YEAR: 1971

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 17

STATE: Missouri

COUNTY: Dent County

LOCATION DETAILS: I will take you to the tree and place this happened

NEAREST TOWN: Salem, Missouri

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy M

OBSERVED: Hi, my name is Kevin, I'm 52 now. I went hunting with my dad in Dent County near what now is called Lake 117 east of Salem Missouri in Mark Twin National forest. I was approx. 1/4 mile from the old farmhouse up a tree with a view from 10 ft. off the ground approx. Anyhow I remember seeing a doe running by my stand looking scared and then I saw why. It was a tall black man running after it except that was not a black man chasing a deer naked, one went to my left and I could hear loud thrashing in the thick section of woods and I assumed it had caught the animal and was killing it. Astounded I could not believe what I had just seen and then it was when I turned to my right there he stood 20 ft from my tree and was standing there looking at me and I remember thinking who are these black men running naked thru the woods? but wait this was a very hairy being with a type of crest on its somewhat of an oddly shaped head, black hair but thinner in spots and when we made eye contact it growled very deeply. I was so frickin scared I could not understand what was going on, I have goose bumps and fear still to this day 40 years later. I don't like being ridiculed I have tears in my eyes now trying to write this to people that might understand this situation. Scardest I've ever been and in my life time I have had two guns pulled on me, sorry I'm wandering from my encounter. This being of the woods had black eyes and a light tan colored nose that was somewhat triangular looking to me, so this giant tall very strong looking being turned and started running over towards the thrashing sound but I couldn't believe how lucky I felt. Just a step or two and it could of yanked me right out of the tree I was in and soon as it was out of sight I believe I just jumped out of the tree I was in and started running up the logging road back to the farm house where my dad was. I remember stopping and turning around with my dads thirty thirty and I shot in the direction of it and yelling to leave me alone and on the rest of the way back to the farmhouse approx. 300 yds it was paralleling me in the thick woods making all kinds of rackit. I still get scared thinking of this I felt I was lucky that it didn't kill me i was around 11 or 12 and when I finally got back to the farm house my dad was there having a nip, if ya know what I'm saying, he could tell something was wrong with me, and i did my best to explain to him what was going on outside so he headed out. But the beast must have headed back to the deer kill 300 yds away. Umm I'm not sure if he ever truly believed me and that really upset me and I took his whiskey away from him and said now listen dad you have to believe me what I just saw. Well the owner of the farm arrived the next day and he believed me. I was so relieved he truly believed me and i could tell. He was a local doctor and told me he had seen giant footprints in the sand on his beach of his lake what now is this conservation lake he must have left them after he passed away. But I remember him being so interested in what had happened to me and truly believing me. Dang this brings fear and tears too me still the trying too understand, what the heck was going on around me in this deer stand. Never been that scared again, it was so hard to see this and understand that it was real so I've heard that it was one in a million chance of this happening. All I can say is how lucky i was that I wasn't on the menu that day so after analyzing this I truly believe that even though they are giant, inside they won't hurt you but will harass you to leave them alone and remember never look them in the eyes he will let out a very very deep growl and your legs will start shaking uncontrollably. I believe they just want to be left alone, still curious on how humans live. Think about it they could take you with out a problem, you have no chance at all, when I think back about this that is what I have interpreted I guess I would be famous if I had shot it but i didn't have that in me and still don't think i do. I appreciate what you BFRO guys and gals have done except if you would just stay longer in a area that one or more have been sighted that's how you will get your chance at some greater evidence. I wish I had never repressed this memory. Bothers me. Also I see in 2005 a guy had heard one only a couple of miles from where I had my encounter. I believe these animals are in small groups and travel nomadically thru out the thick woods and I guess they eat a lot of deer. I know they had caught one not too far maybe 30 are 40 yds from my stand in this thick woods. I could hear them but couldn't see what was going on. Listen just give me a call and I will tell ya what happened that day. I am ready to discuss this with you pros, dang you guys are so bold.
P.S. If you stick with this you will eventually get your film but you have to be ready constantly because they run fast really fast and I also don't believe this animal knows what a trail camera is. Come on just hang in there and be ready and if they are close don't look them in the eyes, he growls unbelievable. Thank you and i would like too try and accompany you guys sometime. I think if someone would shoot one that they would retaliate against humans, they just want to be left alone that's what i believe.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Early morning,there was at least two they were chasing deer and caught one! Early morning!

A & G References: 11-7

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Carter Buschardt:

Spoke with witness on the phone. Story speaks for itself, and I will add data gleaned from our conversation. He was in a deer stand, and it was truly a "stand". A 2x2 ft plank for standing only. It was appx. 4-5 ft. off the ground. It was just after sunrise, about 6:30AM during hunting season. He was standing in the tree when a frightened deer came running by, its eyes bulging out, in a dead run, and he knew it was in fear and being chased. He saw the first creature, the "naked black man" coming from left to right after the deer. The deer ran into the brush, and he heard a struggle and saw a second "hairy black man" for a brief second, then the struggle stopped. He assumed the first creature chased the deer into the waiting arms of the second creature. The first creature then turned and walked back towards him. It looked right at him, face to face, no more than 15-20 ft. away. The creature was looking at him at eye level. He estimates the size of the creature at a minimum of 10 ft in height, and possibly more like 11 ft. The stand was 5 ft. off the the ground and he figures he was 5 ft. tall or a bit taller. Black hair. Large black eyes, no whites, large triangular nose, and the skin color was a tan or brown color. The head seemed small for the size of the body, but had a crest with raised hair on the top. Creature was very well built, slender and powerful, not bulky and massive like some he has seen on TV. It stared at him for a good 10-15 seconds, then let out a bone rattling growl. The creature then walked off and at that point he jumped out of the stand and ran the opposite way. He looked around, and saw the hidden creature looking out from behind a tree in the brush. And the other creature that had looked him in the eye had turned around and was now walking back toward him. He fired a shot from his rifle over their head, not at them, and screamed "leave me alone". He turned and ran again and never looked back. He told his dad about the encounter and was dismissed at first. He told the owner of the land, who was a local doctor, and he told the witness he was a lucky boy to have had the experience. He was not so sure at the time.

About BFRO Investigator Carter Buschardt:

Carter is originally from Texas & moved to Missouri in 1988. Professional drummer for 20 years. Improv & sketch comic and writer for 5 years. Lighting technician for major touring groups for several years. Experienced outdoorsman and was a trained investigator for MUFON. Studied Herpetology in college. Longtime special interest in Sasquatch long term habituation, burial research, infra sound, language & stick structures. He led three Missouri BFRO Public Expeditions:, 2012 & 2013 & 2014. Led public expedition for BFRO in Illinois in 2019.Participated in Iowa, 2012 Illinois. Michigan 2016. Private Expeditions: Illinois 2011, 2012, 2013. Missouri 2011, 2012 (3) 2013(2) 2014. Iowa 2012, 2014 & 2015. Consulted on two Animal Planet Finding Bigfoot TV shows. Expedition leader in Missouri 2013 (1) & 2014 (2) & Illinois Expedition 2019 (1). Led night ops on numerous BFRO expeditions. Hosted a public Town Hall meeting in Missouri in 2017.