YEAR: 2001

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: between 7th-15th

STATE: Wisconsin

COUNTY: Oneida County

LOCATION DETAILS: Willow Reservoir, between Tomahawk and Minocqua, WI.

NEAREST TOWN: Hazelhurst

NEAREST ROAD: Y

OBSERVED: I've been visiting this lake since a small child, so I am familiar with the animals that live there and the sounds they make. The first time I was fishing with my father in a little cove on the lake. I heard some rustling in the woods and thought maybe there was a deer and i was looking through the trees. I didn't see anything at first but then I saw something fairly tall, I'd say between 6 and 7 foot. The only view I got of it was a profile and it was walking very quickly on 2 legs with arms swaying. I thought for a seconds it was a bear, but i noticed it did not have the ears of a bear nor did it have a snout. My dad didn't notice it (he was too intent on catching a fish) and when I told him what I thought I just saw he laughed and didn't pay much attention to what I said. I've seen bears in the area before and this shared only 2 features with the bears I've seen, It was hairy, and was large. It had hair colors ranging from dark brown to light brown and very long arms. I never saw the legs. I'm sure I could have if I had looked but I was trying too hard to catch a glimpse of the face that I never looked down.
The second was a year later in the same genral area on the same lake. I never saw anything this time but I heard some very loud footsteps on the shore(i was in a boat) and branches snapping. This could have been a bear. The steps were too loud and thumping for it to have been a deer or elk. The sounds I heard a half hour or less later were definitely not bear sounds. There were several sets of high pitched squeals coming from the same direction sometimes they seemed closer sometimes they seemed farther away, like two animals communicating. My friend claimed they were elk mating calls, but I have heard those before and am pretty sure thats note what these sounded like, this coupled with the loud, heavy footsteps made me think it was a bigfoot. I don't think elk would be hanging around making mating calls if it was a bear I heard.

ALSO NOTICED: nothing, but i will be returning there fishing again this summer, I'll be bringing my camera and if i see anything again i will go on shore and look for tracks.

OTHER WITNESSES: the second incident a friend of mine witnessed but doesnt believe it was anything unusual.

OTHER STORIES: no

TIME AND CONDITIONS: daytime on clear days

ENVIRONMENT: Both times I was on the lake in a boat.
In both cases I was near heavily wooded shorelines.

Follow-up investigation report:

The observer witnessed a large hairy creature that was upright. Regarding details of the sighting, it all happened in less than two seconds and he had to look through a lot of trees so detail was not an option.
He was amazed at how fast it moved and how much ground it covered in just a few steps. He did not know if it noticed him and he didn't feel uncomfortable, just curious.

The sounds he heard on a later trip have yet to be determined.
Nothing was seen there during the second experience..

Related Media Articles:

• Wisconsin's Bigfoot Hotspots (4/14/2014; travelwisconsin.com)

• Explanation of the report classification system
• Submit a report for the sightings database
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