A listener writes “I just discovered your website and have been listening to your stories on YouTube. What a fantastic show and you really do a great job letting people tell their individual stories.
My encounter was last November during elk season in the Pacific Northwest. I live and hunt in Washington, with occasional trips to hunt elk in the backcountry of Idaho. My encounter was in the Olympic National Forest, in the Colonel Bob Wilderness. After much thought, and considering just keeping it to myself I finally sent my story (several months after it occurred) to the BFRO site. An investigator from Washington contacted me, we met and he followed me to the remote site. A few months later he posted the story on the BFRO website, under Grays Harbor County, WA. It is the newest story posted So you can go on and read it if you would like and then decide if you would like me to relay my story.”
Here is the Encounter:
November elk hunting in the Colonel Bob Wilderness in the Olympic National Forest. First day of modern elk season, high above the Humtulips River area. As I was setting up my truck tent for the night on a remote spur road I heard what I believed to be elk movement in the gulley/ravine below me. The area is a good elk hunting location and I have had success there in the past. It was too dark at the point to pursue any bull so I decided to make a cup of coffee, fire up my lantern and do a little reading before crawling into my truck tent for the night.
It was a few minutes after I sat down that I heard a tree in the high timber above me being moved. It sounded like it was being pushed or shoved until it crashed to the forest floor. I am familiar with timber and have spent my entire life running chainsaws and around logging. The tree was large and there was no wind or weather. So I rationalized it as just a weakened tree in the forest that possibly a bear or other large mammal just happened to rub against until it came down. But what happened next unnerved me unlike anything I have ever experienced. About five minutes after the tree incident, I head extremely loud limbs breaking, like fir or hemlock limbs literally being snapped from a tree. The echo of this resonating through the deep timber and deep into the ravine below me. It seemed to be around 100-120 yards above me to my north. Then I heard the same thing in the ravine below me, and another smaller tree snapping and crashed. Then I heard a very odd sound. I have tried to describe it to my family and all I can compare it to is almost a primate like sound, and it echoed through the timber.
At this point I packed up and drove the 7.5 miles back out to the gravel forest service road. I have never been as unnerved as I was. I had the overwhelming sense of being surrounded, and could not rationalize what I had encountered. I have spent my entire life hunting and camping in the backcountry of Washington and Oregon. I am a big game hunter and hunt alone much of the time. I am familiar with big game in Washington. I have no explanation for what I heard.
Amy H
Yup! There’s weird crap that happens while hunting and camping in PNW. The explainable stuff is not worth mentioning, and most don’t bother unless to friends. However, when it’s something unexplainable, we tend to seek answers outside our circles. The noises BF makes are highly-highly unusual and difficult to explain. Thank goodness for SQ chronicles! Otherwise, I think those repeated experiences would drive people away as they think no one knows, understands, or believes. There’s a level of safety when you know you’re not alone….
Mauri G
I could not imagine being out alone in the middle of nowhere and hearing that and feeling like you are being surrounded. Wonder if he has been able to go back in alone? Thank you for sharing this ????
Bonnie I
Please try to have him on your show Wes. People in the PNW need to be reminded that these things are massively huge/strong, are protecting their territory and could possibly be where they are planning to get away from it all and hunt, hike or camp.
Dimitri K
Please come on the show and tell your story!
I read your BFRO report while elk hunting this past week and was really interested in hearing more than what was posted.
Thanks.
Kathy K
Wow! Sounds really scary and Honestly? I couldn’t imagine being out there all alone sleeping in my tent camper and hearing those trees and ape chatter as well ! Hope you have him on the show Wes it sounds like a Good one!