YEAR: 2011

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

PROVINCE: British Columbia

COUNTRY: Canada

LOCATION DETAILS: between the hornlake turn-off and the rosewall turn off, on the right side of the road there is a small exit onto a mountain trail, you follow it up, we were just before the bridge

NEAREST TOWN: Bowser

NEAREST ROAD: Inland Island Highway

OBSERVED: I was up the mountain just above Bowser on Vancouver Island between Qualicum and Courtenay. Me and my friend were out collecting firewood and we let his dog out of the truck to go play. Well we unloaded the chainsaw and stuff out of the back of the truck, next thing we know we hear the dog yelping and barking. The dog came running back and jumped in the truck and curled into a ball on the floor, next thing we know there is this thing running to the right of us. It had to be about 8 feet-9 feet tall, covered in thick dark brown hair, and it was just zooming through the shallow brush, and if you've ever been in that stuff its not easy to run through when its 3 feet deep. And this dog is a bush dog born and raised. Its a 150lb bull mastiff, its used to scaring off bears and cougars, he's never seen it act that way.

ALSO NOTICED: I've heard strange screams out in the woods here at night, that I can't count up to a cougar. I lived years up in the Interior and I know what they sound like along with elk and owls, it wasn't any of them. It gave me chills down my spine, and Bowser is just by Strathcona National park which has some of the highest amount of bigfoot sightings.

OTHER WITNESSES: Just me and my friend, he was starting to file the chainsaw as his dog yelped, he started to go in the direction as the dog came running back

OTHER STORIES: I heard about a guy staying in his camper up the mountain here, middle of nowhere and is at least a 10hr walk in and out from where he was at. Something was shaking his camper almost to the point he thought it was going to tip over, and there was no way a human was up there at 1am. He said he could hear it growling and he swore it wasn't a bear.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was about 8am

ENVIRONMENT: Its rather close to the road but its more of a pine/cedar forest, the area has swamps and is a rather long hike up the mountain.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Blaine McMillan :

I interviewed the witness in person and I found him to be an honest young man who appeared to be relieved that I was willing to listen to his story without ridicule.

The witness was assisting a family friend in collecting some firewood. They were on a local side road and were preparing to cut up some fallen trees into more manageable blocks. With them was a bull mastiff. Usually the dog would run around in the woods nearby while the men worked but on this occasion, after its initial dash into the bushes, it ran straight back to the truck and sought refuge by curling up protectively on the floor of the vehicle. The witness and the dog's owner looked in the direction of where the dog had been, only thirty feet away, and watched as a tall upright creature began striding quickly through the salal bushes. It was described as being dark brown in color, thick through the upper body with wide shoulders and a conical head. It had arms that ended in hands and although they (the arms) did swing in motion the witness stated that the arc of the swing was not to the extent of the sasquatch in the Patterson Gimlin film.

Since the initial sighting the witnesses have faced ridicule and derision from his family and friends. The older of the two witnesses no longer cuts his own firewood but prefers to purchase it from someone else who is not afraid to venture into the forest. They should be commended for reporting this sighting.

About BFRO Investigator Blaine McMillan :

• Retired Canadian Military (Reg Force) Safety Systems / Aviation technician with experience fighters and various SAR platforms. Author of Wood Knocks and Tossed Rocks:Searching for Sasquatch with the BFRO


• Married with two young sons. An avid camper, hunter and fisherman.


• Holds a BA in Criminology from the University of Manitoba, courses in Alternate Dispute Resolution, Anthropology and Political Science


• Attended the BFRO BC Expeditions in August of 2005, 2006, 2012 as well as Vancouver Island 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.


• Organized the 2007, 2008 Vancouver Island as well as 2009 North Vancouver Island Expeditions.


• Author of "Woodknocks and Tossed Rocks: Searching for Sasquatch with the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization.

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