YEAR: 1977

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: December

DATE: 12/22/77

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Gladwin County

LOCATION DETAILS: Heavy Cedar Pines, off trail snowmobiling on state lands near father's cabin.

NEAREST TOWN: Gladwin

NEAREST ROAD: State Park Snowmobile Trails

OBSERVED: I’m 50 now, but when I was 15 my father had a modern cabin, I designed and drafted, in lower upper Michigan, near Gladwin, Michigan. I saw your Michigan episode today and wanted you to know about something I saw in the woods near Streaked Lake. I know the county pretty good as I hunted, fished and snowmobiled in the area. We lived in Brooklyn, MI and would travel to the cabin on my dad's days off. The winter of 77/78, don’t remember the month, my younger brother and I were out doing nighttime, off trail snowmobiling. We were on the state park next to my dads place. My brother was leading, we were in Cedar Pines most of them not more than 10 inches in diameter (I know this because my dad use to have me cut firewood, and poles for fences.) Snow was pretty deep and we were moving over snags pretty good at about 10 mph. My brother took a turn ahead of me, he was about 50 feet or so in front of me, as I began my turn to follow to the left my headlight caught something next to a 6” cedar, it stood about 7 or more feet, it had its left hand on the tree, looking over its bicep at me, its body was turned toward my brother. I thought I was seeing things but its body was showing on the other side of the tree. A bear came to mind but then as I was watching it, a gorilla is what I thought. As I made my turn it was about 10 feet off to my right.

I picked up speed, craning my neck as I watched it stand there following me with its head. I caught up to my brother and told him to head back to the cabin but on the trails. I stayed right behind him until we got back to the cabin about 20 minutes. I never saw the thing follow so I have always been somewhat reluctant to say something. When we got inside, I told my dad and brother what I had seen. I was pretty terrified when I saw it and stayed that way through the night. The next morning we took the machines back out and followed are trails in the snow. We found some type of foot that was bigger than my dads. To this day, after spending many years also in the Yellowstone area, after leaving the service and working for the West Yellowstone PD, and Gallatin County SAR, I cannot believe what I saw. I have been on snowmobiles and in my truck driving the trails around the park for hunting or recreation and have seen many grizzlies of various colors, plus a bunch of elk, deer, and bison. This object was not any of those.

ALSO NOTICED: Had weird colored eyes like deer. Was just watching and trying to hide I think.

OTHER WITNESSES: 2, that night my brother was in the lead machine.
the next day my dad, and we, two boys, went out and retraced tracks. What a foot.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: About 2100 hours

ENVIRONMENT: Cedar Pines, ground covered with alot of snow.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Don Peer:

I spoke with the witness who now lives in Oregon. He states he was following his brother on a snowmobile and seen the animal leaning against a tree with it's arm and looking over it's arm towards him. The only thing to move was it's head. He said it was similar in coloration to a cedar tree, kind of a dark grey. He could clearly see the hair, arms, torso and other details. The sighting was very brief, as he only seen it as his snowmobile was making a turn. He did see it's head turn and follow his brother as he rode by. His brother did not notice it.

At the time they were riding off trail and he stated he thinks the animal was surprised to see them come through. The witness told his brother and father what he had seen and the next day they followed their snowmobile tracks to the location. They found tracks where it stood at the tree and tracks leading away, but it had snowed during the night and partially covered them. The witness later went on to join the military and served as a police officer in Montana for a number of years. He stated it was years ago, but clearly remembers the event.

The area is surrounded by the AuSable State Forest and has numerous small lakes and heavy forest. There are plentiful small game and deer in the area. Two small nearby lakes, Trout Lake and Hoister Lake also have state camp grounds at them, which I have personally camped at many times as a teenager. To the south the area opens up with many area farms with numerous food crops.

About BFRO Investigator Don Peer:

Don Peer lives in northern Michigan and has studied the bigfoot phenomenon all his life. He has attended numerous Michigan expeditions and co-organized the 2011 Michigan BFRO expedition. He is an avid outdoorsman and works for the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Don Peer may be contacted at dpeer_mibigfoot@yahoo.com