YEAR: 1996

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 26

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Pend Oreille County

LOCATION DETAILS: 5-miles South of Ione, one mile Northeast of the river.

NEAREST TOWN: Ione

OBSERVED: October 1996. While deer hunting with brother, observed two sets of clearly defined footprints in mud. Prints were human in shape, with slightly different characteristics. Five toes, proportionally wider than a human footprint. One print was about 18" in lenth (about 7" wide), the other was about 10" by 4". Prints were so well defined that skin texture and hair imprints could be seen. *Note: Brother and I are both very familiar with both Grizzly and Black Bear prints. These prints were neither. Five minutes after discovering the prints, a very loud pounding began in the densely wooded area downhill from our position. Sound was similar to that of a base drum, or a large rock on a hollow log. We estimated the sound to be coming from no more than 50' away, and bagan moving away. 300-yards from the first set of prints, we came upon a third set of prints which appeared (in size) to fit somewhere between the first two sets.

*Note: My brother and I have no doubt that what we witnessed were sasquatch tracks. The noise we heard remains a mystery, although it is forever etched in my memory. Feel free to disclose our sighting as you wish. I do ask that you use only my first name.

ALSO NOTICED: Banging noise: see above.

OTHER WITNESSES: Hunting Whitetail Deer.

ENVIRONMENT: Generally: 5 miles south of Ione, 1 mile north of river. First two sets found on old 'dozer logging road, the area was surrounded by Douglas Fir forest (~50-years' growth), and on a moderately sloping hillside (~7-10%). Two miles to nearest road, 1000 yards from fresh logging site. Second set was 300 yards east in thickly wooded jack-firs (15'-25' fir trees), on level plateau on same hillside.

A & G References: Pg. 119, B5