A listener writes “I believe I may have had an encounter about 20 minutes outside of Merritt, British Columbia, during the first week of August 2025. I headed out to our family campsite on a Wednesday afternoon, planning to spend one last night there before the fire ban started.
The property is about 25 acres on a mountainside, with dense forest on one side and tall grass on the other. At the bottom of the property runs a river where we swim and fish, alongside a deactivated railway bed that stretches for hundreds of kilometers in either direction.
There’s plenty of wildlife in the area white and black-tailed deer, black bear, coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, and grouse. I’ve seen all of these many times, and they’re generally used to people being on the property.
My campsite sits right up against the wooded area to take advantage of the shade in summer. It also happens to be directly on an old game trail that runs from the bottom of the property up to the top. I knew it was a game trail and understood what used it, but the spot was too good to pass up. I’ve had several wildlife encounters there before, all uneventful. Most animals just freeze briefly, then move off down the trail the way they came.
When I arrived, I did my usual routine beeped the horn once or twice to alert any animals, then unpacked food, blankets, and camp supplies. Normally I’d start a fire right away, but it was so dry I decided against it. All my food was precooked anyway, so I figured I’d skip the fire unless I really needed it.
After organizing the camper and eating, I relaxed for about an hour. Around 7:00 PM I started feeling tired, so I went inside the camper to lie on the couch and watch a movie. The sun was just touching the mountains, but it was still light enough to see clearly. I left the door open with only the screen door closed.
While watching the movie, I heard what sounded like a very large raven one of those deep, booming caws from about 100 yards away. I didn’t think much of it, as I’d seen large groups of crows in the area before. About five minutes later, I heard it again, closer this time. Still didn’t think much of it.
Five minutes after that, I heard it again “caw… caw” but this time it sounded wrong. It sounded like a large adult male trying to imitate a raven and not doing a very good job. The sound now seemed to be coming from about 50 yards behind the camper. My first thought was, Who the hell is walking up my trail? I’ve told family not to mess around like that, especially since I carry a firearm out there for protection.
A few minutes later, I heard it again, and that’s when I realized the sound was coming from ground level not up in the trees where a bird should be. That immediately struck me as strange, especially given how thick the tree canopy is. A bird that large couldn’t just fly in and land there; it would have had to walk in from an open area.
After about ten minutes of silence, I started watching the movie again. Then suddenly “caw… caw” again, but this time it sounded strained, like whoever or whatever was making it was out of breath, injured, or sick.
Annoyed, I threw off my blanket, assuming it was my brother or my mom messing with me. I put my shoes on and walked toward the screen door. As I did, I glanced out the rear window, expecting to see someone but there was no one there.
I opened the screen door quickly, almost like “Aha, caught you.” One foot on the deck, one still inside the camper, I looked left nothing. I slowly scanned to the right, peering into the bush. The moment my chin reached my right shoulder, I saw a pile of leaves explode into the air about 20 yards behind the camper and roughly 10 yards off the side of the trail.
What I saw was a large gray figure with what appeared to be brown striping on its backside possibly mud or dirt. It leapt sideways from what looked like a squatted position behind a large pine tree. I caught a glimpse of thick, gray, hairy back legs and its backside. I did not see a tail nothing like a deer or a coyote.
The surrounding bushes shook as it jumped uphill, landing easily about 15 yards away. The brush was so thick I couldn’t see it after the first jump, but I heard a heavy thump thump of something large landing on all fours. Immediately after, I heard more leaves being thrown and branches breaking whether it was stepping on them, using them to propel itself, or clearing a path, I don’t know. I didn’t hear a second landing.
My heart was racing. Instant adrenaline. My jaw dropped and all I could think was, What the hell was that? I quickly closed the screen door, grabbed my SKS and my phone, and started recording through the rear window. After about two minutes, there was no sound and no movement.
I called my mom and told her I had just seen something big that bolted uphill toward the road and that I didn’t know what it was. She could tell something was wrong normally I’m calm and composed, especially around wildlife. She then mentioned that about a week earlier, while camping alone at the other end of the property, she thought she heard a large animal at her camper window.
She joked, “What are you worried about? You’ve got a rifle.”
I told her something about this wasn’t right and that I was packing up.
I felt extremely uneasy, like something was still there watching me. I loaded up the car with the rifle slung over my shoulder, kept my eyes on the area where it had taken off from, and left immediately, heading back to Merritt.
After getting home, a few things really stood out to me. There were no other sounds at all no birds, no footsteps approaching on leaves, no branches breaking beforehand. No squirrels chattering, which always happens when a deer or coyote comes through. No smell, nothing just that deep, unnatural “caw caw.”
I’ve had a couple of other minor strange experiences in the local area, and I’m trying to encourage others I know to share what they’ve seen as well.
As for what I think Sasquatch might be I believe it could be a flesh and blood missing link, something that evolved alongside us with different senses, strength, and agility. I also believe that as long as religious power structures exist, it will never be fully revealed, much like extraterrestrial life, because it would undermine control and authority.
Thank you for your time, Wes. You genuinely do a lot of good for people.”