YEAR: 2007

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: October

DATE: 20

STATE: Utah

COUNTY: Cache County

LOCATION DETAILS: Wellsville Mountains, west of Logan.

OBSERVED: I was 21 and had just returned about 6 months before from living in japan for 2 years. The general season mule deer hunt had just opened and i decided to go hunting one day after my college classes had ended, i remember thinking how stupid it was that i had to go to class during the hunt and didn't want to while i driving/sliding my car up a snowy road.

i turned off the paved road onto a farm road and went past a house that was under construction and parked in the small trailhead lot. instead of going up the mountain i walked a short distance around a field and sat down on a steep slope overlooking a valley, a few hills and some trees.

i sat looking through my binoculars at the deer bedded down in the trees wondering why they wouldn't get up and forage in the trees for nuts or grasses. as i sat watching i heard a loud crashing sound coming from the trees nearer to the house/ barn that was being built, it may have even been watching them as it was very close to the house.

i looked through my binoculars and could see a large black shape moving through heavy cover and at first thought it was a black bear but as i watched it didn't have the bouncing motion that bears have when they run because their front legs are shorter than the rear legs. it was moving very gracefully.

i watched as it plowed through thick brush like a bull until it made it to more open ground in the trees and noticed how strange it really was. it was moving on two legs and moving fast. i looked and saw all the deer running. unfortunately it was in the other direction and turned back to the animal.

i watched in amazement was it went straight into a massive stand of buck brush that i couldn't have gotten through with a machete.
it kept moving at a phenomenal pace and was gone over a ridge in just a few seconds.

i've hunted and hiked alone for years and come toe to toe with both black bears and mountain lions and never, ever been that afraid before. i imnedeiatly put a bullet into my rifle and backed away from the spot, never turning my back. i got in my car and left.

my dad and brother and brother in law keep wanting to go back there because we've seen deer there but i have never gone back. even when i hunt the other end of the wellsville mountains i stay with someone because of the experience.

z

ALSO NOTICED: after i read that bigfoot supposedly hit sticks or rocks together to communicate i had to wonder if it was a attracted to the sounds of hammers and nail guns while they were roofing on the new house.

OTHER WITNESSES: none

OTHER STORIES: no, i've heard of nothing but i don't share this story often. just with close family.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: it was mid afternoon, about 1500. the weather was cold, fresh snow, overcast but still very bright light.

ENVIRONMENT: there is an old creek in the bottom of the valley that has water in spring to early summer. lots of oak brush and maples. the brush is very thick but the trees open up fairly well.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Todd Strong:

The Wellsville Mountains are a designated wilderness area with no roads, very few trails and an abundance of wildlife including mule deer. They are considered to be some of the steepest and most rugged mountains in Northern Utah.

After interviewing the witness the following can be added. He was familiar with the area and had hunted and scouted there before. He has been hunting since he was fourteen years old. It was a clear afternoon and he observed the animal for thirty seconds. He could clearly see definition in the animals biceps, triceps and abdominals. It was very muscular, clearly athletic and bulldozed its way uphill through ten foot tall oak brush with its arm covering its face for protection. The action looked liked a massive football player plowing through the line. The witness doubted he could have even walked through the thick scrub oak let alone run through it. This witness is believable.

About BFRO Investigator Todd Strong:

Todd Strong has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and is self-employed.
He is a Certified Visual Tracker; Level 1.
Todd has been an avid outdoorsman since childhood. Attended the following BFRO expeditions:
Utah 2007, Northern California Spring 2008, Olympic Peninsula Washington 2008, Northern California Spring 2009, Northern California Fall 2009, Wyoming 2010, Olympic Peninsula Washington 2011.
Todd was the Expedition Organizer for the Utah 2010 expedition and is organizing the Utah 2012 expedition.

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