YEAR: 1986

SEASON: Winter

MONTH: November

DATE: 15

STATE: Illinois

COUNTY: Whiteside County

LOCATION DETAILS: About four and a half miles outside of Erie following River Road next to Johnson Slough.

NEAREST TOWN: Erie

NEAREST ROAD: Sand Road

OBSERVED: I was about 16 or 17 yrs old. My family lived along the Rock River. My parents and sister had gone shopping and I was home alone. We had a dachshund and a mixed breed that started to go nuts around 7 p.m. I let them out and they took off towards the pasture. I had grabbed my shotgun thinking it was someone trying to steal something. The dogs took off towards the edge of the river and stopped. I looked where they were looking and saw a hairy humanoid figure. There was big footprints in the snow from the pasture to the river.

ALSO NOTICED: Footprints during and after.

OTHER WITNESSES: None

OTHER STORIES: No

TIME AND CONDITIONS: About 7 p.m. clear night.

ENVIRONMENT: Lots of fields, some timber, islands out in the river.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Stan Courtney:

I spoke with the witness by phone and can add the following details to the report:

• The witness stated that the animal was at least seven feet tall and weighed over 300 lbs.
• The coloration was either black or very dark brown.
• The animal was muscular with arms that hung down close to its knees.
• After the witness fired his shotgun into the air, the animal walked away with a sort of "airborne shuffle," a fast walk with a long stride.
• The witness then turned around and made a hasty retreat back to his home.
• The witness found several footprints.
• The footprints were eighteen inches long.
• The footprints were seven inches wide at the ball of the foot and somewhat narrower at the heel.

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]

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