YEAR: 2013

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: February

DATE: Saturday, 23rd

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: St. Johns County

NEAREST TOWN: St. Augustine

NEAREST ROAD: Int'l. Golf Parkway

OBSERVED: Just last Saturday, February, 23rd, I was in Twelve Mile Swamp Conservation Area which is just north of the St. Augustine, FL Airport, bordered on the north by International Golf Parkway and running from Rte 1 on the east border to Rte 95 on the west. I had driven about 3 miles from Rte 1 west bound on International Golf Parkway to a trail entrance. I drove southward about 1.5 miles into the area then east about 1 mile when the road I was on ended at a cross road where several large pieces of logging machinery were parked. I had been knocking, hooting, whistling, talking for about 45 minutes out in the open, right in this intersection when I heard sticks breaking from something walking towards me in the woods. As it got nearer I heard several heavy, bipedal footsteps, almost stomping, coming very close to the wood line bordering the road. Then loud thrashing and intentionally loud moving about from just within the treeline, in the trees and behind 6 foot reeds/brush just on the other side of the drainage ditch between the road and woods. The noise was only 20 yards from me but I couldn't see anything as I stood on the edge of the road and peered in. Whatever it was, was very big and it sounded as if it was about to break into the open. I could not smell anything, nor had I felt I had been being watched. It approached quickly and with determination. I became nervous and walked back to my car about 50 ft. behind me. I was so sure something would break through the brush that I got in my car and turned it around for a possible quick getaway, back the way I had come. When I got out quickly and walked back to near the noise it was gone. I remained probably an hour trying to draw whatever it was back, but nothing. The reeds/brush were fairly thick but not super thick like a line of Palmetto. I was confused as to why I couldn't see anything or even brush moving. But the noise was loud and obvious and very close. Something was upset about my presence.

OTHER WITNESSES: Just me

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 4:30 PM

ENVIRONMENT: Woods

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator R. Monteith:

This happened in Twelve Mile Swamp Wildlife Management Area. It is private land, managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Access is limited to permit holders only on certain days. The witness attended a BFRO expedition in the past, and I had met him and his family on another occasion during an investigation. He goes into the woods regularly and this is the first time he has gotten results like this.

On Saturday, February 23 around 4:30, he drove down a dirt road to an area where the forest service was logging and had heavy parked equipment. Along the road was a water-filled ditch on both sides.

The witness walked down the road making lots of noise, whistling and speaking in a falsetto voice to imitate a female. From behind one of the vehicles, he heard a sound come from the woods. He stopped to listen and heard a branch snap, then another. He then heard heavy stomping bipedal footsteps that came toward him. The woods were too thick to see into. Suddenly, he saw some reeds moving about and heard thrashing. There was no wind and it was the only branches moving. It was on the other side of the ditch, approximately 20 yards away.

Feeling apprehensive, he began to walk left toward his car, so did the stalker. He could hear it alongside him, and could see the branches moving along with him as he progressed. He turned his car around and sat in in for a while. After a while he got out and listened again.

He stayed in the area about an hour more, all the time trying to get another reaction. At one time he hooted twice. In return, the branches thrashed violently, and he heard a guttural growl. Before he left, he hit a tree, twice. When he did this something ran through the scrub away from him, it sounded to be 40 feet away.

Much of this constitutes typical sasquatch behavior; One in which the sasquatch is attempting to scare someone away from it. He saw no people that day in the woods. There is no explanation of what else would have interacted that way in the forest with him.

About BFRO Investigator R. Monteith:

Re Monteith has had a life-long interest in Bigfoot and has an extensive background in outdoor land and ocean survival as well as mountaineering. She has tran-sailed the Atlantic, backpacked in remote places throughout the world and has climbed three of the seven summits. She studied International Relations at Florida International University, and is a Financial and Real Estate Consultant. She has participated in many private expeditions as well as the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 BFRO North Florida Expeditions and the 2013 BFRO UP Michigan & Alabama Expedition. She also organized Florida's 2017 Town Hall Meeting. She was an Executive Producer of the documentary film, "Skunk Ape Lives" and featured as a Crypto Expert on The Science Channel's television show, Strange Evidence for seasons 2 - 5.

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