DATE:         07/31/00

TIME:           12:30 A.M.

LOCATION:   Hanover, Alabama, Coosa County

TERRAIN:         Wooded

OBSERVED:My Wife and I were in Alabama on family business and we were staying at her grandparents house. Their house is situated on a dead end road behind a Church. We couldn't sleep and both of us got up to go outside to enjoy the cool night and look at the stars. It is very dark out there with the exception of two street lights nearby. Their place is on the edge of a small lake and is heavily wooded.

We were outside looking at the stars and noticed three deer came into view near one of the streetlights. We watched them for a while when all of a sudden off in the distance came this long low howl. At first I thought it might be cattle, but realized that it sounded too different. I was raised in a small town in Texas and have spent a lot of time in the country. I have heard all kinds of animals and this did not sound like anything I had ever heard before. At the moment of the first howl, the deer took off running.

My wife asked what that sound could be and I replied that I didn't know. After about a minute, the sound was heard again. It was a long low howl that lasted about 5-10 seconds. It then repeated 2 more times. The sound seemed to come from a good distance away because it did have a good echo. After about 5 minutes, the sound stopped. It seemed that the other noises in the woods seemed to quiet down somewhat during this time.

I asked my grandfather-in-law if anyone had any cattle nearby. He said that there were but they were off in the wrong direction from where this came from. I have never heard cattle make a sound like this but it is the closest thing I could think of.I had heard about bigfoot when I was a Kid and saw a documentary at the movies in which a long low howl similar to what we heard was recorded by someone. I hope this is useful, because I don't know what we heard and frankly it was kind of unnerving.
 
 

Description of Creature:  n/a

Activities of Witness: Sitting in the front yard of the house looking up at the stars.

Other Notes:    none