YEAR: 1970

SEASON: Summer

STATE: New York

COUNTY: Madison County

NEAREST TOWN: Cazenovia

NEAREST ROAD: Oxbow lane

OBSERVED: My memory of this is a bit foggy, as I was I believe seven when it happened and am 37 now. At the time my family was living in Cazenovia NY. I would often hike way out in the swamps behind our house with a friend to make forts etc. We would tear the bark off of dead elm trees to make paths for what seemed like very long distances. One day a friend and I were quite a distance out in the swamp chopping away at a rotted fallen tree with hammers when we heard a loud noise. Looking around we saw a very large, dark form that appeared to be a man walking through the swamp very near us. I will never forget the surge of adrenalin and abject fear that I felt. We dropped everything and turned and ran as fast as possible home without looking back. My parents were angry as I had left a hammer there. I refused to go back for quite a while until my older brother accompanied me. I didn't think about this incident too much over the years until later when I have heard people describe bigfoot sightings in terms of 'It looked like a very big man wearing a black raincoat'. This is exactly the description I would give. I don't know, it just seems odd. Why would a man have been alone out in a swamp like that and never said a word to us? Makes you wonder.

ALSO NOTICED: It seemed there was a loud noise at the time of the incident like a scream.

OTHER WITNESSES: Two, young children age seven playing in the swamp

OTHER STORIES: no

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Mild weather

ENVIRONMENT: Swamp full of Elms with Dutch Elm disease

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

A common element of encounters like this involve the witnesses making a loud banging sound in the forest prior to the encounter. People are most often making loud banging sounds in forests when chopping wood. The next most common circumstance is when they are hammering something.

Many long-time bigfoot field researchers and investigators say these animals occassionally make loud banging sounds, which sound like a large stick being pounded against a tree trunk. It is believed they do this to signal their companions, for various strategic purposes. Usually three or four knocks are heard in succession. The sound is much much louder than the sound of woodpecker, and is clearly done with a significant amount of force. Often reply knocks are heard from a different direction. This is referred to as "wood on wood" or "wood knocking," even though sometimes it sounds more like large rocks being pounded together.

It has been observed that the knocking sounds don't startle deer very much. Thus it is believed that sasquatches make this sound when taking up positions while stalking deer herds.

Matt M.