1 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:08,439 Speaker 1: It's a friend and I made plans to go hog 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,759 hunting in the Honey Island swamp a few years back. 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,759 We invited two other friends, Mike and James, who we 4 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,239 know loved to hunt. The hunt happened and we had 5 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,199 a great weekend, but Mike and James never showed up. 6 00:00:22,519 --> 00:00:25,760 Only the two of us went. The next week, I 7 00:00:25,879 --> 00:00:28,079 called them to find out why they had never gotten 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,199 back with us about going on the hunt. I couldn't 9 00:00:31,239 --> 00:00:33,880 reach them, but the next week they both came by 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,719 the house. I was persistent in asking them why they 11 00:00:37,759 --> 00:00:40,640 had never called us back. They didn't really want to 12 00:00:40,679 --> 00:00:43,920 talk about it, but after a while they relented, and 13 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,159 here is what they told me. They had actually been 14 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,920 down in the swamp the weekend before that we went. 15 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,679 Mike launched his eighteen foot aluminum boat on Friday afternoon 16 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,840 and they left the ramp on the way. They decided 17 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,799 to go farther in the swamp than they usually went, 18 00:01:03,679 --> 00:01:06,040 finding a good spot to pull the boat up on 19 00:01:06,159 --> 00:01:09,319 the bank and some dry ground. They unloaded the boat 20 00:01:09,359 --> 00:01:12,879 and they set up their tents and started cooking some steaks. 21 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:18,560 Everything was perfect so far. After finishing off the steaks, 22 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,239 they played cards until after dark. Then they went to bed. 23 00:01:23,239 --> 00:01:25,480 Throughout the night, whenever one of them got up to 24 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,000 pee or get a drink, they would throw wood on 25 00:01:28,079 --> 00:01:31,319 the fire to keep it going. James was afraid of 26 00:01:31,359 --> 00:01:34,159 those woods at night, and he wanted to keep it lit. 27 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:38,640 At some point way after midnight, James woke up and 28 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,480 saw that the fire was down to coals, so he 29 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:43,959 got up to throw another piece of wood on the fire. 30 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,879 Walking back to his tent, he heard a loud, odd 31 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,799 scream way off in the swamps. It echoed across the water. 32 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,920 He had never heard anything like it. Crawling back in 33 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,760 his tent, he began to settle down to get some sleep, 34 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,599 but the scream blasted out again, and it was much closer. 35 00:02:04,239 --> 00:02:07,319 It sounded like it was moving towards them, and when 36 00:02:07,359 --> 00:02:11,400 he heard something huge walking in the water, he got nervous. 37 00:02:12,039 --> 00:02:15,280 At this point in there retelling of the story, James 38 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:19,240 and Mike both were shaking. It was weird listening to 39 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,000 them while watching both men's hands twitch and shake like 40 00:02:23,039 --> 00:02:27,039 it was all happening to them again. I didn't say anything, 41 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:32,199 I just listened. James started shaking Mike to wake him up. 42 00:02:32,719 --> 00:02:35,479 Mike was a sound sleeper, and he slept through several 43 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,560 minutes of shaking and kicking, but he woke up real 44 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:41,800 quick when that scream blasted out again right out by 45 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,719 the boat. Mike sat straight up in his sleeping bag, 46 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,360 asking James what the hell made that noise. It was 47 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,759 as if it had woken him up, but it had 48 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,680 not registered what had made the sound. Mike looked at 49 00:02:55,719 --> 00:02:58,159 me and he told me he knew animal sounds in 50 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:02,280 the woods. Whatever this thing was, it didn't belong there. 51 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,719 Mike had a pistol under his pillow. He pulled it 52 00:03:06,759 --> 00:03:09,120 out and they both sat there in the tent listening 53 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,479 to this thing walked down the bayou towards them. This 54 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,960 thing was getting closer with each step. They had each 55 00:03:16,039 --> 00:03:19,080 brought a rifle and a shotgun, but they had left 56 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,960 those in the boat. Now this thing was beside the boat, 57 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,000 and they heard something banging on the aluminum hull, like 58 00:03:26,039 --> 00:03:29,840 it was being dragged or shoved. It dropped the heavy 59 00:03:29,879 --> 00:03:33,960 boat and came into their camp. Ice chests and camp 60 00:03:34,039 --> 00:03:37,800 stoves were tossed about. It sounded like it was pissed, 61 00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:42,479 and then it started walking towards the tent. Mike threw 62 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:44,759 his pillow to James and told him to bury his 63 00:03:44,879 --> 00:03:49,919 face in it. James was crying uncontrollably, and when the 64 00:03:49,919 --> 00:03:52,759 beast walked between the fire and the tent, Mike could 65 00:03:52,759 --> 00:03:56,199 see it silhouette through the tent fabric. It was on 66 00:03:56,319 --> 00:03:59,560 two legs. It was tall and slender, but built like 67 00:03:59,639 --> 00:04:04,599 a lion, thick shoulders and no neck. They were terrified, 68 00:04:04,639 --> 00:04:09,199 but sat silently in the tent and they waited. I 69 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,439 looked over at James while Mike was telling his version. 70 00:04:12,719 --> 00:04:15,639 His head was dropped and tears rolled off his nose 71 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,480 to the ground. That's when I was sure that they 72 00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:22,240 were not pulling my leg. The thing took a couple 73 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,680 of steps towards the tent and it bent down, almost 74 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,759 touching the fabric, and it screamed. Neither man would have 75 00:04:29,879 --> 00:04:33,279 made it if they had had heart trouble. The beast 76 00:04:33,319 --> 00:04:35,800 stood there for a minute, and then it walked around 77 00:04:35,879 --> 00:04:39,120 the camp, rattling more items to the ground, and then 78 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,800 it walked off into the swamp. They both sat awakened 79 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,199 the tent for several hours, never opening the fly to 80 00:04:46,319 --> 00:04:50,800 see out until well after the sun was up. Their 81 00:04:50,879 --> 00:04:54,480 camp was a mess. Every piece of gear had been 82 00:04:54,519 --> 00:04:58,199 thrown about, and all their food was scattered across the ground, 83 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,519 but none of it was eaten. When they got to 84 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,759 the boat, they saw it fully on dry ground, ten 85 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,079 feet away from the bank, with the motor down making 86 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,920 the rear of the boat elevated. This boat and motor 87 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,160 weighs twenty five hundred pounds easy, and it had been 88 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,040 dragged onto the bank with ease. There was no way 89 00:05:19,079 --> 00:05:20,839 they were going to pull it back in the water 90 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,480 to get home. About two hours later a boat raced by, 91 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:28,639 and they were lucky to flag him down, but one 92 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,639 boat wasn't enough. It wound up taking two boats pulling 93 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,519 from the water and four men pushing to get the 94 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:40,120 boat moved. These two men grew up hunting and fishing 95 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,879 in those swamps. To my knowledge, they've never been back, 96 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,920 and they don't plan to go back. I've known them 97 00:05:46,959 --> 00:05:50,319 all my life. They've never told any kind of story 98 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:54,079 like this. They're not prone to pranks or making things 99 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,920 up to get attention. Ever, when two men you have 100 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:00,920 known all your life till you a story like this, 101 00:06:01,399 --> 00:06:03,720 and you see the look on their faces while they're 102 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:09,079 telling it, you tend to believe them. Oh man, man, 103 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:14,279 what a story. This Honey Island swamp thing is. I'm 104 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,759 guessing it's a bigfoot. I mean, I haven't really read 105 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,240 too much on it. I think we've done three or 106 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,839 four stories on it throughout the life of this channel. 107 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:29,959 But apparently it's a swamp Scot's swamp squatch, or a 108 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,680 family of them, or a tribe or troop or whatever 109 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,399 you call them. The reports are constant on this thing, 110 00:06:36,439 --> 00:06:39,319 and whatever it is, it must be still in there now. 111 00:06:39,319 --> 00:06:41,879 I don't know when this story took place, there's no 112 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,240 dates on it, but man, can you you know the 113 00:06:45,319 --> 00:06:48,040 swamps are kind of creepy at night anyway. I love 114 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,120 being down there at night, by the way, seeing the 115 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,399 gators and the snakes. I don't know. There's something about 116 00:06:53,399 --> 00:06:56,759 those Lowland areas that I love. They don't really bother 117 00:06:56,879 --> 00:06:59,399 me at night, but I guess if you thought about it, 118 00:06:59,399 --> 00:07:02,720 it could be really creepy. But it's such a beautiful place. 119 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,199 It's hard to imagine anything scary being in there. But 120 00:07:06,399 --> 00:07:09,680 apparently there are in the Honey Island area and maybe 121 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,279 all over Lowland America. I don't know, but can you 122 00:07:13,319 --> 00:07:16,240 imagine being back there on a quiet night, sleeping and 123 00:07:16,279 --> 00:07:19,079 you hear the scream and this things. You can hear 124 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,720 it walking through the swamp walking at you. I don't 125 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,000 blame them for not going back in there at all, 126 00:07:25,199 --> 00:07:28,519 not one bit. Well, thanks w for sending this. This 127 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:35,199 is a great story. I love these secondhand stories. In 128 00:07:35,279 --> 00:07:38,000 mid August of two thousand and three, we lived in 129 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:42,399 a small town in Wexford County, located in the northern 130 00:07:42,519 --> 00:07:45,920 lower half of Michigan. At the time, we had eight 131 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,720 grown ducks and a couple of dozen hens. We kept 132 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,399 them in a well built coup, but we lost a 133 00:07:52,439 --> 00:07:55,920 couple of hens in our rooster to weasels. Those weasels 134 00:07:55,959 --> 00:08:00,160 are nasty critters and they're known for rating henhouses. But 135 00:08:00,199 --> 00:08:03,240 when even more hens began to disappear, we decided that 136 00:08:03,319 --> 00:08:07,040 it wasn't just the weasels at work. We suspected that 137 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,879 our neighbor, he was a cruel man that we didn't 138 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,360 care for, may have been helping himself to our birds. 139 00:08:13,959 --> 00:08:16,519 And then one morning my husband came in from feeding 140 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,199 the hens before work and he said, Hey, did you 141 00:08:19,279 --> 00:08:21,839 say there was a trapper or a tracker that lives 142 00:08:21,839 --> 00:08:25,639 in Buckley? Yeah? I said, will you give him a 143 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,040 call see if he can come out here, my husband 144 00:08:28,079 --> 00:08:31,160 answered in an abrupt tone that kind of scared me. 145 00:08:32,399 --> 00:08:34,799 I wanted to know why. I wanted to know what 146 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,159 was wrong, what had he been seeing? Just call him, 147 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,480 he said, And don't let the kids play in the 148 00:08:40,519 --> 00:08:44,279 backyard was the only answer he gave me that really 149 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,799 frightened me. I got in touch with the tracker and 150 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,480 he came out a day or so later. By the 151 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:54,039 un every duck we had was gone, as we're over 152 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,840 half of our hens. The tracker was an older fella 153 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,879 in his late sixties who looked every inch of the park. 154 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:03,799 It was obvious that he knew what he was doing. 155 00:09:04,919 --> 00:09:07,480 He walked over to the empty duck pen and studied 156 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,120 the ground, and then searched the area around the chicken 157 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:14,039 coop with the same precision. Looking up, he gave me 158 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:16,759 a weird look, and he said, you might want to 159 00:09:16,759 --> 00:09:21,120 send the kids inside. My children were two and four 160 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,879 back then. My heart was beginning to jump out of 161 00:09:23,919 --> 00:09:27,639 my chest even before I demanded to know why, what 162 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,799 the hell was he seeing? Please, he answered, with a 163 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,120 gentle smile. Send the kids into the house, he said. 164 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,519 The tracker continued to search the turf around the coop 165 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:42,440 for several more minutes before stopping and looking up. He 166 00:09:42,519 --> 00:09:44,720 focused on a tree that was a few feet from 167 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,559 the coop, and he said, I thought, so got you. 168 00:09:48,919 --> 00:09:52,120 My eyes traced upwards along the long trunk until I 169 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,879 saw them. There were four huge claw marks that were 170 00:09:55,879 --> 00:10:00,039 slashed into the bark twenty feet above the ground. The 171 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:04,000 tracker backed away and continued his search, this time expanding 172 00:10:04,039 --> 00:10:06,639 it to include the ground around the tree as well. 173 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,799 A minute later, he called me over and he pointed 174 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,399 to the largest footprint I had ever seen. What made that? 175 00:10:13,759 --> 00:10:16,759 I gasp? Have your husband call me as soon as 176 00:10:16,759 --> 00:10:20,960 he can, was the man's only reply. When my husband 177 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,240 got home that night, he made the call, and I 178 00:10:23,279 --> 00:10:25,639 could tell by watching his face that the things the 179 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,120 tracker was saying on the other end were not good. 180 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:33,120 There were a lot of okay, yeah, are you sure 181 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:38,559 I understand? With each word my stomach churned a little more. 182 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:41,840 All right, what's going on? I asked when he finally 183 00:10:41,879 --> 00:10:45,200 hung up the phone. My husband is part NATEI of 184 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:48,200 American and he gave me a serious look and he answered, 185 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:50,759 don't let the kids play in the backyard, and don't 186 00:10:50,759 --> 00:10:55,080 be outside after dark. You hear me okay, I answered slowly. 187 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,120 But why it's what I was thinking it was? He said. 188 00:10:59,519 --> 00:11:02,039 I didn't want to say anything until I got confirmation 189 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:04,919 from the tractor. And you may not believe this, but 190 00:11:05,039 --> 00:11:08,120 he thinks, and I do too, that we're dealing with 191 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,440 a dog man, a really big dog man. Well, why 192 00:11:12,519 --> 00:11:15,360 do you reply to that? And I stood there staring 193 00:11:15,399 --> 00:11:17,440 at him for a minute, trying to wrap my mind 194 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,879 around what my husband had just said, before I finally 195 00:11:20,919 --> 00:11:26,200 managed to say, are you serious? Yes, he said, my 196 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:29,559 husband is not a BS kind of guy. Even if 197 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:32,519 he were, no one would joke about something involving the 198 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:36,519 safety of their own children. Well, I believed him, and 199 00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:39,279 for the next few nights we slept in our front room. 200 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,159 My husband kept a shotgun beside the bed, and from 201 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,679 there we could see the chicken coop through the big window. 202 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,639 On the third night, we were lying there half asleep 203 00:11:49,639 --> 00:11:53,240 when my husband quietly said, did you hear that? No, 204 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,600 I answered, honestly, But he was already up and loading 205 00:11:56,639 --> 00:12:00,399 the shotgun. Get the big flashlight ready, he said, and 206 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:02,559 when I give the signals, shine it on the coop. 207 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,840 I did as I was told, and I waited and 208 00:12:05,919 --> 00:12:07,960 my husband went to the back door, and he looked 209 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:11,159 at me and he whispered, go. I turned on the 210 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,600 light and aimed it right at the coop, and as 211 00:12:13,639 --> 00:12:16,679 I did so, something huge jumped out from the side 212 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:20,320 of it. It moved so quickly that I didn't see 213 00:12:20,399 --> 00:12:23,600 much more than the yellowish red eye shine. There was 214 00:12:23,639 --> 00:12:26,320 a good nine feet above the ground, and I was 215 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,960 also able to tell that it was standing on two legs. 216 00:12:31,039 --> 00:12:33,240 My husband was out the door as soon as the 217 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,519 light came on, and he's a good shot, and I 218 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,200 knew that he had hit it. I could see a 219 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,120 dark shadow as it turned and leaped across the coop, 220 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:46,360 and with one stride, it vanished into the woods. A 221 00:12:46,399 --> 00:12:49,240 few seconds later, we heard a horrible sound that was 222 00:12:49,279 --> 00:12:54,399 somewhere between a shriek and an extremely powerful howl. We 223 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:57,240 didn't have any more animals come up missing after that, 224 00:12:57,879 --> 00:12:59,879 but to be safe, we didn't let the kids play 225 00:12:59,919 --> 00:13:03,279 in the backyard. I thought we were done with that 226 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:06,759 entire thing, and then in September, about a month later, 227 00:13:07,159 --> 00:13:09,320 my husband came home from work one night and he 228 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:13,360 said I saw it again. My first thought was, oh 229 00:13:13,399 --> 00:13:16,440 my god, not again. He was on his way to 230 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,960 work that morning taking the back roads as he always did. 231 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,720 When he saw something down in the ditch beside the road, 232 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:25,960 he slowed down, thinking it might be a deer or 233 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,120 a bear that could jump out in the road. But 234 00:13:28,159 --> 00:13:32,000 it wasn't. What it was A massive creature rose up 235 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,519 and crossed the road from one side to the other 236 00:13:34,639 --> 00:13:38,039 in two strides, and it looked straight at my husband 237 00:13:38,919 --> 00:13:41,559 and then it was gone. He said it was at 238 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,960 least seven feet tall, and then it walked on two legs, 239 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:50,960 and he said it had the face of a dog. Oh, man, 240 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:55,840 can you imagine anything more horrifying than that? Do these things? 241 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,759 I don't know much about dog men, but are they 242 00:13:58,799 --> 00:14:02,559 known for attacking people? It's like, do they prey on people? 243 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,600 It sounds like a werewolf to me, But I know 244 00:14:05,639 --> 00:14:10,279 there's a difference between dogmen and werewolf. Werewolves change from 245 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:14,039 humans to wolves and back to humans, and dog men 246 00:14:14,639 --> 00:14:17,879 are supposedly just dog men. That's what I hear from 247 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,399 everybody when I ask that question. But are they predators 248 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,320 on humans? I don't know. Just seeing one of these 249 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,000 things seems scary to me. It's a great story. To 250 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,480 the writer, I really appreciate you sending it, and again 251 00:14:31,559 --> 00:14:34,159 that's my only dog man story that I could find. 252 00:14:34,559 --> 00:14:36,720 There may be more in there, but if I do 253 00:14:36,799 --> 00:14:39,960 a search in Google that says dog man dog m 254 00:14:40,039 --> 00:14:43,360 a N it should pop up in my search. If 255 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,399 that word is anywhere in the email, A few of 256 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:50,240 them pop up, but they're not stories. They're something else. 257 00:14:50,279 --> 00:14:52,519 They're like, hey, look at this video of the dog 258 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,600 man or whatever. Anyway, there's a great story. Thank you 259 00:14:55,639 --> 00:15:01,919 man for sending it. Family likes to hunt public ground 260 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,960 in Stone Call, West Virginia. I was seventeen years old 261 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,639 when this happened. It was turkey season, and since my 262 00:15:09,799 --> 00:15:12,679 dad couldn't make it out that day, I made plans 263 00:15:12,679 --> 00:15:16,399 to go with a buddy instead. We're like brothers. He 264 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:18,519 has a shotgun of his own, but I taught him 265 00:15:18,559 --> 00:15:22,519 how to use calls. I had my twelve gage long time, 266 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,279 and he stayed overnight so we could get up and 267 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,519 get out the door at four the next morning. Stone 268 00:15:28,559 --> 00:15:30,879 Coal has a lot of turkey in a variety of 269 00:15:30,919 --> 00:15:33,960 different animals. It was way too quiet that day, but 270 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:36,399 we just thought there might have been some bears around, 271 00:15:36,759 --> 00:15:39,519 and for that reason I keep buckshot in my pocket. 272 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,240 We made our way three miles back to a clearing, 273 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,480 and by now it was five thirty am. I thought 274 00:15:46,519 --> 00:15:48,919 i'd dropped my buddy off, and I put him against 275 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,639 a tree where he had an amazing view, and I 276 00:15:51,679 --> 00:15:55,399 placed a few decoys out for him. I continued two 277 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,799 miles down the ridge and I set myself up. It 278 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,879 was still dark, but day was coming fast, and I 279 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,000 placed my decoys, but when I made my location call, 280 00:16:05,399 --> 00:16:08,759 I didn't get a call back. Thirty minutes later, I 281 00:16:08,799 --> 00:16:12,000 gave a second crow call, and this time it got returned, 282 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:15,440 but it didn't sound anything like a crow or turkey. 283 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,120 I thought it might have come from another hunter in 284 00:16:18,159 --> 00:16:21,000 the area, even though I was five miles back in 285 00:16:21,039 --> 00:16:25,399 the woods and hadn't spotted anyone else. I followed up 286 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,360 with a third crow call, and the return sounds were 287 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,480 getting closer. Twenty minutes later, I saw what I thought 288 00:16:32,559 --> 00:16:35,919 was another hunter peeking around a tree fifty yards away. 289 00:16:36,519 --> 00:16:39,679 Kind of shook me up. He appeared to be dressed 290 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,000 in a black suit, but the guy had to be 291 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:45,399 nearly seven feet tall and he was made of pure muscle. 292 00:16:46,559 --> 00:16:49,200 I pulled up my binoculars and then I could see 293 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,799 his face. It had a jutting brow like a monkey. 294 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:56,440 And its skin was brown and leathery, with human like eyes, 295 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,519 and it had the mouth of an ape. Scared me 296 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,240 to death. I needed to get out of there, so 297 00:17:03,279 --> 00:17:05,599 I picked up my gun and my buckshot in case 298 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,640 it decided to get much closer or chase me. I 299 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:12,440 struggled to get my backpack on, and I wound up 300 00:17:12,519 --> 00:17:16,279 leaving my decoys behind because they were within forty yards 301 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:19,759 of where I eyeballed this thing. As I scaped down 302 00:17:19,799 --> 00:17:22,400 the hill, I heard the worst scream you could ever imagine. 303 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:26,839 It's like a bobcat from Hell. I sped up and 304 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,599 I could tell the beast was following me, maybe fifty 305 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:33,440 yards behind, and it was just pacing me, though my 306 00:17:33,559 --> 00:17:36,519 lungs were exploding. By the time I emerged into the 307 00:17:36,519 --> 00:17:40,200 clearing three hundred yards from my buddy, his face was 308 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,039 as white as a ghost. We packed up his gear 309 00:17:43,079 --> 00:17:45,559 and on our way back to my truck, he claimed 310 00:17:45,599 --> 00:17:49,880 an hour earlier that three hairy monsters between six and 311 00:17:50,039 --> 00:17:53,880 seven feet tall were stalking the outskirts of the clearing. 312 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:57,720 He had heard the scream come from the woods, but 313 00:17:57,839 --> 00:18:01,359 once we got a safe distance away, our surroundings seemed 314 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,759 to change. We even saw a nice eight point buck 315 00:18:04,799 --> 00:18:08,880 in velvet. There was a life force compared to this 316 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,160 feeling of creepy oppression where these things seemed to hold 317 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:17,279 rule over every animal deep in the backwoods. My best 318 00:18:17,319 --> 00:18:20,279 guess is we were in their hunting grounds, but because 319 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,880 they knew we had guns, they didn't want any trouble. 320 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:26,839 If they meant to scarce a way, it worked. I've 321 00:18:26,839 --> 00:18:29,599 only told this story once to you and once to 322 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,480 my buddy. We tend not to talk about it since 323 00:18:32,519 --> 00:18:35,200 it just brings back to how scared I was of 324 00:18:35,279 --> 00:18:39,480 these things, even with a twelve gage and buckshot gives 325 00:18:39,559 --> 00:18:43,279 me goof spumps. To this day, there are hunters that 326 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,359 allegedly have gone missing in that part of the woods, 327 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:49,279 and it makes me wonder what would have happened if 328 00:18:49,319 --> 00:18:51,240 I would have taken a shot at one of these 329 00:18:51,279 --> 00:18:55,319 things and missed or not killed it. I'm in college 330 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:57,920 now and I'm studying to be a wildlife officer, and 331 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,279 I want to thank you for reading this. I'm not 332 00:19:00,319 --> 00:19:02,839 a good storyteller, and I wish for you not to 333 00:19:02,839 --> 00:19:05,240 say my name if you ever decided to tell this 334 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:08,960 on the podcast or YouTube. No problem, buddy, good story. 335 00:19:09,039 --> 00:19:11,920 I didn't mention your name, and I respect that. This 336 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,599 is a terrifying story. I mean, it's a I'd like 337 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:19,400 to know. Do you normally walk two or five miles 338 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,440 back in the woods to go turkey hunting West Virginia. 339 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:24,559 I'm guessing you're in the mountains, man. That is a 340 00:19:24,839 --> 00:19:28,559 long way. That is a long way to walk to 341 00:19:28,599 --> 00:19:31,440 get a turkey. Just thought i'd ask that question. Anybody 342 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,559 else walked that far through the mountains and bushwhack up 343 00:19:35,599 --> 00:19:38,799 into the hills to kill a turkey? I wouldn't do that. 344 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:44,880 I love turkey hunting, but I ain't doing that. My 345 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:47,720 grandmother on my dad's side lived in a holler in 346 00:19:47,759 --> 00:19:51,240 West Virginia. My family and I live in Ohio, but 347 00:19:51,319 --> 00:19:53,559 we would go visit her from time to time over 348 00:19:53,599 --> 00:19:57,400 the years. It was like an adventure every time we visited. 349 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,279 Grandma was fun of telling us a story of a 350 00:20:01,319 --> 00:20:04,240 time when she saw a face in the window. She 351 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,799 described it as a large, hairy man she called burper. 352 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,400 Since my grandmother's house sat up on a hill, in 353 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,839 the window she was referring to easily sat eight feet 354 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,359 off the ground, we always laughed it off with a 355 00:20:18,519 --> 00:20:23,440 sure Grandma. She was always telling us story so we 356 00:20:23,519 --> 00:20:28,240 figured this was another one for our entertainment. That was 357 00:20:28,319 --> 00:20:31,599 part of what was wonderful about my grandmother. She was 358 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,839 always telling tales and spinning yarns for us, even if 359 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,319 they were oft in the kind my mother would have preferred. 360 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:41,319 My sister and I not here. That's why we assumed 361 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:46,599 Burper was another one of Grandma's special stories. Years later, 362 00:20:46,759 --> 00:20:48,960 when I was an older teen, I went to visit 363 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,680 my grandmother by myself, and by the time I struggled 364 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,039 to get my bags up the hill to her house 365 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:59,559 and got settled in, it had gotten late. I noticed 366 00:20:59,559 --> 00:21:03,440 that my grand seemed nervous, which was highly unusual for her. 367 00:21:04,279 --> 00:21:07,039 It got my attention, so I asked her what was wrong. 368 00:21:08,119 --> 00:21:11,119 She was reluctant to talk at first, but after some coaxing, 369 00:21:11,279 --> 00:21:13,839 she said that she'd been hearing noises in the woods 370 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,680 at night, and then she added that she would rather 371 00:21:16,759 --> 00:21:19,799 I didn't go out there alone. Well, I did my 372 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:22,880 best to assure her that it was nothing to worry about. 373 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:28,119 It's probably animals in the woods, Grandma, I said, Ignoring 374 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,319 my explanations, she said, if you wake up in the 375 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,240 night and you have to go outside to use the outhouse, 376 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:36,319 and you wake me up and I'll go with you. 377 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:40,720 Then she pointed to the big, heavy silver flashlight that 378 00:21:40,799 --> 00:21:43,279 she kept by the door and added, and we'll take 379 00:21:43,319 --> 00:21:47,240 the flashlight out with us. There was no doubt in 380 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:48,799 my mind that I was going to have to go 381 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:51,920 out to the outhouse at some point. My only other 382 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,240 option was to use the bucket that she kept for 383 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:57,880 nighttime emergencies, and I didn't think I could bring myself 384 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,119 to do that. But I could see that she was serious, 385 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,119 so I promised that I would wake her if I 386 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:07,759 needed to go out. A week passed, during which I 387 00:22:07,839 --> 00:22:10,599 spent my time riding quads up and down the haller 388 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:14,200 with the neighbors, waiting the creek, and generally having a 389 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:18,200 good time. I forgot all about my promise to my grandmother. 390 00:22:19,039 --> 00:22:22,319 It was a typical hot and sticky summer night. I 391 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,599 was tossing and turning in the heat with no air 392 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:27,839 conditioning when I realized I had to go to the bathroom. 393 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,480 The bucket was in Grandma's room, and I didn't want 394 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,559 to wake her. Besides, I didn't really like using that 395 00:22:34,599 --> 00:22:39,119 bucket anyway. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my flashlight, 396 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,039 and I shut the door as quietly as I could 397 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,599 behind me, and walking down that dark wooded path at 398 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,519 two o'clock in the morning was creepy, but I had 399 00:22:47,519 --> 00:22:49,880 the flashlight, so I shined it up and down the 400 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:51,960 path to make sure nothing was going to jump out 401 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,319 at me. I wasn't actually scared until I heard a 402 00:22:56,359 --> 00:23:00,319 twig snap behind me. I stopped and I turned around 403 00:23:00,319 --> 00:23:02,519 to shine the light back down the path, but there 404 00:23:02,559 --> 00:23:06,640 was nothing there. Hearing noises in the woods set me 405 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:10,160 on edge, and until that night I had been using 406 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:12,519 the bucket, so I felt a bit like I was 407 00:23:12,559 --> 00:23:17,160 in unfamiliar territory. I shined the light along the trees 408 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,440 once more for reassurance, and then continued on my way 409 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,680 to the outhouse. And by the time I reached the door, 410 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,000 I had to go so bad I didn't even latch it. 411 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:30,839 The unpleasant odors had me holding back my breath, but 412 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:35,640 all outhouses smell, and the relief was worth it. Once 413 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:38,000 I finished my business, I stood up to leave, but 414 00:23:38,079 --> 00:23:40,680 as I reached for the door, something slapped the side 415 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:44,880 of the outhouse so hard that it shook. I froze 416 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,599 in fear for a second before reaching up and locking 417 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,359 the door. And then I held onto the handle as 418 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,319 if my life depended on it, and at that moment 419 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,920 I was pretty sure it did depend on it. Another 420 00:23:58,039 --> 00:24:00,880 slap shook the little building again, as I clutched the 421 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:04,559 handle tighter, and I screamed at the top of my lungs. 422 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,160 I was more terrified than I had ever been in 423 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:11,480 my life. I was sobbing hysterically now as another slap, 424 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:14,160 this time at the top of the door where the 425 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:18,680 screen was, and it rattled the door terribly. I looked 426 00:24:18,759 --> 00:24:21,480 up in time to see a big, hairy arm tear 427 00:24:21,559 --> 00:24:24,960 through it. I grabbed the flashlight and began hitting the 428 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,200 arm over and over with all my strength, screaming as 429 00:24:28,319 --> 00:24:31,839 loud as I could the whole time. There was a 430 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,319 howl of pain and heavy breathing, and then the thing 431 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:39,480 must have run back into the woods. I slid down 432 00:24:39,599 --> 00:24:43,839 onto the floor, terrified and stunned, but too afraid to leave. 433 00:24:44,759 --> 00:24:47,599 I sat there on the outhouse floor the whole night, 434 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,759 with my shirt sleeve through the handle and the flashlight 435 00:24:50,839 --> 00:24:55,000 cradled in my arm. At some point I fell asleep. 436 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,000 The next morning I was awakened to the feeling of 437 00:24:59,039 --> 00:25:01,279 someone trying to opened the door and the sound of 438 00:25:01,279 --> 00:25:04,920 my name being called. It was my grandmother. And when 439 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,440 I opened the door, she kneeled down and she hugged 440 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,640 me while I cried. I'll never forget that comforting hug 441 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:15,759 as long as I live. Grandma is no longer with us, 442 00:25:15,799 --> 00:25:18,359 but she was the kind of person you never forget. 443 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:21,799 And now I know that her stories about the Burper 444 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:27,920 were true.