YEAR: 2001

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: March

STATE: California

COUNTY: Modoc County

NEAREST TOWN: Alturas

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 299

OBSERVED: I heard a very strange, and very eery (stand your hair on end) kind of "howl". I know it was no coyote, wolf or mountain lion as some would like to convince me of. Just what it was I don't know but I know it was not very far away from me. I couldn't see what it was or exactly where it was. I live in Alturas, Ca. I have no idea exactly what I'm supposed to put in this report but I've not heard this "howl" again. When I heard this, I was going down to close my gate. My dog (pit bull) came with me as always but stopped about half way down the hill. I called him but when we heard this "howl" for the second time he turned and ran to the house and when I got back up the hill, he was as far back in his dog house as he could get. This is strange for him as he thinks he is the worst thing in the community and really not afraid of anything. I don't know what else to tell you except it was really an eery kind of howl and not anything like I've ever heard before. We have a lot of dogs in this part of Modoc Estates and at that particular time, not even one was barking like usual.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: late night

ENVIRONMENT: Pine forest

Follow-up investigation report:

Talked with the witness by phone. The following details can be added to the report:
--about 30 years ago in the San Gabriel Canyon, near Morris Dam, in Southern California, the witness heard a similar howl. She had not heard that sound again until this current event;
--during the Southern California event, as well as this current report, just before the howls, she felt that something had been watching her;
--her house is in the county (well outside city limits), on a tree covered hill;
--she felt the howl came from the other end of the hill from where she was;
--she had a high powered flash light with her and tried to see what made the sound, but saw nothing;
--what most alarmed her was her dog's behavior; and
--she did not look for footprints or other evidence, because she was scared and didn't think she would know what footprints or other disturbances would look like.