YEAR: 2014

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: January

DATE: 15th

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Mason County

LOCATION DETAILS: Edited to protect the location by the investigator.

NEAREST TOWN: Shelton

NEAREST ROAD: Hwy 101 and Old Olympic Hwy

OBSERVED: January 15, 2014 approximately 5:30 pm.

I had been burning yard debris on the back of our property, east of Shelton, Wa. We have a horse training facility on 6 acres backed up to a densely wooded hillside with a wetland on the southeast corner of our property. My burn pile was just west of the wetland area. After I had fed the horses and closed up the barn I went to tend to the fire as I was standing there is when I heard a call, the closest thing I can compare it to is a howler monkey/ whooping crane mix type call with a low (almost subsonic) growl or rumble that was mostly felt, not audible. The first call I didn't quite pay attention to, however the second call made my hair stand on end, and it was close (I would guesstimate within 100 yards). It was dark and because of the fire all I could see in that direction was darkness but I felt that I was being watched and possibly being called to. The call was not strained as in trying to carry distance but just to be heard. I was frozen for a moment then I turned and quickly headed to the house when I heard the call one more time. I have always been very much at home in the wilderness and have heard many different kind of critters but this was different and worth reporting.

ALSO NOTICED: The following morning the horses have been on edge and restless. Out of character for horses in training.

OTHER WITNESSES: No witnesses at that time, but later found out that a friend working with the horses had also heard it earlier in the week.

OTHER STORIES: I have not heard of any incidences but I also have not asked.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 5:30 pm weather clear and warm. After sunset. Light of a burnpile fire and security light.

ENVIRONMENT: Pasture land in front of many acres of dense forested hillside with market timber (private land) with wetland/tributary to Puget Sound.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:

I drove to the witness' home in the late afternoon, arriving around 4 PM. It was a clear day, and the sun was low on the SW horizon, and it was still very light.

The witness showed me the burn pile and where she was standing when she heard the vocalizations. Then, she pointed out where she thought it came from, and said that it was dark enough at the time that she could not tell if the vocalizer was on her side or the far side of the creek, as she could only see to the near side of the creek. She said that it vocalized three times. The first time caught her off-guard, and surprised her. The next two vocalizations, it seemed to have moved to the southwest. She said that after hearing those vocalizations, she decided it was better to leave and go into the house. She said that it reminded her of howler monkeys.

The creek is on the southeast side of the property. It runs in a northeast/southwest direction. On the far side of the creek is a low ridge about 30 feet high sloping from the creek bank very steeply to the top. The ridge is covered with forest. The trees are a natural mix of fir and cedar. There is the usual variety of underbrush consisting of blackberry, currant, salal and fern. The ridge is parallel to the stream. The stream is about 30-50 feet wide and 2-3 feet deep. It has beavers in it, so it is dammed up. Between the creek and the pasture fence is a space of about 50 yards of grass and wild rose stalks. The ground is soft, and although the temperature was below freezing, was soft enough for the witness and I to leave tracks.

This picture shows the creek and forest on the far side. The creature was likely on the far side.


This picture shows the burn pile that the witness was tending when the vocalizations were heard.


And this picture is the view of the creek and tree-line from the witness' viewpoint near the burn pile.


The witness and I explored the near side bank of the stream as well as the grassy area between the stream and the fenced pasture. We did not find any large impressions. If a sasquatch had walked there, there would have been clear impressions. I also noted that a section of the pasture fence was broken down. I asked about that. She said that the horses had gotten out, which they sometimes do, and were grazing between the fence and the creek. Something spooked them so bad that they broke the fence down trying to get back in. This is highly unusual and indicative that something outside the fence had spooked them.

The witness said that she had an uneasy feeling all that day, and felt like she was being watched. She also said that she had smelled a very foul odor that smelled a lot like some dead animal. She said that several times that day, she walked down to the creek to see if she could see a dead animal in the creek. There was nothing there. She noted that the horses had all been acting very strangely, which was unusual. She remarked that her horses are well trained, woods-wise trail horses of the type that will get you out of trouble, so having them spook so badly that they would try to break INTO the pasture is noteworthy.

There was another woman there who was working with the horses while the witness and I talked. When she finished with the horses, she came out to where we were talking and listened from a short distance away. When the subject of the smell came up, she remarked that she had smelled it off and on all week. She also said that she too had heard a vocalization earlier in the week.

There was no indication that the creature was still there. They both said that after the vocalization incident, everything went back to normal, and they felt like whatever it was had left. I told them that if they got the feeling that it was back, to make a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and put it out by the horse trailer that was near the creek, and to look for a gift in exchange if it took some of the food. They thought that would be a fun idea, as they were by now a lot more at-ease with the idea of the possibility of a sasquatch being around.

About BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:

Scott Taylor is a retired aerospace manager. He lives in Mason County, Washington. He had his first bigfoot encounter in October 2005 where he was stalked and later heard vocalizations.

Scott has attended official BFRO Expeditions in the Washington Cascades in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He also attended 2007 Central Oregon Cascades and 2007 Utah. He now organizes BFRO expeditions in Washington and has participated in bigfoot conferences over the past 17 years.

Scott will be leading a Washington BFRO expedition in 2025 (July 17-20) which is open to non-members. For more details and registration information for that trip click here.

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