YEAR: 2010

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: September

DATE: 4

STATE: Ohio

COUNTY: Harrison County

LOCATION DETAILS: Bower Road and Beaver Dam Road

NEAREST TOWN: Scio, OH

NEAREST ROAD: Bower Road

OBSERVED: My cousin and I were leasing hunting land in Harrison County, near Scio, OH. It was on or about September 4, 2010. It was approximately 9 AM and we were clearing our four wheeler trails. The birds were chirping, squirrels were jumping, and wildlife was moving around. Suddenly, we noticed that all woodland sounds had stopped. It was very odd to us, so much so that we both stopped what we were doing and stood motionless. As we looked around, we saw a tall dark figure approximately 50 yards away standing behind a large tree. It was approximately 8' tall, with hair covering its body. It was standing upright and was looking out from around the tree. At first, we could only see about 1/2 of its face and part of its shoulder and left arm. We were both armed with pistols, which we quickly had in our hands. The stare down lasted approximately 30-45 seconds. I asked my cousin in a low voice... "are you seeing what I'm seeing?" He replied yes in a somewhat shaky voice. I said "what is it?" He said "you know what it is". We both knew it was a Bigfoot. A few seconds later it ran perpendicular to us. We got glimpses of it crashing through the thick brush as it was moving small trees out of its way. It ran completely upright. We saw it running for approximately 50-60 yards before it disappeared into the swamp. Even though the hair was standing up on the back of our necks, we slowly walked over to where it crashed through the woods. The small saplings it ran through were completely broken and bent over. We could not wait to get out of the woods so we fled the area. We did not see it again that hunting season, but made sure we were always well armed, even during bow season.

OTHER WITNESSES: There were two of us. We were clearing four wheeler trails.

OTHER STORIES: My wife, two sons, and my oldest sons friend saw a shadow on the other side of the lake and also heard what could only be described as a low guttural growl/scream this past summer when we stayed at the Diamond Lake Cabins near Scio, OH. The image my son saw he describes as being Bigfoot.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Partly Sunny, and around 65 degrees.

ENVIRONMENT: Very wooded, nearby swamp, and an abundance of deer, turkey, and other wildlife.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator James Thompson:

I was able to contact the witness through e-mail and left a phone number for him to contact me. The witness, who is a police officer contacted me and we had a lengthy conversation about his encounter.

The witness and his cousin were going about the task of preparing for the upcoming dear season by clearing the briars that had grown into their access trails. It was September, around 60+°,sunny out, and they were about 500 yards from the edge of the wood line. He recalled the birds in the woods were many and loud, when all of a sudden it turned deathly quiet.

They looked around to see what was up, it was then they noticed a tall bi-pedal creature trying to hide behind a tree about 50 yards away. It was watching them as well as trying to hide. It would look at them from one side of the tree, then slide over to look from the other side of the tree.

Being a police officer, the witness is trained to make quick observations of an incident as it unfolds. He had about 45 seconds. He described the creature as being 8 feet tall, 350 lbs., dark brown, the hair on the body was 4 inches long, where the facial area was shorter, around 2 inches. The head was16 -18 inches tall and 12-14 inches wide and came to a point at the top. It had a pronounced brow, dark eyes, flat nose, but couldn't see any teeth.

Then, the creature turned and ran perpendicular to them crossing the path they were working on, through a patch of saplings and birch trees then down into a swamp. The body of the creature was wide at the shoulders and narrower at the hips with a large rump and the witness described that it seemed to be kind of paunchy like it had a big gut. One thing that was very noticeable was its muscles, he could see the muscles in its arms, legs and torso. They were well defined and flexed as it moved. When it ran, it swung its arms forward and backward at head level.

His cousin and him stood there in disbelief, then ran up to where it had run through the trees to find the saplings bent or broken, but the creature had disappeared into the brush and swamp.

The area where the encounter occurred was in a 327 acre tract of woods that is bordered on one side by the swamp, a railroad track, Conotton Creek trail and Conotton Creek, which eventually flows to the Tuscarawas River. It is also situated between Tappan and Leesville lakes within 5 miles on either side.

With the witness's background and detailed description of the incident, their encounter with a Bigfoot really speaks for itself.

Five years later, the witness and his family had rented a cabin across from the swamp and railroad tracks, about 1 1/2 mile away. His son and a friend were doing some night fishing at the pond below the cabin. The pond was illuminated by light from the cabin. They noticed what they described as a dark shadow on the other side of the pond about 60 yards away. They decided to move back towards the cabin when it crouched down. They yelled and their mother came outside in time to hear a 'loud howling scream', as the mother put it, and she took them back in the cabin for the night.

About BFRO Investigator James Thompson:

Jim served as a Marine Corps helicopter engine mechanic / air crewman for 24 years. He recently retired as a County Veterans Service Officer. He is a lifetime hunter and outdoorsman. Jim has attended expeditions in Ohio during 2019, 21 & 22.