YEAR: 2006

SEASON: Summer

DATE: NA

STATE: California

COUNTY: Shasta County

LOCATION DETAILS: 40°36'03.2"N 121°39'03.7"W

NEAREST TOWN: Viola, CA

NEAREST ROAD: HW44

OBSERVED: Ferocious Growl-Yell Heard at North Battle Creek Reservoir 

I was 50 years old, living in Northern California near Mt. Lassen when me and my fishing buddy heard an incredible animal vocalization in the Latour National Forest that shook us both to the core.  It was the late summer of 2006, when my good friend, Mike, and I were fishing one late afternoon on North Battle Creek Reservoir 40°36'03.2"N 121°39'03.7"W in my 17 ft fiberglass canoe.  At the time, my wife and I were living about 8 miles, as the crow flies, from the lake.  We purchased our home in the mountains surrounded by huge cedar and pine trees. We loved the quiet forest, mountains and streams of the area. Mike lived in nearby Redding, and we tried to get up to the lake multiple times during the summer and fall to do some trout fishing. The lake is located north of HW44, way back in the forest. The only way to get there was via rough dirt logging roads and took about 45 minutes from my house. This day, we strapped my canoe to the top of my Jeep Grand Cherokee, loaded up our fishing gear, and headed up to the lake for an afternoon of scaring some trout.  

At least from our experience, there was rarely anyone else at the lake. Maybe an occasional camper or fishermen. Because of its remote location and more difficult access, fewer people made the trek. There are numerous other lakes and creeks in the area with easier access. We liked it just for that reason. 

The drive up to the lake was uneventful. Once at the lake, which is at an elevation of about 5,600 ft, we unloaded the canoe and supplies and launched it into the water. As often was the case, it again appeared that we had the lake to ourselves for the afternoon. The weather was beautiful: clear with a few clouds, about 75 degrees, and little or no wind. Perfect fishing weather. After an hour or so, we found ourselves in the approximate middle of the lake and hadn’t had a lot of luck up to that point.  It was about 4:00PM with plenty of sunlight left in the day. The canoe was pointed roughly north. Mike was in the front of the canoe, and I was seated in the back. We were enjoying the afternoon, hoping for a fish or two to bite. Suddenly and without warning, we both heard a very loud, deep, guttural growl-scream-yell mix that lasted at least 15 seconds. This terrifying sound seemed to emanate roughly 1,000 yards from the northeast end of the lake, up the hillside. We both instinctively froze. Mike slowly turned back towards me and said, “What the ‘heck’ was that?!” Except he didn’t use the word “heck,” if you catch my drift. I immediately echoed the sentiment. Over the years, each of us had both spent a lot of combined time out in the woods fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking, and neither of us have ever heard anything remotely like this.  No human, bear, elk, or mountain lion could have made such a sound. Whatever it was, it was BIG and LOUD! It sounded like a very low, loud growl and a slightly higher-pitched yell at the same time. The only sounds similar are a few we've ran across on other Bigfoot research channels over the years. It would take a very large animal to produce such a sound. I would not want to encounter such an animal alone and unarmed on the trail. We did not have binoculars, so we both visually scanned the hillside northeast of the lake for several minutes but saw no movement or sound. We waited silently for several minutes but heard no follow-up vocalizations. Neither of us had any idea what could have made a sound like that. Nor did either of us want to stick around to find out!  We loaded up the canoe and our gear and got the hell out of there. 

We continued to visit the lake from time to time after this event. But I always found myself constantly scanning the nearby hillsides and listening intently. I've never been a Bigfoot "believer" so to speak. But I’ve always been very open-minded and interested in the phenomenon but had not experienced anything up to this day or since. However, this event gave us both great pause and has left us scratching our heads to this day.

OTHER WITNESSES: Two witnesses

OTHER STORIES: Other reports on BFRO

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 4PM, partly cloudy, sunny, 78F

ENVIRONMENT: mountain lake surrounded by hillsides

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

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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