Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

Huge “Beast-Man” Shot Near Pistolet Bay: Pistolet Bay, Newfoundland, Winter 1890s William Decker, who lives in one of the small settlements on the Newfoundland side of the Strait of Belle Isle, reported a horrific encounter with some kind of animal-man while hunting and fishing near Pistolet Bay. One frosty morning he took his muzzle-loader and headed back into the country.

As he reached a marsh, about 300 yards across, he heard a loud and frightening roar. He turned and what he saw made him almost faint in his tracks. A huge animal, or huge man, a giant creature anyway, was coming at him in gigantic leaps. Decker had already charged his gun with plenty of powder and shot. He knelt down and took steady aim and waited till the creature was very close, too close for comfort. Then he fired. The weight of the charge brought the beast-man to his knees; but it was up again very quickly. But Decker was ready with a second volley and the creature fell the second time letting out a bellow that could be heard for miles. Taking no chances, he reloaded and fired a third volley.

The creature did not stir again. Decker measured the crea￾ture; it was ten to twelve feet tall, with an outstretched arm-span of fourteen feet. Its feet left tracks in the snow that Decker’s snowshoes couldn’t cover. The body, he said, was covered with long hair. He figured the creature weighed about one thousand pounds!”

Comment: As far as we know, Decker simply left the carcass where it lay. This would be understandable for that time period, and we might reason that he wanted to get out of the area as quickly as he could.

Source: Marjorie Halpin and Michael Ames, (Editors), 1980. Manlike Monsters on Trial. University of British Columbia Press, Canada, p.90, from Michael Taft, “Sasquatch-like Creatures in Newfoundland: A Study in the Problems of Belief, Perception and Reportage.” Original Source: Michael Harrington (writer and narrator), 1977. Abominable Snowmen in Newfoundland, – CBC Radio, St. John’s Jamboree – Friends and Neighbors (specific source beyond this is not given)