YEAR: 2013

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: May

DATE: 26

STATE: Pennsylvania

COUNTY: Clearfield County

LOCATION DETAILS: Wooded area. Former site of an old strip mine. Now filled in and over grown.

NEAREST TOWN: Houtzdale, PA

NEAREST ROAD: PA State Route 153

OBSERVED: While putting out salt blocks at hunting spots, I saw two creatures. One was in a wide open area. The other I didn't see until I saw where the first one was moving away from me and headed for the tree line. I was no more than 25 yards away. The first one I saw very clearly. It was approximately 8 feet tall and walking upright. It had a sloping forehead. The hands were at about the same level as its knees. My best estimate would be 600 lbs. The color was all black. It had no hair on its face or hands. The only sound it made was when it walked I could hear the grass being trampled. It never looked my way or made any vocalization. Its arms swung slightly while walking with the knuckles facing forward and not to the side like a human. My best estimate on the forearm length would be 16 inches. When it turned left and into the tree line, I could see its back clearly. That's when I saw the other one. I saw its back only. Shoulders on both were broad and straight. Approximately 3 ft across. I smelled or heard nothing, during, or after the sighting. After they disappeared, I threw the salt block over the 12 feet embankment and left. I have not been back since. The only thing I took away from this encounter is all they wanted to do was get away from me.

ALSO NOTICED: I have run this in my mind for 3 months now. I cannot come to any plausible explanation for what I saw. I can not think of any animal I could have possibly misidentified.

OTHER WITNESSES: Wife and child were with me but they saw nothing as they were behind me and had not yet come into the clearing where the creatures were.

OTHER STORIES: Apparently, local police in Dubois, which is near where this sighting occurred, have put up "animal crossing" signs due to increased animal sighting reports during the time period of this sighting.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Approx 1:30 pm. Sunny, clear, slightly breezy. Sunday, day before Memorial day.

ENVIRONMENT: Barren filled in strip mine. Swampy areas. Pine groves. Oak groves.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Jarrett Johnson:

I spoke to the primary witness at length on the phone about his encounter with two large sasquatches in the Houztdale, area. The location contains an old strip mine that has since been filled and the area has become grown with trees and vegetation. The sighting occurred on the Sunday before Memorial Day at approximately 1:30 PM on a sunny afternoon. The person who observed the two creatures is a hunter whose family owns a hunting camp in the area. The hunter was walking to an area where he and his family have permission to hunt deer. He intended to place a couple of salt/mineral blocks in the woods, scout the area for deer sign, and take a hike with his wife and young child.

The man was walking down a "tram road' he and his family refer to as "The Tunnel". The trail is very thick with growth including vegetation overhead which creates a tunnel-effect and leads to his deer stand. The path overlooks a gulley to one side. At the end of "The Tunnel", the area opens up with considerably more visibility. As the hunter exited this part of the path, he saw the first creature at a very close distance of twenty-five yards.

The witness stated that at the time the first creature appeared, his wife was walking a short distance behind him and holding the hand of their young child. His wife did not observe any of the events nor did she visibly see either subject. His wife observed him drop the salt block while he reached for a .40 caliber sidearm he carries for protection. Although the witness felt surprised and alarmed, he stated that he never drew the pistol because he did not feel threatened. The bidpedal creature did not acknowledge his presence and never looked at him the entire time. The animal was moving away from him and his family.

The hunter communicated to me that he felt strongly that he had visibly acquired a detailed look at the creature, its body, and its profile. He could hear its footfalls with each step it took into the forest. The witness stated the following observations:

- It was approximately 8' tall
- Estimated weight of 600 pounds or more
- Covered in black hair except for the hands and face
- Hair appeared to be well groomed
- It did not have a dirty appearance or matted hair
- It had a very pronounced jawline
- Sloping forehead
- Slight conical shape to the head
- Face had black leathery skin
- Eyes were dark and set deep into its head
- The nose was flat and "primate-like"
- It had a distinct brow line
- Its lips and mouth appeared to be a "slit"
- "stumpy" neck
- Muscular chest but thin and lanky in appearance
- Reminded him of an "NBA player"
- It stood tall and erect
- Was not hunched in appearance
- Hands were black/leathery like the face
- Discernible hands and fingers
- Knuckles faced forward as it walked
- It moved with ease and covered ground quickly

I asked him about gender and he stated that he did not think about the sex of the creature as the events unfolded but he did not notice any female physical characteristics. He also did not observe the feet.

The hunter stated that he first saw the creature from the side and to the right of the tram road. It then entered the trail he was on, turned, and walked directly away from him for several strides as he observed the animal from the rear. Lastly the creature left the path and cut into a thick stand of hemlocks. As it left the trail, he noticed a second larger creature in his periphery thirty yards into the woods on a sloping hill in the direction the first creature was walking. The creature was facing away from him and he could only see a portion of it through the hemlocks. The hunter described the second creature to me:

- He saw the back of its head
- It was wider across the back and shoulders
- It was taller with an estimated height or 8.5' - 9'
- The creature was brown in coloration
- It had hints of gray mixed in with the brown

Upon noticing the second creature, the witness discarded the salt block into the gulley and proceed into "The Tunnel" to escort his wife and child back to their vehicle. It was approximately a ten minute walk back to where they had parked. He kept an eye on their back trail to make sure they were not being followed.

The hunter did not return to examine the area for any further evidence. In fact, he did not return to the area until the recent Pennsylvania deer season in December of this year. I asked him how he felt about returning to the area. The hunter responded that he felt anxious but he had come to the conclusion that they were creatures of the forest, he had entered their realm that day, and the likelihood of viewing them again was very unlikely. He added that he felt that they simply wanted to leave the area at the time of the encounter.

The witness stated that he had thought about his experienced many times over several months in his mind as he struggled to comprehend and justify what he had seen. He had come to the personal conclusion that he had to accept the fact that he had indeed encountered a pair of sasquatches in the woods that day and he had no doubt. Over the course of this time period, he had researched the topic and decided to report his experience to the BFRO.

Near the end of our conversation, I asked him if there was anything else of notable importance that he could recall or that stood out in his mind and he mentioned the buttocks. The buttocks of the first creature was much larger than a human and very muscular. The witness indicated that it had a very large gluteal cleft that he had witnessed as it walked away from him on the tram road.

In speaking to the witness, I found him to be honest and forthcoming. Although he discussed the exact location of the encounter, the hunter asked that the details be kept vague to protect the privacy of the landowner.

About BFRO Investigator Jarrett Johnson:

Jarrett grew up in an area of western Pennsylvania that has historically experienced reported sightings regarding a hominid creature in the Hell's Hollow area. Having heard the stories as a child, he never gave the local lore serious thought... until years later when a family member revealed a personal encounter. He also spent a number years on the edge of the Florida Everglades where sasquatch activity has been reported for many years. In 1998, a Skunk Ape photo taken near Ochopee was posted along with a feature article in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper and his serious interest in the subject of sasquatch began.

JJ is an enthusiast of the outdoors including remote camping, hunting, fly fishing for native trout, seeking wild morel mushrooms, riding Harley Davidson motorcycles, and all things related to the sasquatch phenomena.

Jarrett has attended BFRO expeditions in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. He has also attended a number of private expeditions.

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