YEAR: 2012

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 15

STATE: Michigan

COUNTY: Montmorency County

LOCATION DETAILS: Bear Den Lake Road and M 33.

NEAREST TOWN: Canada Creek Ranch

NEAREST ROAD: M33

OBSERVED: I was hunting with my uncle and Father-in-law Off Bear Den Lake Rd in Montmorency County. Opening day we went out all day. At dusk I came out a bit early to where Bear Den intersects the highway to wait for my companions. While I was waiting I stepped out of my vehicle to listen for them or gun shots. While I was waiting right before it was too dark to see I heard a roar unlike anything I have ever heard. I have spent endless hours on those trails and NEVER heard anything like that. It was terrifying. I nearly cried as I sped away in my jeep. It was so close I could feel my chest rumble from the sheer power of the roar. I knew instantly that whatever it was, it wanted me to leave now... I went to the Elbow Inn where we were supposed to meet. My In-Laws were already there. They said they had weird noises and a strange feeling all day in their blinds. As if they were not alone. We didn't stay at the cabin that night, in fact we all went home that night took the full 4 hour drive we were so frightened. Father-in-law and uncle have not been back since. I have only been back in that area during the day and still feel uneasy about it.

OTHER WITNESSES: No

OTHER STORIES: Parents and grandparents warn of a huge bear that would frequent a bridge picnic area nearby and harass people.

Drummond Island area - the witness and friends were in their teens while camping in the area and swimming at a nearby gravel pit. They were jumping off a 30 foot ledge when one of the boys yelled that something huge was coming through the woods. He yelled to run and they jumped on their motorcycles and rushed back to the cabin. The friend sat by the door all night holding a gun for protection. The friend stated that what he saw was a sasquatch.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 5:30 p.m.

ENVIRONMENT: Thick jack-pines and logging roads

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Kim Fleming:

I had a great conversation with this witness. The excitement in his voice raised as he recalled his experience. This young man described hunting in an area that he has been familiar with since a young child. Two other family members were hunting near him, but were not witnesses to the experience. The witness had been hunting in a wooded area of a wildlife preserve which encompassed about 5000 acres and abutted up against state land. There are jack pine forests, creeks, flood water areas, and vast wilderness. The witness was parked near the exit of the wilderness area, waiting to meet up with his father and uncle after their hunt when he had his experience.

"It was dusk, and dead quiet, which I have never experienced before in this area!", he stated. Usually there are all kinds of animal sounds and tracks, but this day, he "saw nothing, heard nothing", and that had never happened before. In the past, "lots of coyotes were in the area," as well as deer, elk, bear and many other small game. As he was waiting for the other hunters, he felt "very uneasy, I felt weird! I was not alone!" He had a high powered rifle with him, and he held it up to look through the scope to check out the area of jack pines across the highway. He did not see anything, so he put his rifle in the back of his Jeep. Right after he set the rifle down in the Jeep, he heard "the loudest, guttural roar and every hair on his body stood up!! It was deep and loud and it scared the Hell out of me!" The witness left immediately, concerned that he had "ticked off a bear of a huge hog." He had heard steps prior to the roar, but originally thought nothing of it. The witness has never heard any sound like this at any time in the woods before. He proceeded to a local establishment, where he met up with the other hunters. The other hunters noticed that he was very shook up. He did not share the experience with them at the time.

This witness is an avid hunter and outdoors man. Although he has returned to the area and he is not afraid to hunt there, he is still concerned about what might be out there and he always wants to be prepared for what may come. The witness and his parents have had other experiences.

The witness grew up vacationing in this area and so did his parents. His parents and grandparents tell of the warnings from their youth to avoid going to the bridge in the area by a local sand hill. They were told of a huge bear that frequented the area and that they should never go there alone.

The witness also shared a story from his youth where he and friends were camping on Drummond Island and had something chase them out of an area where they were swimming in a gravel pit. They hurried back to the cabin and the friend who spotted the creature never slept that night and sat in a chair watching the door with a gun in his hands.

About BFRO Investigator Kim Fleming:

Kim is a high school science teacher and uses Bigfoot research techniques to teach about scientific method. She has been interested in researching Bigfoot since 2008 and her husband experienced a sighting in Florida in 1976. Her interests include hiking, being outdoors, birding and working with young adults. Kim attended the 2012 and 2013 Michigan UP expedition and has done research in northern Michigan.

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