YEAR: 1978

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: April

STATE: Illinois

COUNTY: Jackson County

LOCATION DETAILS: Happy Hollow road south of Gorham.

NEAREST TOWN: Gorham

NEAREST ROAD: Illinois Rt 3

OBSERVED: I was out mushroom hunting and had my small son with me.

I was standing on a small hillside. He was standing on the other side of the creek behind a tree which I didn't know at the time. I had my back to it, my face was facing the road. I had found some mushrooms, I was bending over picking them and I seen flash of movement behind me which to me kinda looked like a grape vine, because I wasn't focusing on the actual creature. And it looked just like a grape vine had moved briefly up the side of the tree.

Then I seen a bigger part of it step out from the tree. I seen its knee and its shoulder and went on up and seen its face, which was hairy from top to bottom. I didn't see anything that would resemble a flesh tone. It was black. I saw it's eyes blink. It had white around it's eye, I could see that part. I guess there might have been lighter and darker colors on its face but it was all hairy.

When I raised up and turned around to look, it stepped behind the tree where I couldn't see it any longer. I grabbed my son and ran to the car fast as I could and went home and got the shotgun and went back down there. I found some footprints where it had stood on the side of the creek and that was maybe 30 yards from me.

This was the scariest thing, the most ominous thing, I didn't feel like it was going to come and attack me. It was probably as freaked out as I was. We went our separate ways immediately.

ALSO NOTICED: no

OTHER WITNESSES: no

OTHER STORIES: no

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 2 p.m. Clear and warm

ENVIRONMENT: Heavily wooded, streams

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

I spoke with the witness by phone.

In summary:

• The animal was partially behind a tree on the other side of the creek.
• The witness was able to see a knee, shoulder and a hair covered face.
• The animal's height was six feet tall.
• The weight was over 350 lbs.
• The hair was black.
• The witness was 30 feet from the animal.
• The witness later came back and found possible footprints but did not describe much detail.

About BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

Stan Courtney has a special interest in wildlife audio recording. He has attended numerous BFRO Expeditions. See Stan's blog StanCourtney.com for recordings he has collected over the years.

Stan Courtney can be reached at illinois@bfro.net