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718 encounters
October 1979 BLACK ROCK, Tulare County, California Class B #12328

Hunters are awakened by loud, repetitive vocalizations in Monache Meadows

The witness and a companion were camped overnight during a hunting trip when they were awakened around 2 a.m. by very loud howling from a meadow. The sound was described as sad but not threatening and continued intermittently for about an hour while they searched with a spotlight from a vehicle without seeing anything. They then returned to camp.

Howl
October 1979 Hilt, Siskiyou County, California Class A #5284

Hunter/Logger has a sighting in a closed logging area near Hilt

The witness returned to a secluded previously logged area to hunt with a dog. About 100 yards away, a dark brown hair-covered figure was seen crouching behind brush and staring at the witness and dog. The dog froze with raised fur and refused to advance. After a brief look through a rifle scope noting human-like eyes and black facial skin, the witness smelled strong body odor and quickly left the area.

Partial sightingOdor
September 1979 Weed, Siskiyou County, California Class B #5220

Son and step Father have a strange encounter on the north/east side of Mt.Shasta

The witness and a relative were camping in a remote wooded area when the witness was awakened around 3 a.m. by noises around the truck, including an ice chest being knocked over and a violent impact that rocked the vehicle, followed by a loud piercing scream-like sound. The relative also woke, and in the morning they found the camp in disarray with a dozen eggs missing, the empty carton later found away from camp, and a dent in the truck. No creature was seen and no tracks were found, and the pair stayed up until morning before leaving.

ScreamVehicle contactProperty disturbance
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
May 1979 Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County, California Class A #24936

Sighting off Indian Road behind isolated (at the time) Desert Hot Springs Condo complex

Late at night the witness was leaving in a small car when the headlights illuminated a large hairy biped standing in the desert. Both the witness and the creature froze briefly before the creature took steps backward and sideways out of the light and disappeared. The witness reported intense fear and returned home.

Partial sighting
May 1979 Del Norte County, California Class A #1664

While sitting around a campfire witnesses saw a set of red glowing eyes

The witness and four companions were sitting and talking around a campfire at night when they heard loud crashing and rustling about 50 feet away in the woods. They reported seeing a pair of red glowing eyes about eight feet high that watched them for about a minute, though no body outline was visible in the dark. The source of the eyes then turned and moved away through the woods making crashing sounds.

EyeshineFootstepsAnimal behaviour
January 1979 Hiouchi Is Not Really A Town,so Crescent City Would Be Closer., Del Norte County, California Class A #12917

Vehicle passenger's daylight sighting near Hiouchi

The witness was riding as a passenger on a road toward town in the late morning when the driver pointed to the side. The witness then watched a very large, muscular, long-haired creature walk across an open dried creekbed, apparently unaware of the car. The side view was unobstructed but the face was not seen.

Full-body sighting
16 December 1978 Avery, Calaveras County, California Class B #5477

Teenager has a nighttime close encounter and then sees tracks in the snow in Avery

The witness spent a winter night sleeping on a couch in an unfinished hillside cabin while two dogs slept nearby. During the night a large-sounding movement was heard outside that agitated the dogs for about fifteen minutes, but the witness did not look outside. The next morning the witness found a line of large five-toed footprints in snow that appeared to pass the cabin, step over a barbed-wire fence, and jump a creek before continuing uphill, but heavy snow later covered them.

FootstepsTracks
December 1978 Alpine County, California Class B #803

Tracks found by vacationers

The witness was playing in the snow near a river when they noticed a set of large tracks. The tracks led from the river into a patch of low trees. The witness did not follow the tracks out of fear.

Tracks
October 1978 Hayfork/Hyampom, Trinity County, California Class B #2581

Very large, black, human-looking sihouette seen

After dark, two riders on horseback were traveling on a back trail from the fairgrounds toward a friend's house. One horse alerted to something ahead, and the riders observed a very large, silent, human-like silhouette that moved diagonally into the brush. One rider greeted it, initially thinking it was a person, and they continued to the house without discussing it until morning. The next day they returned and found flattened dry grass where it had stood.

Silhouette
September 1978 Strawberry, Tuolumne County, California Class B #7676

Hunters have strange night experiences near Groundhog Meadow

A witness and his son were camping by a horse corral after building deer blinds. Early in the evening they heard two loud low-pitched screams from different directions, then later watched a pair of red eyes about six to seven feet off the ground for about an hour. Later that night something struck the side of their truck-mounted camper hard enough to shake the truck, but they found nothing outside.

ScreamEyeshineVehicle contact
July 1978 Strawberry/Pinecrest, Tuolumne County, California Class A #1301

Three witnesses have daytime sighting near Strawberry

When the witness was a child, they were walking in the woods with two other children when they noticed a brown conical-shaped head with deep-set eyes watching them from behind a tree uphill about 100-120 feet away. The shape remained motionless while they watched it for about a minute. The younger companion became upset and the children ran from the area. The witness remains uncertain what was seen.

Partial sighting
June 1978 Grass Valley, Nevada County, California Class A #3421

Family has unusual experience outside Grass Valley

A group gathered around a late-night bonfire at a rural ranch heard an extremely loud screeching howl from a nearby canyon and heard brush breaking as something large approached. The group fled to the house, and the witness briefly left her young child outside before going back to retrieve her. The child later said a very big, very hairy figure walked up to her, looked at her, and then walked away.

ScreamHowlFootstepsFull-body sighting
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
1978 California #69b382a5-30f0-4438-8cab-1f270c00d963

Footsteps in California (1978)

While on leave and hiking toward Yosemite Falls, the witness slept in a mummy bag without a tent. After dark something approached on two feet and repeatedly pushed the bag with what felt like fingers and knuckles, then walked away. The witness waited, looked around, and saw nothing.

Footsteps
Spring 1978 Auburn, Placer County, California Class B #3612

Two fishermen have truck shaken early one morning, outside of Auburn

The witness and a relative parked a heavy flatbed truck in a wooded area to sleep for a few hours before fishing at dawn. Around 5 a.m. something shook the truck violently side to side several times, waking both occupants. They smelled a strong rancid odor, saw nothing in the darkness, and stayed in the cab until daylight before leaving without checking for tracks.

Vehicle contactOdorPossible misidentification
1978–1979 Leggett, Mendocino County, California Class B #4182

Hiker finds an “A” frame type of nest in the Mammoth Lakes area

The witness, his mother, younger brother, and dog were hiking a trail while camping in a Mendocino County state park. They heard something moving parallel to them, then heard loud wooden knocks followed by a loud guttural huff from near a tree. Without seeing the source, they ran back to camp.

Wood knockGrowlUnidentified sound
Spring 1978 Orleans, Klamath River Area., Humboldt County, California Class B #4642

Prospector has possible morning encounter on east side of Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation

In 1978 the witness was prospecting alone on a mountain trail and was overcome by intense fear. The witness left the trail, knelt and covered the eyes while something bipedal approached, paused nearby, then continued downhill. The witness did not look until it had left and therefore never saw it.

Footsteps
October 1977 Strawberry, Tuolumne County, California Class B #1955

Witness reports loud screaming near Strawberry

A witness at recreational cabins reported hearing very loud, high-pitched screaming for approximately two minutes around 1 a.m. The sound was estimated to originate from less than 50 meters away. The cabin was in the southeast portion of a lake with no other cabins behind it.

Scream
August 1977 Hayfork/Hyampom, Trinity County, California Class B #2579

Series of footprints 17" in length

The witness and two companions were on horseback to put up horses at night near a town dump and fairgrounds. They observed a black standing figure but could not see a face despite fairly good visibility from stars and lights. The next day they returned and found dry grass flattened where the figure had stood. The witness noted bears frequent the area but judged this was not a bear.

Partial sightingSilhouette