YEAR: 2004

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: 20

STATE: Alaska

COUNTY: Bristol Bay County

LOCATION DETAILS: Approximately 95 miles east of Egegik, Alaska. Up the Egegik River thirty-five miles, and sixty miles accross Becharoff Lake to the far south/east corner of the lake on the mouth of the Bear Creek spit.

NEAREST TOWN: Egegik

OBSERVED: To whom it may concern, I am a commercial fisherman in Alaska and have been doing so since 1970. I am an avid outdoorsman, hunter and someone who just loves to get out there. Every year after fishing, I try to take a trip up river with a friend or two to wind down and enjoy ourselves before we go home. This year while I was on this trip into Alaska's interior our main mission was to take pictures of bears and the surrounding wildlife to promote a new bear viewing and sports fishing buisness. While on our five day trip, we spotted more than fourty bears. I took hundrends of pictures of these bears and their tracks.

One of which, was so big, it put chills up my spin and gave me and my companions a very uneasy sense of insecurity. What set this track apart from the others was it's enormous size and human shape. In one of the pictures that I took of this track, I placed my foot next to it on the ground, keep in mind I am wearing a size 13 boot. Whatever made this track was so heavy, heavier than the biggest bear, that it pushed the gravel so far into the earth that it made us truly speculate what we were looking at. Other pictures that we took of bear tracks were nowhere close to the indentation that this track had left. One of the most intriguing things about this track was there were no visible claw marks as with all the other bear tacks.

Both of us felt extremely uneasy of our surroundings and had the feeling that we were being watched. For the rest of the day we didn't have much to talk about, and that night felt uncomfortable at camp. We never heard or smelt anything out of the ordinary. To this day I'm not too sure what we saw and I'm not making any claims other than the words I have put fourth. I would like to include the photos I spoke of, as maybe you or someone on your staff might help me shed some light on this situation. I want nothing but to put my mind at ease. Wether this is a bear track from an extrememly enormous bear or...? Please help if you have any input.

ALSO NOTICED: Just these foot prints and how obvious it was that this was not a bear track or at least it sure didn't look or feel that it was.

OTHER WITNESSES: One other witness, and he was fishing prior to the incident. As this time of year the salmon fill the lakes and creeks to the brim.

OTHER STORIES: I've only heard of one other story, from an old native man that lived by himself, a true hermit. He spoke of a tall creature that walked on two legs, and watched him for thirty minutes from accross the river of which his cabin overlooked approximately two hundred feet away,when first sighted he was motionless and staring straight at him,then this creature which he named "Hairy Man" turned and briskly walked away.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Approximately 12:30 pm, partially coudy/sunny.

ENVIRONMENT: Lake front,creek spit, gravel and sand, alder brush aproxamently 8 miles from the Pacific ocean..High rolling hills jaged mountan, valcanos,Rivers, Lakes, Streems, marsh, Tundra,Exstream remote

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

I had an extended conversation with the witness by phone. This individual has a vast amount of experience in Alaska spanning thirty-five years.

The footprints were found in an area that is frequented by a very large population of bears. As such he is very knowledgeable about bear prints. The footprints measured nineteen inches long and eight inches wide. They were able to follow the footprints for a distance of about a hundred feet. The distance between each step was much greater than a man's.

The witness did provide me with a series of photographs taken of the footprints but they were not of sufficient detail to be included with this report.

About BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

Stan Courtney has a special interest in wildlife audio recording. He has attended numerous BFRO Expeditions. See Stan's blog StanCourtney.com for recordings he has collected over the years.

Stan Courtney can be reached at illinois@bfro.net

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