YEAR: 2011

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 20

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Clay County

LOCATION DETAILS: 250 yards west of the train tressel on the north bank. Only access is by boat or to walk the tracks, which is highly illegal.

NEAREST TOWN: Lakeside

NEAREST ROAD: County Road 209 / Russell Road

OBSERVED: A friend and I had been on Black creek in Clay county for a few hours bass fishing with absolutely no luck. Working the last stretch of bank before we called it a day when I heard something walking in the woods. I could hear large footsteps and something that sounded like it was scooping water or slapping water, I really can't describe the sound.

Now I know this particular area and the wildlife that inhabits it pretty well I think, It is full of deer, wild boar, turkeys, a few black bears, and the rest of the small woodland critters. And this sound was way too large to be any of them.

Back to my story, after we heard the noise I motioned to my friend to be silent so I could trolling motor over to the bank so I could try to get a look. As we were silently getting closer it seemed like the creature must have noticed us because we stuck out like a sore thumb against the back drop of the creek, while it stayed perfectly camoflauged in the wood. We sat there for a few moments hoping it would move and reveal itself to us which it never did.

So, as the sun was dropping we had to get back to the boat ramp, we quitely circled away from the shore. Just as we got away from the tree line something landed in the water about 50 or so feet from the boat. It was a loud splash like a rock or heavy object was thrown because it hit about 15 feet from shore. Both startled we put out life jackets on and got ready to leave when we heard the footstep start back up, and they sounded as if they were running away at a brisk pace and it sounded like it was a long stride.

Jokingly we said we had just encountered a sasquatch just like every other time I heard something unusual on that body of water. But as we made our way back to the dock I noticed we were within half a mile from powerlines. And were within a mile of the county dump that I know for a fact is a popular spot with the local whitetail deer population.

ALSO NOTICED: at other times this past summer I have heard loud crashes and strange noises coming from the woods on the north bank. while is mostly uninhabited swampland and pine forest.

OTHER WITNESSES: he was with me fishing and heard the noise at the sametime i did

OTHER STORIES: saw one video on youtube claiming a bigfoot in black creek but the video wasnt anywhere near the water

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 5:30 pm, temp was about 65f I would say, light easterly wind, partly cloudy, great visability, the magic hour as they call it.

ENVIRONMENT: Deep water natural creek, with a lot of cypress close to shore and pines and oaks farther in the woods.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator R. Monteith:

Followed up with both witnesses on 1/1/12 and 1/7/12 on the telephone. Both men are experienced outdoorsmen and credible. Both men are familiar with Black Creek and the surrounding area. They met fishing on the creek several years ago, and now fish together regularly. One is a tournament angler.

On November 20, 2011, the men went bass fishing. After launching the boat they headed east toward the railroad tracks. While fishing near the bank, they came upon a very foul odor. One described it as, “musky dog,” the other as “B.O. and a very dirty wet dog.” One of the men had fished the area the day before and had noticed the odor on that day too. (There is a land fill very close to the area, however both claim that it was not a “dump” smell, and that they had never smelled the dump from the creek before.) They continued down the creek, only to return to the same area in the late afternoon. The smell was still in the air.

From their boat, they then heard very heavy steps in the woods. Both men know the sounds of deer, bear and hog in the woods, and both claim the steps were much heavier. Using a quiet trolling motor, the men moved the boat closer to shore hoping to see what was making the noise. One man heard small splashing in the woods as if whatever was making the footsteps was also stepping into a puddle. The footsteps stopped when they got near the bank. The woods were too dense to see into. After five minutes with no sighting, they moved away from the shore. Both heard a loud splash and think something was thrown at them, then the heavy footsteps were heard again.

Black Creek is a 13 mile long tributary of the St. John’s River. It is surrounded by heavily wooded wetlands. It rises in the Jennings State Forest from the north fork (a 23,995 acre forest) and from a lake on the south and east forks. Clay County has the second highest number of BFRO reports in Florida. Ten of the fifteen reports are in the Black Creek area, which has numerous creeks, ravines, and abundant wildlife essential for providing a prime sasquatch habitat.

Satellite image of location:

About BFRO Investigator R. Monteith:

Re Monteith has had a life-long interest in Bigfoot and has an extensive background in outdoor land and ocean survival as well as mountaineering. She has tran-sailed the Atlantic, backpacked in remote places throughout the world and has climbed three of the seven summits. She studied International Relations at Florida International University, and is a Financial and Real Estate Consultant. She has participated in many private expeditions as well as the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 BFRO North Florida Expeditions and the 2013 BFRO UP Michigan & Alabama Expedition. She also organized Florida's 2017 Town Hall Meeting. She was an Executive Producer of the documentary film, "Skunk Ape Lives" and featured as a Crypto Expert on The Science Channel's television show, Strange Evidence for seasons 2 - 5.