YEAR: 1971

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 15

STATE: Montana

COUNTY: Stillwater County

LOCATION DETAILS: To get there take Highway 78 south out of Absarokee about 2.5 miles and turn right (west) onto the road to Fishtail. Go past Fishtail about a mile and turn left (east) onto West Rosebud Road. Four miles farther, turn right (west) at the sign to Mystic Lake. Just 2.6 miles farther down the road, turn left (south) when the road Ys and take the gravel road across the West Rosebud River. The road parallels the river south before crossing it again. From this bridge, go 2 miles and across a cattle guard. Park just on the other side of the cattle guard. This is near the BLM corner.

NEAREST TOWN: Fishtail, Montana

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 78

OBSERVED: This happened summertime early 70's (I think 71, 72?). Me, my husband at the time, and my two brothers hiked into Lilly Pad and Crater Lakes, Stillwater County, Montana. It borders Custer National Forest, north of the East Fork of Fiddler Creek.

There were no other cars in the parking lot so absolutely there was no one else up in that area or encountered. It is a very remote and high mountainous area. Lilly Pad is full of lilly pads, per its name. At the time I thought it strange that we didn't see any moose there. When we left Lilly Pad, we climbed the side of the mountain, a very rocky narrow trail (just a game trail) towards Crater Lake. Near the top, I kept hearing tree branches break, and thought, huh, the forest sure is noisy. At the top we stepped into an open plateau (in looking at a current Google map, this area is now forested with trees) . We hadn't gone far when I heard a very loud tree knock coming from the upper end of the plateau, on the side of the mountain. I could pinpoint exactly where the sound came from. It was NOT a tree branch falling. It was a wood knock, obviously wood on wood, a very sharp cracking sound, kind of like a baseball bat hitting a ball only LOUD.

I said, "What in the world was that?" One of my bro's said "loggers". Wrong, there was no one up in there and there was no evidence of logging. Almost immediately following that knock I got the feeling we weren't alone.

We crossed the plateau and at the end there was a slight curve taking us to the lake. This area was also open but more of a corridor, maybe 100' or less wide.

We fished the SE end of the lake and then one by one started making our way up and around the lake on the south side. When I got towards the upper end there was a horrible stench and my hair literally started to crawl. I remember being surprised at the smell. Being close to Yellowstone Park I would have expected a sulphur smell but this was not that; it was a stench like I've never smelled before or since.

There was an open area around the lake, maybe 30-50' or so and then heavy brush. I hurried up and around the lake back to where the guys were. My older bro and husband would not go back up around, my younger bro started a second trip. I had no inclination or want to go back around but then convinced myself if he is going, I must have imagined the feeling. So I started another round. Got up there and same thing, the stench made me want to gag (it seemed stronger the second time around) and my hair was standing on end. I would cast and try to glance behind me to see what was there. And then pine cones started landing next to me! I would hear a rustle, and a pine cone would land next to me. These were NOT falling off the trees. The trees were too far away and these were coming in sideways and consistently landing right next to me. My hair was really crawling. I was terrified. But I didn't want to go back towards the guys, it was shorter if I continued around the end and that would put more space between me and it, whatever it was. I pretended to keep fishing, and glancing over my shoulders afraid if I confronted it, it would attack. And I kept glancing at the ground for tracks to see if I could figure out what it was. At first I thought, oh it's too trampled to tell, and it was, right at the lake edge. But when I looked towards the bushes and trees right at that upper end, there were 2 sets of huge tracks, one set coming, one evidently going back towards the trees. The grass there was probably 8-12" tall and it was smashed down where the footprints were. I didn't see the actual foot imprints as in mud, just smashed down grass. Had I not been so terrified I would have looked for toe prints etc but I was taking fast looks. And of course expecting tracks like a moose or something, not what I saw.

At that point I seriously sped up and went around the lake. On the other side there was a place where the lake indented into the trees a bit. I seriously thought about trying to wade across it but it was too deep and I can't swim, as I did NOT want to go into those trees. Got back to the guys and they were grabbing their stuff and in a hurry to leave. I said my skin is crawling up there, my younger bro said, yes there's something up there. We headed out and I knew something was watching us. It shadowed us until we got back off that plateau. I knew as soon as we hit that rocky trail it wasn't following us anymore.

Thru the years I have searched my brain as to what it could have been and nothing fit: grizzly would have been on us, black bear would have either came at us or run, moose wouldn't smell, mountain lion would watch us but you wouldn't know it was there and also wouldn't smell. Quite frankly there wasn't an animal that would break tree branches, do a wood knock, or toss pine cones. Once the bigfoot shows started airing and I heard the eyewitness accounts, I realized what it was. There simply is no other explanation. I believe there were at least 2 of them, the one breaking the branches and may then have went ahead of us and did the tree knock, possibly to warn a second one that was messing around at the water's edge.

My older bro does not remember that trip, my younger bro barely remembers going there. I'm divorced from that husband so who knows what he remembers.

I wish I had had the courage to stand and stare at those bushes longer and even walk towards them, I believe it would have stood up.

Incidentally there is a recent report with pictures on the BFRO website about a sighting near Red Lodge, Montana, which is relatively close to the area of my encounter. And somewhere I saw a report of encounters around a "small town in Carbon County", a lady and her small daughter would regularly be visited by a family of bigfoots. The little girl said the small ones don't smell, just the big ones. I can't find that report again but would really be interested if that is close to where I had my encounter.

ALSO NOTICED: see my report. Breaking branches, tree knock, horrible stench, footprints, pine cones tossed at me.

OTHER WITNESSES: me, my now exhusband, my 2 brothers. My older bro does not remember the trip; younger bro barely remembers going into there; I don't see my exhusband so who knows what he remembers.

OTHER STORIES: yes, I found a report of a woman with a small girl living near a "small town in Carbon County" who had a family of sqatches that would come around, but I can't find that report. Another report on BFRO website, Red Lodge MT, with pictures. This is also a recent report. My report is old but shows that these animals have probably been in that area a long time.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: broad daylight, early afternoon. It was a calm day, no wind.

ENVIRONMENT: high mountainous, very rugged and remote.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Tom Brodhead:

Initially spoke to witness on 8/17/2016. She relayed story in some detail. She seemed sincere and no reason to believe story was anything but sincere.

I've been in email contact with witness periodically since initial contact. She reports periodic strange smells in her neighborhood which is nearby the initial reported area.

Reported contact area is extremely rugged in close proximity to Yellowstone Park. Have not an opportunity to do a field investigation yet.
______________________________________________

[Matt Moneymaker's note:

This is classic sasquatch behavior: lurking unseen but steadily communicating their presence in various ways.

The unspoken message grows clearer and clearer: "This area is occupied."

They do it more openly but still as gently as possible when they do not see potentially threatening intent, like when the see a female with a fishing pole rather than a male with a rifle.

They do it as gently as possible compared to what they could do, mentally and/or physically, and with less effort, to achieve the same effect, like lazier bears would try to do for the same purpose.

In this case like so many others the Sasquatches eventually achieved what they wanted to achieve: The humans left the area and collectively agree that "something is up there" so they should avoid the area in the future.

This has been happening for thousands of years in wilderness forests across North America. Most witnesses did not know what powerful yet civil creatures were intimidating them to leave from just beyond their field of view into the tall brush.

These intimidation situations are some of the few precious opportunities for some type of interaction with these creatures so they should never be rebuked or deterred by humans.

Always back down and leave when Sasquatches are going to the trouble to be so civilized about it. We have many more options and they only occupy places like this area seasonally, at best.

About BFRO Investigator Tom Brodhead:

I grew up in the Catskills in NY fishing and camping. My interest in Bigfoot started when I read a story in Boy's Life at a young age. I followed the saga unfolding in the PNW through the 60's and 70's reading Peter Byrne, John Greene, and any other books I could find. I spent 30 years as a construction engineer and when I retired moved to MT with my wife Alexis. Attended my first BFRO expeditions in WA and OR in 2014 and the OR BFRO expedition in 2015 along with several private expeditions in OR. Also attended the May 2015 Olympic Project public expedition. I found myself learning something new on each one and meeting a diverse group of people helped me to understand the creature's habits a little more each time. I also attended the Sasquatch Summit and met some of the luminaries of the Bigfoot world including Bob Gimlin which was one of my goals since the Patterson film first aired.