YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 21

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Wexford County

LOCATION DETAILS: Summit City Road south past County Line road. Continue south on the gravel road, No. 31 Road, for 1/2 mile. Field is on the east side of the road.

NEAREST TOWN: Kingsley, Michigan

NEAREST ROAD: Summit City Rd.

OBSERVED: It was late midnight and me and friends are out shining for deer and as we came across this field with the light we seen this thing crouched down in the middle of the field, but it was out from the road about 100yrds and as we seen it, it stood up and started to run toward us so I gunned the gas and by the time I was at the end of the field it was right next to the road, I was doing 30 plus mph.

OTHER WITNESSES: There was four of us and I still hear this thing out camping every year.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was dark

ENVIRONMENT: About a 300yrd by 100yrd wide field

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Kim Fleming:

After talking with the witness, many more details came forth. He and three of his friends were out riding in his truck and shining deer. They had traveled south on Summit City Road and continued south on No. 31 Road all the way to the river, shining as they traveled. They hadn't seen any animals on their way to the river, so they turned around to come back up No. 31 Road, continuing to shine for deer with their spotlight. As they came around a curve, they shined over into a field that was about 300 yards wide and 100 yards deep. At first, all they saw were two amber colored eyes. They were an amber color, but the eyes were not reflecting like a deer or any other animal they were familiar with. The witness couldn't explain the difference, but he stated that the eyes just looked different than other animal eyes that reflect light. Then the teens noticed that the eyes belonged to something big, crouching in the field. They watched for about one minute, until it stood up. At that point, the teens were so afraid that the witness jammed the gas pedal to the floor to get out of there. The animal ran toward the truck, diagonally across the field and by the time the truck reached a residence, it was within ten feet of the truck. The witness said that he had reached at least 30 mph by the time it caught up with them. "I have never seen anything run that fast in my life? That thing came running toward us faster than any man could run. The strides were three times a normal man's stride!" At that point, it disappeared into the tree line. The witness described it as having very long arms, and it was "like his arms swung with mechanical control as if the creature realized there was a specific way for his arms to swing to run that fast!" The witness also described hearing "heavy breathing as the creature started running" and its footfalls like those of "a pack of horses!" All the noise from the gravel road and the speeding of the truck made too much noise to hear anything else. The witness did say that he felt the charge was a territorial statement rather than a direct threat on them. All the teens came away from the incident deeply frightened and wondering about what really is out in the woods!

The witness described the creature as at least 8 feet tall and more than 400 lbs. The body was covered with matted, rusty brown colored hair and a shoulder width about 4 - 5 feet wide. The body of the creature was bulky and massive.

He “has never gone back to that area” and he will “not go into the woods without carrying some type of protection.” He also stated that he makes certain he is out of the woods before nightfall. The three friends that were with him do not talk about this incident, but they feel the same way about being in the woods. The one friend who is female will not go outside after dark unless she is with someone else. When this incident first occurred, they did share the story with some friends and the friends divided them up into different rooms for questioning. All their stories described the same scenario.

The river mentioned is the Manistee River, one of the finest steelhead, salmon, and trout rivers in the Great Lakes area.

About BFRO Investigator Kim Fleming:

Kim is a high school science teacher and uses Bigfoot research techniques to teach about scientific method. She has been interested in researching Bigfoot since 2008 and her husband experienced a sighting in Florida in 1976. Her interests include hiking, being outdoors, birding and working with young adults. Kim attended the 2012 and 2013 Michigan UP expedition and has done research in northern Michigan.