Geographical Index > United States > Illinois > St. Clair County > Report # 33638
(Class A)
Submitted by witness on Tuesday, February 21, 2012.
Woman recalls her night time sighting while fishing behind her home near Columbia
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YEAR: 1991
SEASON: Fall MONTH: November DATE: 16 STATE: Illinois COUNTY: St. Clair County LOCATION DETAILS: Not wonderful with directions, but I can show you. Its off of Illinois Route 157. NEAREST TOWN: Columbia NEAREST ROAD: Triple Lakes Road OBSERVED: I'm 51 yrs old. My sighting happened twenty odd years ago but I need to tell someone about it. I've finally come to grips with it and now it's time just to tell someone...who won't think I'm a nut-case.
Here goes. At one time, I lived in a house surrounding a small pond in the woods in Columbia. I fished all the time. The pond was down a small hill right in my back yard. I thought I was in heaven. I usually fished at night when my kids (at that time) were asleep. I used lighted bobbers. Often I felt I was not alone but thought it was my imagination.
One evening, I thought I heard a huff-growl and glanced around behind me.
There it was. Just standing there looking at me. I squinted my eyes and rubbed them in case my eyes weren't seeing correctly. I still saw it. I didn't feel panicked til it moved. The thought that it wasn't a human scared me so much I dropped my pole, and high-tailed it all the way up the hill til I was safe in the house.
I never went fishing at night or alone again. Thank you for reading this. I feel better getting it out. ALSO NOTICED: I found it weird that the huge owl that was usually sitting on a nearby gate; wasn't there after that night. OTHER WITNESSES: At that specific time, I was alone. but my two daughters and I heard knocks all the time. I thought it was teenagers. OTHER STORIES: No. I never told anyone til right now, sorry. TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was approximately 8 pm in November. My birthday present was a fishing rod. It was the following evening, the 16th. ENVIRONMENT: Wooded area. Four houses around a pond. Coyotes howled every night. Owls always hooting. I loved it.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:
I spoke with the witness by phone.
In summary:
• The witness and her two daughters (age 10 and 11) had often heard loud wood knocks, which the mother explained as just being "woods sounds".
• The mother would often fish in the small pond behind her home and often thought that small pebbles were being thrown into the water.
• The light from her house and the surrounding houses lit up the area around the pond.
• The evening of the sighting the witness had the feeling of being watched.
• The animal was between six and and seven feet tall.
• The animal was bulky and muscularly built.
• The animal's weight was around 350 lbs.
• The hair was dark brown.
• The animal was about fifty feet from the witness.
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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