YEAR: 2006 / 07

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Schoolcraft County

LOCATION DETAILS: Pine Marten Run Trailhead @ County Rd 440 Area and the footprint was found at a small lake (Schoolcraft County)

NEAREST TOWN: Wetmore

NEAREST ROAD: County Rd 440

OBSERVED: I noticed that you are doing an expedition in the U.P. of Michigan. My husband and I go to his families cabin in Wetmore which is in Schoolcraft County on the Chain of Lakes. In June of 2006 we were standing out on the deck at around 10:30 and we both heard from across the lake back somewhere in the woods (it sounded like the area of Pine Marten Run Trail) a loud grunt/howl sound. It sounded exactly like the calls from your website.

Then again this June 2007 we were up there again and there was another sound that was loud and it sounded like muffled talking. It sounded like something was trying to talk but not using English words. We were both pretty startled.

Then that same trip we went searching for a particular lake in Schoolcraft county, we found it and went down a road marked site 2. I was looking around and my husband was fishing down at the lake. He called me down there and there was a very large human shaped foot print where the sand met the grassy area. I put my foot in the track and it fit but it was just much bigger. I have a strong feeling there is something up there and hope that this helps with the expedition they will be doing in July.

OTHER WITNESSES: My husband and I.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Dusk for the sounds we heard and around 8:00 when we found the print.

ENVIRONMENT: Deep woods at dusk (sounds heard)
Evening at the lake edge (footprint found)

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:

Their cabin is on a lake that is part of the Chain of Lakes. This chain consists of four lakes that are connected to the Big Indian River. They have heard "talking" on several occasions and "whispering" that was not english. They stated whoever was trying to whisper was not doing a very good job at it. What they heard may be what we refer to as "chatter" by sasquatches.

Just two miles from their cabin is the lake where they found the track. This small, uninhabited lake is in the center of the Hiawatha National Forest and is only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles. It fluctuates in depth, and depending on the time of the year, there is often a sandy shoreline. Located next to the headwaters of the Gilpecker Creek Valley, it is a short distance from the Big Indian River system. This system is connected to a wilderness area of several lakes, heavy forest and swamp country that is connected to the Sceney Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is connected to a vast, wild and heavy swamp country leading all the way north to Lake Superior. This Refuge also runs south and breaks out into farm country that is a mixture of small wetlands and wooded areas leading all the way to Lake Michigan.

All these areas have deer in them and plenty of wildlife. Deer have to move to these warmer swamps where there is enough food to sustain them for the winter. Their main food source during heavy snow is cedar found in the swamp country and along rivers. Some deer migrate over 30 miles south and southwest where there is less snow and where food is more readily available. The closer you get to Lake Michigan the less snow you have. The Lake Superior snowfall averages 3 to 4 feet and the deer have to migrate to areas where there is food and cover for the winter. These areas are known as yarding areas where several deer will congregate. Once they are trapped in these very isolated yards they can't get out because of the deep snow which would make them very vulnerable. The last two winters the snow has come late and left fairly early so the deer were not confined for a long period of time. This had lead to a population increase of deer from the winters of 2006 and 2007 and there are currently a lot of young deer.

These lakes are approximately 50 miles from the 2007 Michigan Expedition connected by waterways of streams, rivers and swampy wetland.

About BFRO Investigator Caroline Curtis:

• Worked as an Assistant to a Circuit Court Judge in Florida for thirteen years
• An avid outdoorswoman, growing up in the UP of Michigan on a family-owned fishing and hunting resort
• Certified Visual Tracker, Level 1
• Attended and assisted with numerous public and private BFRO expeditions
• She and the Florida BFRO organized South Florida Expedition 2008, North Florida Expedition 2008 and Central Florida Expedition in 2009.
  
• She and the Michigan BFRO organized the Lower-Michigan Expedition in 2011, Michigan UP Expeditions in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 and Wisconsin 2018
• BFRO Secretary for almost 20 years

• Explanation of the report classification system
• Submit a report for the sightings database
• Please send any comments or inquiries to ContactUs@BFRO.net