YEAR: 2000-2003

SEASON: Fall

STATE: Texas

COUNTY: Fannin County

LOCATION DETAILS: 6 miles north of Honey Grove

I would like to leave this as the only online listed location to the property.

NEAREST TOWN: Honey Grove

OBSERVED: In October 2000, I began hunting on my wife's family land.The land had sat idle for at least ten years. When I began hunting the land, the deer and hog population was quite high. I took quite a few animals with nothing out of the ordinary taking place.

Oct 2001:
I started filling my feeders and noticed deer every time I entered the property.Strange things started to take place on the first day of season. At the time I didn't think much about it.

On opening day, (evening) I was hunting in my stand that was closest to the creek.(I would later find this was close to the bigfoot's nest area). My dad and I had been whispering at my stand. He left to walk to his stand (100 yards off). Shortly after he left, all wildlife sounds stopped. I then heard a large tree crash to my right (north). I then heard what sounded like a buck hitting his horns (scraping) on a tree. The animal then made a loud blowing noise.I didn't think this unusual. I then heard an animal moving through the dense trees(going from north to south to my dad's stand) I never saw it. It went in the direction of my dad's stand. At one point, it turned and started back in my direction. It then ran out of the woods(going east) to the fire road. At no point did I ever see what the animal was. My dad said that he heard it come up behind him. It then turned and went back in my direction.

All season, there was an eerie feeling felt by all that hunted the place. There are two roads running through the place. Both travel north/south and cross a dry creek. All strange activity would happen across the creek between the two roads.Squirrels would start barking on the creek and then complete silence.

Later in the season, my wife was hunting with me. I left her in her stand (on the 1st road) and I walked down and crossed the creek to hunt. When I arrived to get her (dusk), she was in shock and crying. She said that something big had walked up close behind her. She turned to see what it was and the animal fled. She said it moved to her right and crossed the road. She heard it run and jump the small creek. After it landed on the other side, it growled at her. She also stated that it had a horrible smell. I had never mentioned anything to her about bigfoot (smell sounds).It is my belief that this is what she had contact with.

The last week of deer season, my dad and I were hunting off the second road. We had got in the woods late, so I walked in about 30 feet (off the road) and sat on a stump. About 75 yards down, I heard a squirrel barking in a very strange way. I then heard three large tree breaks. Shortly after, I heard movement to my left in the thicket. Within a few minutes, I heard strange noises coming from the road behind me. Within a few seconds I heard very heavy footsteps on the road.

The road is soft silt (water runoff). Part of it was exposed dirt, part covered in dry leaves.The footsteps were in the dry leaves. I turned to see a large red creature walking on two legs. I couldn't see the entire animal at one time due to the trees along the road. I would estimate the animal at seven feet tall, long thick arms, thick chest, long red hair (the color of an Irish Setter dog). It appeared to be a large ape. The animal was in no hurry and I assume, had no idea I was sitting there. I stood up and turned to face the animal. I leveled my shotgun at it (for protection), and called my dad on the walkie talkie. As soon as I spoke, the animal let out a low short scream and broke into a run down the road.I have never seen an animal move that fast. I'm quite sure that it never saw me,as I scared it by speaking.

My dad arrived and I told him what had taken place. We looked on the road and found two sixteen inch long foot prints in the soft silt. My dad advised that he heard the animal come through the thicket between us, but didn't see anything. At the time, I was a member of the Texas Bigfoot Research Center. I called and reported the incident.

The next day, myself and several members searched the area. Across the creek (from one of my stands), an area was located that appeared to be a bedding area. An old 16 inch track was found in the bedding area.

The next summer, I was taking a TBRC member to the bedding area when we came across a nest constructed of tree limbs. It was constructed on the north side of the tree. Several limbs (north side only) were broken off the ceder tree and laid aginst it in an "A" frame type leanto. There were additional branches that had to have come from other trees.
The "nest" was about 4 feet tall. It did not show to have recent usage (winter nest?) About eight feet away,another ceder tree showed to have branches broken down touching the ground. This tree showed recent usage under the tree. Both trees were within fifty feet of the first bedding area found after my sighting. No one has access to this part of the place. It is very remote.

2002:
Again a strange feeling was felt by all that hunted on the place.It seemed as long as we (hunted off the first road) did not cross the creek we were not bothered. Anytime we hunted off the second road we had unusual things happen(vocal,trees breaking).

My wife and I crossed the creek and hunted from a fire road overlooking a creek. Weeks later, we came back to hunt the same spot. We had hunted in a stand of 3 trees together. When we came back, there was a ceder tree (pulled up roots and all) that had been thrown into the trees we had been hunting. The oddest thing about it is this area is nothing but hardwoods. The ceder tree was pulled up from somewhere else. This again, was within a short distance from the nest area.

The last week of season, my wife, friend, his young son, and I were hunting the 1st road. My wife, the boy, and I crossed the creek to hunt. My friend took one of my stands. We left the boy on the road where I could watch him. the wife and I walked in about 50 yards and sat on the creek. About 30 minutes before dusk, a loud, low roar was heard down the creek (between the 2 roads). It was so loud it just seemed to vibrate my chest. Something was heard walking around but couldn't be seen. It scared the boy so bad he got up and moved. Not seeing him, I got up to go find him. At this point, we decided to end the hunt.

2003:
A friend and I went to the property to plant green patches for the deer to eat. I decided to cross the creek and plant one near where I had a feeder. This feeder is a gravity feeder made from PVC pipe. It has a large Y pipe on the bottom (held to the tree by a rubber bungie on the bottom and rope on the top). We found the lower Y pipe had been removed. No damage was done to the feeder. It was if the pipe had been twisted enough to break the glue. The rubber bungie was hung on a tree limb (7 feet off the ground) by the hook. Several old tracks were found behind the tree.They had been stepped in several times. There was no way to tell the length of them. What could be seen, indicated the size around 16 inches.The missing section of pipe was located about 50 feet away in some ceders. The camo paint had been scratched off in long straight lines. As would be seen if someone used their fingernails. I had taken a camcorder with me, and recorded what was found.

All during deer season, one of my bucket feeders was constantly being taken apart. The bottom was being unscrewed, and the parts found scattered down the creek.This is a free hanging feeder.It takes two people to screw the bottom on (very tight).

Opening weekend, another track was found on the second road where I had my sighting (seen by two other people). My friend, his son, and I hunted the second road by the creek. After coming out that evening, they both said they heard tree branches being broken after they returned to the truck. I was inside the truck and didn't hear anything.

Nothing else occured this season. We inspected the nest and the area around it. No other signs were seen. My friend suggested that he didn't have that strange feeling out there anymore. It could be that after four years the creature moved on. The game population has been depleted/scarce with the arrival of this animal. Since its arrival, only one animal has been harvested in three years. A large 300lb boar was taken the last day of season this year.

ALSO NOTICED: I noticed that before contact (vocal/tree breaking) crows had moved into the area. They were calling/roosting/moving from tree to tree as if following something.

Several times a hoot owl call was heard before the animal moved into the area. After hearing it several times, it appeared to be something other than an owl making the call.

OTHER WITNESSES: 5 witnesses total to incidents. All were hunting.

OTHER STORIES: When I was with the TBRC, I spoke with an individual regarding activity outside Honey Grove.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: All contact was in the evening. Weather: clear. My contact was on a windy day.

There seemed to be no activity during rain or cloudy days.

ENVIRONMENT: Thick timber - Mixture of cedar and hardwoods - numerous dry creeks - nearest residence 1/8th mile.

Follow-up investigation report:

TBRC investigators and I have spoken with the witness at length on numerous occasions and have conducted onsite investigations of the property. The TBRC investigators and I agreed that the witness is highly credible. The property is indeed remote, rugged, thickly wooded and seemingly ideal for the species.

The events as described by the witness relate a fascinating account of possibly how a bigfoot reacts to humans in what it perceives to be its territory. Also, the lack of game in the area at present seems to indicate that the area has been over-hunted, but the witness is quick to inform that humans have certainly not been culpable in this. During my onsite investigation (which lasted well into the night), I noted that the place seemed devoid of any of the normal sounds of the forest. We heard one, very loud, interesting cedar wood knock in the distance (sounding as though a baseball bat had been used against a cedar tree) to which we responded. We heard one owl for perhaps two minutes, and one wolf (which are very rare in Texas). Judging from the lack of sounds and animal tracks even in the creek area, I surmised that the area is rather eerily empty in terms of wildlife.

In talking to the witness about his personal encounter, he described the "strange noises" that he heard as sounding akin to human whistling and also poor renditions of owls.

The alleged nest could very well be just that. The cedar tree (Eastern Red Cedar or Juniperus virginiana) that I inspected was approximately 40 feet in height. Starting at about 12 - 15 feet up, limbs had been broken all the way down the side and piled up at the base of the tree. The limbs were very thick and seemingly too large to have been broken by anything without an unusually inordinate amount of strength and weight. Although there is no direct evidence that the nest was constructed by a bigfoot, the TBRC investigators and I were at a loss as to what else may have created it or caused it to happen. To me, it appeared to be beyond happenstance. Further, I know of no animals in North America or the world for that matter, that could have constructed the crude shelter save for humans - and bigfoot. Photos of the purported nest appear below.

From the backside of the "nest":


All limbs have been broken off and piled below:


The "roof" - about five or six feet high:


The man in the photo is over six feet tall:


Indications at this time are that the creature has moved on. The nest area certainly seems to have gone some time without use. The witness, TBRC investigators and I have found no recent tracks, but investigation continues and the area will remain one of high interest for some time.

Updates will be posted as they are obtained.