YEAR: 1978

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: April

STATE: Illinois

COUNTY: Jackson County

LOCATION DETAILS: Happy Hollow road south of Gorham.

NEAREST TOWN: Gorham

NEAREST ROAD: Illinois Rt 3

OBSERVED: I was out mushroom hunting and had my small son with me.

I was standing on a small hillside. He was standing on the other side of the creek behind a tree which I didn't know at the time. I had my back to it, my face was facing the road. I had found some mushrooms, I was bending over picking them and I seen flash of movement behind me which to me kinda looked like a grape vine, because I wasn't focusing on the actual creature. And it looked just like a grape vine had moved briefly up the side of the tree.

Then I seen a bigger part of it step out from the tree. I seen its knee and its shoulder and went on up and seen its face, which was hairy from top to bottom. I didn't see anything that would resemble a flesh tone. It was black. I saw it's eyes blink. It had white around it's eye, I could see that part. I guess there might have been lighter and darker colors on its face but it was all hairy.

When I raised up and turned around to look, it stepped behind the tree where I couldn't see it any longer. I grabbed my son and ran to the car fast as I could and went home and got the shotgun and went back down there. I found some footprints where it had stood on the side of the creek and that was maybe 30 yards from me.

This was the scariest thing, the most ominous thing, I didn't feel like it was going to come and attack me. It was probably as freaked out as I was. We went our separate ways immediately.

ALSO NOTICED: no

OTHER WITNESSES: no

OTHER STORIES: no

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 2 p.m. Clear and warm

ENVIRONMENT: Heavily wooded, streams

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

I spoke with the witness by phone.

In summary:

• The animal was partially behind a tree on the other side of the creek.
• The witness was able to see a knee, shoulder and a hair covered face.
• The animal's height was six feet tall.
• The weight was over 350 lbs.
• The hair was black.
• The witness was 30 feet from the animal.
• The witness later came back and found possible footprints but did not describe much detail.

About BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

Stan Courtney has a special interest in wildlife audio recording. He has attended numerous BFRO Expeditions. See Stan's blog StanCourtney.com for recordings he has collected over the years.

Stan Courtney can be reached at [email protected]