In November, 2013, I was walk hunting about a mile and a quarter from the nearest access point. When I arrived at the parking area, I was the only one there. There are no other access points for miles around. It was about 1 hour and 15 minutes before sunrise. It was clear, calm, and cold; about 25 degrees F.
I set out down a long narrow two-rut road, that runs around a lake. I often travel without using a flashlight. I finally reached and area that opens up onto a clear cut. It was still before shooting light, so I sat down for about 15 minutes. Then I started walking slowly along the two rut that ran between the clear cut and a thick bay, largely impenetrable by a man. I saw a lone doe further the two rut, about 75 yards in front of me.
Due to the cold and previous darkness, I had my hood over my blaze orange hat, I uncovered my hat (I wish I had left it up). At any rate, I crept forward, but had decided not to take the deer. She slowly fed out into a small clear cut on the left of the two rut (the large clear cut was on the right). This indent in the bay, had been timbered and at that time had knee high grasses. White tails average 3 feet at the shoulder and I could see her clearly enough to shoot. It is 150 yards east to west and about 80 yards deep.
As I watched the deer, I saw a man, emerge from the bay on the far side. I thought, how the heck did that guy get here before me? I never looked at him with my rifle scope because I thought he was a man.
It walked along the far edge of the small clearing. I could see it from the hips up. It looked all grey and had a slightly conical shaped head. I thought it was odd and then realized it was all one color, had no backpack, no gun (both arms swinging freely), and no blaze orange. I could clearly see it's breath. It was still a few minutes before actual sunrise.
Then I saw a second one emerge from the thick bay, walking about 10 feet behind the first; they were identical. The deer was no where to be seen. They proceeded along the far edge of the clearing. About 2/3 of the way across the clearing, there was an uprooted tree, with its root ball stuck pretty high in the air.
The root ball came between us. They disappeared behind the root ball. They never reappeared and did not come out to the two rut I was standing at the edge of. They must have seen my hat and when they got behind the root ball, they turned directly away. I waited for about 10 minutes wondering what just happened; I never scoped them, I don't know why now because they weren't men.
I slowly walked down to where they would have come out to the two rut; about 125 yards. When I looked to the back of the clearing, where they came from, I got nervous as hell. The game department had dug sand out of that end for something and it was then I realized they had to be at least 8 feet tall for me to see them from the hips up.
I'll be honest, I was spooked now. Kind of like loosing track of a mama bear and cubs that were too close. I never heard any sounds from them and the woods were absolutely quiet. I turned directly north and fast walked across the big clearing; about 1/3 of a mile. It took me 3 years before I went down that stretch of two rut again.
I always wanted to explore where they came from, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I will be back there this Fall and I'm gonna look for sign. Please see the attachment.
I have had occasion to hear whoops, knocks, and howls in my home county; Johnston, in years past. I have also heard excited whoops and extremely loud knocks, while hunting in Colorado in years past as well. I will tell you about those knocks.
My father had killed an elk about 400 yards up a slide that descended down a mountain. He gutted it that night, and we planned to go up and pack it down the next day.
I went hunting that morning and got to the bottom of the slide about 10 AM. The way it was shaped, I couldn't see my dad up there. I started up the slide and found him working on the elk.
He said, "Were you up there (pointed up the mountain) messing with me?" I looked down and said, hell it's all I can do to climb up here. He said he heard loud knocks and pointed to a tree line up the slide about 100 yards. He said it was so loud it was like "A man hammering nails."
Jokingly I mentioned Bigfoot and then we proceeded to work on the elk. About 30 minutes later, I heard knocks so loud I would characterize it as a man beating on a log with an axe handle. There were about 20 knocks in continued, rapid succession; just like the pace of using an axe, then they stopped. When they started, my dad said there, that's what I'm talking about.
I would guesstimate they were no further than 75 yards away. I thought for sure I could see what was doing it, but I couldn't. There were no other sounds or activity after that.
The elevation was about 12,000 feet and we (and a couple other guys were camping about 30 minutes away). We didn't see any other hunters the whole trip. I have some other stories and so did my dad; but maybe another time. That was in the White River NF outside of Meeker, CO. Best wishes.
