YEAR: 2002

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 15

STATE: Ohio

COUNTY: Belmont County

LOCATION DETAILS: I do not want the location posted (you can use the county and town of Malaga only)

NEAREST TOWN: malaga

NEAREST ROAD: harper ridge rd.

OBSERVED: I have been an avid hunter for over 25 years and I am convinced that bigfoots are out there. This encounter happened in mid to late october in the 2002 deer bow hunting season. I was working 2nd shift at the time. Their were four of us who experienced this. I got off work at about 11pm. picked up my hunting buddies and drove down to southern ohio where we hunt. We arrived at about 2:30 to 3:00 am. Parked the truck and decided our next move. Everyone was hardcore ready to go. I personally have no problem with cat-napping in a tree-stand , We piled out of the truck and proceded to get our hunting clothes and gear ready. Down the road in both directions (east-west) you could here two barred owls hooting back and forth. I personally thought nothing of it. I've heard and seen lots of owls and they did'nt sound any different than owls I've heard before. We got ready and then proceeded up the hill to where we were going to split up. This was a large hill we climbed and when we reached the top we followed the ridge out to where it converges into a larger ridge. When we reached the top of the hill we took a breather and I had noticed the two owls had crossed the road and were in the hollows on either side of us. One on one side one on the other. We caught our breath and proceeded to follow the ridge top to where we were headed. The owls followed us down the ridge in either hollow but now they were not only still hooting they were making one hell of a racket (branches breaking and stuff). Not like normal owls at all, let alone following us. We travel close to about a mile down the ridge to where we split up. The owls (which I don't think are owls anymore) followed us on either side the whole way. We get to the place where we are supposed to split up and stop. A couple of the guys ask me about the owls and all the stick snapping commotion as we came down the ridge. I tell them I have no clue other than maybe the owls were pushing deer. We talked about the hunt and where we would meet up at noon. unless one of us took a deer. We were there about 15 minutes and all of a sudden we here this noise that I can say kinda started as a growl that turned into a scream. This had to be close(within a hundred yards) because it was like you were at a rock concert and you feel the base drum reverberating in your chest. It was really loud! Everyone was like "what the heck is that!" We were all a little mortified and I think they did'nt want to split up. We waited about another twenty minutes trying to figure that scream out and get our nerve up. We decided to hunt anyway and all kinda joked about it being a couple of bigfoots and how if one of them came by our treestand we would kick it in the teeth. We split up and got into our treestands. It was probably about 4:30 now, I personally couldn't get over how quiet the woods were from then on out. The sun finally came up and I was pretty glad. We hunted until noon and then met up with each other. Everyone had the same story, It was absolutely death quiet until about 11:00am, no birds, no squirrels, no nothing, you could hear a pin drop. We decided to get out of there and hunt somewhere else. I firmly believe that the moment we stepped out of the truck that they were watching our every move and followed us. I think we got a little too close to one or more of their positions and they gave us a warning. I think they are nomadic in general and were just passing through that area. I'm hunting on over 2000 acres of private land that has lots of logging roads all through it. We have a lot of the locals tresspassing on atv's and railcars. I really don't think the bigfoots would permanently live or hang out in there.

ALSO NOTICED: Nothing else was heard or observed in that area untill after 11:00am

OTHER WITNESSES: There was four of us all together

OTHER STORIES: Yes, the very next year we heard one howl. It was about a mile down the road from the other location but we were very impressed at how long that howl lasted, over a minute, I think it had to be very large to howl that long. i.e. large chest cavity.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: At or around 3:00am till about 4:30am, what light? we had a waining moon, weather was clear, no clouds, about lower 40's temp.

ENVIRONMENT: Very hilly, hard to hunt, mostly pine ridges and hardwood hollows, was timbered two years ago but all they took was the white pines.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Rob Lowery:

I contacted the witness by phone and spoke with him for about 1 1/2 hours.
The following can be added:
The witness mentioned that the loud vocalization he heard was similar to that of the 1994 Ohio - Moaning Howl. This lasted for approximately 30 seconds. The witness claims to have felt it reverberate through his chest. Also noting during the time of entering to go to the stands until around noon was a feeling of dread. He has had one other vocalization two weeks later also similar to the 1994 Ohio "Moaning Howl” He has since not had any other incidents. The witness is an avid outdoorsman and believes he heard a sasquatch. I found him to be a credible person.

About BFRO Investigator Rob Lowery:

Rob Lowery is an Inspector in the Fire Service.

- Served 10 years in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Divison.

- Attended the 2009 WI Expedition, 2011 So. IL Expedition

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