YEAR: 2008

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: February

DATE: 2/15/2008

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Clay County

LOCATION DETAILS: keep going straight of bronco about 30 minutes and turn right at a fork and keep going till you pass a creek

NEAREST TOWN: middleburg

NEAREST ROAD: bronco road

OBSERVED: Me and a friend were coming back from indian ford park in jennings state forest by hattie nolan road. As we were walking back to my house we saw it standing approximatly 40 yds away. It stood at least 7 ft it looked like i would come up to his head. Our first instinct was to run. After days of keeping silent I talked to my teacher Mr.David Wright. who is a part of the bfro. I told him about our incident and he handled the situation professional. A few days later Mr. wright and i then went to site where it happened and he took photos of twisted trees that littered the place.Then as we were walking back he performed one of their calls and with in seconds we got a reply.We tried it 3 more times and got responses from different directions.And the really weird thing was that ive never heard an animal sound like that

ALSO NOTICED: just the calls that david wright made and recieved

OTHER WITNESSES: 1 my friend jacob xxxxxxxx

OTHER STORIES: yes a road away off apalossa and off hattie nolan

TIME AND CONDITIONS: late around 6 oclock

ENVIRONMENT: pine forest with a little everglades look to it

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator David Wright:

This young man gave this account to me in person. It was my belief at the time that he was telling the truth based on his body language, which included significant hand tremors. The witness even sheepishly admitted wetting himself during his retreat from the scene.

Late in the afternoon after the report, this witness took me to the site, which is in an area where I have made several recordings of knocks, heard calls, and had investigated another sighting which is on the BFRO site. On the return from the woods, I decided to stop and give a call, similar to the Florida Howl. Within seconds this call was returned by a long (about 6 seconds) deep howl which sounded very much like the Snohomish call. The witness nearly jumped out of his shoes. We waited about 45 seconds or so and I gave another call, which was immediately returned (within 2 seconds), though a bit fainter. Another call by me a few minutes later elicited no return. That next weekend I returned to this area with another BFRO investigator, where we sat for about 4 hours, from around 21:00 until around 01:00. During this time we did several wood-block knocks and a couple of whoops and calls. At around 22:00 we heard a distinct, clear, loud, high pitched gibbon-like whoop from behind us, on the other side of Black Creek; within 50 meters, by the sound. (This is in the Jennings State Forest). Within about 3-4 minutes, we heard the same whoop from about 30 degrees away from the first, to the north. Another minute or 2 later we heard the same call, though more faint, from about 80 degrees to the N of the first.

Here is his description of the creature that he encountered;
-It was at least 7' in height.
-Its shoulder width was 3 1/2' - 4' wide. He described the shoulder width as about from his one extended elbow to the other. Rib cage was described as "overwhelming".
-Hair was blackish-brown and shaggy, of about the length of a German Shepherd coat. Described as between hair and fur, shaggy, dirty, grungy, matted, and tangled.
-He noticed no odor.
-Facial features were noted as manly, short hair on the face (otter like) with some skin visible around cheeks.
-Eye color was described as dark, dog-like.
-Nose was small, pushed up, but wide.
-Skin color was black, gorilla like.
-Couldn't really describe lips, except that they were moving, like it might have been eating.
-Noticable brow ridge.
-Head was roundish and conish, and small for size of creature.
-No ears were visible.
-Creature was in a half squat when sighted; backed up and stood up all the way, whereupon witnesses fled.
-Neck was very short or not noticable.
-Arm length was long, almost to knees, human diameter but longer.
-Witness didn't remember hands, but focused on head and shoulders.
-Legs were described as wide and broad and massive. Short compared to torso.

It is the opinion of this investigator, based on the interview, subsequent calls and answers, followed by a late night foray into the same area that resulted in distinct ape-like calls, that this is a legitimate account of a class A encounter, followed by two possible class B encounters by the investigator(s).

About BFRO Investigator David Wright:

• Certified Florida Master Naturalist (U. of Florida)
  
• Visual Tracker, Level 1
• Teaches Biology, A.P. Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Science at a rural high school SE of Jacksonville
• See local TV interview with D. Wright
• Participated in the 2007 Private Florida Expedition [Click the video link on that page.], the 2007 South Carolina Expedition, the 2008 South Florida Expedition and assisted with the organization of the 2008 North Florida Expedition. Assisted with the organization of the 2009 Central Florida Expedition.