YEAR: 2007

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

DATE: 24

PROVINCE: Ontario

COUNTRY: Canada

NEAREST TOWN: hilton Beach

NEAREST ROAD: Garside road or the 548 highway

OBSERVED: In late June 2007, In the morning I was mowing my cottage drive.It had rained the night before. In the road I found three prints. Two of the left foot, one of the right. The footprints were about 14 inches long. About 8 at the widest point. they were shaped of that like a human print. the prints all had 3 clearly shaped toes. the impression was about 2 inches deep. the creature had walked out of my 5 foot ditch to cross the road and took only 3 steps in crossing. Each step was about 4 feet apart. the creature continued in the ditch on the other side, knocking over the tall grass. It went over a log in the ditch that would be easier for a human to go under(due to height across ditch). many relatives native to St. Joseph island, Ontario, said it couldn't be a bear and was bigger than anything that lived there. The most interesting point is the depth of prints and the three perfect toes. it normally would be quite hard(tractors don't make a rutt)it had rained and the creature had jumped out of the ditch and landed with one foot, the middle footprint was the best.

ALSO NOTICED: the log it went OVER.

OTHER WITNESSES: Some of my cousins saw the prints.

OTHER STORIES: None that are recalled for the last 80 or so years or previous.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: occurred at night during rainfall

ENVIRONMENT: On the road,out of a ditch, into a swamp ,at night, while it rained.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matt Stewart:

I spoke with the witness on May 11, 2011. He was 15 at the time of the track find. He knew right away that the tracks required a closer look and were not a bear. The tracks were clearly defined in the sandy-gravelly substrate of the road showing depth, length, width, and the first 3 toes of both feet. The road is about 12 feet wide and was traversed in 3 steps.

I asked about photos and unfortunately he did not have a camera on him at the time.

St. Joseph Island is the the northwest corner of Lake Huron, just below Sault Ste. Marie. It is approximately 20 by 10 miles in size, and less than half a mile from the US and Ontario mainland along half its shoreline. It has a year-round population of 2000 people, which swells every summer due to it being a popular tourist destination. It has a healthy deer population, and is a prominent producer of maple syrup. Most of the land is privately owned.

About BFRO Investigator Matt Stewart:

Matt Stewart, Ontario Investigator
2009 Ontario Expedition