YEAR: 2005

SEASON: Spring

DATE: 10

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Josephine County

LOCATION DETAILS: Take Carberry Creek road from Applegate Lake west to Sturgis Fork Road then west then NFD 1020 to NFD 600.

NEAREST TOWN: Applegate

NEAREST ROAD: NFD 600, Trail 903

OBSERVED: I was just browsing Google earth tonight and clicked on some place marks that turned out to be links to your big foot sighting page. The place marks were on the Big Tree loop at the Oregon Caves and it perked my interest because I have ridden my dirt bike through those mountains and made it to the caves from the Applegate Lake side. After reading those reports I think I should share with you guys something that happened to me on the Sturgis Creek trail.

Sturgis Creek trail is at the base of mount Elijah which is probably 2 miles to the east of the Oregon Caves. The trail will take you from mount Elijah all the way to the Big Tree loop where you can then walk down to the cave area. The first time I went to the trail was in mid spring of 2005 and I got my truck stuck in the snow. I tried to get it out and decided I should probably walk back down and find a phone unfortunately not knowing that it was 14 miles to the nearest house with a phone.

As I started walking down the road something started screaming / howling from the trail head area behind me. I know what mountain lions, wolves and coyotes sound like and this was nothing like that. The only thing I can compare the sound to be the howling I’ve heard in the werewolf movies. It sounded like a deep screaming howl, and it echoed off the valley walls very loudly. It repeated probably seven times, and I was getting really nervous. The most distinctive thing about the sound is it didn’t die out like you hear with wolf and coyote howls, it would end abruptly and start again.

Luckily I had my 45 caliber carbine rifle with me and I had the safety off for at least four miles after hearing that. I was pretty freaked for a while. I walked backwards for at least a mile and was constantly watching my back after that. After reading the reports from 2000 in the cave area I think there’s something around there, I just hope I don’t run into it especially if it’s screaming like that.

ALSO NOTICED: no

OTHER WITNESSES: Just me.

OTHER STORIES: Just the reports from 2000

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Around 2:00 PM

ENVIRONMENT: It sounded like it was coming from the woods on the side of the mountain. It had to be on the side of the mountain up fairly high I believe to project as loud as it did.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

I.M. Called me on the afternoon of July 9, 2006, and we went over the facts again.

The very loud screaming and growling started when he was about 300 yards from his struck truck. He thought those sounds were coming on the up side of the mountain about ¼ mile away as he was walking on that Sturgis Creek trail.