1 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,839 Speaker 1: I grew up in rural Alabama, in the small town 2 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,960 of Northport. And I say town, but that may be 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,839 stretching it. It was fourteen miles from my childhood home 4 00:00:17,879 --> 00:00:22,000 to the closest red light. Tuscaloosa was a major city 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:27,039 and Northport was a stepchild. In nineteen seventy eight, there 6 00:00:27,079 --> 00:00:29,960 was not a lot to do on rural Highway sixty 7 00:00:30,079 --> 00:00:33,920 nine North. The summers were hot, but the fall brought 8 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,000 on every young man's dream of hunting the big buck 9 00:00:37,119 --> 00:00:40,000 that ate all the peas during the last growing season. 10 00:00:41,119 --> 00:00:45,200 My job at twelve was the defender of my grandmother's garden. 11 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,640 I had a carte blanche on any night to eliminate 12 00:00:48,759 --> 00:00:52,320 any deer we caught rating the pea patch, regardless of 13 00:00:52,359 --> 00:00:55,679 what hunting season it was, and God helped the game 14 00:00:55,759 --> 00:00:59,679 warden who dared question my Pentecostal grandmother on her war 15 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:03,200 on deer or any other four legged creature who ate 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:08,359 what she sweated to grow. I became exceptional with a firearm, 17 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,319 having spent a lot of time practicing at two hundred 18 00:01:11,439 --> 00:01:15,040 and three hundred yards with my rifle my grandfather bought 19 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,400 me for Christmas when I was eight. I preferred a shotgun, though, 20 00:01:19,519 --> 00:01:22,799 due to the massive undergrowth in the woods surrounding our land. 21 00:01:23,719 --> 00:01:26,799 So in nineteen seventy eight, when the deer have ravaged 22 00:01:26,879 --> 00:01:30,319 my grandmother's peace so badly, she made it clear to 23 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,319 me to put my skills to good use or face 24 00:01:33,439 --> 00:01:37,959 dire consequences. Back then, I had none of the fancy 25 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,879 stuff that you see now. I had no camo, no 26 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,760 tree stand, no deer year in debate them in it 27 00:01:44,799 --> 00:01:47,959 was just me in a pair of quiet sneakers, my rifle, 28 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,079 and my best friend to help me. Together, we weighed 29 00:01:52,159 --> 00:01:54,920 our options for where best to funnel the deer in. 30 00:01:55,439 --> 00:01:58,280 We decided on a place about three miles from my 31 00:01:58,359 --> 00:02:01,959 grandparents' farm. We'd have the best chance to see them 32 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,400 along a well worn trail that extended into the woods 33 00:02:05,439 --> 00:02:09,280 for at least eight miles. It passed by a small 34 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,800 pond that no one ever visited but us. The woods 35 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,719 were all pines along the roadside, but deeper in they 36 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:21,080 transitioned back to oak and black gum. My pine was 37 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,759 cut periodically, but the hardwood has stood for one hundred 38 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,039 and twenty years or more. Some of those trees are 39 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,719 five feet at the base and well over one hundred 40 00:02:30,759 --> 00:02:35,560 feet tall. We got started early for us on a 41 00:02:35,599 --> 00:02:40,199 cool Saturday morning in September. Bama was playing later, so 42 00:02:40,319 --> 00:02:42,639 we wanted to be back in time to see the game. 43 00:02:43,479 --> 00:02:46,039 We let out for the hardwoods down by the creek. 44 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,560 We planned on taking the long way, but after about 45 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,599 an hour of walking, my best friend wasn't so keen 46 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,520 on wasting his Saturday helping me have a place to 47 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,800 sleep and eat. We stopped where we were and decided 48 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,520 to hunt from a makeshift blind that we threw together 49 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,840 on the spot. It wasn't much more than a couple 50 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,759 of limbs and some well placed leaves, but it gave 51 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,879 us some concealment. It also gave us a great view 52 00:03:13,039 --> 00:03:16,319 of the forty acre valley below us, and we were 53 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,000 perched along an old game trail, high up on a 54 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,360 natural ledge about two hundred feet above. We sat there, 55 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,879 four feet apart with our rifles, something to drink, and 56 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,680 a lot of AMMO for what seemed like hours. We 57 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,919 traded off taking naps, but our butts were getting sore 58 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,599 and our legs were starting to fall asleep. We were 59 00:03:37,639 --> 00:03:41,039 serious about our mission, but I wasn't any happier about 60 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,919 spending my Saturday out there than my friend was at 61 00:03:45,919 --> 00:03:49,439 eleven That morning, I saw something moving in the valley 62 00:03:49,439 --> 00:03:52,960 at my one o'clock. It was just a brownish blur 63 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,919 four hundred yards out and two hundred feet below me. 64 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,800 I tapped my friend and pointed it out. He gave 65 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,560 me the thumbs up and trained to scope on it. 66 00:04:03,479 --> 00:04:07,240 Before I could lift my rifle, twenty codies came racing 67 00:04:07,319 --> 00:04:10,680 out of that same direction with their tails between their legs. 68 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,680 They weren't chasing anything, and they weren't fighting. They were 69 00:04:15,719 --> 00:04:19,079 in a full out run for their lives. I could 70 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,439 think of only one thing in those woods that would 71 00:04:21,439 --> 00:04:24,240 cause this behavior, and I wanted no part of it. 72 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,040 Years earlier, my grandfather and some neighbors had hunted a 73 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,199 two hundred pound mountain lion that laid waste to some 74 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,560 pretty vicious dogs they sent after it. Several had shot 75 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,399 at it, but no one got it. Now a twelve 76 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:41,759 year old boy and his buddy were going toe to 77 00:04:41,759 --> 00:04:45,040 toe with it. No thanks. I didn't want to run. 78 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:47,879 I had visions of catching this thing out in the 79 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:52,040 open and dropping it once and for all. I'd be famous. 80 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:54,759 I guess I could have mounted it and been the 81 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,639 big hunter. For a while, my buddy tapped my arm 82 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,000 and said, you see that oak at the break in 83 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:04,360 the pines, by that old dead stump, look through your 84 00:05:04,399 --> 00:05:08,319 scope just above it. The whole time I was straining 85 00:05:08,399 --> 00:05:11,639 to find it, I was steadying myself to take a shot. 86 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,800 Finally I z rode in on it. But it wasn't 87 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:20,279 a big cat. It had a face. Three hundred yards 88 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:23,120 from us was something between an ape and a human 89 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:27,959 that looked like he'd been pumping iron on steroids. He 90 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,920 was down in the push up position and he was 91 00:05:30,959 --> 00:05:34,439 staring back at me. I could see his eyes plain 92 00:05:34,519 --> 00:05:37,120 as day, and his lip would curl up and he 93 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:41,040 sniffed the air. Yeah, he sniffed the air. He was 94 00:05:41,079 --> 00:05:45,000 trying to wind us like a hound dog will do. Definitely, 95 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,959 he went from prone to squatting, and he moved unbelievably fast. 96 00:05:49,639 --> 00:05:52,319 I don't think he realized I had spotted him yet. 97 00:05:52,879 --> 00:05:57,199 He was still trying to remain covert. My buddy's feet 98 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,160 started trying to run, but its brain hadn't caught up 99 00:06:00,199 --> 00:06:03,120 with him yet. I was trying to keep him from running, 100 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,439 and trying to explain that we weren't going to outrun 101 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,519 that thing. All the while that pack of codies was 102 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,319 bearing down on us. They were less than one hundred 103 00:06:12,399 --> 00:06:15,079 yards away, and I had no idea how they were 104 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:19,480 going to take to discovering us there. Meanwhile, I made 105 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,959 a fatal era no hunter should ever make. I had 106 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,639 taken my eyes off the hairy thing by the stump 107 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,399 to give my friend his due. He didn't cry or scream, 108 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,439 but a slight panic over whether to choose to fight 109 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,000 or flight had definitely set in. I just wanted to 110 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,800 get out of there without running into whatever that thing was. 111 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,920 Seconds passed and the codies came running straight at us, 112 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,720 like I knew they would. But my only thought was 113 00:06:46,759 --> 00:06:50,519 that thing below and where it was now. I have 114 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:54,560 cherished every day of my life since that moment. That 115 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,839 was the day that I could have died, and it 116 00:06:56,839 --> 00:06:59,439 would have been no one's fault but my own. Because 117 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:04,319 of the many arrows that followed we ran. We picked 118 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,519 flight over fight. The chase was on. We were two 119 00:07:08,519 --> 00:07:11,240 and a half miles from the house and a mile 120 00:07:11,279 --> 00:07:14,519 and three quarters to earshot of people working on our farm. 121 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:19,639 It began in a frenzy fueled by youth and farm living, 122 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,279 the hard work that we put in every day helped 123 00:07:23,279 --> 00:07:28,000 our strengthen stamina. I assumed if we turned into an 124 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:30,839 area of dense timber that we could out maneuver it. 125 00:07:31,399 --> 00:07:34,759 I was wrong. For the next mile we played a 126 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,319 guessing game of which damn side of us it was 127 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,680 going to be on. We heard footfalls on either side, 128 00:07:41,079 --> 00:07:44,160 and I convinced myself it was my heart beat pounding 129 00:07:44,319 --> 00:07:47,959 in my ears. I knew there was a small gully 130 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,680 coming up that ran for about one hundred yards or so. 131 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,000 It was about ten feet deep and twenty feet wide 132 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,879 in places. I made up my mind that I was 133 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,439 going to do my best impression of Customs Last Stand 134 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,839 right there. We hit the wash with me and the lead, 135 00:08:04,959 --> 00:08:07,199 thinking that we would get to the other end, where 136 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:09,800 there was one hell of a twelve foot climb out 137 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:13,000 we could get back up to the top. We'd equal 138 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,279 the odds on size, and then with that thing in 139 00:08:16,319 --> 00:08:19,120 the wash below, we'd fill it full of holes from 140 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,319 the safety above. We reached the end, but it was 141 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,800 so muddy and slimy there was no way we were 142 00:08:25,839 --> 00:08:28,959 coming out that way, and I turned and searched for 143 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,519 a spot where I could grab some roots and climb out. 144 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:34,679 I found it and made a quick work of getting 145 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:36,720 out of there, and then I grabbed my buddy and 146 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:40,639 helped him up. We were exhausted and breathless, and we 147 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:44,000 sat there for a moment, thinking we'd gotten away. And 148 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:47,480 then suddenly I looked up and there it was, less 149 00:08:47,519 --> 00:08:51,200 than sixty yards from us. It had been pacing us 150 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:56,279 the whole time. That was the first, real, honest to God, look, 151 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,279 I got it. This creature. He was seven feet tall 152 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,480 and weighed full hundred pounds, and he was pure lean muscle. 153 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:05,360 You could plow a lot of corn with a mule 154 00:09:05,399 --> 00:09:09,360 belt like that. He had a metallic smell of old 155 00:09:09,399 --> 00:09:13,159 blood mixed with rotten meat. He was breathing slow and 156 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,440 with a purpose. And there he stood for us to see. 157 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,399 Was he an ape, a man? Or was it a bigfoot? 158 00:09:21,039 --> 00:09:24,120 I had no clue, and I knew nothing about bigfoot 159 00:09:24,159 --> 00:09:27,559 at that time. He had a thick brow, but his 160 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:32,279 nose was skinnier than a Neanderthal. His hands were huge, 161 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,440 and his breastbone was thick. Large joints connected his limbs, 162 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,679 and the muscles at the top of his legs stood out. 163 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,159 His lights and pecks were well defined, and he was 164 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,720 covered in coarse hair that reflected light like an old 165 00:09:47,759 --> 00:09:53,320 hound's furwell sometimes, and the mouth didn't fit the creature whatsoever. 166 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,480 It protruded because of the teeth, giving the impression that 167 00:09:57,559 --> 00:09:59,960 it came out a few inches more than it should out. 168 00:10:01,799 --> 00:10:04,480 We were taking all this in when something in the 169 00:10:04,519 --> 00:10:06,600 back of my mind told me that he wanted us 170 00:10:06,639 --> 00:10:11,840 to focus on him. Footfalls were coming from somewhere behind us, 171 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,440 and it broke through the dumbfounded trance that we were in. 172 00:10:16,399 --> 00:10:19,000 We heard limbs breaking too close to us, and I 173 00:10:19,039 --> 00:10:21,159 turned to get a glimpse of his buddy doing his 174 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,480 best to hide behind a tree one hundred yards from us. 175 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,600 And he was smaller and had a lighter coat. But 176 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,919 beyond that, I couldn't say. I had enough of being chased. 177 00:10:32,799 --> 00:10:35,200 I decided that people were going to know which one 178 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,720 of these things ate me, because he'd be the one 179 00:10:37,799 --> 00:10:42,279 bleeding the most. Put all your bullets into him, was 180 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,720 all I whispered to my friend while I fired on Johnny, 181 00:10:46,759 --> 00:10:49,440 come lately behind us. My friend opened up on the 182 00:10:49,519 --> 00:10:52,240 big one. I laid down a line of fire that 183 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:54,639 knocked huge chunks out of the tree that he was 184 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,759 hiding behind, and then I turned and fired on the 185 00:10:57,799 --> 00:11:01,879 big one too. He was running down the wash. It's 186 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,919 time to go, I shouted, and we did a hundred 187 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:09,120 yard swap out, run cover, run, cover. We'd stop every 188 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,159 so often to listen and catch our breath, and then 189 00:11:12,279 --> 00:11:14,480 we'd go right back to it until we had the 190 00:11:14,519 --> 00:11:18,759 big barn in sight. We hit the long gravel road 191 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,000 and walk from there, and we decided before we got 192 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,840 to the house that this was a story that we'd 193 00:11:24,879 --> 00:11:28,120 never tell anyone, not if we had any hope of 194 00:11:28,159 --> 00:11:32,759 every deer hunting again. For months, we didn't go back 195 00:11:32,759 --> 00:11:35,559 out there, and every time we looked in that direction, 196 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,840 we would decide to play football or something, anything but 197 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:43,840 go into those woods. I managed to put it all 198 00:11:43,879 --> 00:11:46,159 in the back of my mind, and as the years 199 00:11:46,159 --> 00:11:49,360 have passed, I haven't given it much thought, mainly because 200 00:11:49,399 --> 00:11:53,639 I no longer go in the woods. So there I 201 00:11:53,879 --> 00:11:56,440 was eighteen months ago, and I was sitting in my 202 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,879 yard waiting for my dog to go to the bathroom 203 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,480 in my neighbor's yard at twelve thirty in the morning, 204 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,360 when a fear I haven't known in years ran up 205 00:12:05,399 --> 00:12:09,840 my spine. I live across from a three thousand acre 206 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:15,519 protected wilderness area. I recognized immediately that I was being stalked. 207 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,840 I was being hunted, and their eyes were on me, 208 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,799 watching my every move. I walked back inside and got 209 00:12:22,799 --> 00:12:26,200 my pistol. I came out and pessed on my mailbox post, 210 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:29,879 all the while shouting at the woods. I been running 211 00:12:29,919 --> 00:12:32,120 for forty three years, and I ain't gonna do it 212 00:12:32,159 --> 00:12:37,039 no more. Make no mistake, these things mean you harm. 213 00:12:37,759 --> 00:12:40,960 I do not subscribe to the theory that they are harmless, 214 00:12:41,039 --> 00:12:48,759 because they are not. Back in nineteen eighty four, my 215 00:12:48,879 --> 00:12:51,519 family lived on a farm on the edge of town 216 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,360 in the heart of Kentucky. The house sat on a 217 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,720 hilltop with a big black barn behind it in a long, 218 00:12:58,879 --> 00:13:03,039 narrow valley. Beyond that, the house set well above the 219 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:07,000 roadway and even higher above the valley. The valley sat 220 00:13:07,039 --> 00:13:11,559 even lower and was surrounded by woods. I was sixteen 221 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,919 and feeling pretty low. My girlfriend had just called me 222 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:17,840 on the phone and broken up with me after two months. 223 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,840 She didn't even give me a reason. It was February, 224 00:13:21,879 --> 00:13:24,840 but the weather was beginning to show signs of spring 225 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,879 after a long winter. The temperature was somewhat in the 226 00:13:28,919 --> 00:13:31,600 mid forties, and there were only a few patches of 227 00:13:31,639 --> 00:13:35,639 snow here and there. I needed to get away and think, 228 00:13:35,799 --> 00:13:38,840 so I headed for my favorite spot, and for me, 229 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,200 that was the woods. I spent a great deal of 230 00:13:42,279 --> 00:13:46,679 time there, and sometimes with friends, but usually alone. My 231 00:13:46,759 --> 00:13:49,279 father had left my mother when I was young, so 232 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,200 the male role models in my life were my two uncles. 233 00:13:52,919 --> 00:13:55,399 They taught me to hunt and fish and to appreciate 234 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:59,279 the beauty and wonder of nature. In those woods, there 235 00:13:59,279 --> 00:14:01,600 were a couple of gas right guys, and looking back, 236 00:14:01,639 --> 00:14:06,480 I really missed those times that we spent together. I 237 00:14:06,519 --> 00:14:08,559 walked down to the bottom of the valley, like I 238 00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:11,879 generally did. I was deep in thought about why my 239 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,440 girl would break up with me, and I wasn't paying 240 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,559 attention when I heard a thumping sound. It was something 241 00:14:18,639 --> 00:14:22,399 solid hitting the grass covered ground. I looked around and 242 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,840 saw a rock about twenty feet from me rolling uphill. 243 00:14:26,919 --> 00:14:29,360 I figured it was either my sister or my brother 244 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:32,039 playing a trick on me, so I turned to look 245 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,960 back the way I came, expecting to see one of them, 246 00:14:35,519 --> 00:14:40,080 and I scanned around looking, but they weren't there. As 247 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,960 I turned to my left, still looking for my siblings, 248 00:14:43,039 --> 00:14:45,720 I saw a twenty foot patch of snow with four 249 00:14:45,919 --> 00:14:49,919 human shaped footprints in it. It was a little unnerving 250 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:53,600 to see the footprints because first, whoever made these prints 251 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:57,720 wasn't wearing shoes. It wasn't freezing out, but it was 252 00:14:57,759 --> 00:15:00,879 still cold. Walking in the snow would have made it 253 00:15:00,919 --> 00:15:06,159 feel even colder. Second, these prints were huge. I walked 254 00:15:06,159 --> 00:15:09,240 over and compared them to my boot. They were nearly 255 00:15:09,279 --> 00:15:12,320 twice as long as my foot and much wider, and 256 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:16,440 the stride was a lot longer than I could have made. 257 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,279 I was still examining the footprints when I heard another 258 00:15:19,399 --> 00:15:22,159 rock hit the ground, and I turned in the direction 259 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,080 of the sound, and I saw the rock twenty feet away, 260 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:29,320 rolling downhill. This time it was bigger than the first, 261 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:33,039 roughly the size of my fist, and I knew immediately 262 00:15:33,159 --> 00:15:36,720 it couldn't have been my brother or sister. I was 263 00:15:36,799 --> 00:15:39,159 far older and stronger than them, and I doubt I 264 00:15:39,159 --> 00:15:43,480 could have thrown it from any possible hiding spots. I 265 00:15:43,519 --> 00:15:45,600 then thought it might have been one of my friends 266 00:15:45,639 --> 00:15:48,480 who lived close. I knew Tommy was out of town 267 00:15:48,679 --> 00:15:52,000 visiting relatives, and Scotty had been in bed all week 268 00:15:52,039 --> 00:15:54,799 with a bad case of the flu. They were the 269 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,240 only ones who ever came over, so I looked around again. 270 00:15:58,639 --> 00:16:03,120 Who was throwing rocks at me? The tracks probably should 271 00:16:03,159 --> 00:16:05,840 have sent me running home, but I honestly thought someone 272 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:08,919 was playing a prank on me. My uncle's taught me 273 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,000 that tracks made in the snow will expand when they melt, 274 00:16:12,399 --> 00:16:16,200 so I figured it was just a joke. I walked 275 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,120 forward with a lot of confidence. You better knock it off. 276 00:16:19,159 --> 00:16:23,480 I'm throw rocks too, I said. Another rock was chucked 277 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:26,399 at me, and this time I saw it in mid flight, 278 00:16:26,519 --> 00:16:28,559 so I knew it was coming from the left corner 279 00:16:28,679 --> 00:16:31,919 of the woods, near the property line. It was two 280 00:16:32,039 --> 00:16:34,919 hundred feet from me, and I thought whoever was throwing 281 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,679 these rocks must have a pretty good arm. Another rock 282 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:42,440 landed ten feet to my right. I was getting angry now, 283 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:45,159 so I walked over and picked it up before it 284 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,519 stopped rolling. It was a little bigger than I would 285 00:16:48,519 --> 00:16:51,720 have normally wanted to throw, but in my frustration, I 286 00:16:51,759 --> 00:16:55,480 threw it back. Then I screamed an insult at whoever 287 00:16:55,639 --> 00:16:59,720 this was for good measure. My throw was way off 288 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,879 the It hit the ground well short of the tree line, 289 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,640 so I looked around for another rock to throw. I 290 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,359 found a few in the grass between the patches of snow, 291 00:17:09,599 --> 00:17:11,920 so I picked one up that fitted my hand better. 292 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:15,599 This time. It hit a tree just inside the woodline. 293 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,480 Then I saw a movement eighty feet to my left, 294 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,720 in the nearest section of trees. It was a lot 295 00:17:22,759 --> 00:17:25,400 closer to me than where the rocks were coming from. 296 00:17:27,279 --> 00:17:30,240 I only got a glimpse, maybe four or five seconds 297 00:17:30,279 --> 00:17:33,359 at most. Most of it was obscured by the thick 298 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:37,680 brushing trees. I saw a dark upper portion of a 299 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,519 massive right shoulder blade and a huge moving arm about 300 00:17:41,559 --> 00:17:46,440 seven feet off the ground. Also, I saw what looked 301 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,119 like thick legs as it ran behind a tree. It 302 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,319 was completely covered in reddish hair that bounced as it 303 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:57,440 disappeared into the trees. I was nearly awe struck. Its 304 00:17:57,559 --> 00:18:01,480 movements were so graceful and fluid. It was completely different 305 00:18:01,519 --> 00:18:04,559 from how a deer or a human would move. Now 306 00:18:04,559 --> 00:18:07,240 I knew immediately it wasn't a bear or a cougar. 307 00:18:07,599 --> 00:18:11,119 It was too large. Both bears and cougars are extremely 308 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,920 rare in Kentucky, and neither of them throw rocks. I 309 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,799 barely had time to register what I was seeing when 310 00:18:18,839 --> 00:18:22,119 another rock landed five feet from me. It came from 311 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:26,160 the same direction as the others. Then I heard heavy 312 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,599 footfalls in the woods from that same direction. There were 313 00:18:29,599 --> 00:18:32,839 definitely more than one of them. To say I wasn't 314 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:36,920 terrified would be a bold faced lie. I knew I 315 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:39,839 had to get out of there. I was alone and unarmed. 316 00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:43,000 The nearest house was over half a mile away, on 317 00:18:43,039 --> 00:18:46,319 the other side of the valley and flanked by thick trees. 318 00:18:47,599 --> 00:18:50,480 I knew the elderly couple who lived there. They were 319 00:18:50,599 --> 00:18:53,079 nice people, but they wouldn't have been able to hear 320 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:56,240 me even if they were outside, which they rarely were. 321 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,599 My house was over three quarters of a mile away. 322 00:19:00,039 --> 00:19:03,160 My mom and siblings had been inside watching TV when 323 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:07,720 I left. At that moment, I forgot all about my girlfriend. 324 00:19:08,839 --> 00:19:12,440 Survival was my priority. I wanted to run, but I 325 00:19:12,559 --> 00:19:16,119 remembered what my uncles had told me about predators. Never 326 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,839 turn your back on them, and running will kick in 327 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:24,079 their instinct to chase. Fear turned into anger as I 328 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:26,599 picked up as many rocks as I could find and 329 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:29,480 started throwing them back towards the woods as fast as 330 00:19:29,559 --> 00:19:33,440 I could. I at least a string of obscenities and 331 00:19:33,559 --> 00:19:37,160 foul language as I did all the while moving backwards 332 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:41,640 a few dozen paces at a time. Years later, during 333 00:19:41,799 --> 00:19:44,519 my time in the military, I learned to call that 334 00:19:44,799 --> 00:19:49,640 a tactical retreat. More rocks are being thrown back at 335 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,519 me now, and from two different directions. I switched targets 336 00:19:53,599 --> 00:19:56,279 back and forth as I slowly made my way back 337 00:19:56,319 --> 00:20:00,440 down the valley. Locked in combat with an unseen enemy. 338 00:20:01,559 --> 00:20:03,839 I was out numbered and out gun but I kept 339 00:20:03,839 --> 00:20:07,480 throwing and moving and cussing and cursing. I doubted the 340 00:20:07,519 --> 00:20:11,960 cussing helped me, but it made me feel braver. It 341 00:20:12,079 --> 00:20:15,119 was probably only five minutes before I felt the hill 342 00:20:15,319 --> 00:20:18,799 under my feet, but it felt like hours. That meant 343 00:20:18,839 --> 00:20:22,480 I was closer to the relative safety of home, and 344 00:20:22,519 --> 00:20:25,279 by now those creatures had stopped throwing rocks at me. 345 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:30,359 My accuracy had dropped off dramatically by then, anyway, and 346 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,599 I scanned the woods once more for movement and listened 347 00:20:33,599 --> 00:20:38,240 for sounds. I didn't see or hear anything, and exhausted 348 00:20:38,279 --> 00:20:41,559 and sweating like i'd run a marathon, I took off 349 00:20:41,599 --> 00:20:44,839 my coat and stood there for another five minutes before 350 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,559 I felt it was safe enough to turn and high 351 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:52,119 tailor at home. I didn't tell my mother and siblings 352 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:55,599 what had happened. I didn't want to scare them. The 353 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:57,920 next day I told one of my uncles, who brought 354 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,000 his shotgun over and slept down into the valley with me, 355 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:05,119 to retrace my steps. I showed him the tracks in 356 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,400 the snow. There were huge gouges in the hard dirt 357 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,799 where the rocks and landed. We walked into the woodline 358 00:21:11,799 --> 00:21:15,119 where I had seen the one running. That's where I 359 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:17,720 compared the size and height of the trees to the 360 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,319 spot where I saw the shoulder and the arm. This 361 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:24,799 thing must have been massive, but we didn't find any 362 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:29,119 tracks there. We left the area, but not before I 363 00:21:29,279 --> 00:21:33,759 noticed that my uncle was being unusually quiet. After we 364 00:21:33,839 --> 00:21:36,599 got back to the house and well away from my mom, 365 00:21:37,079 --> 00:21:39,880 he told me that he'd had a strange experience there 366 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:45,759 many years before. My eldest uncle served in Vietnam. He's 367 00:21:45,799 --> 00:21:50,440 a quiet man who rarely shows his emotions or gets upset. 368 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,160 When he came home from the war, he couldn't wait 369 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:55,680 to get back into his beloved woods where he could 370 00:21:55,759 --> 00:21:59,039 hunt and fish, And then he finally got the chance. 371 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:04,559 It was a bit sweet experience. It isn't an easy 372 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,759 transition from life of daily combat back to a peaceful 373 00:22:08,799 --> 00:22:13,359 civilian existence. The woods of Kentucky looked nothing like the 374 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:17,279 jungles of Southeast Asia, but the oppressive feeling of the 375 00:22:17,319 --> 00:22:23,119 dense vegetation and the limited visibility are similar. It took 376 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,480 him quite a while to get over the nagging fear 377 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:30,440 of someone waiting behind every bush to kill him. Slowly, 378 00:22:30,519 --> 00:22:33,279 he worked his way back to his favorite fishing spots. 379 00:22:33,759 --> 00:22:38,200 Once he was comfortable, he began to hunt again. One day, 380 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:41,599 he was out hunting squirrels alone with his twenty two rifle. 381 00:22:42,279 --> 00:22:45,319 He was also carrying a revolver in his hip holster. 382 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,200 He walked for hours and saw a few squirrels that 383 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:52,279 they were too small to trouble with. When he decided 384 00:22:52,279 --> 00:22:56,319 to take a break, he sat down under a large 385 00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:00,559 tree on top of a heavily wooded ridgeline. From there, 386 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,400 he had a clear view down into the nearby holler. 387 00:23:04,799 --> 00:23:07,279 He'd been sitting there for about ten minutes when he 388 00:23:07,319 --> 00:23:11,160 saw movement below. He only saw bushes moving, but he 389 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,519 suspected it was a deer. It was too early for 390 00:23:14,599 --> 00:23:17,799 deer season, but knowing their paths might help him decide 391 00:23:17,799 --> 00:23:20,960 where to build a stand. Later, he decided to go 392 00:23:21,079 --> 00:23:25,599 down check it out. He got up and slowly made 393 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,799 his way down to the holler. The trees and underbrush 394 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:31,920 made it impossible to get a clear view of whatever 395 00:23:32,079 --> 00:23:34,640 was moving around, but he found a little path that 396 00:23:34,759 --> 00:23:38,640 had made whatever it was. He knew it wasn't a deer. 397 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:43,359 It looked almost like a small bulldozer had made the path, 398 00:23:43,799 --> 00:23:47,880 like six deer had walked inside by side. He never 399 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,200 seen them move that way, and plus, the vegetation looked 400 00:23:51,279 --> 00:23:53,759 like it had been smashed aside and pulled out of 401 00:23:53,799 --> 00:23:57,119 the way. He didn't find any tracks, but it was 402 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:01,400 clear that something heavy had walked through here. He told 403 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:03,680 me he should have left right then and there, but 404 00:24:03,759 --> 00:24:06,559 he was young and curiosity got the better of him. 405 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,279 He moved forward, pondering what kind of critter could make 406 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:14,200 such a path. Was it a bear? No, Black bears 407 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,640 aren't much whiter than a deer. Besides, he'd never seen 408 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,000 a bear in this part of the state. Cougars and 409 00:24:21,039 --> 00:24:23,880 mountain lions came to mind, but he quickly ruled them 410 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:28,880 out as well. Suddenly there was a loud crash, like 411 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:32,079 a tree breaking under a great strain, and it echoed 412 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:36,480 across the holler. Then the woods grew early quiet. There 413 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:40,119 were no birds chirping, no bees buzzing, no squirrels or 414 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:45,359 any other animals making any sounds. Alarmed, and reverting back 415 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,519 to his military training, he quickly veered off the trail 416 00:24:48,559 --> 00:24:51,200 and hid down among the tall grass on his belly. 417 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,640 He lay there in the silence for several minutes, wondering 418 00:24:55,759 --> 00:24:58,920 if his mind was playing tricks on him. He was 419 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,519 about to move away when he heard a sound that 420 00:25:01,599 --> 00:25:05,400 I was familiar with. First there was a thump several 421 00:25:05,519 --> 00:25:09,880 yards away, and then another one a little closer. He 422 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,119 looked up over the tall grass and he saw a 423 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:16,480 rock coming in his direction. He crawled away, hoping that 424 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,680 that would throw his attacker off his position, and it 425 00:25:19,799 --> 00:25:24,319 almost worked. The next rock landed farther away, but it 426 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:28,640 was adjusting for his movement. He decided that this thing 427 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,319 must be a human. He couldn't think of anything else 428 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:36,720 in Kentucky that could throw rocks. With his rifle and pistol, 429 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,400 my uncle felt reasonably assured that he was safe, so 430 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,200 he stood up and he called out. He doesn't remember 431 00:25:44,279 --> 00:25:46,759 what he said, but it was something to the effect 432 00:25:46,759 --> 00:25:49,839 of asking them not to throw rocks. At him, but 433 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:53,119 no one answered. He then told them that he was 434 00:25:53,279 --> 00:25:55,960 armed and he expected to get an answer, or at 435 00:25:56,039 --> 00:26:00,359 least hear them leave, but he got neither. He began 436 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,759 to make his way out of there. Like me, he 437 00:26:02,839 --> 00:26:07,319 walked backwards, with his eyes scanning for threats. He moved quickly. 438 00:26:07,799 --> 00:26:11,000 It was too late to worry about being quiet. Whatever 439 00:26:11,039 --> 00:26:14,920 it was, it knew exactly where he was. Another rock 440 00:26:15,039 --> 00:26:17,599 hit the ground at his feet and bounced into his 441 00:26:17,759 --> 00:26:21,920 right leg. It didn't hurt him, but it startled him greatly. 442 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:26,079 He didn't lose his cool. He pulled his rifle up 443 00:26:26,079 --> 00:26:29,920 and scanned the area in a quick three sixty. He 444 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,920 was still convinced it was people, so he threatened to 445 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:37,240 shoot if another rock was thrown. Well, something moved in 446 00:26:37,319 --> 00:26:40,519 the bushes, but he couldn't see what it was. It 447 00:26:40,559 --> 00:26:43,519 had to be a human. He wasn't prepared to accept 448 00:26:43,599 --> 00:26:47,680 any other alternative. He kept backing up and moving his 449 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:52,359 head from side to side, and then an incredibly loud 450 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:57,359 growl broke the silence and reverberated through his chest. He 451 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,640 said he'd never heard anything like it before or since. 452 00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:05,200 At this point, my uncle knew two things. It was 453 00:27:05,319 --> 00:27:10,119 very close and it wasn't. Human instinct kicked in. He 454 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:14,720 fired into the bushes, shifted position, chambered another round, and 455 00:27:14,759 --> 00:27:19,079 then he fired again. He doubted he hid anything, but 456 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,200 he was hoping to scare it off. And then another 457 00:27:22,279 --> 00:27:25,079 rock flew at him. It landed a little further away 458 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,599 than the last, but that was enough. He turned and 459 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:32,400 bolted for a nearby grove of trees. It didn't offer 460 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:36,559 much shelter, but it was better than nothing. He pulled 461 00:27:36,559 --> 00:27:38,960 at his pistol and sat there for maybe an hour, 462 00:27:39,119 --> 00:27:44,119 waiting for another confrontation. His nerves were on edge. He's 463 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:46,279 not a religious man, but he said he did a 464 00:27:46,279 --> 00:27:49,880 lot of praying that day. But nothing more happened, and 465 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,680 soon the sounds of the woods returned to normal, as 466 00:27:52,759 --> 00:27:57,039 if nothing had ever happened. He was feeling foolish, and 467 00:27:57,079 --> 00:27:59,440 he made his way back to the ridge and looked 468 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:03,559 over the air one more time. He didn't see anything unusual, 469 00:28:03,759 --> 00:28:09,200 and gladly went home empty handed. He didn't tell anyone 470 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,960 else about his experience for a long time. He didn't 471 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:17,799 think anyone would believe him. Eventually, he told his brother later. 472 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:21,279 He told me, in a way, my uncle and I 473 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,960 bonded that day, we both had a strange experience that 474 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,240 we couldn't explain. At least, he'd been armed with throwing 475 00:28:29,319 --> 00:28:32,440 rocks back at something that's throwing rocks at me. Probably 476 00:28:32,559 --> 00:28:35,839 wasn't very smart, but it seemed like my best option 477 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:41,079 at the time. Fortunately, neither of us has seen anything since. 478 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,960 Now that I'm older and perhaps a bit wiser, I 479 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,599 don't think that whatever was throwing rocks at us was 480 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,680 trying to hurt us. I think it was warning us 481 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:54,400 to get out of the area. At least that's my 482 00:28:54,519 --> 00:28:58,759 two cents worth. You can believe whatever you choose to believe.