YEAR: 1964

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: ?

STATE: California

COUNTY: Ventura County

LOCATION DETAILS: Pine Mountain campground.

NEAREST TOWN: Ojai, Ca.

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 33

OBSERVED: An unknown ape-like creature walked upright out of the thick patch of bushes and stood looking, for several seconds, up and down the fire lane. I cocked the hammer back on the .32 caliber carbine, shouldered the weapon, and began to press the trigger. Something in my mind ordered me to not shoot the creature! I call it Devine intervention.

I asked myself if this was a bear? No, I instantly decided that it didn’t look like a bear because there was not a long, protruding snout jutting out from the face. Besides, bears were not legal game in this area of California. It certainly was not a buck, never mind the fact that if it was a deer there were no horns on this animal. I immediately told myself it looked like a “monkey man”.

I can hear myself today saying these words out loud: “What the hell is a monkey doing out here in the mountains”? In the meantime, as I made the move to shoulder the carbine, and spoke those words, the big animal turned towards me from the waste up.

Looking over the sights of the little carbine, I observed this being to be about 7 or 8 feet tall, with well-muscled, long hairy arms hanging down to the waist. The hands looked almost human; I remember noticing these things as I slowly put down the gun.

This creature was completely covered in long dark, brown hair, from head to feet and appeared to have a huge, barrel chest. Some other striking features that I noticed were a flat, square jawed face; a flat, dark looking nose; no noticeable hair on the face; and a “sloping fore head”. I don’t remember seeing any sign of ears on the animal – too much long hair around the side of the head – and there was no discernable neck.

Since I had no idea what this creature was, I’ve always been glad to have instantly decided NOT TO SHOOT IT! Thank God for protective Angles? The other thing I thought about, at the time, was this could be some idiot in a “monkey suit” playing a prank on some hunter like me. But, then, only a “village idiot” would dress up in a monkey costume and roam around the mountains during deer hunting season.

As I contemplate the incident today, I realize now that this was a Bigfoot! And, it had both seen and heard me. I could not tell what sex it was because of all the long, dark hair around the body. However, now that I have seen numerous showings of the Patterson film in which “Pattie” was documented, I must guesstimate it was male in gender?

Within 10-15 seconds, as quickly as the creature had entered my field of view, it calmly made about two strides across the open fire lane, parted some tall bushes with well-muscled, uplifted hairy arms, and disappeared into the thick bushes.

Right away I noticed that it was now standing inside the screen of thick brush along side of the fire land like it was watching me. I could readily discern the huge dark shape, as it stood there for possibly a minute or so. Apparently, it was looking at me sitting up the hill on the ground. I didn’t know at the time whether it was going to attack me or leave. I kept the little carbine in the “ready position” across my chest and slowly stood up to get a better look at this unknown animal.

I decided at the moment when I stood up that, that if this thing would “charge” me, I was going to run back up the hill to my dad - unless it got too close to me. Then, and only then, would I consider shooting the animal! I admit it – I was scared fit to wet my pants. I now recall seeing the bushes shake violently and the dark shape stepped out of sight.

I slowly sat down again and listened to its rustling footsteps as the huge “ape-man” descended down the hill away from me. Boy was I glad it was gone. Now the shakes started. If I had been smoking in those days, I would have lit a cigarette and probably smoked the whole pack.

Finally, after about 15-minutes, when the stillness was broken by singing birds and scurrying chipmunks, I got up enough nerve to carefully go down to the spot where I had seen this creature. Was I dreaming? No, because there, in the loose dirt, I saw a couple of huge, human-like, barefooted tracks where it had crossed the fire line.

Then, a raunchy odor hit my nose. I remember thinking it smelled like a horrendous fart. In fact, at the time, I decided to call it the “Fart Creature”. I know, that is not a very endearing name for such a marvelous being, but that’s how my scared brain was working that fateful morning.

Deciding that now would be a good time to leave the area; I quickly walked back up the hill to where I had been sitting and stood there for a few minutes. Clearly, I had seen something unexplained. Now I had to decide if I should tell my dad or just keep quiet. To tell you the truth, I was afraid to tell my father because I knew he would never believe me. I thought he would most certainly take my hunting privileges away for seeing “buggers in the hills”.

I began slowly walking back up the firebreak towards my father in the piney flats above me. I remember now that he had asked me why I had left my deer stand so early. I think I replied that I was hungry and bored at not seeing a buck right after daylight. He probably chewed me out for leaving so early, but, at least, I didn’t incur his wrath for telling a “bugger” story!

Honestly, for many years I forgot about this incident. I had to go back to military school the next week and the ensuing years later my life was filled with other things. Of course, I really never did totally forget about seeing a Sasquatch! It was only later on in life, after getting married, serving in the military, and leaving California for Florida, that this sighting began to trouble my conscious.

How I kept this a secret for this many years I will never know. I guess I was frightened that people would think I was crazy? Usually, I’m the blabby type, sharing plenty of secrets with almost anybody, especially family or friends. But this deal, oh no – I kept these cards close – too close for too long, really!

I swear to all persons reading this report that the facts documented here are recalled to the best of my ability after 44 years and one month in the past!
____________R.R.R._____________

Friday, September 12, 2008


p.s. The photo of a Bigfoot creature from the “Patterson film” looks very much like that being I observed in August 1964.

ALSO NOTICED: I must speak with an investigator prior to ANY release of this information!

OTHER WITNESSES: None!

OTHER STORIES: No.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Early dawn!

ENVIRONMENT: Mountain "saddle back" ridge...close to the Pine Mountain campground.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

After talking with this witness by phone on the 12th of September, 2008, the witness, “R.R.R.,” answered most of the questions in his report, and so after 44 years, only a little more can be added to this report. The Observation section of this report was updated by the witness, and that took place before we talked.

The creature was about 50 yards away from the witness, and it was between him and the sun as it was rising. He said that it was a dark bodied thing, as it walked upright out of the thick patch of bushes and stood looking, for a moment, up and down the firebreak. He watched it as it walked across a fire cut which was below him, and down a mountain ridge that he was facing. The creature took two strides to cross that clearing. The firebreak was about 20 feet across.

This animal also observed this witness, because R.R.R. spoke out loud when he first seen the creature enter into the firebreak. The creature then stopped, turned and looked at him, and then turned and continued to cross the firebreak. The creature then stopped just inside the brush on the other side, because the witness could see its dark form in the brush, and it began to watch this young man for approximately one minute. Then it went crashing off down the mountain, because the witness could hear it moving through the trees and brush; pushing them to one side or the other as it continued on down the mountain.

What would you estimate its weight to have been? “I believe somewhere between 500 to 700 lbs.”

Did you see any facial and body features? “Yes”, as described above in the witness’ report.

Did you notice the arms and/or hands? "Yes, the arms were long and the hands looked like ours, but the palms of those hands were light brown in color."

Describe the smell. “It was a very strong, wet animal smell, something much stronger and raunchier than a wet dog.”

Did you ever measure those two human looking tracks in the dirt? “Never measured, but estimated them in the range of 16 to 17 inches long and real wide, much wider than my size nine boots. One of the tracks indicated that it had five toes, which were very clear.”

This witness was very credible and believable in the retelling of his encounter, and I do believe that he saw a Sasquatch while deer hunting on that mountain during the early morning hours. Please, be advised, that most folks wouldn’t have had the courage to check out where an animal like this had just disappeared into the bush.

Update: I just received an e-mail message from this witness on the 6th of October 2008, stating that he just finished reading a new Bigfoot book, 'The Hoopa Project'. The following was his statement to me: "I have found what I think is the best representative sketch of the creature I saw back in 1964 = Romeo's sketch, page 206! It is pretty darn close to what I remember seeing so long ago, anyway. R.R.R."

This could be considered fairly conclusive information/evidence on what was seen by this witness during his sighting in Ventura County, California back in 1964.

About BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

• Four years in the United States Navy, 1955-1959 (Combat Air Crewman on P4M Mercator Patrol Aircraft)
• 37 years in the aerospace industry: 33 years with General Electric at Edwards AFB; More than 5 years with the Northrop Grumman Corp. at Edwards AFB (Flight Line Mechanic on the B-2 Bomber).
• During 20 of those years at Edwards he was a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the County of Los Angeles.