YEAR: 2002

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: December

STATE: Texas

COUNTY: Freestone County

LOCATION DETAILS: Tehuacana Creek that leads to [the] Trinity River.

NEAREST TOWN: Streetman

OBSERVED: This day I did not get in my deer stand, I took a chair and got in the woods (not sure how many yards in the brush). The weather was bad and I had no business there. After ten minutes or so of sitting on the spot waiting for deer or hogs I heard at aprox. 20 yards a real loud scream I mean loud. I became concerned since I was by myself and this is a private property far from any houses. I walked out of the woods and as soon as I made it to the right of way I heard something walking toward me and it sounded heavy breaking limbs as it came. I moved away from the edge of the woods, raised my 30/30 and got ready to confront whatever it was. This thing never came out but it was looking at me because I could hear the very heavy breathing just standing in the brush. It was already getting dark. I decided to get back to my truck parked about 1/4 of a mile down. Still holding the rifle, I got to the dirt road just on the other side of the right of way and walked as fast as I could to the truck. I did not run because I am a hunter and know the nature of wild things and dont want to be chased. As I walked toward the truck I could still hear this thing walking right along with me, but it would never come out. The dirt road makes a right and this is when I was scared the most because I could no longer hear or see that area. Anyway I made it to the truck (thank God) and got out of there as fast as I could. Like I said never saw what it was and never hunted in the spot again.

ALSO NOTICED: Like I said I never went back until the end of the season with 3 friends to pick up my stuff.

OTHER STORIES: [A friend had a sighting in Navarro County.]

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 5:45 pm. Raining, cold and a little bit foggy.

ENVIRONMENT: There are some farms in the area.

Follow-up investigation report:

I spoke at length with the witness on 27 April 2004. I judged the witness to be of a credible nature and found his testimony of the event to be most convincing.

In late December 2002, the witness chose to engage in a late day hunting spree. Although a friend of his called him "crazy" for going out because of the inclement weather and the approach of dusk, the witness persisted. The witness brought a 30-30 for hunting in the heavily wooded area, and a fold away stool. He did not anticipate being there beyond sundown, which was fast approaching.

The witness testified that he assumed his position on his stool in a very brushy, wooded area near an obvious game trail. For ten minutes the witness heard very little and saw even less. According to the witness, after about ten minutes had elapsed, he heard what he described as "a very, very loud, long scream that sounded like a huge bird." The witness told me that the weird sound originated from no more than 30 yards away. The scream lasted several seconds and the witness was scared, alarmed and puzzled as to what could have possibly made such a vocalization.

The witness only took a few seconds after the scream ended before he thought to himself, "Bad idea," referring to his being there near such an unknown, loud animal. The witness immediately and quietly stood up, picked up his stool and began to leave as quickly as he could, blazing his own trail through the brush and trees. Once he reached a clearing, the witness could hear an extremely large-sounding animal following him through the woods. The witness described the sounds as "loud steps and limbs and trees breaking." I asked him about the possibility of a bull or large hog. The witness assured me that what he heard was not even remotely a bull or hog. He said the sounds were "from a much bigger animal," and the footfalls had a definite bipedal sound.

Once the unknown animal reached the tree line, it ceased walking and seemingly stood there, just inside the tree line out of visual range of the witness, occasionally breaking a limb or crunching vegetation on the ground, all the while, breathing and grunting very loudly. The witness had his gun at the ready as he began to hurriedly walk to his vehicle. The animal again began moving through the trees while remaining out of sight. The witness said that he could hear the creature following and shadowing him. The witness would stop then the creature would stop.

Finally the witness reached his vehicle, totally terrified and shaking by now, and drove off, vowing never to return to the area.

The witness's confidence and feeling of security has been shattered for life. He is now frightened to be in the woods after dark. He said there is "not a day that goes by" that he does not think of the incident and how it has changed his outlook on hunting and the outdoors. The witness said that he is amazed at how bigfoot researchers will go deep into the woods to look for these animals. The witness said that the creature could easily have "snapped him in two," so he cannot in good conscience condone the killing of these animals.

The witness did say that very recently, he was talked into returning to the area for an overnite stay in a cabin located there, despite his averseness. The witness and two others heard several loud, unknown vocalizations, though different from the scream that the witness heard in 2002. The witness remarked that although these vocalizations were different, he was gripped by the same kind of fear that he felt on the day of his encounter. I asked the witness to return once again to the area and he agreed to do so. This report will be updated as needed should additional, pertinent data be produced.

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