YEAR: 1987

SEASON: Summer

STATE: California

COUNTY: Mendocino County

NEAREST TOWN: Laytonville Ca.

NEAREST ROAD: 101

OBSERVED: Well it was summer time and I have about 30 acres of land off Highway 101, 11 miles north of Laytonville, California. A short distance north is Weott. I have been a country girl all my life and have spent my life close to the land. I had always been drawn to the forest and had slept outside when ever possible. The weekends were made for pitching camp and swiming in the Rattlesnake Creek that runs along the foot of the property. This time I wanted to spend the night along the side of the river by the deep pool we always swam in. The river has giant boulders to lay on and bask in the sun. Both sides of the river are steep one side one side is so steep and gravel like you cant even climb it.

Well after much pleading with the people I had brought, they said ok we will camp on the river. They were drinking a bit much and I was not going to touch it because I was worried they may decide to take a swim and sink. We had fun with a small campfire we sat and laughed until it was late. We rolled out our sleeping bags on the bank, the river at our feet and the steep cliff to our heads. The spot we were in had a bit of a ledge high over our heads.I dont know what time it was when I woke up but I am a light sleeper and I heard the gravel over our heads being walked on. I lay still and listened. It is moving across the top of the ledge toward my right. There is a deer trial that comes down to creek level about 10 feet away from where I am sleeping and I hear this person coming down it. I was scared and tried to wake the people closest to me without making to much noise. Then I kicked the person to my left and he snores louder.

To my right, this person (I say person because it was two footed by the sound of it) was no more than 10 feet from me. It stood behind a willow bush/baby tree it was really just 5 or six canes coming out of the stream bed. It was dark but I could feel its size when it walked and shook the canes. I kept thinking I am going to kill these @#% guys, why are they sleeping still?

Then the thing started yelling at me. I know the sound of the animals in the California woods. I have never heard this in my life. It was yelling at us "What the hell are you doing hear, this is my place." It wasn't like a mountain lion grawling and saying "I'm tough and I can kick your [butt]." It was broken up into batches of sounds with inflections that I recognized. It was like a person speaking another language but you know they are telling you directly to get the hell out of my house.

I could see glimpses of it when its body moved into the light of the river. Its right side was as tall as the canes I knew to be 8 foot-ish. It ranted and raved and stomped and shook the bush. I smelled skunk and thought "Great this is all I need, they will bury me without a funeral because I am going to stink." I finally got my voice and said "Ok Ok its alright ok ok ." I did not see or hear it leave. But I realized at some point it had left. My encounter lasted only a few minutes but it felt much longer. I stayed awake the rest of the night and I was so mad in the morning at my fellow campers. I do not know if they believed me or not. I could give a hoot.

ALSO NOTICED: Went home asap

OTHER WITNESSES: 5 sleeping drunks

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: After dark sometime closer to morning I think.

Follow-up investigation report:

I talked with the witness by phone and the following details can be added to the report:
--Scream was nothing like the ones on the web.
--Witness could feel the vibrations of the scream in her chest.
--The scream had inflection in it and started and stopped.
--Witness had the impression that the animal was very large and male.
--Witness still owns the land and goes back several times a year. Witness has heard faint calls, but has not seen anything like footprints.