YEAR: 2006

SEASON: Fall

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Jefferson County

LOCATION DETAILS: A farm very close to 146 & Hwy 221 intersection - Ashville, FL.

NEAREST TOWN: Ashville

NEAREST ROAD: 146 & Hwy 221

OBSERVED: It was fall of 2006 - Hunting season and I was in the woods on a farm in Ashville, FL. I had been in the tree stand approximately 2 hours and not seen any deer. I have been hunting most of my life and am familiar with the woods, sounds and environment. Approximately 4:30 pm as the light was fading, I heard two loud, distinct "cries" or "yells" that I have never heard before or since. I could tell the general direction and distance was approximately 150 -200 yds in front of me. As I sat there looking, the wind was blowing at my back so I did not notice any unusual smell, but anything downwind from me may have smelled me. About 10 minutes later I heard the "yell" again. Possibly a bit closer ~ 125 yds. I remember a large Oak tree about 50 - 75 yds in front of me. There was a small sapling (8 - 10 ft tall) next to the large tree, with surrounding grasses about 2-3 ft tall. About 10 min after the last yell I noticed the sapling being whipped back and forth. I took special notice due to being on "alert" from the noise - and further the sapling was violently shaking side to side - not in a constant direction. Almost like something grabbed the tree near the base and started to push / pull creating a whipping effect near the top. I looked at the tall grasses surrounding the area and they were not blowing in the same manner. This tree appeared to be moved by something. I thought at first it may have been a squirrel that jumped on the sapling - but it shook for about 30-60 seconds - then stopped, then again for another 30 seconds. Since I did not see anything, I sat there (somewhat in disbelief) armed with a high powered rifle. After a few minutes I was so un-easy I got down and slowly exited the woods.

ALSO NOTICED: Just loud yells and tree moving very strangely.

OTHER WITNESSES: No

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Evening - 4 - 6pm.

ENVIRONMENT: Cool, dry - sunny / light cloud cover. Fall. Thick woods, mixture pine and hardwood. Surrounded by large farms, woodlands and swamp.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Ken Johnson:

I spoke with the witness to this incident by phone, and he spoke very believably as he described his experience to me. He described himself as an outdoorsman who has spent thirty to forty years in the woods hunting and camping, and, as such, is quite familiar with local animals and the sounds they make.

The yells he heard that day were unlike anything he had ever heard before - two to three seconds long, very loud, and echoing.
Although the calls were closer each time he heard them, the witness believes the sounds were coming from the same animal.

He did, in fact, imitate the calls he heard for me over the phone, and they were almost identical to a recording I have of Matt Moneymaker imitating a sasquatch call on the 2009 Georgia Expedition, which I played for the witness after he did his imitation for me. Upon hearing my recording, he told me that what he heard that day was "almost exactly like that".

[Editor's Note - Matt Pruitt: The call that Matt Moneymaker was imitating (and that the investigator is referring to) was a whooping call.]

The combination of the loud, unidentified yells getting closer, and something shaking the sapling violently caused the witness to feel uneasy about staying in his tree stand with darkness approaching, even though he was armed with a high powered rifle.

About BFRO Investigator Ken Johnson:

Ken Johnson works as production team leader at a manufacturing facility near Cairo, Ga, where he has spent much time camping and hunting in the woods of southwest Georgia. Ken has a BS in Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern University and has been interested in bigfoot since an early age.

Ken has participated in the following BFRO Expeditions: North Florida 2008, Central Florida 2009, Central Georgia 2009, co-organizer of North Florida 2011, attended North Florida 2012 and North Florida 2014, plus numerous private BFRO expeditions and outings. Ken has also been trained as a Visual Tracker-Level 1.

• Explanation of the report classification system
• Submit a report for the sightings database
• Please send any comments or inquiries to ContactUs@BFRO.net