A listener writes “It was Sept 14th 2010, a buddy asked me if I could retrieve some game cameras and salt licks prior to the start of hunting season. As he was out of town on business, and it had to be done by a certain date so that he could hunt the area in the upcoming season. I started out about noon that day for Priest Lake area in Northern Idaho. This was an area I had been in several times before and was very familiar with it. I should state that I have in the past mostly in the winter months have come across large tracks when snowmobiling up there but never anything good enough to say for certain it was a Sasquatch. It is also common to hear stories of possible encounters from this area, but they are always vague at best.
I got to Priest Lake about 1:30 pm I took another 45 minutes to get to the top of the mountain. it was a nice day sunny and warm. I got to the top and turned my car around and got out. I grabbed my backpack and my buddies GPS unit and started off down the trail to the location of the first camera. thinks went as planed as I followed the GPS to the spot marked and retrieved the first camera. I put it in the backpack and continued. True to my buddy’s usual style not every camera was in the easiest place to get to. By the time I got the third camera location I was realizing it was going to be well after dusk by the time I finished. I took a break and had something to eat at a clearing the Forest Service uses as a helicopter landing area. I was propped against a tree just relaxing and listening to the sounds of the forest. I watched as a Doe walked through the clearing. I watched it walk as it was grazing to the other side of the small clearing. Now anyone who has hunted or spent time watching animals in the wild knows that when deer get started or go on alert their tail goes straight up in the air. At that moment, this doe did exactly that. I could see her looking into the wood but from my vantage point I could see nothing. All a sudden she turned and took off in the complete opposite direction then she was looking. I had been sitting there motionless just watching the deer, so I knew I didn’t spook her, I shrugged it off as I got up and picked up my gear.
It was about 5:00 pm when I had picked up the second to last camera and was glad to see on the GPS that the last one was only a short 3-mile hike to a former clear-cut site i was very familiar with as place we had hiked quite often. I knew that it was going to be just after dark by the time I got back to my car. I made my way towards the location of the last camera walking at a good pace in a hope to make up some time since I didn’t think to bring a flashlight with me for the day. And I normally have good night vision so if there was moonlight, I should be fine. About halfway to the location I got the weird feeling that I was being followed. I checked over my shoulder but couldn’t see anything. I heard the occasional tree branch crack to one side of me or the other. I have been stalked by Mountain Lions, and even come across the occasional bear when out in the woods so I wasn’t too concerned but still cautious. this uneasy feeling stayed with me for the rest of the hike to final camera location. I collected the final camera and stuffed it into the backpack. As I put it on my back, I heard this deep growl come from my left. I quickly turned expecting to see a bear upset that I was in his area. but there was nothing there. I decided that it was probably best to vacate the area quickly, so I decided to cut directly across the clear-cut area as this would give me the best option to see the bear before it reached me. I started quickly and soon realized that it was not something I could navigate as quickly as I hoped. I set my sights on the point on the far side that I knew there was a trail.
Thats is when I heard the growl again. This time it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, because I knew this was not a bear. this was a noise I had never heard before. My pace quickened and I had gone into straight flight mode. I was jumping over stumps and crashing through bushes. Every time I looked over my shoulder, I could not see anything chasing after me. Finally, I made it to the far side of the clear-cut and stopped as I was now out of breath and felt that I was now at least a safe distance from whatever was out there. As I stood there surveying the clearing and catching my breath, I realized that everything was quiet no birds, no insects, nothing just dead silence. This was the moment I saw this large figure moving amongst the tree line of where I was previously at moments ago. the light was now very low, so I was not able to make out details other than it was easily 7 or 8 feet tall and had a conical head and no neck. It walked upright and was dodging behind trees, never coming into the clearing where I would be able to get a better look at it. I thought that I could see another being behind it, but it was just too hard to see at that distance and light level to be certain. Still thinking that is was probably a bear I barked at it several times hoping to scare it off or at the least deter it from following me. I watched it dodge behind a few trees and then lost sight of it. Thinking I scared it off I leaned against a tree feeling proud of myself and laughing that a bear had given me a good scare.
That is when I heard the loudest scream come from the other side of the clearing. This was very similar to the Ohio Howl. I screamed back at it. Thinking that if I stood my ground everything would be fine. Suddenly a rock about the size of my head landed close to where I was standing. I screamed back one last time realizing that I could no longer see the far side of the clearing. I heard another large rock hit the tree and come crashing down through the branches and land maybe a foot away from me. At this point I turned and started of sprinting down the trail. What would have taken me a good hour to get to my car I had covered it just over 30 minutes. All the time I could hear it following me but never getting too close. I reached my car, and I heard it scream one last time as I jumped in and drove off.
I cannot say that I am 100% certain it was a Sasquatch. But As I have researched this more and more, I believe that It very well had to have been, Bears don’t throw rocks. and the Howl nothing else in nature make that kind of noise. Having been in the wood for over 40 years I have heard almost every animal in North America. Even today 11 years after the incident I still get a chill down my back when I think of it. I still go out in the woods. and love to be out in nature but I do not go to this area alone anymore.”