YEAR: 1976

SEASON: Unknown

DATE: 6/15/1976

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Oceana County

NEAREST TOWN: New Era

OBSERVED:
January 28, 2016 email received by the BFRO:

Can someone in your organization please put me in touch with Jim Sherman. I need to have a conversation with him about bigfoots in West Michigan.

Thank you.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Jim Sherman:

This report came in as a request to the BFRO, looking for my contact information. I contacted Mr. P and we began a discussion about possible Sasquatch activity that occurred between thirty and forty years ago on his family farm. The incidents that he described were baffling at the time but over the years Mr. P has begun piecing together what he may have been experiencing in his youth.

Mr. P, now in his mid 50’s, has not returned to his family farm since it was sold in the 1990’s. The farm itself was about 100 acres with 70% dedicated to orchards while the rest was pine and hardwoods. During the height of the activity deer had moved onto the property in such numbers that farmers were given permits to cull the herd. “[The deer]…were thick as fleas on a dog’s back.” Why is this important? Deer populations bring predators and if we suggest that Sasquatch might consume meat then a ready supply of protein was available at the time.
The incidents began with strange tree formations appearing on the property and the surrounding area. Larger trees around 6” in diameter were being found that had been pushed over roads and trails. The witness used the term “pushed” because the trees were moved from their original location and carted to the roads or trails and then positioned to block access. Neighbors also complained about this happening, particularly to trails leading to a nearby blueberry field. That neighbor was so fed up with “people” coming onto his property, blocking the trails, and then stripping his bushes of berries that he rerouted the road closer to his home where he could watch for trespassers. Mr. P wishes that he could contact that property owner today to ask him a few questions. These tree formations appeared to be intelligently created to hinder someone’s progress down a trail. This activity has been witnessed in great apes as they will use local trees and branches to mark off territorial claims. In 2012 this investigator found one large “X” type structure which appeared on a trail I had hiked on the day before, and close to where I was camping that night. Too close to where I had been camping.

When the witness was young he discovered an even more intricate tree structure that was ½ mile away from the blueberry farm. A tall tree structure was formed by trees “…pushed together at an angle and having the branches woven together to create an arch or almost chapel-like structure.” “You would have needed a cherry picker to build it.” Mr. P, now a software engineer, stated that there was “…intelligence in the crafting and design of the structure.” Even then he was certain that this structure could not have been a matter of nature or chance. While the obvious fabricator of this structure had to be a person, the witness was surprised that anyone would waste so much time to create something that was so far away from an area where people would come across it frequently.

Mr. P also recalled that he had seen what looked like large human prints in an asparagus patch. There were nine as he recalled and they must have been at least seven feet between each step (left to right). Something big had been running. He also described very large human looking prints in the silt around a spring in the area. It was also in this location that rocks had been thrown from the woods, toward the witness. “You could tell it was a rock.” Witnesses and researchers around the country have experienced objects thrown at them. Might this be a warning?

Attached you will find and example of a rock throwing incident this investigator recorded in Wisconsin:

What Throws Rocks in the Woods?




Later, during a rainy day hike, Mr. P walked down a trail and got a strange feeling as if he were not alone. He stopped and waited but could see nothing. Then he coughed. There was silence for about twenty seconds until he heard and saw a large tree branch passing through the tops of the trees. The direction of travel was toward the witness but not at him, but the branch was moving horizontally as if propelled. The witness believes now that whatever was out there was caught off guard and wanted to know where the intruder was or to get him to move or leave. Mr. P said that he thought of two reactions, the first was to run and the second was to lay down and hide. He chose option one.

In this same area on a later date Mr. P and a buddy were walking up a ravine on the property when they heard clicking noises. To them it sounded like a person clicking their tongue in their mouth but it was much louder. Then another clicking started and two “clickers” began to “communicate.” Both gentlemen lost their nerve and left the area.
It is important to note that there are a few common animals that will communicate with clicking sounds. Squirrels click to communicate over long distances and bear will pop their teeth when angry. Mr. P does not believe it was squirrels.

Further incidences of strange happenings revolved around the barn on the property. Objects were found moved around after everyone had gone to sleep. The door to the area where chemical sprays were kept was ripped off the hinges one night. Something then ripped open a bag containing poison and the hole and amount scooped out seemed to be similar to that which would be produced by a very large hand. That area was never disturbed again. But banging sounds were often heard at night and one time in the late morning that seemed to come from a huge steel tank behind the barn. Once in January, “Something smashed on the back door [of the house].” “I wanna go see it,” yelled a young Mr. P. “No!” was the stern response he got from his dad. In fact, Mr. P believed that his father also believed there was something out there that shouldn’t have been. On one occasion Mr. P had a “Strange vibe” that something was watching him and he felt threatened. It was in a similar location to the area where the branch throwing had happened. Mr. P’s dad said, “I don’t feel safe.”

I have recorded similar banging noises in central Michigan. Some came from a large tin shed and others were on a barrel that was used for “gifting” (i.e. Sweet Potatoes were left there for Sasquatch). Most animals will not bang on anything so this is an interesting phenomenon.

There were also objects on the property that were moved that made little sense. One was a large anvil that was picked up and placed in the middle of the barn. A person could lift the anvil and move it, but why? Strange things began to effect the family dog. It would not go into the barn and when forced, would hide in the chicken coop and block the door with straw.

The reason that this report is important does not revolve around physical evidence, photo documentation or video data like most of the reports you will find on this site. It is rather, a study in attempting to rationalize the experiences and feelings one man experienced long ago while trying to tie in the most current beliefs regarding possible Sasquatch behavior. The hope is that future witnesses will come forward with similar instances of activity and more data can be collected and analyzed. If we recognize commonalities in behavior and activity we might be better able to further our collective research.

About BFRO Investigator Jim Sherman:

Jim is a High School History teacher and Track and Cross Country coach. He attended the Michigan Northern Lower Peninsula Expedition in 2011, the Michigan Upper Peninsula Expedition in 2012, co-organized the Michigan UP 2013 Expedition and attended the 2014 Wisconsin Expedition. He assisted in the production of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot Michigan episodes (Bigfoot and Wolverines and Super Yooper). He participates in Ironman Triathlons and enjoys fishing and camping with his wife and daughter. Jim can be contacted at germanicus1@hotmail.com and Twitter @shermanbigfoot and his YouTube account is : Lordcryptid