Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

Nov 15

Upcoming Show: Something following him and every time he stopped, it stopped.

A listener writes “I’ve been listening to your show for a few months now and I love it. I don’t know if what happened to  me would qualify for your show because I never saw anything but I heard it’s scream after a buddy of mine shot it. He was no more than 10 feet away and shot it with a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot (I believe it was loaded with 8 shells). It happened in Tennessee while we were on spring break when I was a junior in high school (I think I was a junior, it’s been a few years, probably ’05-’06).

I could tell the whole story if you want in an email, although I’m afraid it would turn into a book. The gist of what will never leave me is the scream. My buddy, Brent, the one who actually shot it, wouldn’t say anything immediately after it happened, except, “It’s eyes were this far apart. It’s eyes were this far apart.” He was extending his thumb and pinky finger kind of like the hang loose gesture in Hawaii. His brother, Gary, and I had immediately ran to his location when we heard him shooting because he dad, who we all knew to listen to, had told us not to be shooting after dark. We knew if he was shooting, there must’ve been a serious problem.

Brent was an MMA fighter who stood about 6’2″ and I’d never seen him scared. He was as pale as a ghost. He was definitely terrified. Long story short, we made our way back to his grandparents house and he went inside to call his girlfriend and go to bed. Gary and I went to the barn loft to sleep outside for the night. Brent’s allergies wouldn’t allow for him to sleep out there. We’d just laid down in our sleeping bags after about 10 minutes of talking to each other wondering what the hell Brent was shooting at when this thing let out a scream that I’ve never heard before or since. The sound was so loud. I knew it was far away, 200-300 yards, about the distance where we had just came from. The only way I’ve ever been able to describe it is to say if you take a lions roar and mix it with a persons blood curdling scream, then intensify the sound to maybe an air horn or something you might get close. If that isn’t enough, the length of the scream was insane! For something to be able to scream so loud and for so long on one breath, with no pauses, it had to be massive. To put it in perspective, Gary and I were both laying on our backs, zipped up in our sleeping bags, and we had enough time to unzip the sleeping bags, sit up, grab our guns, turn around and swing our legs over the edge of the loft and stare at each other for about 5 or 10 seconds all while this thing screamed without a pause.

We’d been in Tennessee for almost a week, and for 3 days of that we actually set up tent way back in the woods and slept out there. We were used to the sounds of the night by then. We heard coyotes, possibly a wildcat, raccoons fighting, even what we think was a wolf. All of those things were pretty consistent throughout the night, but after this thing let loose it was dead silent. The only thing we could hear was the flapping of the birds as they flew around the barn and the hooves of the horse that was spooked in the stable behind us. It was about 2am and before that all the creatures of the night had been making themselves known but after that scream the forest shut down. Almost as if they knew their place. Gary and I did not get much sleep but we did stay out in the loft that night.

The next morning was our last day of Spring break so we had to pack up. That’s actually why we were in the position we were to begin with but that’d take more explaining. We did get a few minutes of a window where we went back down to the spot where Brent had fired those shells the night before. We found the empty shells. It’s hard to explain in an email but what he had been shooting at was standing in a perfect ambush point around a tall bushy tree just off the trail. It was inside a bend where the trail wraps around and you’d have to sweep your eyes a full 90 degrees right to even see anything there. There was a spot behind some kind of weeping tree, I don’t remember if it was a willow or not, that was about 10′ by 10′ of flat ground, completely cleared of debris. Behind that was a steep wooded hill which led up to a large open field which was cut in half by their road. In the short time we had before we left, I looked for any blood or shot impacts, given that the hill was a good back drop at only about 10′ away. It was also muddy and pretty bare. I found no shot impacts and maybe only one tiny drop of blood. The ground was still covered in fallen leaves from the winter and it was a damp little area so it was hard to tell what I was looking at exactly. The fact that I found no shot impacts led me to believe that he hit whatever he was aiming at. 8 00 buckshot rounds would’ve torn a big hole in the hill or really noticeably impacted a tree from 10′ away.

The fact that this thing screamed so loud and for so long after being shot was mind numbing. Brent said he heard something walking with him off the path, following him. Every time he stopped, it stopped. When he came to the bend, around the bush, he said he just had a feeling that something was watching him, so he swung his shotgun (which had a flashlight on the end) 90 degrees and saw a black figure staring down at him from behind the brush. He really noticed how far apart its eyes were because of the eye shine. Not thinking that humans don’t have eye shine, he screamed, “Identify yourself now!” while drawing down on it. When it didn’t move, he shouted the same thing again. He didn’t want to shoot a poacher by accident. Again it didn’t moved but continued staring straight down at him. That’s when he shot. When Gary and I got there, which was probably only 30 seconds later, the breach of his shotgun was open and smoking and his finger was still on the trigger, he was still aiming at the same spot even though his gun was unloaded. That’s when he told us how far apart its eyes were.

Obviously there is more to what happened but it really is difficult to explain in an email. Like I said, I don’t know if this would qualify or not but it is my experience and it’s good to know others out there have had similar encounters. From listening to your show, I think I’m glad I didn’t actually see anything. Another note, I never smelled the awful smell but I did get that feeling of being watched earlier in the day, which is actually what led up to this moment. Thanks for your show and for reading my story. If you want more info just let me know.”

20 Responses to “Upcoming Show: Something following him and every time he stopped, it stopped.”

  1. Michael L

    Wow, that would be an intense encounter. I am all for blowing these abominations away. Brent and the author would be a great episode. If the breach was open, does that mean he only fired twice from a double barrel?
    Michael1lion

    • christopher s

      It was not a double barrel. It was an 870. Maybe breach is the wrong word. Should’ve probably said chamber. He definitely cycled through all of his shells though. I think it held 8 but it’s been a few years and I could be wrong. Also, as far as your next comment, that’s a good point. It probably wouldn’t have bled on the ground in that spot but we did look for shot impacts and didn’t find any. Maybe one spot on a tree trunk where a single pellet would’ve impacted but it’s not even really worth mentioning because I can’t be sure. That thing definitely screamed for some reason. If not for being shot, maybe for being shot at. I don’t know but it was a horrifying sound for sure.

  2. Michael L

    I also imagine that it would take some time for the long hair to saturate with blood before it began leaving a trail. It might have died later from the bleeding, the scream might have been his last death yell. To bad they didn’t go back with tracking dogs and a hunting party to track it down. The first shot probably hit it, but they move so fast- it was gone by the time he fired again..
    Michael1lion

  4. Ben H

    You have my attention!!
    Always good to hear encounter stories from right here in Tennessee. It makes me feel less and less crazy every time I get to read or listen to a new one. So glad you decided to share it here. I can’t wait to hear it!!

    • christopher s

      I don’t think so. We weren’t hunting though. We were really just goofing off in the woods as high school kids. That may sound irresponsible but we were raised with guns and knew safety well. We’d already proved that we were responsible with them so it wasn’t a big deal to us. Being that it was private land and so isolated, we would set up targets throughout the woods and shoot at them. We never shot at night. We kept them on us at night for the off chance that we ran into a wild coyote or bear. Being from Ohio and not used to the big scary mountains, the guns made us feel a lot better about staying out in the sticks at night. In this case, I’m glad he had his with him.

  7. Charles R

    Hi Christopher S. Quite the story. I agree that after first round that forest giant bugged out fast. I too have heard that scream, only once, and it was a most 50 feet away outside my best friends house in Midland County, MI. Sept. 1 1996. The scream is all you say it is. I like your description. The one I heard had not been harmed, and who knows why it screamed that night. I so look forward to your interview.
    Chuck

    • christopher s

      It must’ve been deafening from 50′ away. I can definitely see where people say you can feel it in your bones when they scream at you. The one I heard was so far away but still so loud and intense. I hadn’t ever considered their speed before listening to the show, but it is very possible that the follow up shots missed and I just couldn’t find the impacts. To say the thing screamed in pain, I don’t know, but it sure sounded terrible. I will never forget it. After doing the interview last night, I feel like I didn’t do a very good job. Kinda got stage fright and rushed it a bit I think. I guess it probably happens sometimes. I hope you enjoy it when Wes puts it up.

  8. Michael L

    Next time you go out make sure you stagger the rounds in your shotgun- starting with :https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/ammo-12-gauge-brenneke-usa-special-forces-maximum-barrier-penetration-magnum-2-3-4-1-3-8-oz-alloy-slug-1650-fps-5-rounds-sl122mbpm-4030128121420.do

    Brenneke USA makes shotgun slug ammo to suit any application. This Special Forces Maximum Barrier Penetration Magnum round, in 12 gauge, has a 2-3/4″ shell loaded with a 1-3/8 oz alloy slug which it fires at 1650 fps. It offers enhanced barrier penetration capability, making it a must for law enforcement professionals.

    Threats come in many forms these days, sometimes driving a vehicle, sometimes hiding behind a wall. Urban and CQB situations require a unique projectile one of unequalled penetration and stopping power at medium ranges. That’s exactly what the Brenneke Special Forces Magnum offers. Its massive frontal area, exceptionally hard alloys and distinctive Brenneke weight forward design will penetrate many vehicles, doors, even many walls, putting an end to the threat right here, right now.

    Muzzle velocity: 1650 fps
    Muzzle energy: 3545 ft/lbs

  9. Seamus J. C

    Christopher S., thanks for sharing your story and I am looking forward to hearing the podcast show. Don’t worry about how you sound on my account; one of the fascinating things, to me, about the whole bigfoot experience is the human way that people tell their stories. This tells me they are not staged and makes them believable–which is incredible, that they should be believable! Who knew people were actually seeing sasquatch and had these stories to tell? I didn’t, until I caught this show, and people like you are why I know that.

    Michael L., you ornery SOB! Always good to hear from you, however I think it’s sad that someone should have to blow away a sasquatch. I don’t think Chris’s friend had a choice, as he was being stalked and ambushed, it seems. When a sasquatch paces you, he might just be escorting you out of his territory. But when he paces you, and THEN waits for you behind a bush–you’re probably what’s for dinner, or it’s time for a game of sasquatch soccer, if you know what I mean.

    But sasquatch are part of the ecosystem, and they play their role. I think we can only go on so long replacing wild places and wild animals with domesticated ones and artificial stuff before we all pay the price of our health and our lives. They’re not just decoration, we need them wild and free and in large numbers. In the case of sasquatch, since bears and cougars are extinct in my home state of Illinois, they are the primary predator of adult deer, and the woods may have been overrun with deer and stripped to nothing a long time ago, if not for the sasquatch. And there are other more subtle, but still very serious, consequences for removing the wild from the wild. Just something to consider.

    As far as your bullets–isn’t there a kind of bullet that explodes on impact? Stuffed with mercury or something. I read it in The Day of the Jackal, great old spy novel in which the assassin uses those kind of rounds. Anyway, if you had to shoot a bigfoot, seems like you’d need something like that to actually stop them if they were charging you. Your friend was lucky, he probably took the booger by surprise and it chose flight instead of fight.

    But, yeah, I doubt a sasquatch sat still and let your friend bury eight rounds in his body. I also doubt he killed it, because one round of buckshot isn’t going to kill a sasquatch unless you hit it in the throat or the eye. Were they low-recoil shells, by any chance? Those allow quicker shots, I understand, but not the most powerful shots. How fast did Brent get off those shots? Was it boom-boom-boom-boom OR boom…boom…boom…boom? How good a shot do you suppose he is when terrified? Things to consider, I guess, when you’re wondering how many times he might have hit it.

    It’s too bad you didn’t get a chance to really case out the area before you left. I would love to have seen it myself, to see if there were signs of the squatch sprinting out of there, prints with big pressure ridges, perhaps, or broken brush or branches. If the squatch had gone up that bare slope, there would have been distinctive prints.

    Any chance you could convince Brent himself to come on the show? He could add more detail to the picture, maybe. You could both come on at once, maybe. Think about it.

    • christopher s

      I agree with you on every point. As far as the shells he had loaded, they were definitely .00 buck shot. I remember that specifically. What you guys have pointed out about not hitting it on follow up shots is probably true. There was a pause after the first shot, I distinctly remember that because his brother and I were still by the fire and we stopped talking and stared at each other with the same “Oh Shit, Brent must be in serious trouble” look before the follow up shots. We were explicitly told not to be shooting after dark and we definitely wouldn’t have if not for an emergency, like a charging black bear or something. It was quick though, probably not even a whole second. After that, it was boom-boom-boom-boom…. We were on our feet and headed his way before the booms stopped. The next morning, when we were searching, we honestly didn’t know what we were looking for. Bigfoot wasn’t even a possibility in our minds that we considered at the time. Looking back, I wish we looked for bigfoot signs, maybe then we may have found something. We were more hoping to find a body of something dead that could explain the scream. I will say that I specifically searched for shot impacts and blood and found neither that I could be sure of. We had so little time though, we were all feeling pretty rushed and running on very little sleep. It wasn’t until we got back to his place and looked up animal screams online that I came across a supposed bigfoot scream that sounded very similar. It just didn’t last as long as the one I heard. After that, I continued to search but found nothing even close. We aren’t really close anymore, unfortunately he got married and his wife isn’t very fond of me for some reason so we drifted apart. I may reach out to him and see if he is interested in coming on though. That would be good to get his perspective. Also, I’ll see if I can find the scream I found online and share the link on here. I do appreciate your comment and support.

      • Seamus J. C

        Yeah, I know, right? How you gonna look for bigfoot signs if you’re not even thinking it’s possible? It’s just the wish I have to be in the right place at the right time sometime, knowing a little bit about tracking I could probably figure out a few things. I might prefer that, actually, to seeing one up close and personal and having to buy new britches.

        That scream you describe is so distinctive it literally could not be anything else. The power and duration that you spoke of hardly sounds like a dying animal; if I am correct about that, then it was either the one your friend shot at, letting you know who’s the big bad, or it was another one in its group reacting to the gunfire.

        I listened to the one on the link, and, man, I can see how that could either be a really cool animal call, or a nightmarish, demonic thing. How did it hit you at the time, Christopher? I didn’t hear the low, growly undertone on that one, either, in fact, as often as that has been described–like a scream, and growl or rumble, at once–I haven’t heard a recording that captured both elements yet.

        I’ve been there on the good-friend’s-wife-doesn’t-like-me-for-some-reason-so-we-drifted-apart thing. Sucks! And she won’t even talk to you about it, right? She’s just made up her mind….I lost a man I considered my brother that way. Well, who knows, maybe you can get Brent on the show and that’ll be a nice reunion for the two of you. Plus, he may be the most affected by whole thing of the three of you men. He was the one saw it, was being pursued by it, and shot at it, and your description of his terror was quite vivid. Maybe it would do him a lot of good to talk it through in a receptive environment.

        ..Did you guys ever discuss it, afterwards, before you drifted apart? Is it the kind of thing where Brent hasn’t even discussed this with anyone since it happened? I hope not, these things can have a way of eating at you if you go it alone. You’ve been terrified by something that everyone around you is very sure doesn’t even exist, so you think you’re nuts on top of everything else–insult to injury, right?

        Has it been helpful for you, to bring it out into the open, Christopher?

        • christopher s

          I can’t say the sound it made hit me as anything demonic. It was more of a fearful bewilderment. It was terrifying in the sense that it sounded like something you’d dream up a monster to sound like but the fact that it was real life was almost just an overload of the mind at the time. All we could do was stare at each other. It scared us out of our sleeping bags and we were able to spin around and face the noise but we couldn’t speak while it was happening. I guess in the time I heard it, my mind was trying to identify it as any animal known to me and still process the fact that with every second that the thing didn’t pause for a breath it was growing larger and larger in my head. As fascinating as the noise it was making was, the length of the single breath scream is really what made the impression on me.
          We all three discussed it a lot actually. I don’t remember much about his description. All that comes to mind is his reference to eye shine. He said it was black and it was taller than him, looking down at him. It was behind brush though so I believe he only caught the general shape. I think that’s why we never really focused on that aspect of the incident, because we didn’t have much to go on. Honestly, if the incident ended with his shots and we never heard anything after, we would’ve just assumed it was a black bear standing on its back legs and acting out of character. What we heard was no bear. Not even the bear death moan. I checked that to see if that could’ve been it. Not even close.
          None of us have issues because of it though. We told our families what we thought it was and our friends at the time. Of course they were like everyone else who’s never considered it. They didn’t ridicule us but it was obvious they thought it had to be something else. Not a big deal though. I will say that I am careful who I tell these days though. As I’ve gotten older, people tend to frown on adults who believe there could be monsters out there in the dark. Haha

    • christopher s

      http://www.oregonbigfoot.com/bigfoot-sounds.php The second to last sound on the list is the original scream I found when I got back to his house that was the closest to what I heard. I remember getting chills when I heard it. Gary and I both agreed that it sounded very similar to that clip, only in real life. I do believe what I heard was a bit deeper of a tone but the same scream pretty much. You can hear pauses in that scream though. The one we heard had no pauses.

Leave a Reply