YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: February

DATE: 2/21/2000

STATE: Minnesota

COUNTY: Anoka County

LOCATION DETAILS: A small lake north of the Twin Cities Metro Area. This lake contains a large wooded island, and a large track of marsh/swamp land near-by. A nature park is located on the Western shore of the lake.

NEAREST TOWN: Centerville

NEAREST ROAD: Anoka County 14

OBSERVED: February 2000 my wife Jean and myself went for a walk with our 2 Labs. Something got our attention to look out across a small lake with an Island on it. Crossing the frozen lake was a tall man like person walking at a fast pace. Body was dark in color, almost black. Head was a lighter color brown with hair coming down to his shoulders.

When we first seen him he was about 350 yards away. He walked into cattails about 150 to 175 yards away. At time we could only see his shoulders and head. 2 Geese flew over honking and he turned his whole upper body to look at the Geese. He went into a wooded area and I lost sight of him.

I wanted to get a closer look but my wife was frightenned. So she went back to the truck. The really odd thing is my dogs would not go with me. I'm a avid hunter and my dogs are with me always, but not now. I went to the area of cattails but could not see over them. I'm 6' tall. The snow and ice were hard pack and I couldn't see prints. When Jean talks about it, it raises the hair on her neck. She didn't want me to report this for the safty of our visiter. But Its somthing I'll never forget.

ALSO NOTICED: Just the way HE turned his Whole Upper body to see the Geese. And His long Stide. My Dogs would not go with me. They acted nervous. That was the only time they did that.

OTHER WITNESSES: 2 witnesses -- me and my wife

OTHER STORIES: I heard of a report a week or so later, a sighting by the St. Croix River.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 8:30 to 9:30 am, bright sunny morning. Warm, we were looking Northeast. He was traveling Southeast to Northwest. Hardpack Snow

ENVIRONMENT: Low lands, swamp, broken woods.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Andy P.:

I spoke with the witness by phone. I can add the following:

He and his wife noticed the animal when it was about 350 yards away. It had rounded a point on the island and was walking North/Northeast on the lake, paralleling the island shore. It was walking on the ice, waist deep in cattails/reeds. As it angled into the island, it entered an area where the cattails were six feet tall (which came up to its upper chest, just below the shoulders). It then crossed to the island and disappeared into the trees.

The entire sighting lasted less than three minutes. The closest the animal came to the witnesses was about 150 yards. It covered a distance of approximately 300 yards during the duration of the sighting.

Immediately after the sighting, the witness went out on the lake alone and investigated the area where the animal had been. He found no prints in the hard ice pack.

The animal was very large, standing between seven to eight feet in height. Its upper body was massive and extremely muscular. He never saw below its waist because it was always in the cattails and reeds.

The cattails that it was walking though came up to the top of the witness's head, at six feet. The animal's shoulders and head were visible when it was moving through those cattails.

It was a very uniform black color, except for the long hair on its head that flowed onto its shoulders, which was brown. He estimated this hair to be six inches long.

He could not see a neck; the head sat directly on the massively muscled shoulders. The face was the same color as the body. It turned at the waist to look at a pair of geese.

It moved very fast. The witness said that there was no way he could have covered that distance at a walk the way it did. It was swinging its arms as it walked, but he never saw below its elbows. Its upper arms were long enough that the elbows and arms were hidden by the cattails.

He was amazed by the effect it had on his dogs. They are trained hunting dogs and spend a lot of time with him in the woods. When he went to check out the area, they would not go with him and retreated to the truck with his wife.

I asked him about the local terrain. There are bogs and broken woodlands running for many miles to the north of the sighting location. The island and connecting bogs to the north would make a good habitat.

The witness and his wife were obviously awestruck by what they had witnessed. His wife still doesn't like talking about it. He is certain that it was neither a human nor any other Minnesota mammal.

It is my opinion that he is a very credible and honest witness.

About BFRO Investigator Andy P.:

Andy P. lives in Minnesota. He is a professional writer with a degree in English and Biology. His interest dates back to his first sighting in 1985.

He attended the following BFRO expeditions:

- 2006 Wisconsin I
- 2007 Michigan
- 2008 Michigan
- 2008 Minnesota (private)
- 2009 Wisconsin
- 2009 Minnesota (organizer)