YEAR: 1986

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: November

DATE: 15

STATE: Illinois

COUNTY: Whiteside County

LOCATION DETAILS: About four and a half miles outside of Erie following River Road next to Johnson Slough.

NEAREST TOWN: Erie

NEAREST ROAD: Sand Road

OBSERVED: I was about 16 or 17 yrs old. My family lived along the Rock River. My parents and sister had gone shopping and I was home alone. We had a dachshund and a mixed breed that started to go nuts around 7 p.m. I let them out and they took off towards the pasture. I had grabbed my shotgun thinking it was someone trying to steal something. The dogs took off towards the edge of the river and stopped. I looked where they were looking and saw a hairy humanoid figure. There was big footprints in the snow from the pasture to the river.

ALSO NOTICED: Footprints during and after.

OTHER WITNESSES: None

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: About 7 p.m. clear night.

ENVIRONMENT: Lots of fields, some timber, islands out in the river.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

I spoke with the witness by phone and can add the following details to the report:

• The witness stated that the animal was at least seven feet tall and weighed over 300 lbs.
• The coloration was either black or very dark brown.
• The animal was muscular with arms that hung down close to its knees.
• After the witness fired his shotgun into the air, the animal walked away with a sort of "airborne shuffle," a fast walk with a long stride.
• The witness then turned around and made a hasty retreat back to his home.
• The witness found several footprints.
• The footprints were eighteen inches long.
• The footprints were seven inches wide at the ball of the foot and somewhat narrower at the heel.

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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