YEAR: 2004

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 24th

STATE: Texas

COUNTY: San Jacinto County

NEAREST TOWN: Coldspring

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 150

OBSERVED: It was the evening before thanksgiving and as we have done for many years our extended family went camping near our parents retirement home in Coldspring. There had been very bad weather the day before, bad enough that we considered not going; it was very cold, very wet, the power was out....the firewood was wet, yuck. This camping area is in the Sam Houston National Forest near Cleveland; it feels as though you are right in town because it's only a few minutes drive to the grocery store, but it's a very small store, and it takes a good half hour to get there on little country roads (sorry, I don't know their numbers). There is a small lake and a lot of marsh in the area. We set camp in the afternoon and then drove to pick up some family members at IAH at about 7pm; we then cooked dinner, sat by the smoky fire for a bit and decided to retire to our tents since it was quite cool and we had a bit to do the next day. My daughter, my dog, and myself waited up a bit in our tent for my husband to come in. After about 10 minutes of waiting and talking about how cold it was we turned off the tent light (yes, we have one of those battery powered clamp-on lights), the dog laid down on his dog bed and we were quiet.

Within the next minute or less there were heavy footsteps quite near the tent, then a very quiet mis-step in some loose gravel; there followed a quiet grunt/growl. I said, "oh, there he is finally," and my daugheter said "uh huh." Well, nothing happened. No husband unzipping the tent, no dog looking up expectantly, nothing. About twenty minutes later my husband came in and we went to sleep. Some time later, minutes or hours I can't honestly tell, we were wakened by a very loud cry, exactly like the "whoops" on the BFRO page.

Most of the folks in camp that nite didn't hear anything as it only occured once; something however woke up myself and the two other adult women in the camp and was followed by the "whoop"; as we were fairly far apart there was no talking between the tents. My daughter reports being wakened and hearing a "mechanical" sound the same night but did not hear the cry.

ALSO NOTICED: We saw nothing, though I did look in the morning.

OTHER WITNESSES: Myself and the two other adult women in the camp. Making camp, cooking dinner.

OTHER STORIES: Yes, strange sounds and smells, sometimes overwhelming odors. Wood knocking and inappropriate bird calls. Possible prints and hairs, a lot of that feeling of being watched.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 11pm, cold and wet

ENVIRONMENT: There is a small lake and a lot of marsh in the area.

Follow-up investigation report:

I talked to the witness several times about this incident and have been to the site quite a few times. The area has been one of study for BFRO researchers for the last several months. Further, it has a history of reports of aural and visual encounters with creatures that meet the description of sasquatches.

The witness candidly described the whoops that she and others heard as sounding identical to the recorded whoops on the BFRO site. The vocalizations made quite an impression on the witness, as she went from being a skeptical professional to a credulous professional. She had heard of other encounters in the area, but tended to dismiss them. After this incident, she began to seriously ponder the validity of these animals, as the whoops she heard were close and demanding of attention.

Others in the witness's family have heard the so-called "Ohio Howl" in the area. Another field researcher and I also heard the howl just a few miles south of where the witness was camping. Both of us estimated that we were within 100 yards of the animal. It was loud and intimidating.

The witness, who was once a genuine skeptic, now thinks that there is perhaps a small group of these elusive animals who frequently pass through the area. She bases her assumption on her experience and the experiences of family members and others.