1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,600 Tonight's encounter comes to you from long ago. We're pulling this one out of the vault. 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:17,840 My son keeps urging me to write to you, so I figured I would. 3 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:24,800 Back when I was about 25 and painfully single, while everyone else around me had their spouses and children, 4 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:29,880 my family was getting ready for our yearly Sioux coat camp out on my parents' property. 5 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,440 We are Jewish, and Sioux coat is our favorite holiday to celebrate. 6 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,960 Well, it was when we were all speaking to one another. 7 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:44,080 My family would cook everything outside and over the large fire we would have going constantly. 8 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:49,920 I would indulge in a nice hot cup of hot chocolate every morning as I sat by the fire. 9 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:55,320 And every night I would enjoy going to bed with the smell of campfire on my clothes. 10 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,760 By the way, we live in Washington State. 11 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:04,440 Fun fact, the area my parents live in used to be called Bigfoot Valley, 12 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,040 but it was eventually changed to Williams Valley. 13 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:14,840 Also, I just recently learned that if you snipe Sasquatch in one county in Washington State, 14 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:20,120 you're on the hook for a $10,000 fine and up to five years in jail. 15 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,000 Anyway, back to my story. 16 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,640 We all had our tent set up in our homemade campground on the property. 17 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,880 Not far from each other, but far enough to have some privacy. 18 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,400 I was the only one without someone in my tent. 19 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:40,760 We all had walkie talkies just in case we needed a radio in the middle of the night. 20 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:45,720 We had all just set our good nights to one another and got settled into our tents. 21 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,440 One thing to note about my tent. 22 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:54,280 Earlier in the day as we were setting up the tents and putting the rain fly on my tent, 23 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,800 I noticed it didn't go all the way to the ground. 24 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:03,480 So if something wanted to peek in my tent, they most certainly could. 25 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:09,000 I was unnerved by this, but was assured nothing would be looking into my tent. 26 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:17,320 As I lay in my comfy sleeping bag, my eyes closed, I was just starting to warm up when I heard it. 27 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:24,200 The sound of something stepping on a small twig, and it breaking from the weight of the thing stepping on it. 28 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,200 My eyes start open and start looking around. 29 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,440 I need to mention this so the rest of my story makes sense. 30 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:37,720 Where this campground is is located not far from my parents' house, 31 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,640 and there's a big flood light on the garage that stays on all night. 32 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:47,240 So the way it was shining allowed me to see shadows of whatever is outside of my tent. 33 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:52,520 And where my tent was located, I was nestled in a cubby of trees 34 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,800 and near the storage that my parents have on their property. 35 00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:02,440 It was the perfect spot for me because it blocked the light from the garage from shining in my face all night long. 36 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:07,000 Okay, back to the noise of the twig breaking. 37 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:13,640 As I looked around, I noticed a very large shadow standing next to one of the trees at the head of my tent 38 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:15,560 that was not there before. 39 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,840 I guess it was eight to nine feet tall. 40 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,760 No antlers, just a person-shaped figure. 41 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:28,760 I was terrified, and as quietly as I could, I got down into my sleeping bag, 42 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:34,120 covered myself, and radioed to the family with the quietest whisper I could muster. 43 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,400 There's something really big outside my tent. 44 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:41,720 My brother-in-law radioed back asking, "What?" 45 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:47,080 also in a whisper, so I repeated my first message. 46 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:53,480 He got his gun and came out of his tent and looked around, but he didn't see anything. 47 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,880 I do my surprise, the shadow was gone without a sound. 48 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:02,680 The next morning it was the main topic of discussion. 49 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:06,600 Everyone asked what I saw or thought I saw. 50 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,080 I told my side of the story. 51 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:15,480 I had mentioned I was terrified the figure was going to bend down and look into my tent and see me. 52 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:21,400 Some of my family speculated it was probably a moose, some said a raccoon. 53 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,120 I suggested Bigfoot. 54 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:29,240 They laughed and said, "No, it was probably just a raccoon." 55 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:35,160 To this day I have zero doubt it was the hide and seek champion himself. 56 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:41,800 Earlier this year, in October, I had the chance to go to a Bigfoot conference. 57 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,160 It was one of the best experiences of my life. 58 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:46,760 Is that sad? 59 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:54,600 Well, I got to meet some famous Bigfoot legends like Matt Moneymaker, Jeff Meldrum, and Mel Skahan, 60 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,080 and my favorite Bob Gimlin. 61 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:02,920 I cried getting to meet him and to celebrate his 93rd birthday with him. 62 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:08,840 I heard some unbelievable, but believable, encounter stories from so many people. 63 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:15,640 Many that left me with my mouth gaping or a permanent smile like a kid in a toy store. 64 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,280 I wish I had time to tell you all about all the stories I heard. 65 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:24,440 But one thing I got to do is to talk with Mel Skahan. 66 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,400 And while I was there I told him my story. 67 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:31,720 He said, "Do you believe you saw Bigfoot?" 68 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,000 I said, "I think so." 69 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,640 To a cheap point it out, "I believe you know you saw him. 70 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:44,520 Stop saying you think, because deep down you know." 71 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:50,280 He said it with a smile and in a kind way, not in a rude way. 72 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:57,320 He believes that I encountered Bigfoot and that it cloaked once my brother-in-law came out of his tent. 73 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:03,480 I tend to agree with him, because there was absolutely no sound of something running away. 74 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:05,880 Just complete silence. 75 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:11,560 Mel invited me to come out this spring or summer to go camping with a bunch of others, 76 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,600 so we can have a positive Bigfoot encounter. 77 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,480 I think I'm going to take him up on his offer. 78 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:23,000 And when I have my next encounter, I think it will be more exciting than this one. 79 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,520 I hope my story didn't put any of you to sleep. 80 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,120 I hope it was enjoyable, even if just a little bit. 81 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,960 Love and Squatchiness signed Bethany. 82 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:44,280 I'm from a small town in the middle of nowhere Mississippi, 83 00:06:44,280 --> 00:06:50,600 specifically East Central Mississippi, where there are many creeks, lakes and swamps. 84 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,240 I was hunting for white-tailed deer. 85 00:06:53,240 --> 00:07:00,120 I hunt from a shoothouse, elevated eight feet off the ground, so it won't float away in case it were to flood. 86 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:06,360 I woke up at 4.30am, it doesn't get light until 5.45. 87 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,720 I had to drive ten minutes to pick up my dad. 88 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,560 We were going to hunt a piece of property that is split by a creek, 89 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,600 and that's great for fishing, if I might add. 90 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:22,840 But we were both hunting a huge 180-inch buck that we had named Scar. 91 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:32,120 My dad was using a single-shot 4570, and I was using a Winchester 742 Woodsmaster chambered in 308. 92 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,160 It holds four shots and one in a chamber. 93 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:39,000 We always carry more ammo, just in case. 94 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:45,080 We were walking into our stands and whispering about Scar, the 180-inch buck. 95 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:51,400 When we walk into our stands, we don't use flashlights unless we absolutely have to. 96 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,960 We came to the split in the trail that went to our stands. 97 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:59,000 We both said good luck and walked off. 98 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:04,600 We had been in the stand for about an hour, and it was just about shooting light. 99 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:11,720 When I saw a deer walk out into one of my lanes, I had three lanes, one on each side and behind, 100 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,960 but it wasn't quite light enough to tell which deer it was. 101 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,720 I picked up my gun and looked at the deer in my lane. 102 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:26,120 But it didn't help much, so I sat my gun back down and kept looking at my lanes. 103 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,640 Then I heard an extremely loud howl. 104 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,360 Well, I guess that's how I would describe it. 105 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:39,800 It sounded similar to a wolf, but it definitely wasn't a wolf, considering there are none in Mississippi. 106 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:45,640 The deer in the lane just picked up its head and looked in the direction the howl came from. 107 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:49,560 I texted my dad and asked him if he had seen anything. 108 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,200 He said he hadn't seen a darn thing. 109 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,440 I texted back. 110 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,880 I have one in my lane, and I heard a howl. 111 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,880 He said all right, and then get off your phone. 112 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:08,760 It had been 15 minutes since the howl, and it was three minutes from legal shooting light, 113 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,960 so I picked up my gun again and put it on the deer. 114 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:16,040 When I heard another howl that just about ruptured my eardrums. 115 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:22,680 The deer in my lane ran across the lane, but it didn't go into the thick briars and oaks. 116 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:28,920 Then this huge black creature with a dog looking head and a very human-like body, 117 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:35,400 I like, set forth feet and hands, came out onto the lane to my right. 118 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:36,920 The one the deer was on. 119 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:45,160 Its feet were more like paws than human feet, and it had long fingers and arms that went to its knees. 120 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,920 It ran right up to the deer before it could even move. 121 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:54,520 It snapped the deer's neck, and it ripped its guts out and started eating them. 122 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,520 Then it stood straight up and looked right at me. 123 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:04,520 It stared into my soul. It felt like it was staring straight through me. 124 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:07,960 I had a huge rush of adrenaline. 125 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:12,920 I had my gun in my hand aimed in the general direction of it, 126 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,080 but didn't have it on the creature until it started growling at me. 127 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:22,200 I then moved my scope onto the creature, and I said to myself, 128 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:27,320 "If it takes one step, I'm going to let the lead fly." 129 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:33,320 Of course, it started walking toward me growling and snapping its jaws, 130 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:41,480 so I put the crosshairs on his chest, and yes, I do mean his chest, and I pulled the trigger. 131 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:45,400 It was like everything went in slow motion. 132 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,920 I could see the impact of my 308 hitting his chest. 133 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:57,080 Then he ran towards me. I shot him in both of his kneecaps, which is three of my five bullets and my gun. 134 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:04,120 He hit the ground and started wailing, and I might not be the best person on the planet. 135 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:06,920 But I hate to see anything suffer. 136 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:12,680 So I put it right in between his bright red eyes and pulled the trigger. 137 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:18,280 His head hit the dirt. I could see his brain scattered in the grass. 138 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:23,640 My dad called me and said, "What the heck are you doing over there?" 139 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:28,680 I said, "If you want to come over here and you want to see this darn thing, 140 00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:31,960 then you can do that, but I'm not saying it over the phone." 141 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,920 He said, "Well, you scared every animal on this side of the county." 142 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,160 And then he said he'd come over. 143 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:43,880 I knew it would take him about 15 minutes to get to my stand, 144 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:49,560 so I aimed at the deer that he had killed. It was just a little spike. 145 00:11:49,560 --> 00:11:57,000 While I waited on my dad, I reloaded my gun with silver tips. I had those for hogs. 146 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:04,360 When my dad got there, he thought I had killed the big buck, but when he turned and looked around 147 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:11,080 my blind, he about fell. He said, "How the heck did you kill that thing?" 148 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:17,400 I didn't respond. He then said, "We need to get rid of that thing." 149 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:24,840 So we went and got our four wheelers and we dragged it off. We tied the winch around its arm because 150 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:31,080 it was just about the only thing left in tack. We drove to a bank on the side of the creek, 151 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:36,120 and threw it in the creek. I then asked my dad what he thought it was. 152 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:43,640 He said it was something from the pits of hell. I then said the only time that he'd heard about 153 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:51,320 something like this was back in the 20s, but it was in Louisiana. And then he told me his father 154 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:59,560 had killed many on that property. I asked why hadn't he told me? And I then asked, "Should we 155 00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:05,960 tell the game wardens or the cops?" He said, "No. If you tell them about this, they will put you in 156 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:13,560 a mental institution." We hooked on our four wheelers and drove to my truck. Neither of us set a word 157 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:20,520 on the way back. When we got back to my dad's house, my stepmom had made breakfast. 158 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:26,760 She said I was pale white. We ate the breakfast and went to his shed. 159 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:33,960 I asked him how many my grandfather had killed. He said he had killed five since he was alive. 160 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:40,680 I asked him what he did with the bodies. He said burn them or throw them in the creek. 161 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:47,000 This is the first time I have told anyone about this, and I'll understand if anybody thinks 162 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:54,280 we're crazy. But since then I've seen one more when driving to work, three years later on the 163 00:13:54,280 --> 00:14:01,080 side of a highway. It chased me until I met another car, then it pealed off into the woods. 164 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:08,360 It has been at least ten years since that incident. Thank you. I know this was long, 165 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:15,240 but I needed to tell someone. It has been very heavy bearing on me. I appreciate the platform to 166 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:21,960 tell it on. It really does help to get it off my chest. You've been listening to the Buckeye Bigfoot 167 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:29,800 podcast. Find more stories, hundreds more, over on our YouTube channel. Just look for Buckeye Bigfoot. 168 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:31,800 You