YEAR: 1998

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: January

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Gulf County

LOCATION DETAILS: Off of Doc Whitfield Road, turn right onto Sauls Creek Road. Go about 2 miles and there is a dirt road on the left that goes into what is called the "bean field road". All the locals know where this road is, but unless you've been there it's hard to find.

NEAREST TOWN: Howard Creek

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 71

OBSERVED: One night in 1998 my husband (then boyfriend) his friend and I were riding in the woods near our house. It was hunting season and so we were going shining a.k.a. spotlighting for deer. It didn't work so well with three people inside the cab of the truck, so I decided I'd sit in the back and hold the light and both of them could look out of the side windows. Anyway, we rounded one curve on nice graded dirt road and I shined the field near it. At the edge of the woods was what appeared to be a bear, but it had red eyes. This thing, whatever it was, was huge! I'm no genius but I'd say it stood as tall as 6'5" possibly 7'. It never ran towards us or anything, but I wasn't sure what it was capable of so I climbed quickly into the cab through the sliding back window. My husband's friend saw it also, as it was on the same side as him...to this day we don't know what it was. I don't think it was a bear though. I've never seen a bear in this area that damn big!

ALSO NOTICED: The only thing that really stands out is the height and the huge red eyes. I don't know what color a bears eyes shine at night...but these were huge and red. Almost like a whipporwill (sp?)

OTHER WITNESSES: 3 people there total
Only 2 saw
We were watching TV when we decided to go shining in the woods

OTHER STORIES: No...I have asked others though, but this is the type of area where noone talks about things like this.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Approximately 10:00 E.S.T. Humid and cold

ENVIRONMENT: Pine woods in Florida management area