From the Files of
G.C.B.R.O.
Reported by Confidential
RECEIVED FROM:    G.C.B.R.O. Online Submission Form

DATE:         1970's

TIME:

LOCATION:      Oklahoma, Grant County/Kay County line,
               
TERRAIN:         Wooded, but mostly happening near the rivers

OBSERVED:     I was raised a farm boy in Oklahoma and knew all the animals around, was actually
quite an avid hunter and camper. When I was about 10 or 12 years old an uncle of mine told me about running into a big, smelly, hairy creature one winter's night when he was about my age. He had gotten up in the night and was going out to the outdoor toilet (that's all they had at the time). It was almost comical the way he described it. He said he bumped right into it in the dark in the toilet and they both let out big yells and ran away. I am certain that at the time of
his telling me this he had never heard anything about Bigfoot or the Patterson film or anything. This had happened on a farm near Lamont.

About a year later, in the daytime, I was riding my bicycle in the woods near the Salt Fork river and stopped to check up on this old cattle water tank that I used to keep catfish in. The ground was all muddy and trampled on all around it and the water had been all churned up and was extremely muddy. I was puzzled and couldn't tell if any of the catfish were still there.

As I looked around the area I spotted what looked like a youngish Bigfoot hiding/standing in the shadows by some trees about 30 yards away. At first I thought it must surely be a cow or something, I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, but then it looked away from me for a moment and back at me and its eyes were just like the eyes of a gorilla. It was about 6 feet tall or maybe a little more and was not as bulky or hairy as I'd expected as I had heard of a few Bigfoot encounters by this time, usually from books. But I never thought it would be in the middle of Northern Oklahoma.

I became frightened because I knew it and I were looking at each other so I quickly got back on my bike being careful not to act too afraid as I thought it might chase me or something if I ran away too fast. I rode away looking back behind me a lot but it didn't follow me.

I didn't know what to do when I got home. I decided not to tell my mother so as not to upset her and didn't know if my dad or my school friends would believe me so I just never told anyone. I always did feel like I was being watched when I camped out in those woods. More than once I was sure there was something big lurking around but I was around guns all my life and figured I could take care of myself. I never wanted to shoot it though and never really felt threatened. I wasn't the kind to just shoot things for the fun of it.

The thing, or things, seemed to always be interested in my campfire, especially when I was
cooking something but wouldn't come as far as into the light. But I'd hear them lurking about and sometimes little growly noises but not in a very threatening way, with almost a curious tone. I'd throw my leftovers like catfish heads and stuff out of the range of the fire light and they always seemed to like that. You could definately tell when it was one of them instead of, say, a coyote or a skunk or something drawn in by the smell of cooking. On a few ocasions I heard vocalizations, sometimes in the distance, that I've only just heard the likes of recently in wave files of supposed Bigfoot sounds.

When I was about 15 or 16 myself and a friend were camping on the river one night in summer and rather late (we had been up talking, the fire was really only coals now) we heard a big, heavy two legged thing run down the bank from the direction of the woods about 20 yards up river from us. Definately big strides, not like a four legged thing like a deer hoping along. It bashed through the brush on the riverbank. It splashed loudly across the river and up the really steep bank on the other side. I knew right away what it was but my friend, a town kid, was scared to death and
was sitting there frozen clutching his .22 rifle with his eyes bulging. I tried to tell him to just sit quiet and everything would be alright but after a minute or so there was this ENORMOUS splash in the river right across from where we were like something big (big tree branch? big rock?) being thrown into the water and my friend just started screaming and shooting his rifle into the darkness there scared to death until he ran out of bullets in the thing (I think about 18 rounds or so, I think it was a Marlin .22) and I had to stop him from doing it again, although looking back now I'm certain he did reload but didn't start shooting again.

I must say that it really spooked me as well. I was myself almost driven to start firing like a madman. I'd never heard such a commotion while camping out. But he had no idea WHAT was making all the noise and I did and sort of knew our little .22 rifles were far to little firepower even if we had needed it. I didn't want to wound and anger the thing. I had no doubt it could kill us easily if it had wanted to. I think we were being scared away or warned off for some reason. We didn't sleep a wink all night but weren't bothered again. It disturbed me and I didn't go camping on that bit of river ever again. I was afraid it didn't want me there anymore or
something. There's a couple of other small things I could tell but that's enough for now. I know you'll not likely include these things in your sightings but I just thought you should know. Maybe you've got knowledge of other reports from this area and maybe this in some way helps.

ACTIVITIES OF WITNESSES:

DESCRIPTION OF CREATURE:

OTHER NOTES:  (3)
Whenever they would come up near the campfire all the noises in the forest would stop like all the animal life knew these things and were afraid of them like it was a man or a predator of some kind. I could tell when it was near by the eerie silence, very unlike the natural woods. They
moved quietly, mostly, but were awful big and it's sometimes hard to be completely quiet in the woods at night.

I keep reading more accounts from Oklahoma and now I'm sorry I didn't speak about it sooner. My friend and I had been talking a lot on the campout, probably laughing too, and that's something I never did when I camped out alone so I always wondered if we'd got it angry by being so noisy or something. Was it telling us to shut up and clear off?

What I told you is real but it happened in the 1970's. I no longer
live in Oklahoma but as the years go by I seem to find out about more
sightings from there that seem legitimate. I would not have thought
that there was enough seclusion for a large animal to go undetected in
Northern Oklahoma but I also have no doubts that there is plenty of
food available at all times of the year. It was summer and in the
afternoon when I saw the one trying to hide from me by the water tank.
I was left with the impression it was young but healthy. I didn't
notice which sex. Migrating through along the rivers or something? It
was only about half a mile from the Salt Fork River, on the East side,
about two miles South of Highway 60. A further thought is that if
these animals have a good sense of smell then maybe the reason for the
rude or agressive behaviour my friend and I experienced is that I had
traveled in and camped out in that area extensively since I was pretty
young but I'd never had anyone with me until then so maybe my scent
and sound was familiar but the presence of a stranger disturbed them.
I have often wondered if the old local Indian stories of "Deer Woman"
were possibly based on a female Bigfoot. Deer Woman (half woman, half
deer, hairy and scary) was said to creep up on people out in the woods
at night, especially people fishing, and scream at them in a most
horrible manner. Sounds like possible bigfoot vocalisations.


OTHER SIGHTINGS IN THIS AREA:


Report Submitted by Mary Green




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