WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:09.759 This happened in the early nineteen seventies in the small 2 00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:14.800 town of Piedmont, Missouri. There was extensive news coverage at 3 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:18.480 the time. It began when we all started seeing lights 4 00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:21.640 in the sky. One was a huge ball, but it 5 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:24.440 was too far away to gauge how big it was. 6 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:28.600 Each night, we could all go to the highest point 7 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:32.719 in our town and see the events unfold. We would 8 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:35.479 watch as smaller balls of light drop from beneath a 9 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:39.159 huge ball. There would be fifteen to twenty that would 10 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:42.159 come out and then zip around in all directions, heading 11 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:47.119 off to who knows where. Then sometime later, maybe fifteen 12 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:51.280 or twenty minutes, they'd all start coming back, first a 13 00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:54.840 couple and then a few more. We started calling the 14 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:59.000 big ball the mother ship. If the smaller bass sailed 15 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:02.240 over our local radio station, it would go off the air. 16 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:05.400 There was a lake about five miles from town, and 17 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:08.719 they were seen coming out of that. These things were 18 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:11.840 all over the place, but we never understood their interest 19 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:15.799 in our town. One night, as we were coming back 20 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.560 into town, we decided to drive through it and turn 21 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:21.120 around at the feed store a couple of miles on 22 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:24.640 the other side. As I was pulling into the parking lot, 23 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:27.599 we suddenly saw a huge object floating up from the 24 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:30.640 field behind it. We all jumped out of the car 25 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:34.280 to see what it was. This thing was almost as 26 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:38.079 big as the field that it was rising from. It 27 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:40.640 had a dim glow, so we could see that it 28 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:45.400 was round. There were portholes all around with different colored lights. 29 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:48.640 I tried my best to see what was inside, but 30 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:53.439 I couldn't see anything. It was completely silent. We watched 31 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:56.959 as it floated above the telephone poles, and then, with 32 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.359 lightning speed, it took off and was gone in three seconds. 33 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:04.719 Shortly after that we moved to Kentucky, so we've never 34 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:09.520 seen any other events. My mother, however, just told me 35 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.159 a couple of years before she died of something she 36 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:16.280 had witnessed. It wasn't long before her husband passed away. 37 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.280 She had been visiting my brother and was in her 38 00:02:19.319 --> 00:02:22.039 car heading home when she saw something in the sky 39 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:25.919 she could not identify. She had to stop and take 40 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.680 a look. She said it was a see through like 41 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:32.439 cling wrap, but floating and moving like a flag wood. 42 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:35.159 It didn't seem to be in a hurry. It just 43 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:39.520 moved slowly across the sky. We could never decide what 44 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:43.159 it could be, but it was definitely something. If anyone 45 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:46.120 knows what this thing might be, please comment. I don't 46 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:48.639 even know what to call it. I would love to 47 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:51.599 know what it is. I wanted to share these stories 48 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:54.159 with you and the audience, and I hope you've enjoyed 49 00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:56.560 reading it. You may use my name and you can 50 00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:04.439 interview me if you like. Best regards, Anita. I stumbled 51 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:07.159 across Dixie Cryptid on YouTube about a month ago, and 52 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:09.960 I thoroughly enjoy what people are willing to share about 53 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:14.919 their experiences with Bigfoot. I'm amazed at how much information 54 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:18.000 is out there on this creature, and I'm intrigued by it. 55 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:22.360 In fact, I've been intrigued by it since nineteen seventy eight, 56 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:26.560 when I had my one and only experience. At that time, 57 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:29.560 I was fifteen years old. So here we go, all right, 58 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:34.319 here we go. Back around nineteen seventy seven or seventy eight, 59 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:37.280 I was spending an October weekend at my dad and 60 00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:41.120 uncle's hunting camp near the south shore of Lake Superior 61 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:46.080 in the north central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The camp 62 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:50.159 was built by my great grandfather. As usual, there were 63 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:53.039 a bunch of guys at camp, including my dad, my uncle, 64 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:57.159 my grandfather, and their hunting partners. All of these men 65 00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:02.000 were World War II, Korean War in Vietnam vets. They 66 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:06.240 were big and strong and fearless outdoorsmen. When you shook 67 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:08.840 their hand, you knew you had a hold of something. 68 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:13.560 Our camp included two hundred and fifty acres of heavily 69 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:17.120 wooded and rugged land. Our neighbors to the east and 70 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.360 north of us owned a couple of thousand acres, also 71 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:24.920 the same terrain and woods. My father and my uncle 72 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:28.759 were hosting our annual woodcutting bee for the upcoming November 73 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:33.240 deer season and winter snowshoe hair season. I loved the 74 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:35.680 autumn up there, with the crisp bear and the colors 75 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:40.560 and the smells. Sunday morning of that weekend was spectacular. 76 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:45.480 As usual, Grandpa had made a hearty breakfast like only 77 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.759 his generation could make. Now I needed to walk it off, 78 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:50.639 and I asked Dad if I could go grouse and 79 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:54.160 squirrel hunting before we started on the wood. He gave 80 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:56.920 me two hours before I had to be back, so 81 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.680 I loaded up my shotgun, put on my orange hat 82 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:04.120 off down the camp road. Back then, the area was 83 00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:08.639 extremely remote, with only one country road. Our camp was 84 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:12.279 a mile down a two rut road. Off the country road, 85 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:16.000 I swung south of the camp road and up into 86 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:18.680 the hills that were covered with oak and sugar maple 87 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:22.439 and poplar. I was hoping to jump a rough grouse 88 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:26.160 and maybe bag a couple of big gray squirrels. I 89 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:29.319 had walked the land with Dad and Grandpa often, and 90 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:32.079 I knew the lay of it. I had a compass 91 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:34.759 pen to my hunting vest in case I got turned around. 92 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:38.279 There was no such thing as cell phones to call 93 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.040 for help in those days, and back then I was 94 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:43.839 a tall and skinny kid. I was six foot one, 95 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:46.120 but I could put the miles under my feet and 96 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:50.439 I still can. About halfway into the hills, I decided 97 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:53.079 to take a break in my uncle Charlie's seat in 98 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.240 an area we called the big Ravine. And as I 99 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:58.480 sat on the side of the ravine, I could hear 100 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:02.199 something coming behind me. Well, I swung around in my 101 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:05.199 seat and I got my shotgun ready, and over the 102 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:08.839 hill came a red fox at a dead run. He 103 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:11.839 came within twenty feet of me. Well, I didn't want 104 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:14.160 to shoot the fox, so I just watched him slink 105 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:17.879 through the forest. It was really cool and I couldn't 106 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:20.720 wait to tell the guys what I had seen, And 107 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:23.160 then I wondered what had spooked the fox, as there 108 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:27.439 was nobody around for miles or so. I fought. Twenty 109 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:30.040 minutes went by, and I felt rested enough to turn 110 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:32.600 back north and walk over to a stand where I 111 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:36.920 had seen a black bear while hunting recently. For about 112 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:39.680 two weeks, I'd been baiting bear with fish scraps and 113 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:42.759 such that I'd obtain from a local fish market in town. 114 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:45.480 I figured it'd be a great bear bait and bring 115 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:49.399 them in, and it worked. My intent was to see 116 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.879 if I needed to replenish my bait bucket, which hung 117 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:56.079 about six feet off the ground, and the bait stand 118 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:59.759 with more fish and snacks, and so off I went. 119 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.959 I used another two rut road on the property my 120 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.079 Grandpa maintained for walking. It was quiet walking because the 121 00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:11.120 forest had melted off the leaves and the ground was 122 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:14.199 damp on the road, and I walked silently to my 123 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:18.199 bear stand. I knew the route that I was taking, 124 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:20.480 and as I walked over the hip of a small 125 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:23.439 knoll where my stand was located, I could see the 126 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:26.920 bait bucket had been pulled down. Well. This was a 127 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:29.759 good sign because bear were the only animal that could 128 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:34.600 reach up and snap the rope the bucket was hanging from. Furthermore, 129 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.600 I could smell something sour, which I figured was a bear. 130 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:41.480 But black bear are nearly always nocturnal, and they only 131 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:44.720 come out just before dark and then they disappear before dawn. 132 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:50.360 Big bears get big for this reason. I climbed up 133 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:52.759 over the hip of the knoll and I moved silently 134 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:56.160 in the damp leaves, and then I saw something big, 135 00:07:56.240 --> 00:07:59.079 black and hairy over the bucket, laying on the ground. 136 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:04.040 It was on all fours. My first thought was, holy smoked, 137 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:07.240 that is really a big bear. And in broad daylight 138 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:10.800 I could hear it rummaging around, which is why it 139 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:14.600 probably hadn't heard me coming. Its hair and fur was 140 00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:18.519 kind of shiny. I wasn't thinking about anything but bear 141 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:20.600 at that point, and I wished I had more than 142 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:24.120 my twenty gauge pump with me. All of a sudden, 143 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:26.639 this thing stopped what it was doing and it lifted 144 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.279 its head to look around. Well, I'd positioned myself to 145 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:34.200 shoot if I had to, should the bear charge me, Well, 146 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:36.960 this thing was huge. I had a good view of 147 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:39.399 the back inside of his head, and I was wondering 148 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:43.360 why his or her head was shaped pointy. It looked 149 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:46.360 left and then right, and then was facing away from me. 150 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:49.559 If I'd had my dear rifle with me, that would 151 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:52.200 have been one dead bear with a funny shaped head 152 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:55.440 like that. Grandpa would have bawled me out if I'd 153 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:57.639 have shot that bear and hauled me back to camp. 154 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:03.000 And then I thought, man, this thing stinks. And then 155 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:05.600 this thing must have sensed me, but it didn't know 156 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:09.080 where I was. I was only fifty feet away, and 157 00:09:09.159 --> 00:09:11.200 all of a sudden, it took off on all fours 158 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:14.240 directly away from me, and I was thinking, what in 159 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:18.279 the hell is this thing? It ran like a cheetah 160 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:22.519 from the TV series Doc Torre. Bears don't run like that. 161 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:26.639 Not spend enough time in the woods to know this. Anyway, 162 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:28.960 I was standing there in amazement until I couldn't hear 163 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:32.480 it running any longer. I wasn't the least bit scared. 164 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:35.240 I was armed, and I knew Dad and the guys 165 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:37.720 were at camp, so if I didn't show up on time, 166 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.080 they'd come looking for me. There's no way anything could 167 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:44.279 face those combat bats down and lift tell about it. 168 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:47.919 I started my walk back to camp as my time 169 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:50.200 was up, and I had a good mile to walk 170 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:52.679 and I could make it back in time. And in 171 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:54.720 a quarter mile I made it back to the road 172 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:57.000 and I wanted to be on that led back to 173 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:59.960 the camp. But off to my east in the wood, 174 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:03.600 I could hear something walking parallel with me. It would 175 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.320 walk when I did, and it would stop when I stopped. 176 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:10.960 This went on for three hundred yards. Whatever it was 177 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:13.759 seemed like it was about forty yards out, and at 178 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:16.679 one point I stopped and squatted down to peer under 179 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:19.879 the brush, and I couldn't see it, And when I 180 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:22.320 was about three hundred feet from camp, I couldn't hear 181 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:26.320 it anymore. In fact, I heard a chainsaw startup, which 182 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:30.120 would have been the guys getting ready to start cutting wood. Well, 183 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:32.759 I told the guys what I had experienced the fox 184 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:35.399 and the funny looking running bear on my walk back, 185 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:38.720 and they listened to me intently, but we had work 186 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:42.399 to do, and so the weekend went on. I had 187 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:45.559 forgotten about my experience for years until the subject of 188 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:49.240 bigfoot sisquatch came on the news. More and more. I 189 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:52.399 hope you share my story. It happened just as I 190 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:55.519 wrote it. I know what I saw and experienced it. 191 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:02.559 I grew up in showing the outdoors, hunting and fishing 192 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:06.200 as much as I could, probably at the expense of 193 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:11.360 my high school GPA at times. When I left high school, 194 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:14.240 I went into the United States Army as an airborne 195 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:18.159 light infantryman in two different units. I was in the 196 00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:22.360 battalion scout platoon, which in a light battalion is something 197 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:25.919 you have to be selected for. We spent a whole 198 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:29.039 lot of time in the woods and small teams, trying 199 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.559 to remain hidden and silent in the course of our duties. 200 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:37.159 Every now and then, especially in Alaska, I would hear 201 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:40.440 or see something that I couldn't place, but I was 202 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:45.000 never thinking about sisquatch. It was not until after the 203 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:48.080 Army that I became suddenly aware that something else was 204 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:52.840 out there. My Army career ended at fifteen years of 205 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.480 active duty. I was a senior in CEO, but I 206 00:11:56.600 --> 00:12:00.279 was stuck and recruiting and it was killing me. I 207 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.399 long for the days of leading soldiers in the field 208 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:06.519 and not trying to survive in the recruiting command from 209 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:11.200 day to day. We moved from Maine to our last 210 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:14.879 duty station, where I earned the right to be a hunting, fishing, 211 00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:19.360 and recreation guide. I say earn the right because to 212 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:22.759 be a registered main guide is a bit of an ordeal. 213 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:26.279 You can't just hang out a sign and start a business. 214 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:32.080 The licensing process is thorough. You have to demonstrate you 215 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:36.759 are a capable outdorsement and leader. The main woods can 216 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:40.879 be a dangerous place, and the Department of Inland Fisheries 217 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:45.240 and Wildlife are careful about who should or who should 218 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:49.440 not be taking people into the wilderness. It was a 219 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:53.399 great opportunity, but after the economic turndown of two thousand 220 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:56.399 and eight, I struggle to keep things going for a 221 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:00.440 few years. I ended up landing a great job with 222 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:03.639 the federal government. Though I certainly don't spend as much 223 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:07.559 time outside now as I would like to. I'm a 224 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:11.279 lifelong outdoorsman who has probably spent a whole lot more 225 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.639 time in the wilderness area than many of the keyboard 226 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:18.120 skeptics who insist that we all must be crazy for 227 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:23.519 believing in Sasquatch. I'm not just a believer. I'm a knower. 228 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:28.120 My wake up call came in the main bear season 229 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:32.039 of two thousand and nine. I was guiding an area 230 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:36.480 just northeast of Bald Mountain Pond, a fairway southeast of 231 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:40.879 the last paved road at Moxie. I had two hunters 232 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:45.759 on stands two miles apart. It was nearing sunset on 233 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:48.960 a beautiful day. Because I needed to pick up the 234 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:52.600 hunters within an hour or so, I decided to quietly 235 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:55.240 roll my truck out onto a high point on a 236 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:59.759 logging road between the two hunters. From there I would 237 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:03.039 hear any shots that might come from either side, and 238 00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:05.720 from there I could plan my approach to pick them up. 239 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:10.679 Both stands were crawling with bears, so I expected one 240 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:14.559 of them to harvest one. Typically, i'd wait until a 241 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:17.639 half hour past sunset and that i'd start to walk 242 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:21.080 into the stand and get them. In the dark. In 243 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:24.559 those woods, a guide can't let their sports climb down 244 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.399 on their own to walk out. That's just asking for trouble. 245 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:32.840 I had the window down and the truck off, and 246 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:36.440 I was enjoying air while reading an awesome Lewis Lamore book, 247 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:40.120 and suddenly, from a dark shadow one hundred yards to 248 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:46.039 my left, a loud howl erupted. This started as a 249 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:48.919 low growl, and it worked its way up in pitch 250 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:53.120 to a volume that no human can match. Whatever made 251 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:56.759 this noise had lungs much larger than a human, and 252 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:00.399 it was directed at me, and it penetrated deeply into 253 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:04.840 the truck and into my core. I quickly went through 254 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:09.279 my mental rolodex of critters from the main woods, and 255 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:13.799 nothing matched. I wasn't in full panic mode, but I 256 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:17.799 was a little concerned. I did have a loaded revolver 257 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:21.600 on my belt, and I did unsnap the holster and 258 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:25.600 roll up the window. There was something big in that 259 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:28.480 dark shadow, but it was in the timber and I 260 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:33.600 couldn't make out a shape. As dust grew, I slowly 261 00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:37.440 crawled the truck off to pick up my hunters. I 262 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:39.960 went about my business for the rest of that trip, 263 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.480 and I'd almost put it out of my mind when 264 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:47.039 the season was over. Then it all dawned on me. 265 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:51.080 While the family was flipping through channels on television one night, 266 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:55.879 just as the kids were clicking past the show on Sisquatch, 267 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:00.559 the team of researchers was deploying what they called the Ohio. 268 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:04.919 Howell well, I'll be damned if that wasn't exactly what 269 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.440 I heard. I stopped the kids at the channel and 270 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:13.840 I watched transfixed through the end of the show. Since then, 271 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:18.120 I've been fascinated by anything about this supposedly mythical creature. 272 00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:21.440 Well that's the end of my first story, and I've 273 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:25.320 had one or two minor things happened since then. My 274 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:28.480 daughter and I had some impressive wood knocks on either 275 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:31.279 side of us while we were hunting deer out in 276 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:33.720 the hard to reach part of the Black Hills of 277 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:38.000 South Dakota. She thought that was cool, and since she 278 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:40.960 was in her first deer season at about age eleven 279 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:45.720 at the time. I have another story that's just as interesting. 280 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:49.559 It isn't about me, though. At the time I was guiding. 281 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:53.600 We lived in Jefferson, Maine. It's a great little village 282 00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:57.320 at the top of Oh gosh, here's another here's another 283 00:16:57.480 --> 00:17:03.039 name I can't pronounce. Let me try to sound it out. Okay, 284 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:08.720 Tomorrow Scotta Lake, Damaras, Scotta Tomorrow Scotta Lake. I'm just 285 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:12.039 gonna go with that. If you're ever there, it's well 286 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.440 worth the stop at the village store to grab a 287 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:18.440 sandwich and ask what the fish you're hitting on. My 288 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:22.279 neighbor was also a registered main guide. In fact, he 289 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:26.039 was a master guide. There were three of us there 290 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:29.039 on the road. We're all pretty friendly with each other. 291 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:33.200 And this fella also owned a Christmas tree farm which 292 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:36.640 he liked to hunt on his own. His property was 293 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:41.519 up the road and technically in the next town. One 294 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:43.920 day he arrived in my driveway and he was a 295 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:47.279 bit flustered. He was saying that he saw a werewolf 296 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:51.200 on his property. He came down to see me because 297 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:54.240 he knew I had young children. He was sitting in 298 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:57.440 his tiny toolshit at the far back of his property, 299 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:02.839 right along David's Stream. This was a habitat edge where 300 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:06.680 the acorn laden oaks abutted his tree farm. At the stream, 301 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.559 there was a deer trail that meandered alongside the inside 302 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:14.440 edge of the oaks, and from his little shed it 303 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:18.799 was an easy fifty yard shot. He'd been doing this 304 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:23.359 for years because he was getting older. Hunting ridgelines and 305 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:27.599 swamps was not for him anymore. Besides, it was his 306 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:30.799 land and it was a safe place to shoot. He 307 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.759 hunted ethically and he didn't bait deer. The natural fodder 308 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.279 was enough to attract the deer. He said he saw 309 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:43.200 a large creature walking on two legs, coming down the 310 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:46.319 deer trail from right to left as he was facing 311 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:50.480 the stream. At first, he thought the figure was a 312 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:55.480 trespasser in dark clothes. As this thing got closer, he 313 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:58.880 could tell that it wasn't a man. He said it 314 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:02.000 was eight feet tall, and it walked on legs that 315 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:05.240 looked like a powerful set of dog legs, which he 316 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:11.319 said looked really awkward. This lifelong hunter and master guide 317 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:16.000 described this creature as having a snout and pointed ears, 318 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:20.920 unlike a bear. He said, the upper torso was powerfully built, 319 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:26.079 like a serious weightlifter. The dog man creature walked until 320 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:29.359 it was directly in front of him at fifty yards, 321 00:19:29.799 --> 00:19:32.119 and then it dropped to all fours and it ran 322 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.920 down the deer trail toward where my house was at 323 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:38.599 the time. Well, this frightened him because he knew that 324 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:41.200 my kids spent a lot of time outside playing in 325 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:44.000 the dirt or playing an army and just being kids. 326 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.519 He told me his story with awe sincerity and no 327 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:54.640 obvious deception. In his demeanor, he expressed fear and legitimate 328 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:59.799 concern and sadly This kind man took his own life 329 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:04.279 very shortly after the incident. I hope that his sighting 330 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:08.359 had nothing to do with it. So there you have it. 331 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:11.480 There are two stories from the great state of Maine. 332 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:17.160 It is a beautiful place with endless miles of shoreline, forests, lakes, 333 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:21.319 and mountains to explore. Just keep your eyes open and 334 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:24.519 you just might see something when you're taking it all in. 335 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:31.400 So I'm a Bigfoot believer, and I've read countless stories 336 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:35.160 and have seen almost every photo or video documented on 337 00:20:35.240 --> 00:20:39.759 the Internet. In two thousand and seven, i'd been studying 338 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.960 encounter stories for a year, and I'd heard of several 339 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:48.480 in the Adirondack Mountains. It wasn't that far from where 340 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:51.200 I live, so I convinced my best friend to take 341 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:54.960 a hiking trip with me in search of Bigfoot. We 342 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:57.319 were both in our twenties at the time and looking 343 00:20:57.359 --> 00:21:01.720 for adventure. Within a few weeks, we made our plans 344 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:05.440 and purchased our supplies and loaded our backpacks, and we 345 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:09.400 were on our way. We'd picked a remote hiking trail 346 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:14.079 and headed out. An hour into our hike, the trail 347 00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:17.400 came to a fork and one path was well worn. 348 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:21.559 It was clearly the path most people chose. The other 349 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:25.400 path was overgrown and grassy. Which way should we go, 350 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:29.000 my friend asked, and I pointed to the overgrown path, 351 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:32.440 and I said, let's go that way. For sure, I 352 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.640 knew if I wanted to have an encounter of any kind, 353 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:39.599 I would have to choose the path less traveled. We 354 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.559 hiked a long way before we reached a point where 355 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:46.079 we could take a rest. My friend immediately noticed that 356 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:49.880 there was no sound in the forest. No insects were chirping, 357 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:54.640 no birds were singing, no other animals were even moving around. 358 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:58.519 It was unsettling, and I thought maybe we were about 359 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:02.160 to be attacked by a mountaine or something. I knew 360 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:05.599 that silence in the forest usually meant a predator was 361 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:10.000 in the area, so we decided to keep moving. Not 362 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:13.920 long after that, the forest grew dark. It wasn't nightfall yet, 363 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:16.079 but the sun was shining on the other side of 364 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:19.000 the mountain, and it cast a long shadow that made 365 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:22.759 the whole area look like something out of a creepy movie. 366 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:25.400 The dark forest ahead of us felt like it was 367 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:28.359 swallowing us up, and I couldn't help being a little 368 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:32.200 bit afraid. My stomach sank and I took a few 369 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.839 big gulps of air, and I could feel my heart 370 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:39.279 pounding in my chest. Somehow I knew we shouldn't be there. 371 00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:42.039 I told my friend that I didn't want to go 372 00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:45.240 in there. She said, oh, come on, we can't stop. Now, 373 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:49.039 Let's go just a little bit further. I was uneasy 374 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:53.279 with every step. Finally I convinced her it was time 375 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:56.319 to turn back. I couldn't wait to get out of there. 376 00:22:57.400 --> 00:23:00.119 I had the sense that something was watching us, and 377 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:02.359 I didn't know if it meant to harm us or 378 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:06.599 what its intentions were. After a while, we got out 379 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:08.400 of that area of the woods, and I felt a 380 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:12.119 bit relieved. It was time to start heading straight back 381 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.519 to the car. The woods had fallen darker, and I 382 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:17.839 did not want to be lost out there. After the 383 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:21.759 sun went down, we were still two hours from the car. 384 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:26.119 We picked up the pace as we walked back. I 385 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:29.359 admit that I felt a bit disappointed that we didn't 386 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:32.720 have an encounter with the creature, and that thought didn't 387 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:37.119 last for long. Five minutes later, we heard a loud 388 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:40.519 popping sound of a boulder hitting another rock as it 389 00:23:40.599 --> 00:23:43.839 landed on the ground, and then it rolled twenty yards 390 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:47.119 before coming to a stop. It had come from our 391 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:50.359 left and behind us. There were no hills in that 392 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:54.200 direction that it could have fallen from, and the landscape 393 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:57.480 behind us was flat. I looked toward the sound to 394 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:00.440 see what was going on, but we didn't see anything. 395 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:02.960 But all of a sudden, I was excited, and it 396 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:05.680 gripped me as I realized that something had to have 397 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:10.279 thrown it. Maybe we had contact. Finally, this is what 398 00:24:10.359 --> 00:24:14.119 I had come for. I wasn't scared at this point. 399 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:18.039 Suddenly I was thrilled. I picked up a handful of 400 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:20.680 small rocks and I threw them back into the woods 401 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:24.279