YEAR: 1996

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

STATE: Arkansas

COUNTY: Miller County

NEAREST TOWN: Fouke, Ar

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 71

OBSERVED: at the time i saw this i was driving an 18 wheeler on highway 71 south of fouke ark near the crossing of the sulpher river going north at around 1 am the headlights of my rig picked out what i thought wat a dead tree trunk about 6ft or so tall off the right side of the road next to the water. i saw eyes shining in the headlites and thought it must be an owl or something in the tree but as i got closer the "tree" walked off into the swamp i never saw anything so weird as i went by the place it had been something screemed load enough i could hear it over the sound of the truck with the windows closed and i sure wasn't going back to see what it was.

ALSO NOTICED: whaterver i saw it looked like a dead tree trunk at first if it hadn't moved i might have gone right by it and thought thats all it was it was dark colored and nothing but the eyes shining red got picked out by the headlites

OTHER WITNESSES: no one was in the truck but me and no one was on the road for quite a ways,

OTHER STORIES: i didn't stop in town cause it was late and i was on a tight run,except for my family i didn't tell anybody about it.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: about 1am it was a dark night no moon somewhat overcast but dry no rainfouke

ENVIRONMENT: the highway runs on an elevated area through a swampy area the embankment sloaps down to the water for 20ft or so there were trees on either side in the water thick woods and brush

Coon hunter and dogs experience close encounter in Sulphur River bottoms between Doddridge and Fouke.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Conor Ameigh:

After speaking with the witness I have the following to add:

The witness is a truck driver and he had just made a delivery in Shreveport, LA. Around 1:00 a.m. while heading north on Hwy 71 he approached the Sulphur River bridge and saw two bright red eyes in what appeared to be a dead tree off of the right side of the road on the edge of the water about 200 yards away. The eyes continued to shine until he got within 100 yards, then the “dead tree” turned away from the road and walked into the brush on two legs. As the witness approached the site of the creature, he let off his throttle to slow down. His engine brakes made a deep rumbling sound. He immediately heard the deafening scream and left the scene.

The creature had a dull gray color, like that of a dead tree. It took huge steps and covered the ground quickly without any noticeable arm movement.

The witness had never heard of a bigfoot-type creature outside of the Pacific Northwest.

The location of this incident is adjacent to the 16,000 acre Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area. The area consists of one of the last remaining large tracts of bottomland hardwood habitat along the Red River valley. The Sulphur River runs for about 10 miles through the management area. Bottomland hardwoods, cypress breaks, and numerous oxbow lakes cover the land. The area is known for its remoteness and lack of access.

About BFRO Investigator Conor Ameigh:

- Veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
- Experienced backpacker, and outdoorsman
Attended the following BFRO expeditions:
-Oklahoma '08
-Missouri '08
-Florida '09
-Oklahoma '09 May
-Colorado '09
-Oklahoma '09 Sep.
-Missouri '09