YEAR: 1998

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: Colorado

COUNTY: Lake County

LOCATION DETAILS: Witness requests anonymity. But the location is generally south of Leadville, east of the National Fish Hatchery, North of Highway 300 and west of Highway U.S. 24.

NEAREST TOWN: Leadville, Colorado

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 300

OBSERVED: My wife and I were about to start a fire for a barbecue at our ranch south of Leadville. We had just got the fire started when we heard something like a holler or a yell in a very deep tone. The first vocalization lasted about 5 seconds. Then after a moment it hollered again. We have a large pasture behind the house where we graze our horses. After the second vocalization the horses were running "full blast" towards us. When they got to us they were very spooked. Then it hollered again, stopped, and then uttered a few short very gutteral noises. We put out the fire and left, since the sounds seemed to be very close, at the tree line on the end of the pasture. I would estimate the distance was no more than a quarter mile away.
The noise this thing made is hard to describe or mimic. It had to be felt as much as heard. It was deep low frequency holler that vibrates in your bones and literally shakes your guts. You could tell it was a very large animal that was making the noise. We have had our ranch for a number of years. This is not the first time we have heard these noises. This was unique, because it was the longest, lasting over a three to four minute period. We have also heard what appeared to be rocks "clacking" together, and then "clacking back from a farther distance as if they are answering each other.

ENVIRONMENT: Open ranch land, but bordered by river bottom with very heavy foliage. Lots of willows, and alders.