Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

A listener writes “Hello, I would like to tell you a story that occurred in Tennessee in the 1990s. Please forgive me for the length, but everything is important to understand the events, also forgive me for any errors, I’m not a writer. Here is a little background on myself, I was an avid outdoors man and hunter very comfortable around firearms. I worked many part time jobs, I would land survey in the summers, and work local farms in the winter months. Later I happen to get my first full time job at a local factory. I was fresh out of community college and when not working I would help out on my friend (I will call him Bruce) on his grandfathers farm. His grandfather was a retired Baptist preacher. ( this will be important later) Bruce was a stocky, very strong young man. He was the best hunter I have ever met, there was nothing in the Tennessee woods he couldn’t kill. He limited out every year on whitetail and turkey. We would hunt and fish every minute of spare time we could find.

The area we hunted was mostly owned by his grandfather, His grandfather owned two separate farms one on the east side of a large lake (we called it the Bailey Place) and the other on the west side of the lake. His property was mainly hills a valleys ( we call them hollers) right up to the government controlled lands ( we call public lands) along the lake front. We would hunt right up to the public lands. We built many hunting blinds and tree stands on these property’s. Many times we would sense something watching us, always blowing if off. Sometimes we would joke Bigfoot is watching us again. We got so use to this feeling we would just look at each other a say you feel that? Then shrug if off and keep on doing whatever we where doing.

One day while cutting cedar fence posts with his dad on the west side property. Me and Bruce had that same ole feeling of being watched, we continued loading the cut poles when his dad cut his chainsaw off and said you feel that? Something is watching us. We both said yes for a while now, This some what validated what we have been experiencing.

One Sunday night while I was at home, I got a frantic phone call from Bruce, I could tell he was running and told me to get to the farm as soon as I can. No questions asked, I told him I was on my way. Its a good 20 to 30 minute drive. I arrived at his grandfathers house and he was waiting on me by the old 4×4 farm truck. I got out of my truck and said what the heck man whats going on? He just asked You got your rifle? I said yes and he said get in the truck, we go to go to the back 40. Still not knowing what was going on and thinking to myself how weird he was acting and how I’d never seen him this nervous.

As we drive through the dark cattle fields toward the back 40, which is mainly woods and across a small creek. He told me he was bush hogging deer lanes on the tractor when he run out of diesel fuel, and he was afraid with the cold weather,he would not be able to get the tractor started again. He needed me to drive the 4×4 back to the house. I said come on man is that all that’s going on? He finally told me after some hesitation. He said after the tractor ran out of fuel, he started walking toward the house, he said something or someone was stalking him. At first he thought it could be a bobcat which will do that sometimes, but it seemed to him this thing was bigger and on two feet.

He began to pick up his pace and it keep up right behind him. Having no flashlight he started getting concerned. That’s when he called me. He said when he stopped, it stopped. When he crossed the creek he said it was right on him but as soon as he reached the open field, it stopped. I had never seen this guy so nervous and said he just needed backup. After reaching the top of the hill, we got the tractor fueled up and started. All the time watching our six, you could feel something just out of sight watching us. We soon pushed this event out of our minds and carried on with our daily activities on the farm.

Bruce knew these woods and the other woods on the other side of the lake, we would get up early before dawn and go out hunting, Bruce would know as soon as we got there if we would have luck or not, he would say its not good up here today lets go down in the holler, we may get a buck down there. Or you go over in that stand and one will come up at daylight. He was rarely wrong, and I started understanding his logic. You can tell by the wildlife, birds singing, small animals moving around, meant a good hunt, dead silence meant the hunting would be bad. Sometimes while sitting in the stand the woods would suddenly go quiet. I would get very nervous and think dang might as well go back to the truck. Still we didn’t put two and two together till we found the footprint.

One rather warm winter day Bruce, his girlfriend and I decided to hike down to the lakes edge on the public lands and take a look around. We would search for arrow heads and deer sign, stuff like that. As we where looking around I found a fresh track and couldn’t believe what I was looking at. We just stood there looking down on this nearly perfect footprint. Bruce broke the silence with one word, Bigfoot! It was unbelievable a 13 or 14 inch footprint with 5 toes. The big toe shown as plan as day. I said, ether this is a Bigfoot print or there is a huge bare foot fisherman around here in the dead of winter. As we walked back we starting discussing maybe this explains everything that’s been happening around here at least on this side of the lake. Could there be a Bigfoot on this lake? It became a running joke for a good while but still didn’t quite hit home yet.

A little while after that, I wanted to take my girlfriend camping. I decided to take her over to the east side farm (the Bailey Place) which was very isolated. There was no homes and no one living on the property. I was looking forward to some quite time with my girl. I set up camp on a high point in a clearing right outside the treeline. The woods fell sharply down hill into a deep holler. I knew this spot well, I had a tree stand not far over the ridge. Bruce had promised he wouldn’t mess with us and had plans with his own lady. The beginning of the night was fantastic just like a cheesy county song. Me and her, campfire and my old pickup. We had a few drinks and some good conversation.

At about midnight the woods went quite. Oh Crap I thought to myself! I started hearing faint movement inside the treeline, not loud but loud enough for me to notice. It seemed to only move when we were talking. I thought about retrieving my shot gun from the truck, but not wanting to upset my girlfriend, I pretended nothing was wrong. At first I wondered, it might be Bruce messing with me. We finally jumped in the tent to get some sleep. I tried to stay awake and listen but it seemed to quite down. I dozed off and was later awoke by my girlfriend, she said there is something out there!

I said don’t worry, its probably just a small animal messing around. As I laid there I could hear something walking back and forth breaking sticks a short distance from behind our tent. My girlfriend was almost in tears when she said I want to go home. I said we can’t go home. Being the tough guy, I jumped up and out of the tent walked over to my truck and pulled out my shotgun. I gave it a good pump and shouted out the universal good ole boy warning. WHOEVER YOU ARE YOU BETTER START STEPPING CAUSE YOU ARE FIXING TO GET SHOT! This works well against trespassers and pranksters. Again I shouted YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED SAY SOMETHING NOW OR NEXT STEP IM SHOOTING. The walking stopped for a few minutes, deep down I knew it wasn’t a person out there it was something else.

Crack another stick broke, I told my girlfriend to cover her ears. I’m all about gun safety, and up to this point I have never fired a weapon at something I couldn’t see. I felt I didn’t have a choice, this thing was getting bold. The next sound I fired a shot, it echoed over the country side. Another step, two more buckshot loads cut through the underbrush. I must have got its attention, it stopped. Soon the birds and insects started singing again. I didn’t sleep much after that, daylight came soon and I took her home.

Later that day I met up with Bruce and his cousin. I didn’t say anything about what happened, hoping that if it was him messing with me last night, he would give himself away. But he said nothing, We decided that we would go back and camp at the same spot since the tent was still there. Around midnight it was back. I still hadn’t told them about the night before. This time it was just outside flashlight range and bolder than the previous night.

I kept quite just to see how the other guys reacted, Bruce was not easily spooked but I could see it was getting to him, several times looking across the fire light and saying What is that? What could that be? Its sounds big! Two legs! What do you think? I finally said I don’t know man, but I shot at it last night. I never saw anything. He said what? You shot at it? You could have killed some one, what if it was me? ashamed I said man I didn’t think I had a choice. Later that night as we where lying in the tent listening to this thing walking around breaking what sounded like full grown trees, stomping around like a dang gorilla. Bruce said forget this, he jumped up and out of the tent grabbing his Remington 1100 automatic shotgun and commenced unloading into the darkness. Phil jumped up after him pumping more rounds into the darkness. After the smoke cleared it seemed to get the hint, not much noise after that.

We knew this wasn’t normal but what could we do? We would go hunt and it would be there or it wouldn’t. You could always know, you could feel it in the air and what the wildlife was doing. It became the norm. As strange as it sounds we started ignoring the thing.

The east side of the lake farm we called the Baileys place was named after the family that owned it in the early 1900s. These where distance relatives to Bruce’s family. Bruce’s grandfather grew up a short distance from the Bailey place. From time to time we would go see the Baileys and hang out with the great grandson which was about our age. One fall night we went to visit him and cook up some tenderloin from a buck we just bagged a day before. As we sat there in the kitchen eating we started joking around about the Bigfoot out at the Baileys place. We where laughing and enjoying the conversation when his dad shouted from the living room. His dad was a very quiet man I don’t think I ever heard him speak. But he was pissed, as he threw his beer bottle or tee glass or whatever it was against the fireplace he shouted THE BEAST HAS BEEN OUT THERE YEARS AND YOU DONT WANT TO MESS WITH! IT GET THE F OUT OF MY HOUSE. Without hesitation we jumped up a left. I looked at Bruce as we headed back to his grandfathers house, what the heck was he talking about? THE BEAST? Bruce said awe, he is messing with us. No way, Grandpa would have told me about a so called Beast.

Bruce said we will ask him tomorrow after church. Now remember Bruce’s grandfather was a retired preacher and was at least 80 years old so there was no reason for him to lie. So after church and Sunday dinner, we sat down on the couch across from Bruce’s grandpa. With a wink, Bruce said hey Grandpa tell us about the beast out there at the Baileys place? His grandfather sat there for a few minutes not even flinching or looking our way, just chewing his tobacco and watching TV. After a few minutes Bruce leaned over to me and said I told you so! Then it happened the nail in the coffin, Grandpa in a calm collected voice said, I don’t ever recall it being called the BEAST. We never really called it anything, but I heard it when I was 12 years old.

I was hunting with my cousins and I was the youngest and this thing yelled out at us and we sent the dogs after it. We only had one lantern so we couldn’t see very far. The dogs went out of site into the darkness after this thing, barks became whimpers and they came straight back passing us and heading toward the house. My cousins took off running leaving me alone in the dark with this thing only feet away. I ran and jumped the fence and got out of there.

Grandpa said the locals would get together and try to hunt this thing down and kill it but could never get close enough to do the job. It would come back ever year mainly in the fall and kill a dog or two, maybe a few livestock would go missing. He finally ended the conversation with I don’t know what it was. He wouldn’t say anything else. We looked at each other in amazement, Bruce said we are going to go KILL this thing. Man was we wrong!

I had started a full time job in a factory on second shift. Enter my new buddy Shane. He was a one of a kind dude, he was a strait up Native American, jet black pony tail and all. We became good friends and had the same interests. It took me a while to tell him that me and my friend Bruce had plans to go kill Bigfoot. Like that don’t sound crazy or anything. When I finally told Shane he didn’t flinch, he said I’m in. We made plans to go out to the Bailey Place and hunt the Beast.

Me and Bruce scouted out the Bailey place for just the right spot to set up our hunters camp. We decided on a small dry pond on the edge of woods the banks would give us a some defensive advantage. The banks of the pond except for a flat spot right at the entrance to the field and pond was surrounded by trees and a semi steep slope fell off the back side. The pond was maybe 50′ in diameter. We placed the fire pit dead center. In the flat spot at the entrance to the pond and field we would back our two trucks in making the pond a kill box for anything brave enough to come over the edge and into our camp. We found out later the dry pond was a good defensive spot but with not offensive advantage at all.

We where ready to go and decided we would also bring a second line of defense. Hercules, Bruce’s pit bull dogs, Hercules would protect Bruce to the death, he would retrieve ducks, kill coyotes and was well behaved. He would take Bruce’s orders to the tee. We set up camp early that the day, had the camp fire ready and tent up. A good stock pile of wood and most of the gear and ammo we needed. Bruce meet me and Shane right after work and we headed out. We arrived at camp at about 1 o’clock AM. As soon as we stepped out of the truck I knew the beast was there. Its was dead quite not even a criket was chipping. Hercules the pit bull was frozen, he wouldn’t get out of Bruce’s truck. Hercules out! Bruce commanded, with no response from the dog.

He grabbed the dog by his collar and pulled him out of the truck. Hercules dashed strait for the tent and curled up in the corner. We all looked in dismay at each other and Bruce said, well that’s not a good sign.

Bruce said I have never seen him scared of anything. We got the fire burning unpacked our remaining gear and weapons. The air was quite and calm. Then it started just like before, sticks breaking the occasional tree breaking. The sounds where pretty far out from camp maybe 50 yards. Bruce said, it time to get get this SOB, Let go! Bruce rushed out of camp, around the truck a short distance through the field, to the edge of the tree line. Me and Shane right behind him. Bruce was trying to flank the beast and come in on its right side. The woods went even quieter as we slowly creep into the woods. My heart pounding out of my chest fear and excitement all at the same time. The night sky was clear and Bruce said no flashlights, let our eyes get use to the darkness. The stars gave us enough light to maneuver through the underbrush toward the last known position of the thing.

We hunkered down and listened for a moment. We heard it waking father down hill. We could hear this thing waking but no shadows, we couldn’t see anything. We followed the walking down the hill thinking this thing was in retreat. We came up to a old fence line. We where at lease 100 yards from camp at this point. And I got to say I was scared to death but at the same time it still felt like a game and not real. We sat still for maybe 10minutes just listening hearing some movement across the fence line right in front of us. Bruce whispered its right out there maybe 30 yards, he told me to go up and to the right and cover him at the tree line. He told Shane go strait up through the woods to the middle to camp. You guys skip a step every now and then.

Maybe it will think its all three of us going up to camp and follow you. I will stay here and see if I can get a look at this thing. Shane didn’t like the plan and said its right on top of us. Turn on the flashlights he begged. Bruce said stick to the plan. So we did I ran back up the hill and positioned myself looking back down the hill toward Bruce and Shane ran up the hill through the woods to the back side of the camp. A few minutes passed which felt like hours my heart was beating a mile a minute.

Then all of a sudden a loud HOOOO came echoing up the hill then again, I thought to myself what the heck is that, after the third time I figured it out. I was Bruce’s hoot owl call, Used to make wild turkeys shock gobble. Then I heard foot steps running up the hill fast coming toward me. It was Bruce. He slid right up beside me and out of breath he said I think there is three on them! What? I whispered. Three he said. We jumped up and ran into camp. Shane was sitting right by the fire with Hercules curled up under his legs. He said what the hell was that noise. Bruce said it was a owl call, it was the only thing I could think of when I realized I was in an ambush. What? We both yelled at the same time. Bruce said yes right after you guys went up the hill the thing in front of me slowly moved my direction. I was ready to unload when I heard a second set of heavy foot steps follow Shane. Oh shit he said then the third one came from my right just yards away. I could see anything man nothing. I need to make them stop and give me chance to get out of there so I blew my owl call. They both stopped and I humped it out of there.

Me and Shane just listened in disbelief. No way there is three of these invisible thing stalking us. As we drank some water and gathered our thoughts. Hercules whimpered and retreated back to the tent. About the same time Bruce said dang coward, A unearthly scream blasted toward us just yards from us. I fell to my knee and Shane fell off the chair spinning around gun in the air catching himself on a log. Bruce almost fell backwards as if the sound was going to knock him over. I trembled in fear I have never heard anything like that in my life and never want to hear it again. I keep telling myself this is real oh shit this is really happening.

THE SCREAM it was unearthly but biological at the same time. It started off like a women but much louder, and ending in a roar like a lion or grizzly. There is nothing in these woods that sounds like this, like a semi truck running 70 and locking up one tire the hi pitch screech with a roar on the end. I couldn’t keep myself from shaking but I had to see this thing. I had the most firepower so I said cover me. I walked to the edge of the pond climbed the bank and with every fiber I could muster I clicked on the mag light mounted to the bottom of my AK. Bruce and Shane stood on ether side of me covering my six. I shown the light through the ceders and hardwoods looking for whatever just made that scream it was just moments ago it had to be right there it was so close.

It didn’t move after it still had to be right there but I could see anything. I creep forward a few feet shining around. I had a over whelming feeling of danger and dread. I focused on one tree about 20 yards away thinking I keep seeing something only after I move my light away when I focused back on the tree nothing, Then again only this time focusing the light just to the left. My rifle started shacking uncontrollably in my right hand as I was holding on to a tree with my left trying to keep balanced. It was there right behind that tree something a shine of an eye just out of sight. It was there but not there I cant explain it I couldn’t comprehend it.

The air was full of dread this was a trap I could feel it in my bones. I said to the guys I’m backing out cover me its right there. I was doing my best to back out walking backwards this was impossible I just knew if I turned my back it would attack if I could keep my light on that tree I had a chance I told my self. I must have looked like an idiot climbing over that bank. I rolled into the pond a crawled to the fire, Its out there I think its right out there I mumbled. I think this really hit home to Bruce he had hunted this woods and nothing was going to scare him out of them. He started yelling cussing this thing daring it to come up here, I had never seen my friend so full of rage. He said I got something for and with his 12 gauge he focused on a ceder just right off the edge of the pond and started hammering this tree with round after round from his pump shotgun. He blew this tree to shreds till it fell over the bank of the pond, that’s what coming to you! you son of bitch! Then he walked over to the tent reloaded his shotgun and said I going to sleep. Me and Shane sat there in silence for a hour or so I seemed not saying a word just grasping our rifles.

I finally said it time for some sleep I have to sleep I told him. The adrenaline had worn off leaving us exhausted. We both climbed in the tent after all we having heard anything since Bruce’s outburst with the tree. I was in the middle with Shane to my right and Bruce to my left. Hercules seemed calm he was napping on top of Bruce’s chest. I told myself if he chill then we are good. I really don’t know how much time had past but it must have been a few hours because the fire had almost died out. There was only a slight glow through the zipped tent door when I woke to Shane saying OH SHIT. I didn’t know what was going on my rifle had slipped between my legs and almost under me. I looked to my right as Shane raised his rifle toward the tent door. At the same time I glanced to the left to see Hercules ears back starring at the tent door with a low growl. Bruce s hand slowly sliding under his collar preparing for what was coming. Hercules lunged for the closed tent door, jerking Bruce almost upright. Growls became furious barking and Shane waving his rifle side to side saying oh shit oh shit. Then it was gone in just seconds to large heavy steps and bumping the truck bed with thud. Hercules whimpered a few seconds and returned to his perch in Bruce’s lap. This is just to much man just to much, this is bullshit Bruce said. At this point we knew Hercules was a good alarm if it came back so we feel back to sleep at least I did. Sun up was coming soon and the birds started singing and insects. We had made it through the night. Bruce got up said he was hungry and was going to go get him a squirrel. We said your crazy man no way. He said nothing is going to keep him out of these woods, I guess he had to prove it to himself and face his fears so he went hunting. He came back a few hours later with a squirrel and commenced cooking it over the fire. We sat around for a while and decided to take a look around for tracks and what not. We found some places that looked like something had laid there but it could have been white tail.

We walked all around this property finding the Baileys old home place at the bottom of the holler. Not much was to be found we did find some game trails with some trees twisted off up high which was a bit odd. We really didn’t know what we where looking for. At about mid day as we where walking around to foot of a big hill a bunch of does came running strait at us running from something off the hill above. They almost run right in to us till they realized we where there quickly changed directions. Shane said it was testing us seeing if we where there to shoot the deer. Not sure if that was the case but it was very strange behavior. We where not being quite as we hiked around. About and hour later as we hiked back up to the top where our camp was. We all smelled something strange not like wet dog or rotten meat but more like a dumpster rotten garbage. We all went home after that an said we will be back. Bruce never came back with me a Shane. I don’t think he wanted to know any more about this thing. I don’t blame him. But me and Shane was not done yet.

Now here goes nothing. like I said before this is entirely true, ever thing is true. This story turns from crazy to shit bat crazy. I know most of you guys wont believe the rest of this story but I have to tell it as it happened as crazy as it sounds its still the facts. We believed up to this point that we where out here hunting Bigfoot or Bigfoot was hunting us, I mean we found the print right. We found the trails with the twisted off treetops even think we found so hair six foot high in those trees. The garbage smell. Classic Bigfoot. We even started asking around and yep people claim to have seem Bigfoot. Not just a few but several accounts of Bigfoot. Well if it is Bigfoot the TV shows have it all wrong way wrong.

Me and Shane continued to come out to the dry pond about once a week or so mostly on Friday nights. We did this for months. It was always the same thing as soon as we got out of the truck we would know if he was going to show up or not. If he was there the same ole thing breaking sticks crunching trees no woodland sounds. Most of the time he was a no show. We got use to being out there we would just sit and listen to it walk around, and if it wasn’t there we would just shoot the shit. Always thinking about what it could be. Like Grandpa said it comes in the fall of the year and it was almost winter the nights where getting colder and this night was going to be the last night we where going to camp for this season. We got a good fire going it was about 1 or 2 in the morning and we where bundled up in our winter gear laying by the fire just talking and star gazing. When we started to hear him messing around out there is wasn’t anything new. So we stood up and scanned the woods with the flashlights. Things quieted down again and we went back to talking and looking at the stars. Then off to my right in the underbrush I hear dragging or crawling or something. Almost like a GI would crawl and drag his legs behind him. This was new to us and coming from a place a few yards out that he has never been before. Still lying on my back I grab my spotlight and rifle and shine in the direction the noise is coming from. I couldn’t see anything which made me nervous because it sounded so close to me. I pointed my rifle in the direction and out loud I said IF I SEE AS MUCH AS A TWIG MOVE IM UNLOADING ON YOUR ASS. This seemed to do the trick once again no more movement. We laid there for another hour or so letting the fire die down when I said I’ve had enough lets go home. So we both stand up Shane is in front of me closer to the truck and my back is to the woods.

I have my rifle in one hand and I’m reaching down to pick up my big spotlight flashlight. When all of a sudden from behind me something big charges strait toward me. This thing is coming and coming fast with out hesitation knowing in my soul this thing is coming to kill me. I swing around and click off my safety it has be be just yards away. I cant see it but its moving trees to get to us like a bull running through the woods. I again break my gun rule I start firing directly at this sound its right on me but I cant see it. This is all in just seconds. Shane steps around me a joins the shooting spree. I’m noticing something but I can stop firing its just to close its in the dry pond with us but we cant see it. Holy crap it right in here with us. Shane fires 5 rounds I’m probably on round 10 of my 30 when this thing breaks right. If you are a hunter you know when you fire on your game you don’t hear the shot but instead you can hear your target and can hear where it goes and falls you can even lead it and shoot it on the run. Well that’s exactly what I did to this thing I was leading it just feet from me and I was hitting it. Yes I was hitting it! You know why Shane only took five shots and I was still pounding this thing with lead. Because Shane saw the same thing I did. WE WHERE HITTING SOMETHING.

I lead this thing I fired 25 rounds in a matter on seconds. This thing crashed back into to woods over the dry pond bank and slid to stop several yards out in the woods. Just like it collapsed just like a deer will do when you lung it. It will run then just collapse. I was in disbelief did this just happen? This can’t be real. Did I really just see what happened. Shane seemed to snap out of his trance and he ran over to the edge of the pond where this thing fell, and said we killed it! Lets get it! I also came to my senses and said hold up don’t go over the bank just keep you gun pointed where it fell.

I have to reload, digging through my backpack realizing I forgot my extra magazines at the house. I did manage to find five loose cartridges in my pack bringing my ammo count back up to 10 rounds. If this thing gets back up its not going to be enough I told myself. I yelled over to Shane how much ammo you got? 15Rounds. I know not to go in there after this thing so I say to Shane if its down then its down we will wait for daylight. After what I just saw there’s no way we can stand a chance. Shane agrees we wait for daylight. We build the fire back up and sit facing where this thing fell in the darkness. We sit in silence for what seemed an eternity. The whole time running what happened over and over in my head, what was it? what did I just kill? Did I just kill some one? But it just is impossible what I saw. Finally I got the nerve to ask Shane, dude why did you only shot 5 shots then look at you muzzle?

He said man my gun was throwing sparks! I said bullshit! He then said yours was too! I said they where not throwing sparks and you know it! Shane getting so what pissed, the other thing is impossible. I said like what? that we where hitting something invisible and our bullets where just absorbed! He said yes its F#$king impossible. I said well that’s exactly what happened. Yes I swear to you this thing was inside our perimeter invisible and bullet proof. This is no Bigfoot I’ve ever heard of. We didn’t talk much after that, just sat there peering toward the dark woods. Day light couldn’t come fast enough, and when it got almost light enough to see your hand in front of your face this freaking thing stood up just outside of firelight range and walked slowly down the hill away from camp. And at that point I was more scared than ever.

Shane was a wreak I almost went out there after it, It was a f^%king trap it was waiting on me. This thing played possum! did it want us to come after it? Was there more waiting on us? It was too much to handle man, we where hunting a Bigfoot not Predator. That being said we looked over the entire sight for blood hair anything. There was nothing. I looked out in the woods for fence or anything metallic that may cause my bullets to look like they where hitting something, crazy thing is its like I was shooting blanks I couldn’t even find where I hit trees its like I hit nothing. I know this is too crazy to believe but it happened.

Shane never came back with me and he moved away I haven’t heard from him or know where he is. I did go back a year or so later with some friends and Bruce did go with us. We camped this time way away from the dry pond in the middle of a field. Nothing happened that night but I was armed to the teeth. The next day after everyone left camp I packed up everything and headed out to the main road. At the entrance to the field car pulled in and blocked my exit.

I got out and walked up and asked the women if she needed something. I’m guessing she was in her 70s and a man was with her he looked to be older than her. She stepped out of the car and said I’m miss Bailey and I grew up here. Man I thought to myself this is like a dang movie, this is my chance to ask her face to face about the BEAST. She asked me who I was and I told her I was a friend of Bruce’s and we been camping down here. She said she was just stopping in to take a look around at her old home place, she asked if the house was still there and I told her only the foundations where but butter cups still come up down there. She asked about the persimmon tree at the corner of the field, I told her it still has fruit and we have a bow stand in it. We chatted for a minute then I knew this was my opportunity to ask her so without sounding crazy I asked her, when you grew up down there did you ever see or hear anything crazy?

I said maybe like a bear or a big cat? She laughed and said oh heavens no. Pausing for minute she said NO JOKE it wasn’t no bear or cat, I’m not saying it was a monster or anything but it wasn’t a cat or a bear. My jaw just dropped the old lady is verifying that there is something down here. She continued my dad rest his sole tried to kill that thing all his life, it would scream outside the house and kill our dogs. About that time the old man in the car started shouting and shaking he head saying I don’t want to hear that! over and over. She said don’t mind him he has Alzheimer’s, I think us talking about it set him off. I didn’t need more proof that this thing is real and here to stay. I realized I didn’t have the technology nor the firepower to bring this thing down. I hope someone else out there may have had a similar experience to mine and will come forward. I cant be the only one and 20 years later I still think about everyday. It has changed my life. I do not go anywhere unarmed especially in the woods.”