YEAR: 2009

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

DATE: lSunday

STATE: Minnesota

COUNTY: Itasca County

LOCATION DETAILS: call me if you wish

NEAREST TOWN: Taconite

NEAREST ROAD: Scenic Highway 7

OBSERVED: My wife and I were traveling south on Scenic Highway 7 north of Bovey, MN. It was a Sunday 2 weeks before Labor Day 2009. We had been swimming at our lakeshore property and my wife offered to drive home. I was in the passenger seat and noticed what I thought was a man in the ditch ahead of us. We were about 200-300 yards from this person when I noticed an animal type movement of its upper body. I have hunted in northern MN my entire life and thought this was really strange that this person could react with such speed. I then focused on this person - it then made a movement to the woods but just as fast decided to cross the road. I alerted my wife to slow down to not hit this person. As she slowed this creature crossed less than 20 paces in front of us. It was covered in dark brown fur was 6-7 ft tall. It had a broad nose with little hair on its forehead or cheeks. Its feet were covered with long hair like a clydsdale horse that trailed on the pavement as it crossed. Its chest had welts that I reasoned were from insect bites. It had long muscular arms and when it reached the other side of the road swung his arms and leaped the entire ditchway. My wife asked it it was a werewolf. I am very well trained when it comes to wildlife and would never have believed what I saw - seeing is believing. Also, its gait was unusual - it was no human in a suit. bigfoot does exist..

ALSO NOTICED: call me

OTHER WITNESSES: two

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 4:30 pm clear and sunny

ENVIRONMENT: spruce wetland

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Jim H:

I first spoke with the husband and found that he is a very intelligent and knowledgeable man. He had a very interesting perspective, and a highly detailed description of what he and his wife had seen.

A few notes to add to what he stated above would be as follows.

It was approximately 6.5 to 7 feet tall, dark chocolate brown in color (hair), with a dark weathered tanned look to the skin.

The creature had hair that was around an inch long over most of the body. It was slightly longer around the shoulders, and legs, with fairly longer hair from the ankle downward toward the feet. This hair (from the ankles down) appeared to be bleached out a bit as it was lighter in color. There was no hair around the brow, cheeks, nose, palms of the hands, and was thinner around the chest area.

He got a very good look at it due to the distance as it crossed in front of their pick-up (20 paces). He stated the brow was shorter than a human with a sloped forehead. The nose was flat and broad; the mouth was strong and broad. The head in general was broader then a human as well. He stated that he felt it may be lacking vertebrae in the neck as when it turned to look at them its entire upper torso turned also. He was able to see that it indeed had ears which looked very human-like, and were dark like the rest of the skin. Very muscular, with large biceps on the arms that were longer then a human. The legs appeared to be bowed. As it walked he seemed to feel that it was pushing its legs forward to step, but yet it had a fluid gait. Five digits were seen on each hand which looked very human but appeared larger.

He also stated that when the creature turned to look at them he could see fear in its eyes. When it got to the edge of the road it leaped over the ditch in one large stride (@ 12 ft). He told me "they are not apes!” They appear to be more Neanderthal like, closer to human than ape.

The couple of times I spoke to him his wife was not present. I was happy to finally have a chance to speak to her also. She had questions for me first about whether or not the BFRO is pro-kill. I assured her we would not send a hunting party to seek these animals out, describing to her that we don't even use white lights when we go out after dark.

Her physical description was basically the same as her husband. She did add that her dog was in the box of the truck. She drove slow when he was back there, not going over 40 - 45 mph. Her first impression was that it was someone in a suit, and then it became obvious to her that it was alive because of the way it moved and the muscle movement she could see. It appeared to be younger, rather than older. The movements more human than ape. When I asked her how she felt about the experience she told me it was hard to describe. The awe that came over her was different than what they felt when seeing local wildlife, describing it as disbelief and excitement at the same time. She said, "We weren't scared, but it was!"

He returned to the location and was unable to find tracks. He did state that the vegetation was matted down where it was first seen and where it had landed on the other side of the ditch.

I feel the witnesses are very honest and credible. I think they had a rare, very close, clear sighting, during ideal conditions.

About BFRO Investigator Jim H:

A business owner for 20+ years, he has been researching the subject of bigfoot ever since his son had a daylight sighting in 1994. An avid hunter, spending most of his life in the woods of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, having seen and heard every animal native to this area. Active member of hunting and shooting clubs. He also has a background and interest in biology.

He attended the 2008 Minnesota (private) expedition, the 2009 Wisconsin expedition, 2009 Minnesota expedition, 2010 Minnesota Mini Excursion, 2010 Minnesota Mini Expedition, Minnesota Expedition 2011. As well as many field investigations (on site). Have personally seen three BF. Two daytime and one nighttime through a thermal.

Related Media Articles:

• Midwest Traveler: St. Louis, Itasca counties, Minn. (4/11/2014; Minneapolis Star-Tribune)