Squatch Visiting My Woods?

Never thought this would happen to me, but it has, and so it shall be told. I have approached this as open-minded, skeptical, and thorough as possible so far. It's a long and detailed story, so bear with me.

There's a forest across my street with pretty thick foliage (with the exception of a small trail) and has a creek passing through it, down in a gully. I've lived in this Arkansas home for 6 years but it wasn't really until the 13th that the story begins.

My Dad was outside fiddling with Halloween decorations that he set up earlier. It was around 11-11:30 PM and it was time to turn them on (the Halloween lights + inflatable decorations) for the first time. Soon after he did there was an abruptly loud and "mournful" whooping and howling noise coming from the forest. It startled him so much that he immediately came inside, grabbed his M1911 (handgun), and told my Mom of it. They both went outside and heard the noise. My Mom then came back in to tell me, so I picked up a powerful flashlight and ran outside. However, the noise had stopped. I ran into the forest to scout around (against my parents' objections) but saw, and heard, absolutely nothing. All was perfectly still.

I was curious about the noise and my parents, who aren't imaginative or easily spooked, both seemed on edge. My Dad was a wartime soldier and avid huntsmen back in the day yet the sound was alien to him and had him rattled.

I compiled some animal sounds of known state animals such as owls, raccoons, coyotes, dogs, deer, boar, etc. and, because they said it couldn't be any of those when I asked if it was any, I slipped in a "bigfoot" sound too. They said it sounded "large" and unlike anything they ever heard before, so that was even more reason to try it out. Tales of such creatures drifted around these parts too, altho they refer to them as "skunk apes".
So I put all the unmarked audio files into a MP3 player and let them independently listen to the files. Surprisingly, they both chose file #7....

File #7 was the bigfoot recording.
This one in particular.

This sound they heard haunted my Mom for days, and still does, so she felt the need to file a report to BFRO - the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Four days after listing her report, one of the most senior BFRO agents contacted her. He lives only 4 miles from my home, so made a personal trip out here (for the record, he isn't charging anything and even declined free dinner!). He took our reports and In his opinion, the lights and decorations startled or confused the creature. He mentioned other reports in the region and that he knows of a family of them. He went on to tell some personal stories and stories from other researchers and Native Americans. Some were quite astonishing. I was very skeptical but while we were talking, many connections started being made.

1) For about 3 years I have been putting food in the forest, such as leftovers, nearly rotten fruits or vegetables, etc. because I know a family of raccoons and rabbits live there. Each time I've gone to check on the food after a night or two, the food is completely gone. No crumbs, trails, or mess anywhere.
2) For years my old wolf dog has been, occasionally, barking from the window late at night (midnight - 3:00 AM usually) at something across the street. I just always assumed she was barking at a random critter.
3) Two of my neighbors have had very loyal cats go missing - 4 cats in total in the last 2 years that I know of. Another cat just went missing tonight after I talked with my neighbor, but I'm not counting that one yet.
4) I have anosmia and so have no sense of smell...but there has been times when family visited at night that they said it smelled really terrible across the street. "Skunk apes" are said to smell like sewage or rotten eggs.
5) The creek in the forest has fresh water and it's the only part, for miles, that's camouflaged by wilderness because it runs along a rural road for miles (I'll put a pict below to illustrate this and more)
6) One of my brothers (bro #1) made the comment on three occasions before that he felt like he was being watched when coming over at night.

The investigator went out into the forest with me and pointed out a large, human-like track near some moss. My eyes are pretty amateur at seeing tracks that aren't blatantly obvious however, so couldn't verify it. He then told me they enjoy peanut butter, like stones they consider pretty (they "collect them by creeks"), don't like to make messes, and he told me to set up some bait in high places, like dangling from trees. They also "throw stones as a weapon and warning".

After he left I informed my visiting brother (bro #2) about what had happened and we went out soon after dusk. We laid down pennies and quarters, all face up, and I put down 4 polished stones on another trail in a cross shape pattern. We then put out popcorn and other food and left. It was completely dark before we even finished.

After a few hours we were talking...and I remembered the sewage smell that they are said to have, so I asked my brother if he smelled anything when we were out there (since I can't smell).... He said it smelled terrible. I was pretty shocked by that considering I didn't tell him about it to influence him.

The next afternoon we returned to find all of the food gone, not even crumbs from chips (which should be left there if a small creature sat munching them). Most of the food we left was on the ground but one piece was 6 feet up, dangling away from the trunk and attached to the string. No typical animal could have gotten it (except a daredevil raccoon?). One of the polished stones was moved 2 inches too (we took before and after photos also). The most interesting thing however was that one of the quarters was turned with tails facing up. Something had to pick it up and place it back in the same spot to do that.

I have taken a satellite image to accompany this story.
"A" is where my house is.
Blue = where the creek is.
Red = the road that segregates the forest from the more vast wilderness that goes on for hundreds of miles. That's where such a large creature would live, if anywhere. It would only come into my small forest area for water and leftovers I imagine.
Yellow = The approximate location of the unknown sound which is also right beside the small trail.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURE



A few hours ago the investigator returned and set up some food high in trees, took an infrared scope and camera, and sat in the forest through nightfall (it gets completely dark here at 7:00 PM). What has compelled me to write this and share it is what happened soon after at about 8:30 PM. I have an old security camera system that can see just my front yard and street. It also has a powerful microphone that can make even a cricket's chirp sound deafening. I had it turned up loud enough so I could hear anything across the street clearly and was sitting beside it on the PC. That's when I heard a very ferocious and unknown growl resonating from the forest. About 15 seconds after the growl I saw, on camera, the investigator hurrying to his truck from the forest. He got in, started it up, and drove away without even saying anything to me or coming across the street. I know he set up some food items high up and left cookies in bags, so I will go check on that in the morning...and I'm going to call him to ask what the Hell happened.

I searched through some files...and this is the closest sound I found that matches it, only the first half of the vid. The one I heard was slightly deeper.


This is a continuing investigation, I'll have more news by tomorrow night and add to it then. I'm thinking of investing in trail cams, does anyone know some good ones? I often see them with bad resolution.

Thanks for your time. Any suggestions or experience you may have will be appreciated too.
However, I expect some mockery or quip replies for this (which is understandable, I would have done so too 2 weeks ago).

I will bet that vampire in your avatar could kill the Sasquatch in your woods.

Most of the occurrences you have described are circumstantial at best.

Nice story though

reply to post by TheLegend


Well you should create a documentary about all this, and put it on youtube and get rich like everyone else is doing with there big foot tales! What are you waiting for exactly??? Get started. Then when you're done post the link to it in here so we can all watch it okay.

reply to post by TheLegend

Excellent story and write-up of the events. I've heard quite a few similar tales, and definitely look forward to any future information and evidence you may find.

Please keep us posted.

reply to post by TheLegend


I thought this was interesting and well written

I'll check back for any updates.


S F

reply to post by TheLegend


good investigation..

I believe you

reply to post by TheLegend


Playing your sound file has just started my Great Pyrenees, Bear, to howling and pacing and pawing at the back door.

He is currently 140 lbs of extremely hyped dog, I can't get to calm down at all. I live on top of a rural mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We've had a long history of Big Foot carried down through the years, with many tales from the indigenous Indian Tribes that lived here first. I've heard a few times in the woods surrounding my home, very similar howls as you posted.

Keep up with your research. Find the really old people in your area, who were born there, ask them for the *old* stories. that's what I did, and still do. You'll be amazed what they tell you.

Des

Very well organized and well written.

That said, hope no one's messing with you.



Also, if it was mentioned I apologize, but is the "senior investigator" charging anything for his "services?"

reply to post by Destinyone


There was a lot of dog barking in the audio too, could he have been alarmed by strange dog barking, and not the wailing of whatever?

Just thinking..

should be moved to cryptozoology.

i dont think its actually living in that part of the forest but it might be moving across that street that seperates the bigger forest. do you know any of your neighbors that live on that street? ask them if theyve seen anything

Originally posted by winofiend
reply to post by Destinyone

 

There was a lot of dog barking in the audio too, could he have been alarmed by strange dog barking, and not the wailing of whatever?

Just thinking..

No, he's used to all kinds of dog barks. Bear is my goat guardian dog. He's used to all the coyotes and other dogs up here. This particular growling and agitation he's exhibiting now, I've only heard/seen once before. When an adult black bear was in my front yard, during the day, heading towards my goat pens. Plus, I like to watch funny utube animal vids, a lot of barking in many of those, he never bats an ear at those. This was his *I'm really really on guard, and ready to hunt that thing* mode. It quite surprised me, actually. He was in a deep dead sleep. When I clicked on the OP's vid, as soon as the sound started, Bear bolted upright with a deep growl that led to his growl/bark extreme warning bark. Hair along the ridge of his back raised, nose high in air.

Des

Thanks everyone, I'll try to give at least one more update tomorrow and then another further down the road if something drastic happens. I'm thinking of buying a trail cam but they can get pretty costly for the good resolution + night vision ones. On that note, I'll ask the investigator if he has some to use.

Originally posted by Hawking
Also, if it was mentioned I apologize, but is the "senior investigator" charging anything for his "services?"

Np, that's something I edited in now. No, he's not charging anything and even declined a steak & fries dinner. He's an older gentleman and seems fearless and respectful of nature.

reply to post by Destinyone


Sorry for that.
My big Wolf/Chow Chow mix dog also reacts to that file. She's the most protective and alert dog I've ever had (chows are usually very territorial and wolves have great senses). Good idea, I'll ask some other neighbors if they heard or saw anything unusual. Some of them have been here their whole lives...but I never talk to them, so it may seem odd to come ask them about it out of the blue. I need an angle lol got one? PS Bear is an awesome name for a Great Pyrenees.

Originally posted by colonelblake
i dont think its actually living in that part of the forest but it might be moving across that street that seperates the bigger forest. do you know any of your neighbors that live on that street? ask them if theyve seen anything

Yes, I think it just comes for the safe water and food. The vast forest across the road is where it would live if anywhere. I think only 2-3 houses are along that road however for miles. It's just mass wilderness on the right and a local park and forest on the left. It would be a strategic place for a trail cam tho.

reply to post by TheLegend


If you are in school, you can tell the local people you are doing research for a paper on local folklore for your area. That way they can tell you stories they may have heard, it may lead to them telling you personal stories too.

Just one idea...

Your dog sounds awesome....great hybrid combo.

Des

I beheld two squatches during a three day camping/hiking trip with some Shawnee Indians. To them it's a spiritual experience...and when you actually behold such a fabled creature, without fear and immersed in nature, it really is such a special experience that you wouldn't (shouldn't) care about trying to "prove" it to others. Personally, I would want them to remain elusive for their own safety. They go through great measures to remain alive and secretive, like burying their dead and piling boulders and vegetation atop the graves. I don't tell anywhere where I saw them exactly or under what conditions. Didn't even bother photographing them (not like anyone would believe it anyway).... And it would have seemed pretty embarrassing and disrespectful to have taken a photo at that time. I would have been terrified if I was alone, but the Shawnee I was with were confident and it almost seemed like they had a mutual, respectful relationship with the things.

"There is your Big man standing there, ever waiting, ever present, like the coming of a new day," Oglala Lakota Medicine Man Pete Catches km told Mathiessen. "He is both spirit and real being, but he can also glide through the forest, like a moose with big antlers, as though the trees weren't there... I know him as my brother... I want him to touch me, just a touch, a blessing, something I could bring home to my sons and grandchildren, that I was there, that I approached him, and he touched me."

Ray Owen, son of a Dakota spiritual leader from Prairie Island Reservation in Minnesota, told a reporter from (the) Red Wing (Minnesota) Republican Eagle, "They exist in another dimension from us, but can appear in this dimension whenever they have a reason to. See, it's like there are many levels, many dimensions. When our time in this one is finished, we move on to the next, but the Big Man can go between. The Big Man comes from God. He's our big brother, kind of looks out for us. Two years ago, we were going downhill, really self-destructive. We needed a sign to put us back on track, and that's why the Big Man appeared".

Ralph Gray Wolf, a visiting Athapaskan Indian from Alaska, told the reporter, "In our way of beliefs, they make appearances at troubled times", to help troubled Indian communities "get more in tune with Mother Earth". Bigfoot brings "signs or messages that there is a need to change, a need to cleanse."

The Hopi elders say that the increasing appearances of Bigfoot are not only a message or warning to the individuals or communities to whom he appears, but to humankind at large. As Mathiessen puts it, they see Bigfoot as "a messenger who appears in evil times as a warning from the Creator that man's disrespect for His sacred instructions has upset the harmony and balance of existence." To the Hopi, the "big hairy man" is just one form that the messenger can take.

And more here

PS if the squatch growled then it was a defensive gesture because it didn't know the investigator. They can chuck stones too, but don't like harming people. It probably feels comfortable with you since you've been putting food out there for so long and has probably watched you several times doing it. I would risk making contact but not right now because it's probably agitated and may not come back for a while.

I really like the details you added to the thread.

I consider myself a Bigfoot/skunkape skeptic, although I do have an open mind and appreciate your attention to details and well laid out thread.

Star and flag from junkie.

I will stay tuned for updates. Keep up the good work.

On another note, I go camping a lot and always joke around with my kids to watch out for Bigfoot. If I actually saw one or had an experience I would probably crap myself.

Bigfoot doesn't seem to like most cameras since they makes noises it can hear. Infra red is a light it can see and so it avoids trail cams which use infra red mechanisms. Besides all that this Bigfoot has seen you out and around and knows what you are doing. If you put out a trail cam he will probably know exactly where you put it since he saw you put it there.
If you travel in the wooded area do not wear a weapon since Bigfoot knows what those do. It knows their purpose is to defend you from big old scary monsters who might hurt you but that is your fear not his. Bigfoot fears that you might accidently shoot him and that would not be good. Most Bigfoot encounters are not accidental - Bigfoot purposefully allows you to see or hear him. If he acts aggressively - it is to tell you to go away this is his territory. If he tosses a rock your way he purposefully misses hitting you. It may be that his family is in the area and he is very protective of them - not unlike humans. Humans with guns tend to shoot at whatever scares them and or at anything that they don't quite get what it is - take the recent instance of the relative who shot a little girl in a skunk outfit for an early Halloween party. She is in hospital recovering from gun shot wounds.
Like humans Bigfoot is attracted to unusual displays like fireworks or even Halloween blow up figures that light up. His response was like an 'Ooooohhh! surprise. Bigfoot can be huge and so his vocalizations are loud to us. Their chest vibrates with the sounds.
One time I heard a Bigfoot make a deep booming-growling-farting noise - it was so loud I thought it was within ten feet of me. I had just gotten to a trail that forked. One going left and one going right. The noise was to the left. I went by the right fork. After we had traveled for about ten minutes along this trail we came upon elk tracks going in the same direction as we were going and we could hear the elk about 200 feet ahead of us scattering through the woods to get away from us and or Bigfoot. Originally we had seen a heard of deer in a pasture which is why we followed the trail to begin with. It was hunting season so both of us had guns and deer tags. After a while we gave up and went back to the truck and drove to a different location - I was very glad we had left the that area.
On you tube you can hear all kinds of animal noises that they make regularly - none of them came anywhere close to what I heard other than Bigfoot noises. Not even basso profundo singers can get that deep a voice. It was deep E below deep E below deep E and louder than a band's speakers can get when standing right next to them.
In the long ago here in North America there were tribes of giant people and tribes of Bigfoot. The giants were cannibalistic and even the Native Americans fought against them. Bigfoot was gentle in comparison. Needless to say white man helped to destroy the giants but Bigfoot were more intelligent and found ways of hiding from people - with good reason!
Lately there have been massive intrusions into the forests to find, photograph and even kill Bigfoot to prove its existence. Lucky are the ones who actually get a glimpse of Bigfoot. He is very elusive and it is with reason that they fear fatal confrontations with mankind.

It sounds like a lower pitch Tornado siren. Each of the of "howls" sound identical.

reply to post by TheLegend


I've always wondered what would happen if you placed near the food friendly drawings of the bigfoot and you interacting. Might be a way to habituate the bigfoot and get it to communicate with you directly, since the drawings might get him to think you are friendly and not one of the dangerous humans.

Really interested to find out what spooked the BFRO researcher when he ran out of the woods. Let us know. Will be checking this thread for updates.