YEAR: 1989

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: November

DATE: 23

STATE: West Virginia

COUNTY: Randolph County

LOCATION DETAILS: Southern Randolph County

NEAREST TOWN: Elkwater

NEAREST ROAD: (Edited)

OBSERVED: It happened in 1989 on a hunting trip in the middle region of West Virginia. We were on our yearly deer-hunting trip in the remote mountainous area of Randolph County. I was about 24 years old and was in on leave from the military on the family-hunting trip. My family and friends have hunted this area for many years and I was very comfortable and familiar with the area.

The road back had not been traveled for years and was very washed out and overgrows with brush. It was about 7-8 miles back before we came to the impassable areas of the road and it was then that we geared up and proceeded on foot. I would estimate we had gone about another 2-3 miles on foot before we reached the crest of the mountain and decided to find our hunting spots.

The light had just begun to peek over the mountaintop when I cleared my spot and settled in. I had worked up a pretty good sweat on the steady pace up the mountain so it was not too long after setting and listening to the first morning light waking up the rest of the forest, I began to nod off to sleep. After going in and out a few times I decided to get up and move around a little to try to wake myself up.

After about 20 minutes of walking around I stumbled on a very old wooden tree stand. Although I could tell it had been there for many years, I remember thinking it was in the best spot overlooking the very visible and open woods just under the crest of the hilltop. Not too long after I ate the apples and oranges I had brought. After a while the warm morning sun took its toll on me and I nodded off again.

A bad smell woke me right up. The forest was completely quiet around me and all I could think of is what the hell that awful smell is? As I became more alert, I could hear the slight rustling below me and what I thought was some faint grunts and whines. I decided it was time to lean over and get a visual on it.

It was about 25 feet below me on the slope and directly in front of the stand. It was not aware of my presence above it. It was about 5 feet tall with long dark, reddish-brown hair. The hair from its head down its body was of equal length, about 2-3 inches long. The hair went down its arms and hands as well as its feet. I could barley see fingernails and toe nails. Not claws but nails like a human.

Most of its hair was tangled and matted in spots as if it had wallowed the ground or a tree or something. I watched it smelling the orange peels and apple core then tasting them. It looked around at one point as if to wonder where they may have come from. I wondered how long it would be before it became aware of my presence and what it would do when it did.

Then I heard the rustling coming down from the top of the hill, loud rustling, and I could tell something was coming at a pretty rapid speed. I saw the one below me turn and look in the direction of the noise. It froze for a few seconds and looked almost like a statue.

I could not see at this point what was coming down the hill. I was leaning to my right and looking down. I tried to move my eyes to the left but my view was blocked by the trees that was holding up my stand and partially by the full-brim hat I was wearing. I kept my eyes moving between the one below me and the direction of the disturbance coming down the hill.

As it moved toward our position it began to make noises like I have never heard before. I would ordinarily not be able to describe the noise but I have read where other people have described it as a record being played backward. I would have to say that is a very close description. It is as if it were speaking a language but nothing like I have ever heard before.

The one below me sprang to its feet and then moved about 15-20 feet to the right of me. It moved very rapidly, kind of between a run and a leap, all on its feet though. It did not use its arms. It then started to bellow back at the one coming down the hill and it sounded almost like they were arguing. That is the impression that it left me with anyway.

It wasn't until the one above me came into clear view that I started to feeling very scared. As it came into my immediate area it moved toward the first one and began to slow to what seemed to be very cautious movements. Its attention seemed to move between the first creature and its surrounding area. I felt at this moment that it was alert to my presence.

This second one was much larger than the first and it seemed very irritated. The bigger one was covered in very dark hair, almost black. It was very muscular and its arms were noticeably long. It stood with a slight bend but an upright posture. I had to be about 8-9 feet tall. It was much larger than a human.

As these two creatures squabbled (communicated?) back and forth their gestures were extremely human-like. I was under the impression that the larger of the two was scolding the smaller one.

They moved about 40-50 feet to the right of me. At this point the larger one had its back to me I could make out facial features of the smaller one. It had very human-like features but a different nose. Hair covered most of its face but it looked to be thin hair, not like the rest of it.

Then the smaller creature spotted me because it went into a crouched and then squatting position and looked up in my direction. Their chattering began to quiet and then the larger one, with its back still to me, went into a squatting position for a few seconds. The smaller one then began to howl and bellow very loudly. The larger of the one, with its back still toward me began to howl very loud also. The larger creature then pushed the smaller one and the smaller one sprang to its feet and rapidly ran off across the hill to my right. It ran in long leaping strides and moved very fast like nothing I had ever seen. I never noticed it to ever look back.

As the smaller one ran the larger one stood up and slowly turned toward me. It had its arm bent above its forehead as if it were shading or hiding its eyes. It stood very straight and tall and looked directly at my tree stand.

All of the fear from before overcame me again and I prayed that thing did not try to come up my tree. I thought for an instant that I would yell at it, jerk or jump and maybe frighten it away but I could not bring myself to move. I could not even bat an eye. I could feel my legs starting to shake and I became very hot all over. For an instant I though I was going to pass out or become physically ill.

For a brief moment it was looking right at my face. From what I could see it had very large human-like eyes and very large round nostrils. I could not make out lips because of the hair on its face but I would guess that they were thin lips because the hair did not stick out. It did not have much of a protruding mouth or jaw like an ape. It had a flat fairly face like a human.

It put its arm to its side and began to look around. It swiveled at the hips and looked in every direction. After a quick glance back at me it then began to walk off in the direction the smaller one had gone. It did not run or act scared at all. It made very long howls as it walked and turned a few times and looked in my direction as it walked away.

I watched it and listened until it became just a black figure moving through the woods. I could here it howl and bellow for a few more minutes. Then I heard what sounded like something beating a tree or log with a limb or stick or something.

After about 30 minutes I decided that if it meant to do me harm, it sure had the chance, and it was probably safe to get down out of the tree stand. I made my way back toward my friend that I had left earlier that morning. I never even thought to check the ground for evidence or anything.

After about an hour I walked up on my friend and could see his blaze orange through the trees. I very carefully made my way in his direction. As I approached him I could see that he was staring at me. He was sitting against some downed trees and he did not move a muscle. As I walked closer to him I smiled and asked him if he had seen anything. He was very pale and I could tell he was a little scared and puzzled and then he answered to me the he was not sure what he had saw.

I jokingly said, “You look like you saw a Bigfoot!” and he jumped to his feet and asked, “Did you see it?”

I nodded to him, yes, then he began to tell me what he saw. Apparently the larger creature had moved across the hill in front of him crashing through the trees about 40 to 50 yards away. He said at first he thought it was a bear but after observing it, he could plainly see that it was moving very fast and walking up right, like a man.

I said we should try to track the two creatures but it really didn’t take too much for him to talk me out of it.

This really happened, 16 years ago in Randolph County, West Virginia.

ALSO NOTICED: I have never returned to that area of the woods.

OTHER WITNESSES: 2 witnesses. Hunting.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 9:00 am. Slight overcast but clear weather.

ENVIRONMENT: Top of the mountain. Open woods, Oak, Maple, Hickory, Beech, Walnut, and Pine trees.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:

I contacted the witness on November 25, 2005 and spoke with him about the incident, and about himself. He is credible and I believe he accurately described what he observed that day.

About BFRO Investigator Stephen Willis:

Grew up in central West Virginia. Retired from the US Army in 2003. Small manufacturing business owner. Lived for almost 7 years in Germany and 1.5 years in the Mideast.

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