YEAR: 2014

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 10/8/2014

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Pierce County

NEAREST TOWN: Wilkeson

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy. 162

OBSERVED: On October 8, 2014 me and my wife we're out picking mushrooms, above Wilkeson Washington, 20 miles or so from the base of Mt. Rainer. We parked at a forest service gate and walked in about 1 and a half miles to our spot, Where we have been many times before, its all old growth timber and really thick with old stumps and moss and what not, anyway, when we walked in my wife thought she heard an ax or something pounding on a tree. She said did you hear that? I was excited and finding mushrooms so I blew it off, and said come and pick this patch. An hour or so had passed, when I heard snapping and crunching about 100 yards away or so. And then we both heard thump thump thumping of what we concluded was a big rock pounding against a tree, now mind you, we are in the middle of pretty much nowhere, not a sole around. My wife and I stood in awe, and she said that sounds like wood knocks. My heart sunk as I watch a lot of bigfoot documentaries. I am an avid hunter and no all the sounds a forest or animal makes. Three minutes or so had passed from the tree pounding and crunching when all of a sudden SNAP, a tree or big branch we estimated around 5 or 6 inch in diameter snapped 20 feet behind us. We both jumped.as it was so loud and close.at that moment we ran. I said lets go, heck with the the mushrooms, as we were running past a lot. It was the scariest most unsurreal thing that's ever happened to me. 42 years in the woods and I never. I do not like to tell this story to my friends and stuff.as they laugh. But I know what we seen and experienced. Of all the times the one trip I did not carry my gun. Not that I would of shot.but I would of maybe got a picture or a visual or just felt more secure. Take this to heart, I will never hunt or look at the woods the same as long as I live. They are real whatever they are .THEY ARE REAL! Feel free to call me on this.

ALSO NOTICED: just come check this area out they are there!

OTHER WITNESSES: my wife

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 3 pm.

ENVIRONMENT: Heavy old growth forest

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Chris Gonzales:

After making contact with the witness and his wife by phone we talked for over 45 minutes about their experience. The witness is a middle aged man who is an experienced hunter and is familiar with all manner of local wildlife. After talking with the witness I believe he is being truthful and that he really did experience a frightening threat display, by what he believes was a Bigfoot.

The witness and his wife were mushroom picking above Wilkeson in the middle of the day. Before they entered the woods they noticed a Forest Service crew removing and replacing road signs near the area. This included pounding the new poles into the ground. They walked to the site after waiting for the crew to finish. While entering the woods the wife claimed to hear a noise similar to an ax hitting a tree. They started to pick mushrooms and after an hour or so they began to hear branches snapping and the stomping of something on the forest floor about 100 feet away. They also heard what seemed to be a rock being slammed into a tree repeatedly. After what they estimate to be 3-5 minutes later they heard a massive tree snap about 20 feet behind them. The witness is familiar with what is suspected to be bigfoot behavior by watching documentaries and Animal Planet's "Finding Bigfoot" on TV. The couple then became extremely frightened and left the area. They have never returned and are extremely hesitant to talk about the incident with friends and family.

Due to the circumstance of their encounter and the area in which it happened, I believe the witness and his wife experienced a threat display and a warning to leave the area . This possibly could have been because of a food source being taken out of the area.

It is my opinion that the couple had an encounter with one or more bigfoots that day.

About BFRO Investigator Chris Gonzales:

Chris is a native of California and has lived in Washington for over 21 years. He has served 11 years in the U.S military. He currently works as Site Coordinator in the city of Preston, Wa. He has attended multiple expeditions in both Washington state and Canada.