YEAR: 2012

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: September

DATE: 15

STATE: Texas

COUNTY: Comal County

LOCATION DETAILS: RR 32 Devil's Backbone Texas Hill Country. John Knox Mail Route Road area.

NEAREST TOWN: Wimberley

NEAREST ROAD: RR32

OBSERVED: I live near the Comal and Hays county line in Texas. This is hill country right on the Devil's Backbone. This area has lots of heavy oak and juniper with several spring fed rivers; Guadalupe with Canyon Lake near and the Blanco just to the north. September 2012 on a weekend I was enjoying a moonless night packed with stars. I began to hear dogs barking in the distance to the west. More local dogs started barking. I was expecting to hear the coyotes to chime in as they often do on the hill behind my place. Instead my two 100+lb boxer/labs started going nuts. They would not leave the porch to go into the woods as they often do chasing pigs, coyotes or the neighbor's bull. I had been out on the driveway and went up on the porch. I stood there and tried to get the dogs to go after whatever it was. I tell you the wind was out of the south. Reason being, as I stepped around the corner of the house something big let out a holler, I can not explain. I think it smelled me then. It was close, probably within 20 yards? Just past where I have cleared all the trees . The holler, yell was so strong it felt like it shook my insides. Vibrated. Everything went stone quiet. All the neighboring dogs and mine went totally silent.their hair on their backs was raised and they were locked on something down hill. Then off to my right, heading up a tight valley I heard wild pigs grunting and then the sound of a couple raccoons? I couldn't, understand why they would be together? Then after a few short minutes the dogs up hill started going nuts and then beyond. Like something was moving fast and the dogs were picking up on it. I told my dogs to go on down the hill into the woods, they did no problem. Never heard again, I wonder what may have happened if I had gone down there without my dogs?

ALSO NOTICED: Pigs and coons together like they were all being driven up the valley/canyon.

OTHER WITNESSES: My wife was inside with the TV on. As loud as that thing was I can't believe she did not hear it.

OTHER STORIES: Never before and not after. We have lived here for 20 years.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 10:00pm very clear night sky lots of stars, mild cool temp

ENVIRONMENT: Heavy juniper, oak forest, cliffs ,exposed rock, rivers there is a small seep spring in the tight valley behind my place. Not a lot of houses, all spread out. Lots of country out the back with ranches and lots of woods mostly.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator J D:

I spoke to the witness at length about the encounter. The witness’ house is situated on the side of a hill. It is cleared out a short distance behind his residence, but becomes thick with cedar trees leading to a fence line which runs along the bottom of the draw. On the other side of the fence is an open field which is purported to have cattle at times. Obvious game sign and trails follow this fence line. From the house’s porch/deck or driveway, a person would be unlikely to see anything down in the draw at night without a powerful light due to the angle and the thick brush.

The witness’ dogs are as described and he provided some detail about their odd behavior during the encounter. They are large and active dogs, not the least bit timid during my visit. I got the impression they would likely chase any animal or person traveling through the area. The witness explained how they seemed to cower at his feet during the encounter and the lab tucked its tail between its legs, the boxer having a docked tail. The behavior was very abnormal for the two protective dogs.

The witness added additional detail about the sound he heard. He said he could not adequately explain it and had never heard anything like it before, though he has spent time outdoors from Texas to Alaska. He described the sound as a sort of forced “huff” or forceful air from deep within the chest. He said he instantly knew the sound was full of rage and that it came from something much larger than him. The witness is a large, powerfully built man standing over six feet tall. He advised feeling the sound inside of him and being sure it rattled the windows of his house. Interestingly, his wife was inside on the same level as the porch/deck watching television and did not hear the noise.

The witness is a highly educated professional and had very little prior interest in Sasquatch. Ultimately, he believes he came between a very large predator and its prey that night. Due in part to the perceived anger he felt directed towards him and the sounds of the other animals hastily leaving the area. He is very familiar with the wildlife activity in his area, including coyotes, wild hogs, and mountain lions. He firmly believes the sound came from something other than, and much larger than those. The witness even researched the sounds of mountain lions to be sure he wasn’t mistaken, even though he had heard their noises before. After his research, he is sure it was not a mountain lion, or any other animal with which he is familiar.

The area of the encounter borders Comal and Hays counties, located in the Texas Hill Country. Specifically, the encounter occurred in an area known as the Devil’s Backbone. Its geography consists of steep limestone hills and small canyons, or “draws”, giving it the appearance of a giant, rocky spine. It covers a large area of rough country and is filled with ravines. To the South lie Canyon Lake and the Guadalupe River, and to the North lies the Blanco River. This part of Texas is heavily populated with deer and other game. In fact, driving to the residence I had to watch closely to ensure I didn’t hit any of the numerous white-tailed deer herds feeding in yards and along the roadside.

Of interest is the fact the Devil’s Backbone has a long history of strange happenings and occurrences. It is well known for its prominent place within the “paranormal” lore of the State of Texas, in addition to its reputation for harsh, yet scenic beauty.

About BFRO Investigator J D:

J D has over 25 years experience as a law enforcement officer and attended the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Texas Expeditions.

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