YEAR: 1988

SEASON: Summer

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Sarasota County

LOCATION DETAILS: Sarasoto County built a doctors office or dentist office there in front of pond about a year after.

NEAREST TOWN: Venice

NEAREST ROAD: Capri Ilse & US 41

OBSERVED: Me and my brother was fishing in a local pond for bass on a john boat in the evening and we were just talking back and forth when this thing non human or not a bear bent over from the edge of the palmettos and stuck both hands in water and was drinking from its hands . It stared at us like it hadn't a care in the world . Eyes were dark looking had reddish brown hair that had a shine to it in the sun .Looked to be about 7' or taller . Had us pretty scared as my car was parked just 100 feet we had seen it . It never made a sound when it came in to drink and no sounds when it left . We hurried up and left there never to go back and didn't tell but a couple people in the past years. It is something that has no explaination so we just try to forget it . Never tried to harm us or make any contact but the thought of it still raises the hair on my neck. It had really large hands and it kinda sit on its legs when crouched down there was a musky odor like a deer in rut smell. Just happened so fast been hard to remember it only was there for a couple minutes after seeing us. Thank god.

ALSO NOTICED: It was a unusal incident never stuck around after the incident and never went back to area.

OTHER WITNESSES: My brother

OTHER STORIES: No, wanted you to know in case there was other reports from the same area.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Daytime around 4:00 or 5:00 pm
Fair conditions sunny,humid, clear

ENVIRONMENT: Built up area with woodlands in the back of all the complexes and tall pines and alot of palmettos.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:

I talked to the witness and his wife by phone. He has been a hunter and fisherman most of his life. He added in the phone conversation that he believes rocks were in their direction as they headed for shore. He and his brother hastily threw the john-boat into the hatchback as they fled.

They observed it from about 60 yards as it crouched like a baseball catcher and drank from its large hands the way a human might do. Hands and face were a dirty, leathery brown and its build was stocky with broad shoulders. Eyes were round and dark and looked at them as if it couldn't care less. Comparing it to the palmettos, the estimated height was at least 7 ft. They never returned to this pond that they fished quite often, full of bass and crappie. Very scared by this encounter, he does not feel lucky or fortunate to be a witness.

About BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:

• Worked as an Assistant to a Circuit Court Judge in Florida for thirteen years
• An avid outdoorswoman, growing up in the UP of Michigan on a family-owned fishing and hunting resort
• Certified Visual Tracker, Level 1
• Attended and assisted with numerous public and private BFRO expeditions
• She and the Florida BFRO organized South Florida Expedition 2008, North Florida Expedition 2008 and Central Florida Expedition in 2009.
  
• She and the Michigan BFRO organized the Lower-Michigan Expedition in 2011, Michigan UP Expeditions in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 and Wisconsin 2018
• BFRO Secretary for almost 20 years