YEAR: 1990

SEASON: Summer

STATE: Illinois

COUNTY: Pulaski County

LOCATION DETAILS: My place was on the left side of the road, there was only one trailor there at the time, and the feild I was in is across the treeline on the same side of the road as my house, north east of my home was the two fields, the one closest to the road was at the bottom of the hill, the creek snakes across the back of my yard and the area is definately thick brush. I have given you all the info I have, complete with a pic of the area.

NEAREST TOWN: Mounds

NEAREST ROAD: Lufkin

OBSERVED: It was midsummer of 1990, I was living alone in a mobile home in the woods adjoining Shawnee National Forest. I decided to go for a walk in the woods because I was bored and was thinking about shooting my rifle a bit. Nothing special, just what I normally did as a youth (since I'm not much of a people person I spent a lot of my youth in the woods). I was walking up a field road that passed thru a patch of woods that led to a larger feild on top of a hill a few hundred feet away. As I got halfway up the hill, I was suddenly shocked by a very loud whistle that was quickly followed by a scream that I had heard many times before as a kid.

I knew from previous experience that I didn't want to hang around even though I was "armed to the teeth". I was 19 going on 20 at the time and I've spent the majority of my youth spending time alone in the woods, hunted almost everything in the area that could be legally hunted, so I know what the normal sounds of the woods are, and no, it wasn't a swine, bear , coon, or any other such creature. The scream I heard instantly filled me with fear even though I had an 8mm Hakim Mauser, 12 ga. shotgun, and a 22 cal. pistol. I always went hunting heavily armed because I have stumbled across sasquatch a few times before and decided that next time I'd be more prepared.

I was about halfway up the hill when I heard the scream a few ridges over (1/2-3/4mi away from me). I quickly turned and decided to call it a night, as I was walking down the hill, I heard another scream at the top of the hill I was walking down (either they can run like hell or there were two). Before I got to the bottom of the hill, I then decided that although I had a lot of weapons and ammo, this wasn't anything that I wanted to shoot alone at night with only a maglite taped to my barrel. I figured running for the road would take too long and a more direct route would be better, so I cut across the field and jumped the creek behind my house. I guess I didn't notice till after I had crossed the creek, but it had followed me home (which wasn't far, maybe a few hundred yards). I can tell you that to keep up with a terrified 20yr old running faster than ever before, that thing had to be extremely fast. I stood by the back porch and could hear its heavy breathing and growling. It sounded kinda like a horse that had just run till it was winded, but the breathing wasn't labored. It was breathing in a normal rhythmic tone, not labored.

I was terrified because even after firing a few rounds in it's direction I could still "feel" it's presence and hear it, so I unloaded in that direction.

I fired over 100 shells thru the Hakim, a full box of shells from the 12ga. and every shell I had for my 22 before I ran in the house to grab more ammo and turn some more lights on.

I must've shot around 150 or more shells, I figured that I had shot at it enough and wanted to save what ammo I had left in case it decided to try to come in for a visit durring the night, so I went in the house and stayed awake all night. The next day(about noon) I decided to go see what I hit. When I crossed the creek I could plainly see where I had fired because of the holes in the trees and the saplings that were broken from bullets. Found no blood, no footprints(it was dry) but I did find something I didnt expect...it had laid down when I began shooting and must've been there for a while because there was a flattened area that looked like a deer bed. Although deer do frequent the area, I sincerely doubt it was deer, because there was no scat, and deer scat alot in and around their beds, as well as it was a good 1/4 mi. from the nearest deer trail. I'm an experinced woodsman, and I have never run across a creature that was smart enough to lay down and stay put while bullets were flying over it's head...animals just don't have the reasoning it would take to exert that type of behavior.

Like I said, I never saw it, I just heard it and heard it's foot falls, it was absolutely two legged, it was huge, and I don't think it wanted to say hello. Not sure what it wanted, but it was definately very intelligent. That was the only event of this nature during the time I lived there(6yrs.)...oh yeah, I don't remember smelling it's body funk till after I had started shooting, maybe it wasn't close enough for me to smell it or I was just to scared, either way, I hope this info helps your investigation.

ALSO NOTICED: There were several deer slain in the area weeks preceeding the incident, but I believe that to be the work of the local coyotes/wolves/ large cats.

OTHER WITNESSES: No, I lived alone and had no visitors that night under 500lbs
(est.)

OTHER STORIES: There was an incident where some friends were driving around a cemetery that's close to the Ohio River near Mounds ( don't remember the date). It was later at night, they told me about seeing a bigfoot that began chasing them, they said they were doing about 30 mph or so, and that it was gaining on them, so once they got off the gravel drive and the road straightened, they sped up and lost it in the shadows. They were in an old Ford type El Camino with several people riding in the back that witnessed the event). However I doubt it's true for the simple fact that they were a bunch of drunken loudmouths and I just really didn't believe them. They had a knack for trying to out lie each other and their stories just didn't match when they told me about it at a later date.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Approx. 10-11pm , very dark woods near my home, stary night, fullmoon, hot and dry. The weather was clear and still, no wind.

ENVIRONMENT: Deciduous trees, flood plane surrounded by hills, creek, near to Mississippi River bottoms, hilly yet swampy area.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

I spoke with the witness by phone.

He is an experienced outdoorsman with broad knowledge of the animals that live in his area.

His property borders the Shawnee National Forest.

In hindsight he feels that the animal did not intend him any harm, but instead was just using intimidation techniques, which were very effective.

About BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

Stan Courtney has a special interest in wildlife audio recording. He has attended numerous BFRO Expeditions. See Stan's blog StanCourtney.com for recordings he has collected over the years.

Stan Courtney can be reached at illinois@bfro.net

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