Geographical Index > United States > Florida > Holmes County > Report # 14181
(Class B)
Submitted by witness on Tuesday, March 21, 2006.
Hunter hears vocalizations, relates other experiences in vicinity
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YEAR: 2006
SEASON: Spring MONTH: March DATE: March 2006 STATE: Florida COUNTY: Holmes County LOCATION DETAILS: Near Pea River. NEAREST TOWN: Geneva OBSERVED: It was just at twilight. I was sitting waiting to turkey hunt. I've heard the howls on here but this was different. It sounded higher in pitch all most like a child making the sound. A few minuets later I heard it again. Whatever it was was far off. I was hoping to hear a deeper answer but didn't. At first I thought it was some child calling cows or something, but it was too early for that. I've heard that before. ALSO NOTICED: I guess you could say I had a "smelling".This was over nine years ago. While bow hunting I smelled a very rank oder. In bowhunting wind direction is always checked, then the smell just went away. I rechecked the wind and found it coming out of the same direction. My cousin a few years before that heard a very loud roar.He was about sixteen then and to this day he will not hunt there in the dark. OTHER WITNESSES: none OTHER STORIES: no TIME AND CONDITIONS: Just at first light. ENVIRONMENT: I was sitting in a field but the sound came from near the river. My guess on the Alabama side.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Dr. Robert S. (MD):
Spoke with witness for 30 minutes. He seems to be a very experienced hunter and comfortable outdoorsman, and the following details can be added to this report:
Regarding the vocalizations:
Occurred about 0600 in the morning, and witness heard two calls lasting approximately 2-3 seconds apiece, in short succession (about 3 seconds apart). He described them as similar to a child's yell, but it sounded far away, and was coming from across the river in Alabama, where the vegetation is thick and there are no inhabitants. It did not sound like any animal he has ever heard, and he denied any similarity to cat cries. No other out of place observations were made, including smells or tracks.
Regarding the "smelling":
He estimates this occurred in the same area as the vocalizations, actually about 4-5 years ago. He was bow-hunting from a permanent hunting stand. The odor was described as "raunchy," like a "room full of dirty gym socks 100 years old." The smell came and went, and as the wind never shifted direction, he believes whatever the smell came from shifted position behind his stand, where a creek bed was. He did look for tracks the next day, but the rocky creek bed yielded no tracks.
Regarding his cousin's experience:
His cousin had been hunting since a very young age and was very confident in the woods prior to his experience, which occurred at age 16 (about 14 years ago). He was alone hunting in this same area, and apparently heard an extremely load "roar" at fairly close range, like nothing he had heard before. It was his opinion that he was being “told to leave” by the roar. The incident shook him to the point he will not go into the woods after dark to this day.
Additionally, the witness relates second hand that this same cousin had a sighting a few years later at age 18 or 19 on a road a few miles to the west in nearby Walton county. While driving alone late at night the cousin spotted what he initially thought was a "large man with a fur coat on," standing in the road. The hair covered creature wandered off after a few seconds down a small trail into the woods. The cousin had to stop on the road to avoid hitting the creature.
Additional experiences noted:
The witness relates a few occasions during hunting when he has followed the blood trail of a deer he has shot, only to have the trail suddenly disappear with no trace of the deer in the surrounding area. He had expected to find the deer, as he thought his shot was good for the kill. The last of these incidents occurred in the same area of his vocalization encounter.
The witness also relates approaching a pond in the same area of the property last year, and hearing “something big” exiting the pond, but he retreatted from the area before arriving at the pond as he did not feel comfortable encountering whatever caused the noise.
About BFRO Investigator Dr. Robert S. (MD):
Robert S. is a physician practicing in Florida. He has attended numerous public and private expeditions since 2006 in FL, GA, TN, WA, OR, CA, NM, NY, and NC.
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