YEAR: 2020

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: November

DATE: 12

STATE: Maine

COUNTY: Hancock County

LOCATION DETAILS: Spectacle Pond, West of Kingman Brook

NEAREST TOWN: Osborn

NEAREST ROAD: Route 9 (7 miles away)

OBSERVED: Background: I have spent a large part of my life in the woods between Eddington where I grew up and Deblois where my Grandfather built a hunting / fishing camp in the 1920s – everywhere in between hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. I have walked those woods since I was 4 years old and I’m now 61 – I know the deer, moose , bear and other wildlife of those woods. I built my camp on Spectacle Pond in Osborn in 1988. I have spent a lot of time in the years since exploring the woods and waters around the camp over the years and know the area between Route 179 and Route 193 better than most and within 10 miles of my camp, better than anyone. Since 2008 when I retired from the U.S. Navy, I have spent one month every year at my camp – 2 weeks in May, fishing and 2 weeks in November, hunting. I have spent many days and nights in the most remote areas of that part of Maine.

On the evening of November 12th 2020, my wife and I had returned to our camp after an afternoon deer hunt, it was dark by the time we got back to camp and settled in for a routine evening with getting the camp warmed up, supper, a couple hands of cribbage and talking – we had been in camp for 10 days. At around 8:30 my wife decided to go to bed as we planned to hunt the morning. I picked up my book and was reading until 10:30. The only light within a half mile of my camp was the single gas light in the front room of the camp which I was using to read – the nearest people were 0.5 mile away in their camp back toward Route 9. I decided to call it a night at 10:30 and wanted to relieve myself before I went to bed so I went outside across the porch, down the front steps and walked approximately 15 feet to the back outside corner of the camp. Within seconds of standing in that spot there was two very loud “THWACK” sounds just inside the woodline which is 15 yards across the back yard. It took me by surprise as I’ve never heard that sound before completely by myself in the woods. It sounded identical to someone taking a large stick of firewood and hitting a tree in full swing. I could easily replicate that noise as in knocking snow/ice off firewood against a tree, but with force. I did not have a flashlight with me as the diffused light from the gas light inside the camp gave me enough point of reference to get back inside so I didn’t think to bring one with me. I stood there perplexed as to what I had just heard and trying to make sense of it, when it happened again…”THWACK” but this time a little farther away – maybe 25-30 yards, but still quite loud. This repeated itself 10 or 11 times over a period of maybe 2 to 3 minutes, each time a little more distant than before. I remained standing there as I was still trying to figure out what it was “THWACKing” these trees. After the hitting of trees dissipated, I returned to the camp and locked the door – I didn’t (and still don’t) know what it was but I knew it wasn’t a person, moose, deer or bear! Of note, there was absolutely no light as in a flashlight from a person. Additionally, those woods are extremely thick with dead spruce and fir – lots of blowdowns yet there was absolutely no noise – no snapping branches, breaking twigs. Nothing – Silence. I can tell you first hand that nobody could walk down through there in broad daylight, much less at night without a flashlight without snapping branches and making a lot of noise. I spent an additional hour in the camp that night reflecting on what I had heard and trying to attribute it to something that made sense – there was none in all of my experience. I went to bed and when we got up Friday morning, we decided to hang out at camp to get a start on packing and cleaning as we were closing up camp and leaving on Saturday. I walked into the woods during daylight where I heard the “THWACK” noises the night before but found nothing where I expected to see some type of sign. Needless to say, I didn’t tell my wife about those events until Saturday morning as we were getting ready to leave. I still have no idea what it was and it was so dark, I didn’t see anything but I can tell you that I’ve never heard or experienced anything like that in the many years I’ve spent in those woods and the 30+ years I’ve owned that camp.

ALSO NOTICED: Contained in my statement

OTHER WITNESSES: None

OTHER STORIES: Questioned one other longtime woodsman from the area. He had never experienced anything like that. His camp is a little over a mile from mine

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 10:30 PM, Complete overcast, no stars no moon - pitch black. Low 40s. No wind/rain/snow.

ENVIRONMENT: My Camp backyard, Thick woods, lots of small dead spruce and fur with blowdowns in mixed forest. 3 uninhabited other camps nearby but not in visual sight.

About BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

Matthew Moneymaker is originally from the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles, California.

- Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

- Juris Doctorate (Law degree) from University of Akron School of Law

- Founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization,1995.

- Writer and co-producer of the Discovery Channel documentary "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science", 2001.

- Co-producer of the TV Series "Mysterious Encounters" for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN Channel), 2002.

- Producer of the "2003 International Bigfoot Symposium" (Willow Creek Symposium) DVD set, 2004.

- Co-host of "Finding Bigfoot" on Animal Planet Channel, 2010 - 2017.

- Current Director of the BFRO

- Available for private bigfoot expeditions and conferences. To inquire please email ContactUS@BFRO.net

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