YEAR: 1976

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: September

STATE: California

COUNTY: Los Angeles County

LOCATION DETAILS: About 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile south of the West Fork River on a road that paralells the road that comes off of hwy 39 and goes back to Cogswell Resevour. The road comes off of hwy 39 also but goes westward and if I remember right it comes out in the Red Box or Rincon area The exact location of my occurance is: Lat=34.175N Long=117.800W

NEAREST TOWN: Azusa

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 39

OBSERVED: In 1976 while night hunting for bobcats on the fringe of the San Gabriel Wilderness Area I called in BF while using a dying rabbit call. I heard it scream so loud that the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I got goose bumps all over my whole body. I have been hunting now for 34 years and besides hunting 8 of the 11 western states I've also hunted the deep interior of Mexico and I have never heard anything like that before! It was the only time I have truly been frightened!

Even though I had a high powered rifle I knew by the shear volume of the Blood Curdeling Scream that what ever it was it was too big to kill with my .243 cal. It sounded like it was mad at me and kept moving to my right trying to get down wind of me. I figured that my very powerful Aircraft Landing Light that I was using to hunt with must have blinded him and hurt his eyes because as he was circling me trying to wind me he never looked my way thus allowing me to catch his glowing eyes.

OTHER WITNESSES: Only my brother who was my hunting partner that night. He was out of my truck and down in the ravine in Browns Gulch (on the opposite side of the road from BF) picking up a Grey Fox that I just called in and he shot while we were on that hunting stand

OTHER STORIES: Yes. Two other reports on the internet. One was just a mile south of mine at Morris Dam and another about 4 or 5 air miles north of mine in Cooper canyon.
Both were in the 70's also. What I find interseting is that the Latitude was about 6 to 7 air miles from each other,But the longitude was only about 1/4 mile difference in all 3 cases. Does this mean that BF is influenced by the magnetic forces of the earths rotation? Interesting thought! Homeing Pigeons use the earths magnetisum for directions so why can't BF do the same.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Clear wheather, 11:00 p.m. during a new moon phase. only lighting was starlite

ENVIRONMENT: He was on Pine Mtn. at about 4,000 ft alt. Pine trees were predominate but on the other side of the road was a deep canyon called Browns Gulch which led down almost all the way to civilazation as you could see the city lights. Browns Gulch is a transition area with mostly Chapperal, Sage and Oak brush and maybe a few catcus almost like High Dessert terrian.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

I talked with Patrick M. tonight, and we discussed his sound encounter in the San Gabriel Wilderness Area of Los Angeles County in 1976. Patrick has spent many hours calling for varmints and is very much aware of the different sounds that most animals make at night. The screams that this animal made that night in 1976, just about scared him to death. Because of this encounter, Patrick is in the process of seeking out an explanation for them, and he has spent a lot of time trying to learn as much as is possible about the sasquatch animal.

I asked Patrick the following questions:
1. How many times did the animal make the screaming sound? Patrick said, "that it made a similar screaming sound three different times as it moved along the ridge trying to get down wind of him."
2. About how far away was the animal when it first made the screaming sound? "He said it was approximately 200 yards or closer, from his location on the ridge."
3. Did you ever smell anything strange? "No! Probably because there was a light wind blowing."
4. Can you describe the scream? "They were hard to describe, but he will never forget them. The screams sounded similar to the Ohio and the Sierra sound bites, that are on the net, but much louder and a lot more threatening." He knows that the screams came from a very large animal.
5. Did your high power light ever light up its eyes? If it happened he didn't see any reflection from any eyes. But, it may have blinded the creature, because when he turned the light on, that's when it made its first scream.
6. Did it ever make any other sounds when it moved down the ridge? Not that he could tell.