Theodore Roosevelt’s Bigfoot Story

This is an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt’s 1893 book, The Wilderness Hunter. In this excerpt he wrote about a Sasquatch encounter near the Salmon River in Idaho.


Frontiersmen are not, as a rule, apt to be very superstitious. They lead lives too hard and practical, and have too little imagination in things spiritual and supernatural. I have heard but few ghost stories while living on the frontier, and those few were of a perfectly commonplace and conventional type. But I once listened to a goblin-story, which rather impressed me.

A grizzled, weather beaten old mountain hunter, named Bauman who, born and had passed all of his life on the Frontier, told it the story to me. He must have believed what he said, for he could hardly repress a shudder at certain points of the tale; but he was of German ancestry, and in childhood had doubtless been saturated with all kinds of ghost and goblin lore. So that many fearsome superstitions were latent in his mind; besides, he knew well the stories told by the Indian medicine men in their winter camps, of the snow-walkers, and the specters, [spirits, ghosts & apparitions] the formless evil beings that haunt the forest depths, and dog and waylay the lonely wanderer who after nightfall passes through the regions where they lurk. It may be that when overcome by the horror of the fate that befell his friend, and when oppressed by the awful dread of the unknown, he grew to attribute, both at the time and still more in remembrance, weird and elfin traits to what was merely some abnormally wicked and cunning wild beast; but whether this was so or not, no man can say.

When the event occurred, Bauman was still a young man, and was trapping with a partner among the mountains dividing the forks of the Salmon from the head of Wisdom River. Not having had much luck, he and his partner determined to go up into a particularly wild and lonely pass through which ran a small stream said to contain many beavers. The pass had an evil reputation because the year before a solitary hunter who had wandered into it was slain, seemingly by a wild beast, the half eaten remains being afterwards found by some mining prospectors who had passed his camp only the night before.The memory of this event, however, weighted very lightly with the two trappers, who were as adventurous and hardy as others of their kind. They took their two lean mountain ponies to the foot of the pass where they left them in an open beaver meadow, the rocky timber-clad ground being from there onward impracticable for horses. They then struck out on foot through the vast, gloomy forest, and in about four hours reached a little open glade where they concluded to camp, as signs of game were plenty.

There was still an hour or two of daylight left, and after building a brush lean-to and throwing down and opening their packs, they started upstream. The country was very dense and hard to travel through, as there was much down timber, although here and there the somber woodland was broken by small glades of mountain grass. At dusk they again reached camp. The glade in which it was pitched was not many yards wide, the tall, close-set pines and firs rising round it like a wall. On one side was a little stream, beyond which rose the steep mountains slope, covered with the unbroken growth of evergreen forest.They were surprised to find that during their absence something, apparently a bear, had visited camp, and had rummaged about among their things, scattering the contents of their packs, and in sheer wantonness destroying their lean-to. The footprints of the beast were quite plain, but at first they paid no particular heed to them, busying themselves with rebuilding the lean-to, laying out their beds and stores and lighting the fire.While Bauman was making ready supper, it being already dark, his companion began to examine the tracks more closely, and soon took a brand from the fire to follow them up, where the intruder had walked along a game trail after leaving the camp. When the brand flickered out, he returned and took another, repeating his inspection of the footprints very closely. Coming back to the fire, he stood by it a minute or two, peering out into the darkness, and suddenly remarked, “Bauman, that bear has been walking on two legs.”

Bauman laughed at this, but his partner insisted that he was right, and upon again examining the tracks with a torch, they certainly did seem to be made by but two paws or feet. However, it was too dark to make sure. After discussing whether the footprints could possibly be those of a human being, and coming to the conclusion that they could not be, the two men rolled up in their blankets, and went to sleep under the lean-to. At midnight Bauman was awakened by some noise, and sat up in his blankets. As he did so his nostrils were struck by a strong, wild-beast odor, and he caught the loom of a great body in the darkness at the mouth of the lean-to. Grasping his rifle, he fired at the vague, threatening shadow, but must have missed, for immediately afterwards he heard the smashing of the under wood as the thing, whatever it was, rushed off into the impenetrable blackness of the forest and the night.

After this the two men slept but little, sitting up by the rekindled fire, but they heard nothing more. In the morning they started out to look at the few traps they had set the previous evening and put out new ones. By an unspoken agreement they kept together all day, and returned to camp towards evening. On nearing it they saw, hardly to their astonishment that the lean-to had again been torn down. The visitor of the preceding day had returned, and in wanton malice had tossed about their camp kit and bedding, and destroyed the shanty. The ground was marked up by its tracks, and on leaving the camp it had gone along the soft earth by the brook. The footprints were as plain as if on snow, and, after a careful scrutiny of the trail, it certainly did seem as if, whatever the thing was, it had walked off on but two legs.

The men, thoroughly uneasy, gathered a great heap of dead logs and kept up a roaring fire throughout the night, one or the other sitting on guard most of the time. About midnight the thing came down through the forest opposite, across the brook, and stayed there on the hillside for nearly an hour. They could hear the branches crackle as it moved about, and several times it uttered a harsh, grating, long-drawn moan, a peculiarly sinister sound. Yet it did not venture near the fire. In the morning the two trappers, after discussing the strange events of the last 36 hours, decided that they would shoulder their packs and leave the valley that afternoon. They were the more ready to do this because in spite of seeing a good deal of game sign they had caught very little fur. However it was necessary first to go along the line of their traps and gather them, and this they started out to do. All the morning they kept together, picking up trap after trap, each one empty. On first leaving camp they had the disagreeable sensation of being followed. In the dense spruce thickets they occasionally heard a branch snap after they had passed; and now and then there were slight rustling noises among the small pines to one side of them.

At noon they were back within a couple of miles of camp. In the high, bright sunlight their fears seemed absurd to the two armed men, accustomed as they were, through long years of lonely wandering in the wilderness, to face every kind of danger from man, brute or element. There were still three beaver traps to collect from a little pond in a wide ravine near by. Bauman volunteered to gather these and bring them in, while his companion went ahead to camp and made ready the packs.

On reaching the pond Bauman found three beavers in the traps, one of which had been pulled loose and carried into a beaver house. He took several hours in securing and preparing the beaver, and when he started homewards he marked, with some uneasiness, how low the sun was getting. As he hurried toward camp, under the tall trees, the silence and desolation of the forest weighted on him. His feet made no sound on the pine needles and the slanting sunrays, striking through among the straight trunks, made a gray twilight in which objects at a distance glimmered indistinctly. There was nothing to break the gloomy stillness which, when there is no breeze, always broods over these somber primeval forests. At last he came to the edge of the little glade where the camp lay and shouted as he approached it, but got no answer. The campfire had gone out, though the thin blue smoke was still curling upwards.

Near it lay the packs wrapped and arranged. At first Bauman could see nobody; nor did he receive an answer to his call. Stepping forward he again shouted, and as he did so his eye fell on the body of his friend, stretched beside the trunk of a great fallen spruce. Rushing towards it the horrified trapper found that the body was still warm, but that the neck was broken, while there were four great fang marks in the throat. The footprints of the unknown beast-creature, printed deep in the soft soil, told the whole story. The unfortunate man, having finished his packing, had sat down on the spruce log with his face to the fire, and his back to the dense woods, to wait for his companion. While thus waiting, his monstrous assailant, which must have been lurking in the woods, waiting for a chance to catch one of the adventurers unprepared, came silently up from behind, walking with long noiseless steps and seemingly still on two legs. Evidently unheard, it reached the man, and broke his neck by wrenching his head back with its fore paws, while it buried its teeth in his throat. It had not eaten the body, but apparently had romped and gamboled around it in uncouth, ferocious glee, occasionally rolling over and over it; and had then fled back into the soundless depths of the woods.

Bauman, utterly unnerved and believing that the creature with which he had to deal was something either half human or half devil, some great goblin-beast, abandoned everything but his rifle and struck off at speed down the pass, not halting until he reached the beaver meadows where the hobbled ponies were still grazing. Mounting, he rode onwards through the night, until beyond reach of pursuit.”


What follows is another version of the same story. I believe it may be an earlier version that was since edited to include more information.


It was told (to me) by a grizzled, weather-beaten old mountain hunter, named Bauman, who was born and had passed all his life on the frontier. He must have believed what he said, for he could hardly repress a shudder at certain points of the tales.

When the event occurred Bauman was still a young man, and was trapping with a partner among the mountains dividing the forks of the Salmon from the head of Wisdom River. Not having had much luck, he and his partner determined to go up into a particularly wild and lonely pass through which ran a small stream said to contain many beaver. The pass had an evil reputation because the year before a solitary hunter who had wandered into it was there slain, seemingly by a wild beast, the half-eaten remains being afterwards found by some mining prospectors who had passed his camp only the night before.

The memory of this event, however, weighed very lightly with the two trappers, who were as adventurous and hardy as others of their kind… They then struck out on foot through the vast, gloomy forest, and in about 4 hours reached a little open glade where they concluded to camp, as signs of game were plenty.There was still an hour or two of daylight left, and after building a brush lean-to and throwing down and opening their packs, they started up stream.

At dusk they again reached They were surprised to find that during their absence something, apparently a bear. had visited camp, and had rummaged about among their things, scattering the contents of their packs, and in sheer wantonness destroying their lean-to. The footprints of the beast were quite plain, but at first they paid no particular heed to them, busying themselves with rebuilding the lean-to, laying out their beds and stores, and lighting the fire.

While Bauman was making ready supper, it being already dark, his companion began to examine the tracks more closely, and soon took a brand from the fire to follow them up, where the intruder had walked along a game trail after leaving the camp. . . . Coming back to the fire, he stood by it a minute or two, peering out into the darkness, and suddenly remarked: ”Bauman, that bear has been walking on two legs.” Bauman laughed at this, but his partner insisted that he was right, and upon again examining the tracks with a torch, they certainly did seem to be made by but two paws, or feet. However, it was too dark to make sure. After discussing whether the footprints could possibly be those of a human being, and coming to the conclusion that they could not be, the two men rolled up in their blankets, and went to sleep under the lean-to.

At midnight Bauman was awakened by some noise, and sat up in his blankets. As he did so his nostrils were struck by a strong, wild-beast odor, and he caught the loom of a great body in the darkness at the mouth of the lean-to. Grasping his rifle, he fired at the vague, threatening shadow, but must have missed, for immediately afterwards he heard the smashing of the underwood as the thing, whatever it was, rushed off into the impenetrable blackness of the forest and the night.

After this the two men slept but little, sitting up by the rekindled fire, but they heard nothing more. In the morning they started out to look at the few traps they had set the previous evening and put out new ones. By an unspoken agreement they kept together all day, and returned to camp towards evening.

On nearing it they saw, hardly to their astonishment, that the lean-to had been again torn down. The visitor of the preceding day had returned, and in wanton malice had tossed about their camp kit and bedding, and destroyed the shanty. The ground was marked up by its tracks, and on leaving the camp it had gone along the soft earth by the brook, where the footprints were as plain as if on snow! and, after a careful scrutiny of the trail, it certainly did seem as lf, whatever the thing was. it had walked off on but two legs.

The men, thoroughly uneasy, gathered a great heap of dead logs, and kept up a roaring fire throughout the night, one or the other sitting on guard most of the time. About midnight the thing came down through the forest opposite, across the brook, and stayed there on the hill-side for nearly an hour. They could hear the branches crackle as it moved about, and several times it uttered a harsh, grating, long-drawn moan, a peculiarly sinister sound. Yet it did not venture near the fire.

In the morning the two trappers, after discussing the strange events of the last 36 hours, decided that they would shoulder their packs and leave the valley that afternoon. . .

All the morning they kept together, picking up trap after trap, each one empty. On first leaving camp they had the disagreeable sensation of being followed. In the dense spruce thickets they occasionally heard a branch snap after they had passed ; and now and then there were slight rustling noises among the small pines to one side of them.

At noon they were back within a couple of giles of camp. In the high, bright sunlight their fears seemed absurd to the two armed men, accustomed as they were, through long years of lonely wandering in the wilderness to face every kind of danger from man, brute, or element. There were still three beaver traps to collect from a little pond in a wide ravine near by. Bauman volunteered to gather these and bring them in, while his companion went ahead to camp and made ready the packs.

Reaching the pond Bauman found 3 beavers in the traps, One of which had been pulled loose and carried into a beaver house. He took several hours in securing and preparing the beaver, and when he started homewards he marked, with some uneasiness how low the sun was getting.

At last he came to the edge of the little glade where the camp lay, and shouted as he approached it, but got no answer. The camp fire had gone out, though the thin blue smoke was still curling up wards. Near it lay the packs wrapped and arranged. At first Bauman see nobody; nor did he receive an answer to his call.

Stepping forward he again shouted, and as he did so his eye fell On the body of his friend, stretched beside the trunk of a great fallen spruce. Rushing towards it the horrified trapper found that the body was still warm, but that the neck was broken, while there were four great fang Darks in the throat.

The footprints of the unknown beast-creature, printed deep in the soft soil, told the whole story.

The unfortunate man, having finished his packing, had sat down on the spruce log with his face to the fire, and his back to the dense woods, to wait for his companion, …. It had not eaten the body, but apparently had romped and gambolled round it in uncouth, ferocious glee, occasionally rolling over and over it; and had then fled back into the soundless depths of the woods.

Bauman, utterly unnerved, and believing that the creature with which he had to deal was something either half human or half devil, some great goblin-beast, abandoned everything but his rifle and struck off a speed down the pass, not halting until he reached the beaver meadows where the hobbled ponies were still grazing. Mounting, he rode onwards through the night, until far beyond the reach of pursuit.

There are many other States in the United States that have reported giant creatures that roam about their mountain wildernesses.However, I do not have enough verified information to fully go into it at the present time. Anyway, that would be another book.

88 Replies to “Theodore Roosevelt’s Bigfoot Story”

  1. Pro & con re: .410 Buckshot…Yep! It’s manufactured, Winchester Super-X, etc., can be purchased at Cabela’s, Wal-Mart, etc.
    The .410 Load is much larger pellets & is intended for larger game or self defense.

  2. The 2nd I was sleeping in my old vw van with my dog and cats (I now have 3 dogs and 3 cats it was 1 dog 2 cats at the time).. when I woke to the sound of my cat screaming a sound I had never heard him make. So I sat up and looked out the window to see a mountain lion face looking back in at me the glass was maybe 6 inches from my face and his face was right up against it, he ran off as soon as I sat up and saw him but the prints the next morning confirmed it was a mountain lion not a bear, (I think he wanted to eat my cat)

  3. Fyi, these days I spend half of each year on the road in my motor home, I’m sure some are wondering how I have had so many encounters, being out there increases my odds (I guess) and I’m not looking for them (that may be part of it) but mostly I think its just my luck, twice in the last 10 years I have also had close encounters with mountain lions one feet away from me on a road I stopped thinking it was a stray pitbull untill it looked at me and I saw its cat face,,,,I his the gas right as it took off running (not sure who was more scared)

  4. Communication network, could the ones up north somehow know I’m the human who killed “cousin joe” way down south years ago? Probably not but I can’t help wonder in the back of my mind when I’m out there by myself camping

  5. I was asleep in my rv about 100 yards from the spring, when I woke to my dogs whining and the strangest scream/holler/wail I have ever heard (I believe female because very diffrent sound from the guy I had to shoot)
    .
    Either way on both the hot creek and sheldon creek encounters I had no desire to go chasing/looking for him/her at least not by myself knowing they travle in pack
    .
    And this is going to sound really crazy but I think they have some sort of

  6. Thanks randy, I expected people to not believe what happened but never though I would have to argur the exsistance of 410 buckshot…..
    .
    .
    So now I’m going to tell ya all my 2 other encounters, the first was at sheldon creek northern cali above hopland south of ukiah, nothing big really just a rock clacking session right before dark but this sound was of 2 very large rocks being banged against each other.
    .
    The next one was near mammoth lakes a place called little hot creek hot spring

  7. THERES A DUDE ON HERE THAT SAYS THERES NO SUCH THING AS 410 BUCKSHOT.I DONT KNOW HIS WHEREABOUTS ARE BUT I CAN GO TO WAL-MART AND BUY BOXES OF THEM EVERYDAY WHERE DOES HE LIVE COOKAMONGA?

  8. IT IS POSSIBLE,ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE,I HAVE LIKE ALOT OF THEASE FOLKS STUDIED ABOUT BIGFOOT ALL MY LIFE.I HAVE YET TO HAVE AN ENCOUNTER BUT WHAT I THINK IS WHAT MAKES THE BIG GUY SO APPEALING TO EVERYONE IS THAT ITS THE ULTIMATE HORRIFYING THING YOU COULD ENCOUNTER ! IVE HUNTED ALL MY LIFE AND THE MOST TERRIFYING THING I COULD IMAGINE IS SEEING ONE OF THEASE THINGS IN MY HEADLIGHTS OR PEEKING THRU MY WINDOW LATE AT NIGHT!!!! THE RED EYES ARE THE ICEING ON THE CAKE,WE HAVE A GROUP OF BIGFOOT HUNTERS IN KY.BUT THEY ARE UP IN THE EASTERN PART AND NOT FROM AROUND MY AREA ,ONE THING IS TRUE,,YOU WOULD HEAR MORE AND MORE SIGHTINGS OF THEASE THINGS IF MORE PEOPLE WERENT AFRAID OF BEING LABELED AS CRAZY,,IVE READ EVERY REPORT ON OUR KY BIGFOOT WEBSITE AND VERY FEW ARE CURRENT,,BUT I BELEIVE THEY ARE OUT THERE .

    1. Oh, they most certainly are real and out there! In Sept. 2001 in the Gros Ventre Wilderness in Wyoming. I was Hunting early season cow Elk. About 8:00 am in the morning, 20 miles miles back up Jagg Creek on a mountain side game trail in the trees, I had a Bigfoot throw rocks at me. Standing between 2 big trees about 30′ away, it was there! Not a bear folks! It had hands, fingers and a shape of a huge hairy human man! Around 8′ I guessed. I hunted all my life, from the time I was a child. Lived in the Rocky mountains and various wilderness areas. I’ve seen lots of bears, brown, black, grizzly. This was not a bear! It was most definitely a Bigfoot! I drew a sketch of what I saw that day. It has forever changed my life!

  9. I am a retired US Border Patrol Agent and I have following stories about Big foot since I was a youngster. The US Border Patrol has provided me with some of the best tracking skills training anywhere in the world. I spend a great deal of time in the Pacific Northwest hoping to find “Footprints” and use the skills I have obtained. I am always armed. Not because I want to shoot a bigfoot but because I feel I need to be so. I carry a sidearm only, .40 cal S&W with plenty of extra mags. My question is, if I felt I had to defend myself is this caliber large enough to take on a bigfoot or should I bump it up to a .45 or .44 mag. It seems a 45 does not travel fast enough. It will knock down a man but a bigfoot???

  10. What I am about to write is true and is not made up, it is what happened to my uncle. My mother told me this story when i was little. My mother grew up in Texas somewhere in aleaf or sugarland, i cannot recall. She lived close to a wooded area. It was mostly ranch in those days. She told me that my uncle used to like to go hunting in the woods for game. She said that one day, my uncle came running home as fast as she ever saw, he ran into the house and was hysterical, he was crying and could not talk. My grandmother was trying to calm him down. My mother remembers seeing him white as a ghost and trying to catch his breath. After my uncle calmed down, he told my grandmother that he was in the woods hunting, when he heard a low grumbling growl or moan. He said he looked to his left and saw a bear in the distance. He described the bear as a reddish brown color and was looking at him. He said the bear then stood up on both legs, he said it looked like a big man. He said that it started running towards him, but it was running like a man. That is when he dropped everything, he dropped his rifle and turned and started running. He said he never looked back. My uncle cleared and 8 foot wide ravine or creek without stopping. He ran all the way home. My mom said that my uncle never again went hunting.

  11. I have read stories when I was young told by native Americans about Sasquatch attacking their huts…they were very afraid of them. They kill deer by breaking their neck…perhaps this one felt his territory was invaded by these trappers. I have also read about the accounts from Mt. St. Helens. If you search Ft. Lewis bigfoot..there are many stories from former soldiers. They took the bodies away. They are probably gigantopithacus. The Chinese feel that is what they are and there are sightings all over the U.S., Russia, China, Canada, Australia, etc. They are there. Jane Goodall said so, a Univ. of Utah Prof. is collecting evidence as is the Bigfoot Field Research Organization.

  12. While, assuming the story is true, this could be attributed to a Sasquatch, I find the behavior described to be more dog-man like. Sasquatch have rarely been noted for aggressive or malicious behavior. The so-called “Dogmen” of the mid-west, however, are often described as aggressive and willing to stalk humans, (either out of curiosity or predation), and the number of witnesses with detailed, nearly-matching accounts suggests that there is a real phenominon, although smaller in scale than Sasquatch.

    Also take into consideration the footprints that are noted for being more bear-like than man-like, the observation of a mouth-borne attack on the neck, and the behavior of rolling on the kill. While primates will use their jaws as weapons, the profile as a whole appears more canine in nature.

  13. I truly believe this story. My cousin told me a story that he was camping wen suddenly he heard rocks being throw at his tent wen he was telling me this he sounded pretty scared. I started doing research wen I found that throwing rocks is a territorial expression of sasquatches I dnt know if he saw one if he did I think that’s pretty kool. And jim I really liked ur story but I hav 2 agree with outdoors man some of it really points out that it may hav some things that aren’t facts.

  14. I love the Teddy Roosevelt story, so well written. I have had an experience myself in eastern kentucky at the red river gorge. I am a big fan of the outdoors and am familiar with any of the animals you could encounter there and the only thing I ever worried about there was poisonous snakes. Well it’s about a 3 hour drive from where I live and so me and a friend headed out kinda late on a spontaneous camping trip, so we got there about 1.5 hours before dusk so there wasn’t much time to hike into the forest to pick a spot so we stayed near the gravel road and camped on the side of an awesome cliff about 200 feet up. The ridge we were on was a giant finger shaped rock that came to a point at the end where you have unobscured view of the area. It was a full moon, clear, warm night and being up on top of that ridge it was like the moon was a light on in the room it was so bright. I felt unusually wierd as if I were being watched and I know there was noone around at all, finally laying down in the tent to go to sleep(which I couldn’t do for some reason) when after an hour or so of laying there watching the full white moon pass over the open top of my tent. I was relaxed enough to fall half asleep after a while when from below me in the valley a HUGE tree starting creaking and I knew what was coming, so I jumped up, hit my head on the top of the tent, and the giant tree came crashing down scaring the s#*^ out of me, but just when I caught my breath from the intensity of thinking a tree was going to fall on me, I heard a barred owl and thought “oh cool a barred owl”….. and then a scream of a beast that I could not possibly explain, the figure that I imagined was a man-beast that had to be 7 or 8 feet tall and 400 pounds at least! It screamed full out seemingly on the end of the mohawk shaped cliff we were on the side of, which was close, went suddenly silent and then I heard the scream again about 10 seconds later right by where my car was parked which was about 30 to 50 yards away. First we both stared at each other and froze, then, completely unlike me, I said “lets get the hell out of here!” So we got up and took off so scared we left our tent which I really hate myself for doing, I don’t even litter! So we get to the car, I turn on the headlights and see the ass of a large brown animal enter the woods on the other side of the road, at first it seemed like a deer but a deer wouldnt stick around if a predator was that close and screaming would it?? I drove out of there feeling like I was being chased and had to drive 3 hours back home at like 2 or 3 am, but my adrenaline was pumping hard and the drive was easy. I used to go to that place a couple times a year for a long time, I haven’t been back since and that was 2 years back. I wanted to see the next day if there were footprints in the sand from the sandstone rock but I will never know. I’ve done so much research on coyotes, wolves, and everything it could have possibly been and I have no explanation for this one.

    1. I don’t think I would have left without my tent! Maybe would have driven a few miles but would have gone back the next day for the tent. But, that’s just me.

  15. I just experienced a possible sasquatch sighting yesterday in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Ca @Quail Hollow Ranch. I was hiking at dusk with my husband when we encountered a startled “creature” or large animal that appeared to be 250-300lbs and of dark brown-black composition. Upon detecting our presence, it ran very quickly and stealthly like a quadriped up the hillside, then stopped in its tracks when our 2 dogs approached it barking wildly and chasing it off its course, then began running upright like a human to seek refuge under an oak tree. At this point, we thought maybe it was a human being who stood its ground beneath/behind the tree, while one of our dogs persisted to bark aggressively as if it was defending us from a big, threatening person. Since it was nearing dark, and we were equal parts spooked and equally feeling guilty for our dog’s intense barking at this unknown animal/creature we called her and then hiked quickly down the trail deliberating now for an entire day what the hell that thing was. We have been trying to dismiss it as a black-clothed person over the entirety of its body of over 6ft tall with no flesh tones or facial coloring, but it’s inconceivable that this is so because it ran with animal momentum on ALL FOURS before fleeing bipedally to hide behind the tree. We were so baffled by this event and the dynamic of our dog barking ferociously at it, that we just wanted to jet out of there a.s.a.p. We plan to visit the site tomorrow to assess for footprints and any other evidence. I’ll let you know of the findings…

  16. I received this note from a hunter in Flagstaff, AZ when i posted a request to ask if anyone has seen the beast in Northern Arizona (Flasgstaff)

    Hay read your post and found it quite intersting. I was born and raised here in flagstaff im almost 50 yrs I hunt and fish and have since i can rembember. so what im about to tell you my seem far fetched and what not, But i saw what i saw. About 10 years ago i was on my way to do some cat fishing at upper lake Mary, I had just passed the lower lake dam just passes the country store some Elk where crossing the road but thay where crossing pritty fast. as thay all passed i watched them through the head lites on my car, as i started to continue to upper lake Mary this figure bounded over the guard rail and was chaceing the Elk it was about 40 yards or so from me 7` + and i would say around 400-450 lbsBrownish black and looked to be carying a somthing in its hand and the creature was wet like it just crawled out of the lake then it was gone. I seen alot of cool things but this one stops and makes you wounder if im crazy or are you crazy for listening to me. if you want to chat about this let me know this really happened to me

  17. Jim, that sounds like a terrifying experience. My own experience of being attacked/ threatened by an unknown assailant was that I became faster than normal and my thoughts much more focused. You may have been moving more quickly and more precisely than you realized after you fell. I’m still amazed at how lightning fast I moved and did everything correctly- totally different than the typical movies where a victim stands there staring, waiting to be mauled while everyone in the audience knows exactly what the person should do and how fast:). I’m glad you survived. Never let other people’s opinions get you down, or keep you back from telling your story. I believe you:)

  18. I have heard of the government carrying out sling loads of dead animals after Mt. St. Helens blew.
    Supposedly a person saw one of these sling loads,and it had arms,and legs sticking through the netting.

    1. Gary… the only thing I’d question is whether the government cared to remove dead animals. If they won’t remove road kill why would they care about carcasses rotting in the deep forest? Of course, if they found a Bigfoot, that would have been something worth carrying out. But as for all the dead deer, bears, and mountain lions, I really don’t think they would care. That’s my impression considering I live in a forest. If an animal dies in the forest it is just left there for other animals to plunder and destroy.

  19. I am interested in hearing more about the dead Mt. St. Helens Bigfoot ?

    I have had an encounter on Rainer but no visible sighting.

    1. Scott, I’m sure they’re there on Rainer, whether you saw one or not. My friend had an audible encounter in WA… it was too dark outside to see anything, but what else could it have been howling just outside his vehicle in the middle of the night? (He was sleeping in the vehicle.)

  20. “I fear leaving my truck at trailheads more than a bigfoot encounter.Forest and N.Park rangers are always armed now and it isn’t to protect themselves against bigfoot.”

    ‘Tis a shame. National parks used to be something of a refuge from that sort of thing. Not so much these days.

  21. I don’t think I would shoot a creature that is so obviously intelligent and not threatenening.I doubt anyone has shot one either.I have been in the forest hunting and hiking and mushroom picking for my whole life (60) and I have yet to see one.I live in washington state so there is the chance I will if they exist.I would be careful to not harm them and I understand their reluctance to interact with humans.I fear leaving my truck at trailheads more than a bigfoot encounter.Forest and N.Park rangers are always armed now and it isn’t to protect themselves against bigfoot.

  22. ” Another fault I find with this elaborate apologue is the fact that the writer Jim states while reloading he fell over backward, but still managed to reload and shoot the beast before this creature that was able to leap a great distance had time to reach him”
    …………………………………………………………………..

    yeah i thought the whole time i was on the ground reloading “im dead he is about to get me”
    but remember i had shot him twice and he was down
    i didnt know he was down at the time because i was also down on the other side of the log and it was at least as tall as my knees.
    i didnt even look up all i could do was make sure i crammed that round in.
    once i did stand up i saw him on the other side of the log thrashing the last 2 rounds were to put him out of his misery,

    sorry for the poor spelling and punctuation im not much of a writer or story teller, but something about that teddy Roosevelt story made me want to tell mine

  23. one of the reasons i never told anyone about it except close friends and family.
    the area that i live (southern sierra) in isnt known for bigfoots but after doing some reading tonite about other storys i see im not the only one from my area that makes me feel better

  24. as for reloading under pressure ?????? why do you think i didnt notice the tree?
    and to make reloading even tougher i had to open my ammo storage compartment.
    i dont care if you guys believe me or not, but dont start talking 22lr when i said hornet, and dont tell me they dont make 410 buck shot when i have used it, seen it, and held it in my own hands?
    .
    for those to lazy to look up what an m6 scout is its a light weight survival rifle/shot gun combo gun. because its light and small i take it with me lots—even more now. here is a link to one like mine except mine is a 22 HORNET version and i dont need or want a scope

    http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/showthread.php?t=66615

  25. to me someone saying they killed a sasquatch with .410 buckshot is much more believable than someone saying they shot one in the head with a 30-06 and it ran like nothing happened. and a .22 hornet is a high velocity varmit round that WILL take down large game if shot in the neck, right eye, whatever. that being said i dont believe jims story either.

  26. Nice story Jim, there is no such thing as buck shot for a .410 shotgun. Slugs yes,buchshot no. Want to revise your “true account”?

  27. While being a believer in the “Bigfoot” phenomena, upon reading the encounter of “JIM” with the creature I find myself thinking is this individual one who is filled with BS, or is he a mentally challenged individual who has imagined the entire scenario. The reason I say this is in fact as some might say “Evidence Based”. In my many years of hunting I’ve come to realize that a .22 long rifle and or a .410 shotgun are quite useless in the field except for the use of hunting small marsupials such as rabbits and squirrels. The only way a large creature such as Bigfoot would be killed would be by a large caliber gun. Possibly if Jim would revise his story and change the caliber of the gun, let’s say maybe to a twelve gauge shotgun, or perhaps a 30-30 rifle, I might find this story almost believable. Another fault I find with this elaborate apologue is the fact that the writer Jim states while reloading he fell over backward, but still managed to reload and shoot the beast before this creature that was able to leap a great distance had time to reach him. “he lept like 8ft towards me over a pile of rocks and continued running at me.-Jim”
    From time to time I have found myself in a intense situation, while hunting large and or dangerous game, and found that my ability to reload was in fact severely impaired. I guess what I am trying to say is that an account like Jims would in my personal opinion in the least be a fabrication of the truth.
    -Outdoorsman

  28. Bigfoot is alive and well living in Dallas, Tx going by the name of Marvin . He’s big 6’9″ and almost 400 lbs. Smells bad and looks worst.

  29. Not an unbelievible story. I grew up in Siskyou co. In turn I’ve hunted all over the salmon river area. At forks of the salmon, ishi pichi and all over the marble mountain wilderness. Thou I’ve hunted all these areas for bear with walker hounds and never seen a bigfoot or ever had my dogs run one. One has to reolize that these areas incorperate 1000s of square miles of densely forested mountians that not accessable but to foot or horse. It is belief that eyewitness accounts speak for themselves.

  30. i can tell you a an encounter that happened that i cant forget ten years old i was sitting in my room listening to my dad talk to one of his logging crew who came by the trailer we were living in saying he was never going out in the bush again i remember it well because of all the swearing and the sound of a fearless logger voice that was scared shit less he had a bigfoot throw bouldrs at him in the crummy he never said bigfoot that’s what was concluded if you want the whole story in detail of the events that took place contact my email at wolfee66[@]hotmail.com he saw it take 2 strides across the road and was down the bank fast the truck had dents i mean in side the caved in cab that i saw my dad push out some using his legs from in side it happened in the weeks lake area where before that incident heard a piercing scream that would make the hair of my dads neck go up and me and older brother cry we were camping there that evening set up camp and were in the middle of this lake fishing just at dusk we left now

  31. They carry off their dead, I know because I shot and killed one. (I’m not gonna say where it was I probably shouldn’t even tell the story)
    It was about a mile up creek from my truck and it was getting dark fast so I started to hurry back down creek (a path I had taken hundreds of times). I was moving fast because I knew the trail well & sunset but also a had an fear building up in me for no reason I thought or maybe just parinoia.
    Turns out I was sensing what was to come.
    I came around the bend near my favorite trout hole and BAM there he was squatting and drinking——-before I even knew what I was looking at it jumpped up in suprise and looked at me like he was gonna say something.
    I took those few seconds to sling my rifle/shotgun over my shoulder and took aim, he lept like 8ft towards me over a pile of rocks and continued running at me.
    When he was about 10 yards from me I unloaded my first round the bottom barrle of my “M6 scout”. 410 loaded with buckshot. Into his chest area he let out a roar of sorts and stopped just long enough for me to switch to the top barrel 22 hornet (varmint round). I placed it right in his throat but he still kept coming much slower though.
    Now my gun only holds 2 rounds then I have to open it to reload so I was backing up as fast as possible while trying to shove another 410 round into the bottom barrel when I felll backwards over a downed tree. All I could think is “I’m dead” but he wasn’t on me yet so I finished loading and got back up, it was down on the other side of the downed tree and thrashing like it wanted to kill the dirt. I put another round of 410 buck shot into him and finnally another 22 hornet round right through the eye. He was still and it was now pretty much dark. I collected my self caught my breath and made my way back to the truck. I drove down to where I could get cell signal and called the only friend I could trust we got back to the site and it was gone. If it wasn’t for the blood on the ground my “friend” would really think I was nutz.
    I’m pretty sure there was a 2nd one that’s what had me uneasy and going back to the truck so fast when I suprised the one that charged me and I’m pretty sure the other one carried off the body while I was calling for help.
    We looked around well the next morning no drag marks, no blood trail, nothing but the dried blood pool and the thrash marks.
    I sstill kick myself for not cutting off a hand or toe for dna testing even if I had kept some of the blood soaked ground.
    At least I’m still alive
    Oh and the stink is true but I didn’t notice till after he was dead and I got close to him

    1. Jim –
      Read your comment/*True story – AMAZING – Jim you should not be worried or afraid to mention the place/location. You were *DEFENDING YOURSELF and should be PROUD of your ACTIONS.
      I *COMMEND your ACTIONS!
      Jim – what color hair did it have? Was it a tall creature? What did it’s FACE look like? APE like? pointed head?
      Doug

  32. Good story by Teddy Roosevelt. And please, please everyone, remember that former president Roosevelt is only passing on to us what Bauman shared with him. Roosevelt never said he personally believed what Bauman told him, only that he was “impressed” with the account and that…no man can say. That Roosevelt would’nt lie to us is irrelevant here. Bauman was an old man when he talked to Roosevelt about the event. When it actually happened he was young. A lot can happen to the human memory over time. His friend was killed. A broken neck and 4 throat punctures. Bears and cougars both have killed humans the same way. Not to ruin a terrific American frontier story or to discredit Bauman, I just think we need more factual data, which of course, is probably gone forever

  33. Great story by a great man! I may be this ‘side of the pond’, but I try to read any and everything I can on Bigfoot. Agree, that the description of the ‘ fang marks’, a bit puzzling, but even humans have inscisor teeth, which are pointed.
    Personally, I believe ANY animal, will attack if provoked or startled, including us. The massive size of these creatures mean you are likely to lose if you do so!
    Also, is there any more info on the story of the young boy who was lost in the forest and ‘looked after’ by ‘the hairy man?’.
    JON

  34. I guess nobody here ever heard the story about Ape Canyon or how it got it’s name? Prospectors fired upon and hit a large Sasquatch who subsequently fell into the canyon and that same evening their cabin was attacked by a number of large Sasquatch hurling 200lb boulders on the roof of the building. Luckily, it was very solidly built and the prospectors still emptied their rifles at the numerous massive figures attempting to revenge the killing of one of their own. Look it up.

    1. There’s a good account of that in John Green’s book, Sasquatch, The Apes Among Us. The big difference is that Ape Canyon was a provoked attack and Bauman’s story wasn’t.

  35. Thanks for that comment, Greg. You gave me a good laugh today. I’m not disagreeing with you! Not at all. But great observation and now politics have come to the Bigfoot blog. Very cool. I too find it very odd that there’s a story about Bigfoot killing someone and the source is a president. Was he trying to frighten would-be woodsmen? Maybe it was a plot, a conspiracy, to keep people out of the woods. LOL… MAYBE… you never know. But most Bigfoot stories do not include human death or injury. Well, maybe THOSE people never returned to make their reports to the BFRO. Or maybe, it just doesn’t happen. I believe Bigfoot watches over us compassionately because that’s what I want to believe, and the evidence is clear that there are hundreds of sightings in which they look but don’t touch the humans involved.

    Your last statement has me wondering, though, about asking American Indians if the presidents are credible. I know very recently the current president had a meeting for Native Americans in Washington DC. Each tribe in the USA was invited to send one representative to this meeting at which he assured them their needs would be honored. I happen to live in a very small town that is home to the headquarters of a tribe. This tribe already receives millions of dollars in grant money. I don’t know what the president promised them but I’m sure they’re hoping for more money. Their money is spent on upscale new building projects and jobs for the tribal members and many others (non-tribal) in our community. So I don’t know if they’d be in any mood just now to diss the current president.

  36. I think this story is crap. most reports i have read where people see there teeth say they are flat with no fangs present. From what was depicted here fangs had to be used. Also, how can you trust anything someone from the government says, especially the president. Ask any American Indian if the presidents words are credible.

  37. I also have been fascinated by bigfoot as child. I have also had dreams of bigfoot as well. The most memorable being chased around the old apartment complex where I lived, on my big wheel. I would like to hear more information on the connection. I too also believe bigfoot is an inter-dimensional being with supernatural powers. We must take into account what Native Americans have to say about our friend in the wilderness. I know that there is truth to what they say.

    I have also heard stories the have recently occured within
    the last year. One being a child getting lost in the forrest for a few days, describing how the ‘hairy man’ fed and played with him.

    If anyone has information about gov’t cover-ups and the
    like. Please share.

    Very interesting stuff.

  38. Who are you Tianca? If you really know this about our government, where did you here it. I know they lie alot and are not to be trusted but 30 bigfoot bodies? Don’t you think someone would have spilled the beans by now?

  39. Very well beleivable,as my great grandpa has told me of these things he had seen long ago…. I believe every word. Our Teddy Bear Roosevelt would never lie to us. He was a great president, and before that, a great conservationist.

  40. I know many people have a hard time believing that a Bigfoot would intentionally attack a man, but I can believe it.

    Just like any other animal, you will sometimes come across one that is ill-tempered and vicious. Some wild animals are like this and even some people can be like this too. So why can’t a Bigfoot?

    Thankfully, most Bigfoots don’t seem to behave like this one though.

  41. well, you never see dead birds, do you? nature recycles so much, you walk for ten mins. then you walk back, dead bird is still there. now after a half an hour, something probably would have dragged it off and eaten it, huh?now dead bigfoots may have been eaten, organs, bones, eyeballs and all may be consumed by other bigfoots! maybe bigfoots know when their time to leave earth is and they crawl into some rural cave, or in a brush pile made by some animal?

  42. I myself have never had an incounter, however, I believe this to be because they are creatures of habit, they may have been around for years going back to pre-historic, still going unnoticed, my theory is that they live and die underground or in caves of sorts and this is why we have never had solid proof that they are in fact real. I think if the human race were ment to coincide with the species we would be – be we’re not, so therefore we are forced to come up with our own theories… This perticular story is the only I’ve heard that a human is in anyway harmed let alone killed. It is unfortunate that one story true or untrue can change the way these creatures are depicted.

  43. I’m 55 yrs. old I saw one when I was about 12 yrs. old . I was not alone either. We saw what walked into our camp

  44. I’m 55 years old and saw a bigfoot when I was 12 years old. There was about 5 of us out there. I know what came to our camp that day.Believe or not

  45. Thanks for uploading the video to You Tube (on a blog post that I previously commented on) it has ignited my interest in this mystery. When I was a little girl we had a book in the attic on strange things such as UFO’s, dreams ….this also included an entry on Bigfoot. I can’t remember what the book was called (wish I could) but I can remember from that point on I would be intrigued by the stories of Bigfoot.
    My Aunty Flo was a spiritual leader at a local spirit church and she sadly passed away so I dedicated a dream dictionary to her online, I can remember that she told me when I was around ten an account of her dream of Bigfoot – hence my interest on here. I can remember she told me that she thought that Bigfoot was a species from another time plane (e.g. from pre-historic times) and that when we (in this world) have experienced seeing something it is crossing time. Ok that might sound slightly strange but this could explain why we haven’t captured one yet…. also why isn’t there better photographic evidence and finally why dead bodies have not been found! It will be great to hear your thoughts. When I have some more time I will search in her dream diary and write the actual account of her Bigfoot dream (which she kindly left me before passing) and send it to you as an article… your thoughts on the theory above would be great. Kay x

  46. Hi Jerod.. I’ve heard some stories of people getting close to Bigfoot, even interacting in a human sort of way. Probably most are as surprised to see humans as we are to see them, although I suspect many of them are aware of us and observe us at times. So I don’t believe they’ll all attack if you get too close, but some might. They’re all as different in temperament as humans are different from each other.

  47. I have heard that bigfoot is a solitary creature but will defend its self if it feels threanted, but dont go close to one, because it may and will attack you. It possibly could be a undiscoverd primate speicies, even closer to us than orangutans.And I have seen speicials about that bigfoot LIVED with us WAY BACK in time.

  48. Yes, Tianca, how do you know this?

    Mr. Gonzalez is absolutely correct. Theodore Roosevelt didn’t need to make up a goblin story to sell his books AND he would NEVER lie. If he were alive today and the President, this country would not be in the mess it is in.

  49. no offence but i dont believe there is a bigfoot out there I have been doing research on bigfoot for a essay in school… Im not saying this story isnt true maybe that did happen but i dont think bigfoot was involved

  50. Everytime that I read this true story I enjoy its mystery as much as the first time. It sends chills up my spine because I believe every word. Our Teddy Bear Roosevelt would never lie to us. He was a great president, and before that, a great conservationist. He absolutely loved the wilderness, and would be happy to know that we have preserved so much of it.

  51. I can tell you, from my own experiences, that Sasquatch can fight!! But I will also say this, that man would not be dead if he had not first shot and hit the Sasquatch first!!! The will fight back if threatened. Wouldn’t you??? People, it is considered self defense!!! They completely have the right to defend themselves and their families.

    Consider their supreme strength! They are big, all muscle, and highly trained fighters if they are Elders. Trust me!!! You do not want to battle one of them, even a small one who is untrained. There is literally no contest, they will win. They know what you are thinking, because they are extremely telepathic. And they are 10 times stronger than you, and not afraid to kill if threatened. The odds against you are probable 10,000 to one. You will loose. So be smart, and do not threaten them in any way.

    If they want you out of their area, go. Grab everything and haul ass! They will allow you to leave. They might follow you to make sure you are really going, but you can leave. DO NOT believe the Hollywood version of the Sasquatch, they are only trying to make money on their movies. They want you to believe that Bigfoot is a vicious animal who will kill you if given half a chance. Think about it a moment, if that were true, we would not be alive now. It is that simple. And they do not have to outnumber us to accomplish that!!!

    It took a volcano explosion to kill 30 of them!!! (Mt. St. Helens) The only bodies ever found of them. A volcano explosion!!!

    For those interested, the government took the bodies to storage, then covered up the information.

    Tianca

  52. You can never underestimate the power that a story has. I truly believe that a bigfoot or 2 could still be out there, but you have to think also of marketing ploys. Doesn’t a sighting come up nearly every year in a small town where tourisim is the main staple??

  53. I have heard many stories of Bigfoot, and it has even been seen here in Maine. But never heard of it harming anyone. If there is such a thing as a bigfoot, it sure has a way of keeping itself hidden for all these years, and never one has been captured. Hidden with the few sighting so far. But I must admit, I live in Maine and have in 19 years only seen one Moose. Thst should say something.

  54. I don’t trust second hand accounts. Sounds like something that our future president could have made up to sell his book

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