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Geographical Index > United States > Oregon > Josephine County > Report # 24892
 
 Report # 24892  (Class B)
Submitted by witness B.H. on Monday, October 13, 2008.
Father and son hear strange sounds while camping near Oregon Caves

YEAR: 2006

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: 21,monday

STATE: Oregon

COUNTY: Josephine County

LOCATION DETAILS: Take hwy 238 out of Medford and head towards Jacksonville, follow Hwy238 out towards Ruch. Turn left on upper Applegate Rd. follow to Carberry Creek Rd, that is also called county 777 Rd. Follow to the junction of FR 10 (Thompson Creek rd.) and FR 1005 and FR 1020. Follow road 1005 all the way to end of the road, which ends at Obrien Creek.

Trail # 900 Trail head. Follow Trail # 900 to trail junction #1207, here is a sign that tells you how to get to the Greyback Snow Shelter at the fork of 900 and 1207. Follow foot path to shelter and you will see the other trail/path that will take you to the meadow where the Krause cabin used to stand. My son and I would be honored to take an investigator to the spot before the winter weather hits, if you would like.

NEAREST TOWN: Applegate

NEAREST ROAD: FR 1005

OBSERVED: I write this email with a little apprehension of what my son and I heard in late August 2006. My 16 year old son (at the time) and I were on a three day hiking trip in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon.

We were hiking on trail # 900, to a snow shelter cabin we've been going to for about the last 10-12 years at the time. It is called Greyback shelter off of trail #900 or Obrien Creek Trail. The entire area is wilderness and you can reach the Oregon caves from the same main trail # 1207, also called the Siskiyou/Rogue division trail. On the southwest side of the cabin there is a huge meadow where there used to be another cabin built in the 40's by cattlemen.

On the third and final morning we woke up in the shelter where we had camped. And, I had to answer natures call, my son was just getting woke up when I told him I would be back in a few minutes. I walked to the meadow where there is an old outhouse type thing just to the back of the old cabin that stood there, and well... After, I had finished, I remember feeling like I was being watched, and I walked toward the path that connected the two cabins in the meadow. The meadow is beautiful, so it being about 8:00 - 8:30 AM, I stood at the base of the meadow to enjoy the scenery.

Then, above me I heard a screeching howl/guttural like sound, that lasted a couple of seconds and ended abruptly, and began again, it seemed like it went on for about 2-3 minutes. I stood there looking up to the area I heard the sound and could not see anything, which was weird because it is relatively open meadow with rolls and dips. I didn't recognize the animal making the sound. Like so many of your reports that I have read, I'm a hunter, hiker outdoorsy kind of a guy. And, I had a hard time identifying the sound, still can't. But, it kind of freaked me out.

I pulled my pistol and quickly, cautiously went to the cabin were my son was, and We never go to mountains without a firearm, He had heard the sound as well, and he had pulled his weapon, he knew it was me coming I was calling him to let him know it was me, as I came around the cabin I saw my son looking in the same direction as I had when we both heard the sound, he was as white as a sheet. We were both very visible shaken.

He then asked me "DAD, what the hell was that?" I know my son is a teenager, I know he cusses, but not around me at the time. We ate and uneasy breakfast and packed our gear and headed out, a lot earlier than we would normally. All the way down the trail back to my truck we constantly check our back trail, it only being about a mile and half down and out of the area it was probably my longest hike. We have not been back to the cabin since, and that was just over 2 years ago.

I would also like to add that the sounds we heard that day are similar to two of your sound clips 1973 Puyallup and the 1978 Snohomish county whoops/ howls. But, with a little more guttural grunt that ended abruptly, it did not taper off like a coyote, fox, wolf or elk; it just stopped and started again.

My name is B. H., and I lived in Medford, Oregon. Think what you will of me and my son, but we know what we heard that day and we do not know what made the call. We are no longer on the fence of "do" or "do not" we believe it was a Sasquatch.

ALSO NOTICED: Nothing other thans the sounds.

OTHER WITNESSES: 2, myself and my son.

OTHER STORIES: I have heard stories about bigfoot in and around this area, but until I heard this, I dismissed it as just stories.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was in broad daylight between 8-8:30 AM.

ENVIRONMENT: Mountainous wilderness, away from roads. You are in the sticks.

A & G References: Oregon DeLorme Atlas, Page 19, Index of D - 6.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge:

I called the witness, B.H., on the afternoon of February 25, 2009. The witness was very credible in the retelling of his encounter, which took place two years ago in a wilderness area of the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon. This witness was very cooperative, and sent along several photos of the area.

I asked B.H; "How far away were the strange, unidentified sounds from your location, and where was your son in relationship to you?" He described their relative locations as an off-angled pyramid; B.H. located at the left corner of the base, his son located at the right corner of the base (1/4 mile apart), and whatever it was making those strange sounds higher up toward the ridge, about 50 to 60 yards somewhere in front of him and to his right.

At first he thought it sounded like a coyote bark, or maybe even a bear making a "woofing" sound. He then realized that it was not one of those creatures, but something else all together. He couldn't put the screeching/guttural/howling sounds to anything that he was familiar with; and he has been outdoors for most of his life backpacking and hunting. He thought his son could be in trouble, and he took off in that direction as fast as possible.

There were four to five very loud screeching/guttural/howling sounds heard over several minutes. The sounds lasted three to four seconds each time. B.H. decided to go to where his son was located. As he was leaving he heard one last moaning sound. These sounds were also heard by the son, causing him to be concerned.

Two days prior, his son (L.H.) found what he thought was a large bed about 300 yards in front and to his left of where B.H. first heard those strange sounds. B.H. never saw this bedding area.

The following is a hand-written message from the witness regarding the bedding area, as stated by his son: "I did talk to my son, L.H., and asked him about that area we talked about. He said it was a large 6 -7 foot radius in and among brush and branches. The bed itself was completely void of any debris, and it was against a large fir tree. He said he could remember where it was, and I've included it with this email. According to L.H. it was approx. 200-300 yards up the meadow and to the left, about 300 yards below the ridge line. And, almost a perfect 45 degrees from the location of the calls or vocalizations we heard. Hope that helps."


Meadow where incident happened.

Note: The sounds came from the trees that are located just up and to the left of this witness as he stands in this photo, at about 50 to 60 yards up and behind him. His son's location at the time when the sounds were made was approximately 1/4 mile away, in a straight line to the witness' left.

This area is located just a few miles due east of the Oregon Caves, and is close to the Bigfoot Trap that was built in the Siskiyou National Forest in 1974. The witness' directions were very precise, and I found the location as mentioned in the report on my topographical maps. The witness and his son are now confirmed believers in sasquatch creatures as being real.

About BFRO Investigator Richard Hucklebridge: