YEAR: 2019

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: September

DATE: 9:00am

STATE: Pennsylvania

COUNTY: Centre County

LOCATION DETAILS: The "experience" took place along Spring Creek Canyon trail between Rock Road and Shilo Road, just past the Fish Hatchery.

[Investigator (MM) Notes: GPS 40.858347, -77.811944 ]

NEAREST TOWN: State College

NEAREST ROAD: Rock Road

OBSERVED: I was taking a morning hike along Spring Creek Canyon. I started at Rock Road and was traveling towards Shilo Road. I was on the trail for 10 minutes or so and had just passed the Fish Hatchery on my right (but across the creek). At approx. 9:00am I heard a distinctive "knock" like an axe handle on a tree. I stopped and looked up the hill into the woods for 30 seconds or so. I didn't see anything or hear anything so I decided continue on my march. I took two steps and again heard a single distinctive "knock". I stopped again and looked up hill. I didn't move my body but moved my head from side the side trying to get a view of whatever may be there. I was looking uphill for about 2 minutes or so when suddenly there was the sound of something running through the bush up hill and away from me. I never saw the creature/animal that made the noise.
I had the thought to check my watch thinking it was odd time for this type of encounter especially being that it was a Penn State Football Weekend and that it was so close the airport. I am posting my experience because the encounter that is posted in the BFRO from Centre County PA from Feb. 2025 is in almost the exact spot where I had this experience.

ALSO NOTICED: This was a Penn State football Saturday in State College so there was a fair amount of traffic on the major roads nearby. There is an Airport just a few miles away.

OTHER WITNESSES: No

OTHER STORIES: The encounter listed with the BFRO for Centre County PA in Feb. of 2025.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Beautiful Fall Day, mostly sunny, temps in the mid to high 50's.

ENVIRONMENT: The trail runs along Spring Creek and the land is wooded and slopes up hill from the creek.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

As mentioned by this witness, this location is right at one of the spots mentioned by a witness in February 2025. This 2019 report shows some continuity there, at a relatively specific spot near a fish hatchery 3.5 miles NE of Penn State University.

We have seen this pattern before: Multiple incidents over time near a fish hatchery. We do not know exactly why a bigfoot would hang around a fish hatchery. We do know there may various ways, direct and indirect ways, that a large omnivore like a bigfoot could exploit a fish hatchery without being noticed by humans most of the time. The answer is probably among those possibilities, such as eating the fish, eating the fish food, eating the other animals that come to eat the fish (raccoons, etc.).

This is an important location due to its proximity, and therefore availability, to students and faculty at Penn State. If they really want to know if bigfoots exist, even if they can't immediately prove it to others, they should hang around this area late a night.

Any active bigfoot habitat that is within easy bicycle distance of a well endowed university or college is important. Another one is Williams College in Williamstown Massachusetts (far NW corner of MA). The Appalachian Trail runs within 3 miles on the east side. The Taconic Ridge runs within 3.5 miles on the west side. The Greylock area is within 4 miles on the southeast side. Those are all bigfoot areas.

There may be other areas with bigfoots close to colleges and unversities. These type of institutions would be able to deploy and monitor trails cams at important bottlenecks, like along the Appalachian trail where a bigfoot (and other large animals like deer) would likely pass through because fence lines, walls, etc, block other pathways.


Here is the link to the other report at this location in 2025:
https://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=78276

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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