YEAR: 2017

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

DATE: 3

STATE: Washington

COUNTY: Thurston County

LOCATION DETAILS: It was a rental cabin so I do not feel comfortable in releasing exact spot

NEAREST TOWN: Kelly's Corner

NEAREST ROAD: Edited by the investigator to preserve the exact location

OBSERVED: We are Southern California residents who were in Washington scouting for places to move after I retire next year. We were renting a cabin on Lake St. Claire near the Nisqually Indian Reservation. One afternoon we decided to take the kayak out. We were on the lake for about an hour, it was dead quiet except the occasional bird or splash from a fish in the lake, when we heard this loud mournful yell that echoed all around us. My wife froze and looked at me and said "What the hell was that?" I was trying to make sense of it and it didn't sound like the howl of a dog. It sounded more human like a mid to upper range of a bass singer holding a long mournful note but more guttural at the end, and LOUD very LOUD. Like I said it echoed all around us so it was impossible to get a fix on direction. I told my wife I really didn't know, to wit she said "Time to go back" and we returned to the cabin. When we got back to the cabin instead of going inside I turned on my phone hoping to catch it on video. I would let the camera go for a minute then stop and then record for another minute. I hit pay dirt on the third try. The recording is a little thrown off by the cabin inhabitant next to us trying to start a jetski or boat but it starts immediately after the engine is cut off again. Then one more after shorter one right after. Didn't hear or see anything after the recording it was the last time we heard it. Recording available upon request.

ALSO NOTICED: did not look

OTHER WITNESSES: Just my wife. Neighbors but I did not know them so I did not inquire.

OTHER STORIES: Unknown. Not from that area, visiting

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 1600-1630 hrs. Somewhat cloudy but patches of sun. Temp was low to mid 70's

ENVIRONMENT: Forest

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:

I interviewed this witness over the phone. He and his wife do not live in the local area. While talking with the witness, we were able to determine where he was, and where the vocalizations probably originated from. I also discovered that the witness is in law-enforcement, and can be assumed to be an expert observer.

It is difficult to say exactly which direction the vocalizations came from due to the terrain and trees at this location. Sounds can reflect off of terrain and trees, and appear to come from a direction opposite where they actually originated from. The witness was on Lake Saint Claire and where he was standing when he made his recording, he was facing north. His impression was that the sounds came from the west. There is a large tract of forest to the west about .3 miles, and also to the east about the same distance. To the east is the Nisqually Indian Reservation and Joint Base Lewis-McCord (JBLM), which is an enormous area of 84,000 acres and is 95% forest. The area to the west is about 180 acres, but has forested pathways connecting back to the JBLM side. Either location could hold sasquatches.

The witness sent me the video file, which contains the audio, as well as information to help locate his position. Even though one can hear a jet-ski start up, the vocalization can be heard to start at the same time and continue for some seconds after. The witness described the vocalization as a cross between a canine and a howler monkey with a base tone that lasted quite long and was very loud. They heard the vocalization three times. Later the witness was able to send just the audio from the recording. I loaded this file into Sonic Visualizer, applied a spectrograph layer, and was able to see visually what the vocalization looked like.

This vocalization contained three harmonics at 380, 680, and 980 Hz. The sounds were essentially the same as other vocalizations of this type which are most likely from sasquatch. I call this the “long howl”.



That sasquatches live in this area are expected. There are many reports from JBLM and the surrounding countryside. In this area, they are common, although elusive. It is my opinion that what these two witnesses heard was a sasquatch.

About BFRO Investigator Scott Taylor:

Scott Taylor is a retired aerospace manager. He lives in Mason County, Washington. He had his first bigfoot encounter in October 2005 where he was stalked and later heard vocalizations.

Scott has attended official BFRO Expeditions in the Washington Cascades in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He also attended 2007 Central Oregon Cascades and 2007 Utah. He now organizes BFRO expeditions in Washington and has participated in bigfoot conferences over the past 17 years.

Scott will be leading a Washington BFRO expedition in 2025 (July 17-20) which is open to non-members. For more details and registration information for that trip click here.