Jefferson County 1999

YEAR: 1999 SEASON: Fall MONTH: October DATE: around 23rd STATE: Indiana COUNTY: Jefferson County LOCATION DETAILS: Near Jefferson Proving Grounds. OBSERVED: I am writing to report a sighting while I was deer hunting. I have been hunting since I was 10 years old and have been hunting by myself since I was 13. My friend and I were picked for a special bow deer hunt in southern Indiana, Jefferson Proving Grounds. I had set up my tree stand along a fire break where I could see both, the opening and the wood line ahead of me. I had observed several deer around my stand about 12:30 that day and I took a shot at one of them. I tracked the deer across the fire break and into the woods where I lost his trail because of the dense briars and rose bushes. I could hardly walk through the stuff so after about 30 minutes I returned to my stand. Throughout the afternoon I watched the air force do practice runs over a restricted bombing area not far from where I was hunting. Later that evening when things had finally quieted down I heard some howling off in the distance. I figured that it was a pack of coyotes. About 5 minutes after they quieted down I began hearing some noise coming toward me from the deep woods. I thought that it was a deer running from the coyotes. I first saw it about 50 yards out coming toward me. It was about dark and as any hunter knows, that’s the best time to see and shot a deer. I was ready and watching for an opening. When I had my first opening to get a shot I noticed that it was not a deer, but appeared to be a hunter. I watched as the figure ran across the opening through the brush to a second opening and then to a third opening where it crossed the fire break and then back into the woods behind me. I thought that it was odd because I have never seen a hunter dumb enough to run through the wood during the prime hunting time. What was even more scary was the fact that it had taken me 10 minutes to walk through the same brush that this thing had run through in 20 seconds. It was completely black from head to toe and had a hump shape on its back. It stood about 6 foot 6 inches. The reason I can say that is because im 6’1″ and this thing was bigger than I am. I waited in my stand for a few minutes and then I got down and walked “fast” back to my truck. I met my buddy who was over the hill about 500 yards and he said that he heard whatever it was going through the brush but never saw it. I told him that it was a Big Foot and he laughed at me until he could see how serious I was about the thing. We asked at the checkout center if anyone else was hunting in the area and they said that we were the only hunters in that area and the two areas around that. OTHER WITNESSES: Hunting partner heard it as it ran through the woods after crossing the field, but did not see it. TIME AND CONDITIONS: Approaching dark, but still light enough to hunt. ENVIRONMENT: Open Field, with pockets of brush, forest to the rear of the witness.