South Carolina
DATE: JULY 1979 or 1980
TIME OF DAY: 9:00 PM
STATE: SC COUNTY: ANDERSON
NEAREST CITY: ANDERSON
WEATHER COND: Clear Humid Evening
ENCOUNTER DETAILS: A Father & his 10 year old son were fishing for catfish on a creek tributary and were approximately .25 mile from their truck. The area is dense southern pine forest with rolling hills and a meandering stream with heavy vegetation on both banks that eventually flows under a bridge near where they parked. After fishing for a few hours and light fading fast they lite their lantern to cast a glow on the area they were fishing. At approximately 9PM the 10 year old was looking across and at a slight angle upstream and noticed what appeared to be large 2 hairy arms wrapped around a tree 30-40 yards away. The tree was big enough to conceal the body and head of what was ever behind it. Unsure about what he was looking at he started to point out the unusual sight to his father. As the father looked in the direction he was pointing at the tree started shaking violently and they could notice the arms working in a manner that told them whatever was behind it was the cause of the shaking. Within seconds the large tree fell from the bank landing in the creek with a loud crash. Left standing was an approximately 8 foot tall bi-pedal creature familiar to the father but foreign to the son. The creature let out one chilling scream while staring directly at the father & son. It had black piercing eyes and a face like a man but only flatter with fang like teeth. The creature then turned and disappeared back into the dark woods directly behind it. The observation lasted less than 1 minute and due to the dense brush on the bank of the creek the witnesses could only observe the creature from the knees up. The arms definitely appeared to be long, similar to that of an ape which was noticed as it turned and walk away. The creature appeared to be malnourished (skinny) and both witnesses described the hair as dark brown but very patchy like a dog with mange. It had wide shoulders and a large head that appeared conical but no noticeable neck. The witnesses both noticed after the encounter that the tree pushed over was dead but had not been so for that long. When the creature disappeared the father & son immediately gathered their gear and headed quickly to their truck without further incident.
This encounter was investigated by Dave Moser. I interviewed both the father & son separately and then together and found them to be very credible witnesses. The Son who is now in his 30’s has lived in the area all his life and has never encountered anything like that since. He is an avid hunter & fisherman with vast outdoor experience just like his father. His father now in his 80’s and was interviewed by me before because of an encounter he had 5 years earlier, 2 miles downstream. He also believes it was the same creature that he observed in 1975. I find him to be very credible and an upstanding individual in the community who has lived in the same area all his life. The witness has a keen interest in this creatureand has multiple neighbors who have had encounters with a similar creature over the span of many years. He believes that they are not out to hurt anyone and that they only make themselves known to scare you away when you are invading their current territory. He believes they move around and do not stay in the same area for long but move through the area seasonally. Our data indicates that this may be the case and we have reports of a similar looking creature with similar habits (screaming & chest beating) 10 miles west of this target area. The area of this encounter is more or less across the street from one of my private research areas where I encountered 12 & 15 inch footprints in early 2012. A 15 mile area surrounding this location has had a number of encounters in the past 50 years that continue to this day. Power line & pipeline right ways intersect and connect this 15 mile corridor allowing for easy access to the different areas that these creatures have been observed and reported. Deer & Hogs are present in vast numbers and there is a lot of private hunting land and waterways including creeks, rivers & lakes in the area. This appears to be perfect habitat for a large creature to exist and stay hidden from most people.
Detailed description of the Creature as observed by the witnesses:
Approx Height: 8’
Approx Weight: 300-450 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark Brown with patches of hair missing as if it had mange.
Face: Flat nose but looked almost human, pale white face and when the creature screamed both witnesses observed fangs/K-9s.
Neck: none could be seen or observed.
Arms: Appeared longer than that of a human, ape like in proportion.
Body Build: Wide shoulders but the body appeared skinny looking as if malnourished.
Odor: Non-Noted
Source:carolinabigfootfieldresearch.com
r v
Interesting. The tree-crashing encounter my brother and I had in Desolation Wilderness happened while he and I were fishing. Needless to say, we left them our fish…
Aaron A
We used to hear huge rocks and boulders crashing around in the middle of the night at the Velma lakes and Phipps Peak in the Desolation Wilderness when I was as little kid. Ralph at the Bigfoot Discovery Museum said his Class A encounter happened up at Lost Lake. He also said, he may have been hit with infrasound as well. I had no idea that Desolation Wilderness was a hotbed of activity. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be doing anything other than day hikes up there from now on. LOL
Patrick G
Not sure if I’d had bothered with packing up the gear.
Very interesting account.
Steven P
These are the type of reports that just seem so credible, what would be the point in fabricating a report years later. Been through Anderson area numerous times and would think that the area around Lake Hartwell and beyond could support a small transient population.