ran out to find her shaken. The investigator later interviewed her directly about the bluff charge.

Partial sighting
August 1985 Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio Class A #49813

Woman remembers being shocked to see a running, hairy biped in her backyard in Elyria

In mid-August 1985, the witness had just returned inside after kenneling two large dogs when the dogs began barking intensely. From a kitchen window she watched a large reddish-brown hairy biped run toward a creek for about 30 seconds before it jumped from a drop-off into the creek and headed into the ravine. Later that day she found skid-like slip marks and toe impressions on the trail where it had run.

Full-body sightingTracks
June 1985 Twin Valley, Scioto County, Ohio Class A #5229

Man recalls seeing a strange bipedal animal during his one and only hunting trip

The witness, then 15, was squirrel hunting with two relatives in forested hills when he descended into a hollow and saw a dark brown creature sitting on a large rock. The creature stood on two legs and ran off quickly while walking noises were heard on both sides and a strong odor filled the air. The group left the area shortly after at the father's urging.

Full-body sightingFootstepsOdor