1 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,480 During the nineteen nineties. I was a wildlife agent and I was dealing primarily 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:14,679 with problem wild animals that were causing problems in residential areas, on farms, 3 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,960 or wherever there was an issue. I prefer not to name the state because 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,239 at the time I was well known for the job that I did, and 5 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,600 this story might refresh a memory and bring it back to me. But I 6 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:32,320 can tell you that this took place in the rural mountain area in the northeastern 7 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:40,240 United States. We were having a rabies epidemic, primarily in raccoons. Fur 8 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:46,880 prices were down for two years and the raccoon population exploded. The virus was 9 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:52,520 spreading like wildfire. I was one of a handful of people that were given 10 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:58,880 pre exposure vaccines for rabies and were trained on handling and having animals tested for 11 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:03,359 the disease. I was overwhelmed with calls and working seven days a week, 12 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:08,879 and I was on call twenty four to seven. When local citizens weren't calling 13 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:14,439 me for help, the state police and other officials were calling me out. 14 00:01:14,799 --> 00:01:19,280 It seemed like this would never end. One fall evening, I believe it 15 00:01:19,359 --> 00:01:23,000 was mid September, my wife and I had just sat down for dinner. 16 00:01:23,159 --> 00:01:29,200 In the phone rang, My wife answered, it's for you again. I 17 00:01:29,239 --> 00:01:34,120 remember thinking, I hope it's not an emergency, because I'm hungry. I 18 00:01:34,159 --> 00:01:38,120 could tell by the sound of the man's voice that he was irritated and anxious. 19 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,920 I couldn't understand a word he said. I interrupted him and said that 20 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:47,079 he needed to calm down because I couldn't understand him. Or do you speak 21 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,719 English? He said. I answered yes, sir, but I am a 22 00:01:49,719 --> 00:01:56,680 little slow. He chuckled. That seemed to break the ice. He went 23 00:01:56,719 --> 00:02:00,359 on to tell me that he had either coyotes, a big cat, or 24 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:06,439 maybe a bear taking his calves. The predator was walking right into the barn 25 00:02:06,599 --> 00:02:10,960 and taking the animals. This had been happening for two weeks. He started 26 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:15,479 shutting the barn door, but the next day he would find it open and 27 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,919 sometimes broken. I was eager to get back to my food, and I 28 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,319 agreed to meet with him at his farm first thing. The next morning. 29 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:29,039 I arrived at the farm at eight o'clock and the farmer was still milking his 30 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,080 cows. He told me that there was no incident last night, that he 31 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,800 would be finished in an hour. I was welcome to have a look around 32 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,439 the outside of the barn to see if I could find evidence from a predator, 33 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,759 and he pointed out the damaged door that seemed to be the entry point. 34 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,919 The calf pins were right next to it. It was hard to find 35 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,039 prints around the barn. Any track that would have been left had been trodden 36 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:58,479 down by cow hooves. The damage to the door looked a bit more like 37 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,520 a bear had done it than a ca or a cat, and it lacked 38 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:07,560 the claw imprints or scratches that I would normally find. The bent metal rail 39 00:03:07,759 --> 00:03:13,240 across the top of the door looked like damage from a tractor. I couldn't 40 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:17,800 see how a cow or an animal would do that. The farmer finished up 41 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:22,439 his chores and caught up with me outside the barn, and he asked me 42 00:03:22,479 --> 00:03:25,120 what I had found. Well, I told him the cattle had trampled any 43 00:03:25,159 --> 00:03:29,840 evidence that I could use, and he asked what I thought about the door. 44 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:34,360 Well, something big did that, I said, but I refrained from 45 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,400 saying that one of his farm hands probably hit it with the tractor. He 46 00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:43,159 went on to tell me that some nights the coyotes were so loud that he 47 00:03:43,199 --> 00:03:46,439 couldn't sleep, and other nights he could hear a big cat screaming on the 48 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:53,319 hill. I followed him through the pastures, across two shallow streams, and 49 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,599 through a gate, and then up the hill to a woodline where a clear 50 00:03:57,719 --> 00:04:02,240 pasture met the forest. From there we walked into the woods one hundred yards 51 00:04:02,319 --> 00:04:06,800 or so. He pointed to four dead calves that had been taken from his 52 00:04:06,919 --> 00:04:13,840 barn. The most recent had been taken yesterday. It laid in the leaves, 53 00:04:13,919 --> 00:04:18,399 gutted, and something had consumed the organs but left the meat. That's 54 00:04:18,399 --> 00:04:21,560 not the way any wild animal that I know of would eat its kill. 55 00:04:23,439 --> 00:04:28,000 Domestic or wild dogs would usually eat the hind quarters first and then leave the 56 00:04:28,079 --> 00:04:31,759 rest if they had had enough. Nothing was adding up, and there were 57 00:04:31,759 --> 00:04:38,720 no tracks to give me any indication of what this was. We kept walking, 58 00:04:38,959 --> 00:04:42,439 and one hundred and fifty yards away I found two more older kills that 59 00:04:42,519 --> 00:04:46,279 had been picked. Clean tracks covered the area, but they weren't from a 60 00:04:46,319 --> 00:04:51,079 coyote, cat or a bear. It was what we and the Wildlife Division 61 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:59,040 recognized as the brush wolf. Contrary to public belief, wild coyotes and domestic 62 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,519 dogs do not enter breed. You have coyote packs and wild dog packs, 63 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:08,800 and then you have the brush wolf. The brush wolf is believed to be 64 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:13,879 an offshoot of the gray wolf in Coyote. Before the gray wolf was extinct 65 00:05:13,959 --> 00:05:18,680 in the Northeast, the populations were low. Nature finds a way, and 66 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:24,879 scientists at the time believe that possibly the two natural enemies mate it, creating 67 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:30,759 a much larger coyote or a smaller wolf. We had these brush wolves come 68 00:05:30,759 --> 00:05:34,600 in weighing one hundred and forty pounds or better. That sized dog would definitely 69 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:40,680 be strong enough to haul a calf that distance before eating it, But that 70 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:44,920 still didn't make sense as to why they ate the older kills down to the 71 00:05:44,959 --> 00:05:48,839 bone and then scattered the bones, while with the fresh kill only guts and 72 00:05:49,079 --> 00:05:54,879 organs were eaten. But whatever the reason, it looked like a large, 73 00:05:54,879 --> 00:06:00,160 healthy pack and they needed to be dealt with. At this time, were 74 00:06:00,199 --> 00:06:04,720 not allowed to use the word brush wolf to a civilian kyote, koy dog, 75 00:06:04,879 --> 00:06:10,199 or some other name was fine. That was primarily to keep people from 76 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:15,319 panicking and killing them off with the big bad wolf stereo type. When the 77 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,800 packs got this big and brazen enough to start stealing cattle, we would go 78 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:24,800 out and cut the numbers back I told the farmer that it looked to be 79 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,360 a large coyote pack in the area, and I would do some tracking to 80 00:06:28,399 --> 00:06:31,959 find their habits and find the best place to set traps. I would be 81 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,720 back in a day or two, and we shook hands and he headed to 82 00:06:35,759 --> 00:06:41,959 the barn and I stayed in the woods. I was looking for the main 83 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,240 highway they used to get around. I found several excellent locations to place my 84 00:06:46,399 --> 00:06:51,160 sets. Brush wolves are smart and it wasn't going to be a one day 85 00:06:51,199 --> 00:06:57,680 project. I could see this taking a month to catch even five. And 86 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:00,279 it was forecasts of rain the next day and that was the best time to 87 00:07:00,319 --> 00:07:05,279 set traps. I stopped by the farm on the way back and got permission 88 00:07:05,319 --> 00:07:09,839 to leave my spare coveralls that I had in my jeep in the barn for 89 00:07:09,879 --> 00:07:14,120 the night. The smell of the cattle soaking into the material would help me 90 00:07:14,199 --> 00:07:17,600 cover my human scent with a scent that they were obviously not afraid of. 91 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:23,319 It was cloudy with heavy, dark gray clouds when I showed up at the 92 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,199 farm the next morning. I was excited, thinking that it would be a 93 00:07:27,199 --> 00:07:30,680 perfect time to make my sets. I stopped by the barn and put my 94 00:07:30,759 --> 00:07:35,759 cow scented coveralls on, and I walked around in calmanure with my rubber boots, 95 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:40,360 the whole time thinking that my wife was going to make me change outside. 96 00:07:40,399 --> 00:07:45,279 When I got home, I placed my sets in all the places that 97 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,439 I had marked the day before, and I made a couple of extra sets 98 00:07:47,439 --> 00:07:51,800 around the last killed calf, just in case they should come back and finish 99 00:07:51,879 --> 00:07:58,519 their meal. Just as I finished up, it started raining. The rain 100 00:07:58,639 --> 00:08:01,959 lasted for several hours, and I hope the rain had knocked off my scent 101 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:07,439 and maybe I would have a catch the next day. That rarely happens, 102 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:11,879 but it does happen. The next morning, I woke and got my breakfast 103 00:08:11,959 --> 00:08:16,839 in coffee and headed to the farm. The farmer met me at the barn 104 00:08:16,879 --> 00:08:22,120 and said he'd lost another calf that night. After apologizing and telling him that 105 00:08:22,199 --> 00:08:26,199 it won't be long now, I headed through the pastures into the woods. 106 00:08:28,439 --> 00:08:31,159 I walked along my sets as far away from them as I could and still 107 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:35,679 be able to see whether or not I had anything. The first line of 108 00:08:35,759 --> 00:08:41,840 seven sets were untouched. It was the same with the next line of sets, 109 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:46,720 absolutely nothing. There was no sign of a fresh kill either. That 110 00:08:46,919 --> 00:08:50,960 night, I thought that I must have messed up somewhere and these canines were 111 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:56,120 on to me. The next morning, I stopped by the farm and the 112 00:08:56,120 --> 00:09:00,159 farmer said it was a good night. No animals had been taken. I 113 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:05,559 figured that the traps would likely be empty as well. The first trap I 114 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:09,279 walked up on was dangling high up in a thick water brush, and I 115 00:09:09,279 --> 00:09:13,080 looked closer and I could see something had tripped it and been caught. There 116 00:09:13,159 --> 00:09:18,720 was animal hair scattered around the area. Whatever I caught had been ripped from 117 00:09:18,759 --> 00:09:22,679 the trap, though, and from the way the trap hung up in the 118 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:26,440 brush, I was thinking it was a big cat that had taken advantage of 119 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:31,200 the trapped animal. The other traps were empty. I kept smelling a strong, 120 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:37,480 rotted flesh septic smell in the area. I figured it was likely from 121 00:09:37,519 --> 00:09:41,159 the dead calves after the rain, and possibly the farmers spread manure in that 122 00:09:41,279 --> 00:09:46,159 upper pasture. I looked around a bit, but I couldn't find anything to 123 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:52,360 be the lone source of the smell, so I forgot it. On day 124 00:09:52,399 --> 00:09:56,000 three, I headed back to the farm and right to the sets, without 125 00:09:56,039 --> 00:10:00,679 stopping to talk to the landowner. Two traps hung high up in the brush 126 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:05,759 again, just like yesterday. Something wanted my catch more than I did. 127 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,840 No sign of what was stealing my trapped animals or where it was taking them, 128 00:10:11,279 --> 00:10:13,679 and it didn't make sense for a big cat to do the exact same 129 00:10:13,759 --> 00:10:18,320 thing three times in a row. I suppose if a pack is big enough 130 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:22,879 and hungry enough, they would attack their own. That does happen, but 131 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,720 typically only during a hard freeze, and it was only September. On this 132 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:33,960 day, the smell was back, but it was much stronger, so much 133 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:39,039 so that it made my stomach a bit queasy. I saw a good spot 134 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,840 for some sets on my way up the hillside, just above the stream. 135 00:10:43,159 --> 00:10:46,360 Now, I figured I would put some fresh sets there tomorrow to give me 136 00:10:46,399 --> 00:10:50,759 a bit of a break from the overwhelming smell of rotting flesh and manure. 137 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:58,000 On day four, the traps were empty and undisturbed. The smell was still 138 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,600 overwhelming, but it seemed to come and go. It was windy and I 139 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:05,600 could hear branches breaking in the distance. I didn't think much about that, 140 00:11:07,039 --> 00:11:11,000 and I set off to put out the traps in the new location. I 141 00:11:11,039 --> 00:11:16,399 found a spot where I was sure coyotes were hanging out. It was across 142 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:20,879 the stream and up a steep bank that was twenty five to thirty feet tall. 143 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:26,480 So, with my one hundred pound backpack on and a twelve gage shotgun 144 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:31,799 loaded with buckshot in my hand, I waded across a twelve inch deep stream 145 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:37,039 and I started up that bank. The roots that dangle from the bank wall 146 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:43,120 were what I used to lift myself to the top, and halfway up there, 147 00:11:43,279 --> 00:11:48,600 that smell hit me again. It was coming from above me. I 148 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:52,360 wasn't able to see anything but dirt wall, and I assumed one of the 149 00:11:52,399 --> 00:11:56,840 dead calves was left at the top of the bank, so I kept climbing. 150 00:11:58,639 --> 00:12:01,879 Finally, at the top, I rance myself to a standing position, 151 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:05,440 ready to go to work. I was brushing the trash off my clothes when 152 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:11,240 I looked around, expecting to see that dead calf laying close by, but 153 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:16,320 instead, standing a few feet away was a giant, black colored ssquatch. 154 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:22,440 It growled at me, and I felt that growl through my body and into 155 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:28,000 my toes. The edge of the bank was just behind me, and when 156 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,960 I took a step back, I fell back into the ravine and I landed 157 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:37,080 on the rocks of the stream bank, flat on my back. That fall 158 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:43,120 crushed my wicker backpack, and the content saved me from breaking anything. Without 159 00:12:43,159 --> 00:12:46,759 that pack, I'm sure I would have smacked my head on those rocks and 160 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:50,360 been injured. In addition, I was lucky that nothing pushed through the pack 161 00:12:50,399 --> 00:12:56,159 that would impale me. The shotgun had survived the fall, too, and 162 00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:01,720 it lay a few feet away. And after I moved past the what the 163 00:13:01,759 --> 00:13:05,240 hell phase, I shimmied out of the backpack straps and I took up the 164 00:13:05,279 --> 00:13:11,120 shotgun. The creature stood looking over the ledge at me. He was hacked 165 00:13:11,159 --> 00:13:16,879 off, and he continued to growl. There was no doubt this was a 166 00:13:16,919 --> 00:13:20,600 male. Immediately, I knew my twelve gage wouldn't hurt this thing, so 167 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:24,519 I fired a shot over his head and he just stood there looking at me. 168 00:13:26,039 --> 00:13:30,919 After two more shots, he looked around like he could have cared less, 169 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:35,360 and then he walked out of my sight. My heart was racing, 170 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:39,360 and all that I could think was that I only had three shots left. 171 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:45,600 If the first three shots didn't scare it off, I would put the next 172 00:13:45,639 --> 00:13:50,600 three right into its face. My thought was if I could blind him, 173 00:13:50,799 --> 00:13:54,519 there was a chance that I could get away. There is no way to 174 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,879 know, but I would say this thing was eight feet tall and three and 175 00:13:58,879 --> 00:14:01,600 a half feet wide. Away the shoulders, of course, at the bottom 176 00:14:01,639 --> 00:14:05,399 of the river bank, looking up thirty feet, it looked like King Kong 177 00:14:05,519 --> 00:14:11,120 with a human face. Teeth, from what I could see, were two 178 00:14:11,399 --> 00:14:16,840 large fangs or eye teeth. The eyes were dark and bone chilling evil. 179 00:14:16,759 --> 00:14:20,080 I got my stuff together and I had it out of there, leaving equipment 180 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:26,519 I couldn't grab where it lay. The only form of communication that I had 181 00:14:26,519 --> 00:14:30,080 in my g was a cellular bag phone that I hadn't had a signal for 182 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,799 for miles. So I stopped by the farm on the way out, and 183 00:14:33,799 --> 00:14:37,080 I told the farmer that I had to get going and that i'd be back 184 00:14:37,159 --> 00:14:43,919 to him. I didn't dare mention the encounter I had just experienced. Well. 185 00:14:43,919 --> 00:14:46,080 I went straight home. My back was hurting, and I needed to 186 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,919 make a phone call to my superior. I was trying to figure out a 187 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:54,919 way to tell him what had happened without sounding like I needed mental help. 188 00:14:54,759 --> 00:14:58,360 I couldn't think of a way other than just straight up truth, and I 189 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:03,480 left the chip fall where they made I told him that I needed to meet 190 00:15:03,519 --> 00:15:07,960 with him. He knew it was important, and he agreed. It's the 191 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,559 first time in several years that I asked for a meeting. Later that evening, 192 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:18,639 at his house, I told him the story. My superior said that 193 00:15:18,679 --> 00:15:20,879 he would meet me at the farm the next day and we would go from 194 00:15:20,919 --> 00:15:26,480 there. The next morning, we met at the farm, and here's what 195 00:15:26,519 --> 00:15:31,639 my superior told me. Here's the plan. I called my boss and told 196 00:15:31,679 --> 00:15:35,720 them the details that you told me. He called me back this morning and 197 00:15:35,759 --> 00:15:39,559 he said that you and I are going together and get your equipment, and 198 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:45,440 that we were to pull out of this job. Well. I immediately asked 199 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,240 if I was fired, and he reassured me that I was not being fired, 200 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:52,320 and they were sending a team out here to finish up where I left 201 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:56,360 off. A team, I asked, He said, yeah, you're not 202 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,279 crazy. They have a team trained to deal with this situation and going to 203 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:06,159 take over. I gathered my equipment. My boss stood guard with a rifle. 204 00:16:06,679 --> 00:16:10,200 There was no incident, but we both caught a whiff of that horrible 205 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:15,480 odor. On the way out. We stopped by the farm and I introduced 206 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:19,039 my boss. He told the farmer I was needed on another job and that 207 00:16:19,159 --> 00:16:23,759 a team would replace me and I never did find out what happened on that 208 00:16:23,879 --> 00:16:29,080 farm. I worked that same job for three more years, and I never 209 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:34,240 ran into anything like that while working for them again. Now let me tell 210 00:16:34,279 --> 00:16:37,720 you about my second encounter. I'm going to try to make this one a 211 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:44,799 little shorter than my long winded first encounter. After the first encounter in the 212 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:48,960 Northeast, I didn't have another encounter like that while I worked in that region. 213 00:16:48,399 --> 00:16:52,320 It wasn't until years later when I moved to the central Gulf Coast of 214 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:56,720 Florida. I moved to Florida in two thousand and eight, and I set 215 00:16:56,759 --> 00:17:00,960 up my own business. Through a good customer, I was given permission to 216 00:17:02,039 --> 00:17:07,079 hog hunt some swampy land in the spring Hill west of US nineteen, only 217 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:11,559 a few miles from the Gulf. My wife and two sons came along. 218 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:18,240 They thought they might enjoy experiencing hunting at night for wild hogs. The property 219 00:17:18,279 --> 00:17:22,559 where we had permission to hunt had a small pond bordering the woods that connected 220 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:27,519 to state land. The property already had two tree stands, and one of 221 00:17:27,559 --> 00:17:32,559 them was a two ceedar That would be where my wife and I would sit. 222 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,119 One hundred yards south of that stand was another stand. It needed work, 223 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,119 but with a few nails and some scrap wood, we had it fixed 224 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,960 up. And my oldest son claimed that one my youngest son had a climbing 225 00:17:47,039 --> 00:17:49,519 stand and he found a spot near a pine that was full of tracks and 226 00:17:49,599 --> 00:17:56,559 rutted up ground. We were all set. We put feeders near each stand 227 00:17:56,599 --> 00:17:59,960 and kept them filled with corn for three weeks. Before we went home. 228 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:07,279 I set three SkyPoint cameras out that sent pictures directly to my cellular phone. 229 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:11,640 We had pigs coming in heavy almost every night, and a bear that would 230 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:17,160 stop by just before dawn. We hunted there with success once a week. 231 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:21,920 For two months. I was showing my sons the pictures that were coming in, 232 00:18:22,319 --> 00:18:25,839 and there was still plenty of pigs, deer, in coyote, and 233 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:30,480 of course my bear. In the mornings. We were looking forward to our 234 00:18:30,559 --> 00:18:37,440 Saturday hunt. Thursday came around and there was nothing on the cameras. Friday 235 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,680 it was the same. I thought for sure, with all the activity we 236 00:18:41,759 --> 00:18:45,200 had been seeing, the batteries and the cameras must have been dead. So 237 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:49,039 I went to the store Saturday morning to get some snacks and supplies for our 238 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:55,720 Saturday hunt, and I picked up double A batteries for the cameras. We 239 00:18:55,839 --> 00:18:59,960 arrived at the hunting location just before dark. My wife and I were in 240 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:04,319 the stand furthest from our truck. I replaced the batteries in my cameras before 241 00:19:04,319 --> 00:19:08,119 we got situated in the stand, and I gave each of my sons eight 242 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:14,279 batteries to do the same. From our stand, we could hear something walking 243 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:18,480 in the swamp, but we couldn't see what it was. It was either 244 00:19:18,559 --> 00:19:23,319 that bear or Norsey hog walking around. It went just out of our sight 245 00:19:23,559 --> 00:19:27,640 around us where my son was sitting, and I sent my son a text 246 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,240 telling him that I heard something go by and it was heading right for him, 247 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:36,079 but I wasn't sure what it was. I copied my other son on 248 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:38,880 the text and he said he just heard something large heading my way, but 249 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:42,119 it was coming in from the back of my stand, opposite the feeder. 250 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,160 My wife turned her chair around and used a green light and a scope now 251 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,759 and then to see if she could get it. It wasn't long. We 252 00:19:51,799 --> 00:19:56,680 could hear it coming in from behind, but we couldn't see it. The 253 00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:00,599 walking sound stopped and I figured it would be a good time to check to 254 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,920 see if my son saw whatever was heading this way. He said that he 255 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,799 had heard it and it sounded like a bulldozer coming through, but he never 256 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:12,200 saw it. He said the brush was moving and small trees were waving, 257 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:18,839 but he couldn't put eyes on what caused it. The woods were dead silent 258 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,599 for a good hour, not even a breeze. My wife and I both 259 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:26,480 had the feeling of being watched, but we just brushed it off as a 260 00:20:26,559 --> 00:20:33,640 still night and the swamp. The silence was broken an hour later by the 261 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:37,759 sound of a good sized tree falling close behind us. That startled my wife 262 00:20:37,799 --> 00:20:41,240 and I, but I told her that it was likely just to rott a 263 00:20:41,279 --> 00:20:45,279 tree in the swamp falling. She said, but there's no wind, not 264 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:49,319 even a breeze. Well, I shrugged my shoulders and I went back to 265 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:56,720 monitoring the feeder. We started having sticks and clumps of mud thrown at us, 266 00:20:56,319 --> 00:21:00,279 and I messaged my son saying, that's real funny, and then he 267 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:04,960 replied back, what's funny? They both shined in, swearing that it wasn't 268 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:11,799 them. They both stated that they were also experiencing strange things. My oldest 269 00:21:11,799 --> 00:21:17,119 son said something was circling around where he sat and was making all sorts of 270 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:22,759 growls and snorts. My son in the stand said that someone was throwing things 271 00:21:22,799 --> 00:21:26,400 in the pond, and at one time a tree he was sitting in was 272 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:30,839 whacked with something. I figured it was likely someone that knew we were hunting 273 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:34,759 there and was messing with us, and I sent a message back to meet 274 00:21:34,799 --> 00:21:40,119 at the truck. We were obviously wasting our time trying to hunt that night. 275 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:44,559 The next day I went to top off the feeders and I put new 276 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,200 SD cards in the cameras. I met with the property owner on my way 277 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:52,119 out and I told him about the night before. He said there was a 278 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:56,799 road on the north side of the pond five hundred yards out, and there 279 00:21:56,839 --> 00:22:00,200 was an animal rights activist that lived there and had giving him trouble in the 280 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,799 past by banging pans together while he was hunting. He said, more than 281 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:11,799 likely they saw our green lights and were messing with us. There was no 282 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:17,720 animal activity at all on the cameras all week, not even a raccoon coming 283 00:22:17,759 --> 00:22:22,440 in for the corn well. I thought that was odd. Usually raccoons and 284 00:22:22,519 --> 00:22:26,880 possums make my cameras go crazy at night. I went to the property on 285 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:32,319 Friday to top off the feeders and check what was going on with the cameras. 286 00:22:32,759 --> 00:22:37,240 The feeders were full and untouched. One camera was laying face down in 287 00:22:37,319 --> 00:22:41,319 the mud. I picked it up, cleaned it off, and put it 288 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:45,319 back on the tree. The cameras were working because I was getting pictures of 289 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:52,599 me loading the feeders. We elected to let the area rest over the weekend 290 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:56,440 by not honeing and I hope the cameras would let me know when the area 291 00:22:56,519 --> 00:23:02,920 became active again. So we waited. A week passed and I got no 292 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:08,000 images, not a single image. Again. I knew the cameras were working, 293 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:12,920 so I began to think the corn was bad. On Thursday, I 294 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:18,559 began to replace the corn. The corn had not been touched, and then 295 00:23:18,759 --> 00:23:22,640 images of myself began popping up on my phone. Not one bit of this 296 00:23:22,759 --> 00:23:29,079 made any sense. I settled on the idea that the pigs had moved and 297 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:33,720 were feeding in another area. My son and I decided to hunt the WMA 298 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:40,440 two miles away. When we checked in at the Wildlife Management Area, the 299 00:23:40,519 --> 00:23:45,359 attendant gave me a map and pointed out three locations where hunters seemed to be 300 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,799 having good luck. My sons picked their spots and I got whatever was left. 301 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:55,519 I was good with that they were both carrying shotguns and I was carrying 302 00:23:55,519 --> 00:24:00,079 a fifty Hawking muzzleloader. Rifles weren't allowed in my three was going to have 303 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:06,519 to stay home. The area I was to hunt had a large sinkhole in 304 00:24:06,559 --> 00:24:10,359 the woods that was sure to hold water or at least be swampy in the 305 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:15,799 bottom. It should be a perfect spot for the hogs. I worked my 306 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:19,000 way through the woods and through some thick briers and pal meadows to a clearing. 307 00:24:19,319 --> 00:24:23,680 Just above the pit. I could see a small stream in the bottom. 308 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,000 This spot gave me a good field of view, so I found a 309 00:24:27,039 --> 00:24:33,319 comfortable spot and I settled in the stream. I was hunting over lay between 310 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:37,960 steep banks on each side, and I began to wonder how I would haul 311 00:24:38,039 --> 00:24:42,559 out my kil if I took one on the other side. I hoped there 312 00:24:42,599 --> 00:24:47,920 was a low spot down stream, but I'd have to wait and see. 313 00:24:48,039 --> 00:24:52,720 At that moment, I wanted to get quiet and start the hunt. The 314 00:24:52,759 --> 00:24:56,799 woods got real quiet. All my senses heightened, and then I caught movement 315 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:02,680 in the ravine to my right. It appeared to be a man bent over 316 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:07,519 a log. And digging around a fallen tree. I stood to see better 317 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:11,119 while wondering who in the hell would be in the swamp messing around in the 318 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,680 mud. He was dressed in all brown clothing, and I thought it was 319 00:25:15,759 --> 00:25:19,920 stupid for him to be out here. I don't like wearing my glasses while 320 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,920 i'm out, honey, but I put them on to better see what he 321 00:25:23,039 --> 00:25:27,079 was doing around that big tree. And that's when I saw that he wasn't 322 00:25:27,079 --> 00:25:33,960 wearing brown clothes. What I was seeing was either hair or fur. I 323 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,920 had a small set of field binoculars in my jacket pocket, and I pulled 324 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,440 him out and wiped the lenses on my t shirt and I got a better 325 00:25:41,519 --> 00:25:47,960 look. Sure enough, it was a Florida skunk ape. It must have 326 00:25:48,039 --> 00:25:52,960 been digging for grubs around the log. He looked similar to the creature I 327 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,240 saw years ago, but not as tall, and its color was lighter. 328 00:25:57,519 --> 00:26:00,640 I couldn't make out the eye color, but I could see a human looking 329 00:26:00,759 --> 00:26:06,319 face. He had no idea that I was sitting one hundred yards away up 330 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:11,160 a bank watching him. For twenty minutes. I watched while he did his 331 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,480 thing. I didn't feel that I was in any danger. He would occasionally 332 00:26:15,519 --> 00:26:18,559 look around and sniff the air, and then he would go back to moving 333 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:23,359 logs around and digging. I had good brush cover, and I figured my 334 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:27,720 best bet was to stay put until it either came toward me or moved off. 335 00:26:29,839 --> 00:26:33,599 To my great relief, it began moving away, continuing to look and 336 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:38,680 dig around falling wood, and I took that opportunity to slowly retreat back toward 337 00:26:38,839 --> 00:26:44,960 my truck. I couldn't help but think how aggressive the northern squatch was, 338 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,960 and I didn't want to see if this one had the same temperament. I 339 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,119 went home with my two sons empty handed that day. I never said a 340 00:26:53,160 --> 00:27:00,319 word about what I saw. Several weeks later, games started showing up on 341 00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:03,039 the cameras again, and it seemed as if everything was back to normal, 342 00:27:03,599 --> 00:27:10,079 and we hunted it without incident. I'm thinking that these animals have some sort 343 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:15,839 of migrating pattern. I'm not sure, but I hope to never see one again.