Class 3c Encounter Report in Oakwood, TX, Case #01050026

close

Class 1a
Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.
1a A sasquatch/bigfoot specimen has been collected (alive or dead).
Class 1b
Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.
1b A report investigation results in a sasquatch observation or the documentation of clear tracks or other forms of physical evidence by an investigator.
Class 1c
Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.
1c An investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot by a very reliable observer is a distinct possibility, tangible corroborating evidence is documented, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
Class 1d
Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.
1d A visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility involving two or more reliable observers, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
Class 2
Class 2, Competency: Reports involving sightings by professionally trained or highly skilled observers.
2 Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is exceptionally trustworthy, professionally trained, and experienced in the outdoors and/or is accustomed to looking for and recording details (e.g., biologist, anthropologist/archaeologist, ranger, trapper/tracker/seasoned hunter, bird watcher, game warden, naturalist, law enforcement), and other explanations can be reasonably excluded.
Class 3a
Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.
3a Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is credible, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
Class 3b
Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.
3b Unidentifiable vocalizations were reported and there is accompanying tangible evidence to possibly indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot, the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
Class 3c
Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.
3c No visual encounter occurred, but physical evidence was found to indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot (tracks, hair, scat, etc.), the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.


Case: 01050026

Class 3c

Husband and wife hear strange, loud vocalizations outside home.

Report Details

Occurrence date: July/2005
Location: Freestone County, TX
Nearby/Vicinity: Oakwood
Time / Conditions: 10:00 PM — Hot, humid but clear night. Slightly wooded but some pasture for cattle.
# of Witnesses:

Witness Account:
Wife and I had just laid down for bed and watching the news when we heard what we thought was the neighbors right outside our bedroom window. Closer than normal and very loud. A few minutes later we hear it again but neither of us knew exactly what it was other than close. Getting dressed to go outside and check we hear it a third time. I took the spotlight out and the outside dogs nearly knock me down trying to get in the house. It is eerily quiet and very hot and humid. I shine the light around to see the neighbors cows all huddled at his barn, some 1300 feet away but no dust hung in the air and they were making no sounds or movement. I looked around for the bull or any sign that he had been down by the house and could find none. There was no dust in the air to suggest they had just run to the barn in those few minutes it took me to get outside so I concluded he had never been by the house. My cows were also huddled far away from the house and not moving. I didn't linger long outside but the next day revealed no clues either since everything seemed back to normal. This is twice we have heard this sound by the house and the animals react this way in the 10 years we have lived here. Before moving up here I heard the same noise filling a deer feeder late one weekend that made the hair on my neck stand on end.

All the neighbors and us have talked about the panther that roams this area supposedly, attributed the noises heard the first time to that but this one was definitely different.

This is the third occurrence since we moved here in 1995. Cant recall the exact dates of the first 2 other than the circumstances and reactions of the pets and animals were exactly the same.

Physical evidence:
Not that I could find.

Sounds:
Yes, the indescribable howl/scream that most closely resembles a bull with laryngitis??

Investigator's Observations

Investigator(s): John Dickey, Mike Hall and David Peddy

This investigation was conducted as a result of an incident that allegedly occurred in Freestone County, Texas in 2005.

On the morning of Sunday, 14 August 2005 we arrived at the witness's residence at roughly 10:00 hours. This ranch is located in southeastern Freestone County. I (John Dickey) had met with the witness previously and had encouraged him to submit his report. The witness, an experienced outdoorsman and hunter, runs a professional guide service, and is quite accustomed to outdoor sounds and settings.

The witness provided the description of the most recent event as noted in his report, pointing out that this was the third time that he and his wife had heard the loud moaning sound in the past two years. Previously, the sounds were not as close to their house as during the most recent incident. The witness stated that he was in the bedroom watching TV and his wife was in the bathroom; the time was around 11:00 PM when they both heard the loud moaning vocalization. The witness told us that the noise level of the sound was above the TV volume.

We observed that the witness had four dogs at the house, two of which stayed mainly in the house; the dogs mentioned in the report that had quickly darted into the house were a female blue heeler and a male husky. All the dogs were very "vocal" when we initially approached the house, so it was reasonable to assume that anybody or anything would be hard pressed to get near the house without the dogs providing early warning.

There were two areas near the witness's house that he thought might be of interest to us. In the first area was a tree break, which is located 1/4 mile south from the witness's house and approximately 200 yards from his mother's house. The witness stated that the tree breaks occurred almost 6 months ago. Two branches, that were approximately twelve feet off the ground, appeared to have been twisted and crossed. The lower 1/3 portions of the branches were recently trimmed by the witness so that his 4X4 Dodge pickup truck could pass beneath them. On the same tree about a foot below and to the left of the twisted limbs, were the remains of a much larger branch approximately three feet in diameter and that had been ripped in a downward motion. This branch had also been trimmed from the tree. The witness's description indicated that this branch had been twisted and ripped downward, with the upper portion of that branch touching the ground. To the witness, and us, it looked very strange and did not at all look like wind damage.

We then journeyed to the second item and into an eight-acre area around which the witness had installed a high fence approximately one year ago. The witness told us that the high fenced area had been built to contain a small herd of blackbuck antelope, but inadvertently a whitetail deer doe with two fawns had been enclosed when the fence was erected. The witness drove us to an area where a large cedar had been twisted and bent over.

The witness told us that when he discovered this damaged tree, he questioned the workers that built his fence about the tree being twisted and distorted; the workers told him that at that time they had not been near that area with any machinery. The witness went on to tell us that there was no evidence of any machinery near the tree. The witness indicated to us that some time afterwards, he had trimmed some of the "broken" branches from that tree so that he could make way for a trail into a "feeding area" so that he could transport feed for his animals. Close examination of the twisted cedar tree indicated a series of branches three to four inches diameter that had been bent over in such fashion so as to have the appearance of some sort of nest-like area. The distance from this tree to the witness's house was approximately 500 yards and is in a diagonal line running from southeast to northwest. The witness further stated that the entire area had been thickly wooded prior to enclosing it and that approximately half of the enclosure had been cleared. We observed that the antelope and the deer that remained inside the enclosure were attempting to hide in the remaining thicket.

Our group returned to the house so that we could investigate the area from where the sounds were heard. We went thru a fenced section and toward that area of the sounds. The area appeared to be approximately twenty yards from the northwest corner of the house. Once in the area and almost immediately, we discovered what appeared to be a large indentation in the ground. It had a familiar shape that appeared to be a large footprint of the right foot. Approximately three feet to the left of the footprint was what appeared to be a skid mark about two feet in length appearing as though something had slid its foot under some weeds and that ended into a formation that could possibly have been toe prints; we were all in agreement with this assessment. The large footprint was approximately seventeen inches in length and six inches in width; the skid was also six inches in width. Both the skid mark and footprint were facing in the direction toward the house. However, due to our lack of height, we could not see the house clearly from where we stood due to some large scrub oaks and hay bales obstructing the view. The brush was approximately six feet in height; the hay bales were to the right of the brush, approximately five feet in height and were stacked alongside the fence. From what we observed from that position, it was evident that no cattle could have been in that general area and thus could not have been responsible for the sounds that the witness and his wife heard that night.

The group then decided to head toward the area of a spring-fed lake. The witness had repeated a story by an old farmer that lived near that lake. The farmer apparently had had an encounter and refused to go near the lake area after sundown. We walked down an older dirt road that ended at an abandoned cabin. The witness stated that the owner had not been seen for several months. It was apparent from the dilapidated condition that no one had been in the cabin for quite some time. We hiked further behind the cabin down into some very thick underbrush, trying to find a route to the lake and swamp area. However, with no discernable path visible and the rumbling of thunder, we aborted that trek and headed back towards the cabin. In the thicket and along a fence not too far from the cabin, we found several animal tracks, mostly deer and hog, and fecal remains from both.

As we came along side the of the cabin, we spotted what appeared to be a small but wide footprint. Again, because of the soil conditions, we could not absolutely determine the origin of the footprint. We continued with our trek towards a garbage dump, which was located on the northwest portion of the adjacent ranch. We were but 150 yards from the dump when at approximately 12:50 hours; we heard a loud wood knock of some volume. David Peddy attempted to respond by knocking on a tree with a nearby tree branch. However, the branch was too rotten to be of benefit. The group waited another two or three minutes and began to move towards the dump, when again we heard another single, loud, wood knock. I located a stronger portion of a tree branch and was able to produce a loud enough tree knock to cause an echo in the nearby woods. We waited another five to six minutes, but no response. We continued on and arrived at the dump area, which was fifteen feet by forty feet, and contained all sorts of debris and garbage. It was there that we discovered another rather large depression in the sand that could have been a footprint approximately five feet from the fence, heading away from the dump and towards the fence. At the edge of the fence, we found another possible footprint of the same size. However, because of the soil conditions, the depressions were too deteriorated to make a conclusive decision about their source.

We returned to the witness's house and reviewed our findings and essentially determined that the witness was credible; also because of accompanying circumstantial evidence, we were open to the possibility that this was possibly a legitimate encounter. The witness added that there was a series of spring-fed lakes in the immediate area, one of which was in the general direction from where we had heard the knocking sounds. We proposed to the witness that we be allowed to return in about four weeks, with the purpose of doing nighttime research in the area. The witness had no objections to that proposal.

Map

Left Menu Iconmenu
WoodApe.org
Right Menu Icon