YEAR: 1991

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 11-17-91

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Ogemaw County

LOCATION DETAILS: On a gravel road, just off M-33, between Rose City and I-75.

NEAREST TOWN: Rose City, Mich.

NEAREST ROAD: M-33

OBSERVED: Before my experience, I never really thought much about the bigfoot legends. Now I believe 100%. I would not have any problem telling my story while being hooked up to a polygraph machine.
I am 28 yrs. old and live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I spend alot of time outdoors hunting, fishing, and backpacking. My parents have a cabin on 960 acres near Atlanta, Michigan (which is about 4 hrs. north of Ann Arbor). This is where I normally go to hunt whitetail deer.
In 1991 (I was 19 yrs. old at the time), I drove to the cabin to meet my father and uncle, who were already there, to go hunting. In Michigan, rifle season for whitatail starts November,15th. I hunted on the 15th., 16th., and the morning of the 17th. I had to work on the 18th., so I packed up everything to head home on the afternoon of the 17th. My father and uncle stayed to hunt.
I had been on the road maybe a little more than an hour when I decided that it was about time to try to find a place to relieve myself. The area I was in at the time, was mostly forest and not alot around. Then I saw a gravel road to the right and turned on it to get away from the main road. I drove down this road a few hundred yards, stopped the car,shut it off, and jumped out to take care of business. By this time, it was just starting to get dark. Looking up this gravel road, I was facing west. Behind me the sky getting pretty dark, but looking to the west the sky still had alot of light. The road went up a steep hill ahead and had forest on both sides of the road. I was standing in the middle of the road "taking care of business" and heard a loud screech that immediatly took my eyes to the top of the hill in front of me. I've spent alot of time outdoors and have never heard a sound like that. At the top of the hill, about a hundred yards away, I could see, what looked like, the silhouette of a person on the left edge of the road (very easy to see because the sky was so much lighter to the west). At this point, I thought that the figure on the hill was probably
a hunter that just walked out of the woods from hunting. I finished my "business", zipped up, jumped in my car, started it, turned on my lights, and started driving down the road to find a place to turn around. When my lights hit the figure in the road, it was making it's way across to the right side of the road. It was dark in color, was totally covered in hair, and wasn't carrying a gun. I was within about 20 or 30 yards away when it disappeared into the trees on the right side of the road. I estimate a height of 6-7 ft. tall. I did not look for tracks. At the time I was a bit freaked out. I drove down the road about a half mile before turning around, then when I went past the spot that he went in to the woods, I was traveling about 60 mph. The one thing that really convinced me that it was real was watching it walk. It wasn't like an ape and it wasn't like a man, but it was definatly animal-like. All the movements were animal-like. I am totally convinced it was not a person in a suit. 100% sure. I'm not really sure how to discribe what I mean by animal-like movements, but I am sure, 100%, that no person could reproduce movements like that. Also, it wouldn't be a really smart thing to put on a fur suit and go walking through the woods right before dark, on the third day of Michigan's whitetail firearm season.
My experience took place just off M-33 between Rose City and I-75. I don't know if there have been other sightings in Michigan, but I am sure that they're here.
I haven't told alot of people this story. When it happened, it was a big joke to everyone I told.
Now, I'm starting to hear about more and more sightings all over the place. I've seen programs on the Discovery channel and articles in magizines. I know that there are people making a serious attempt to find this creature. Let me reassure anyone looking for it, your not wasting your time, it does exhist. Science is discovering new creatures all the time. In fact I read somewhere about a recent discovery of two previously unknown mammels in N. Vietnam (I think it was N. Vietnam).

ALSO NOTICED: The sound was a high pitched screech (about 2 or 3 seconds).

OTHER WITNESSES: I am the only witness

OTHER STORIES: I don't know of any other Michigan sightings.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Just before dark. Good weather, a pretty clear day.

ENVIRONMENT: Hilly, wooded area

Follow-up investigation report:

The witness is an avid outdoorsman, hunter, nature photographer, and wilderness backpacker. He has a couple years of college, and is a foreman where he works. His encounter left quite an impression on him, and he has told very few people about the incident. Some follow-up work at the site and general area is planned, and a report update will be filed if appropriate.