YEAR: 2024

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 4

STATE: Idaho

COUNTY: Valley County

LOCATION DETAILS: [Investigator (MM) Notes:

We do not have GPS coordinates for the exact spot on the Meanders
section of the Payette River north of Payette Lake. These GPS coordinates is on one part of the Meanders:
45.012837,-116.060306

The other story of incidents down by Lake Cascade occurred on a trail heading out of French Creek Campground. That is more specific but there is no GPS coordinates for where the sounds were coming from. The sounds were likely audible from the whole campground area.]

NEAREST TOWN: McCall

NEAREST ROAD: Forest Road 451

OBSERVED: I saw two, what I believe were Bigfoots, the weekend of October 4th, 2024, on the Meanders in McCall, Idaho.

The Meanders connect Payette Lake to Upper Payette Lake. It’s roughly a three mile stretch of slack water that is crystal clear, slow moving and makes for just an enjoyable time on the water in the outdoors. During the summer it is very popular with Paddle boarders, Kayakers and campers. People line the Meanders sandbars and “beaches,” but during the autumn months the campgrounds close and the Meanders are relatively empty.

My wife and I had reservations for a cabin on the shores of Payette Lake in Ponderosa State Park. We had arrived early before check in and we were unable to check into the cabin but they let us drop off our Mountain bikes. So, we decided to go to our drop in spot on the river, unloaded our Paddle boards and we would tool around until we could check in.

We were out on the river for about three hours and only saw four other Kayakers before my sighting. It was overcast, about 72 degrees, a little chilly but occasionally the sun would peek through and warm us up. We had paddled upriver for a good distance and were just fooling around.

I had recently purchased a cheap Go Pro knock off and was having fun filming underwater and into the forest around us. I had stopped on a sandbar and my wife had stopped about 20 yards upriver from me. I had the Go Pro out and had just completed filming 360 degrees around me. I stopped, set the Go Pro down and looked up into the woods across from me and saw 2 figures standing in a group of trees, roughly 70 yards, across the river. I know it was at least 70 yards because I was just at a shooting range participating in pistols quals for the place I work. Quals were evaluated at every 25 yards, and I had that distance still ingrained in my head. I think the 70 yards is really accurate.

The figures were enormous. I didn’t have a reference to judge their size but at 70 yards they were huge, just two hulking figures standing solemnly in the woods. Two dark figures, standing side by side just staring at me. I hadn’t caught them mid stride or anything, they were standing side by side just watching me. The figure on the left was a head shorter than the right one. Their arms hung down to their sides, almost what to I guess what might have been down to their knees.

The details are sketchy. It was dark in the trees but just enough sun poked through the clouds that it highlighted the prominent features of their faces, the bridge of their noses and brow ridges. I struggle to put the description of their faces into words. They both looked like they were wearing cheap ugly gorilla masks crossed with what I would describe as features of a Neanderthal or Cro-Magnon man. Gorillas crossed with a really old man. They had rounded heads, no neck. Where their eyes would have been were lost in shadow. Very broad shoulders. I

If memory serves me the fur was long, like a Ghillie suit. We just stared at each other. I don’t feel like I surprised them. I feel like they let me see them. They just stood there like, ‘What is this guy doing or maybe how judgmental parents would look at you.’ Seconds felt like a lifetime.

I realized I had the Go Pro next to me and quickly picked it up and tried to film them. My excitement ruined my opportunity and I regret this decision every day. I thought I could catch them on film. This knock off Go Pro has the power button on the front of it, not on the top. I think I pressed the top button, which is the record button, but it didn't help because the power was off. I don’t leave the power on because the battery power is really short.

I panned the camera back to the woods in front of me. When I looked back at them, they were gone too. Just empty space in the trees. No video of this was recorded.

I called out to my wife, who had gotten back on her Paddle board and was paddling back up to my position. “I saw them. I saw them!” “What, what?”, she said. “What did you see?” “I saw two bigfoots,” I responded. “They were just standing out there watching me. Right there.” At his point I was just about to cry. The emotion I was feeling was unexplainable. I’m a 54 year old man who has believed in Bigfoot since I was eight years old. I had just had the most perfect sighting. The sighting I had always hoped for, and I blew it trying to record them.

My wife panicked. “What where? What? I can feel them watching me!” She took off. She just paddled off and left me there standing on the sand bar.

I was determined to see them. I mean I was on the verge of tears, so emotional. I was so excited. I had just seen not one but two bigfoot looking at me like I was something they were surprised to see. I shocked them that I was there. The experience was overwhelming.

I got back on my paddle board and started paddling across the river. I took out my cell phone and yelled, “Please, please I need to see you again. I believe in you. Please come back I need to see you again!” I had moved out to the middle of the river and thought I was seeing a face, highlighted by the sun, coming through the trees at a different location. It was the same high lighting from the sun, the bridge of the nose and brow ridge. I was drifting in the middle of the river and trying to focus in on what I was seeing. I was taking pictures with my cell phone and suddenly the experience changed. The atmosphere changed, I felt like I wasn’t welcome, I was in danger and needed to leave immediately. I have those pictures and what can be argued as Pareidolia, but I think I have the face of a Bigfoot.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Overcast day. The sun poked through the clouds sporadically all day. It was 72 degrees.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

I spoke with this witness. He works in federal law enforcement related to the northern border. In his 50's. Married with grown children. He is very credible and very certain that he saw two bigfoots in the trees from the Meanders while paddleboarding with his wife in late October of 2024.

Other incidents occurred down by Lake Cascade. More details about those incident below the notes about the Meanders.

______________________

During the warm parts of the year there are many people on the Meanders section of the Payette River in various non-motorized watercraft like kayaks. This incident occurred in early October, well after the season. The campgrounds were closed. The crowds were gone. It was cold. He saw only four other people the whole day.

There is lots of wildlife in this river basin. There are many elk in the area as well as huckleberries, blueberries and blackberries.

He says the two creatures were large and not friendly looking. One was taller than the other. It was not the height difference of a parent and child but more like a male and female pair. Most often when pairs of bigfoots are seen, one is taller than the other.

______________________

There were three Class B incidents down by Cascade Lake. This was not mentioned in his written report. He told me about these incidents during my phone interview with him.

These incidents occurred on different years (2017, 2019) on the same weekend of the year -- the witness's anniversary on September 27. They would stay at this campground for their anniversary every year. They did that until the big fires tore through the area and changed everything.

First incident: Witness is walking on a trail within a few hundred yards of the camp in daylight. He gets vibed very distinctly, hit with a feeling of dread. Something is telling him to leave. He turns around and doesn't go back up that trail again on this occasion.

Second incident: Same trail but this time the witness brings his big dog with him (labrador). He goes up the trail with the dog. As he's walking and looking around the dog suddenly stops and sits, like it always does when alerting for another person coming along a trail. Witness looks up the trail but doesn't see anyone nor any movement in the trees along the trail. The dog is fixated looking up the trail as if it saw something a moment before.

Witness wants to continue forward but the dog won't budge. The guy can't pull the dog to continue. It resists and just stares up the trail. Eventually the witness decides to head back the other direction. The dog is willing to go back the other direction.

Third incident: Husband and wife both hear distinct bigfoot "whoops". The whoops are coming from two different positions and seem to be replying to eachother.

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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