REPORT RECEIVED From:  The GCBRO Online Report Submission Form

DATE:    1975-79
 

TIME:      Different Times
 

LOCATION:   Manatee County, Florida
 

TERRAIN:   An interesting mixture of pasture/grazing land for cattle, some thickly
wooded areas, and even a small marshy area or two.
 

OBSERVED:      In the early 1970's, my Father and a number of other investors purchased a large
tract of land.  The land was the most likely spot for the new Interstate extension to be constructed on, and it was bought on that speculation.

   The terrain was an interesting mixture of pasture/grazing land for cattle, some thickly
wooded areas, and even a small marshy area or two. There was also an area that had been
separately fenced, cleared and planted for a "U-Pick" produce operation.

   Over a period of several years, from 1975 to 1979, several "unusual" experiences were had
by myself, along with different friends, that are worth considering.

   The first experience took place in the daytime. Several high school friends and I had
decided to do some target practice and we headed to the Ranch. We entered the property through
the Main Gate and drove the mile and a half up to the barn and old ranch house. This
was basically a compound with several other outbuildings that held rusting tractors and
neglected equipment.

   We parked, got out and headed to the southwest corner of the compound. Crossing through a
barb wire fence, we intended to head further SW towards some wooded areas on the far side of
the pasture. In order to do this, we had to make our way around a very thick area of trees and
vegetation in a little marsh or spring area.

   We had chosen this direction because the cattle were in the pasture to the East and we did
not want to take a chance on ending up with an accidental steak dinner. This acreage was empty
- Or so we thought.

   We had just started to make our way around this little marsh area when we flushed a covey
of quail. The birds had been hiding between us and the marsh, so when they broke cover, the
fellow in the lead fired his 12-gauge in the general direction of this little piece of
wetland. And then all hell broke loose.

   First, there was a blood chilling scream from the brush - I remember, for a second or two,
we all froze in our tracks. Then we heard this tremendous crashing as the animal plowed
through dense foliage, trees and water. We heard whatever it was as it must have emerged from
this swampy oasis out into the open field beyond and we could still hear it running away -
thump thump thump thump - for another ten seconds at most.

   Very quickly, we were back on the other side of the fence and speculating on what we had
just encountered. We all agreed on two things - None of us, all of whom had hunting and
outdoor experience, had ever heard anything like this - And that whatever it was, it was big.

   My biggest worry was that it might have been a cow or even a horse and so we climbed
through the fence again and checked out the entire fenced in area, as well as the ones beyond.
We found nothing. I called the rancher when we got home and the next day he let me know that
all of his livestock were healthy and accounted for.

   We spent a little time looking for the exit trail out of the marsh but there were so many
cattle trails coming in and out that we quickly grew bored. The ground was grassy and we made
no real effort to look for tracks. Ultimately, the group decided we didn't know what we heard.

   A year or so passed with many other trips that were totally uneventful, both in the daytime
and at night.

   One night, I went to the Ranch with one of my friends, our Spanish teacher and his wife. We
cooked dinner and then headed out to try and spotlight rabbits or maybe a hog. We had no luck
in the pastures or on the trails through the woods, so we moved on into the "U-Pick" area.

   After about ten minutes, my teacher Mr. R, caught something in the Q-Beam (Spotlight) - I
stopped the Blazer as he panned the light. We asked what it was he had seen - He didn't know.
But he kept moving the light and suddenly we all saw something hunched down low to the ground,
as if it were trying to hide...a behavior none of us had ever witnessed (typically an animal
freezes or runs) Then suddenly, the animal jumped or leaped out of the beam...And it looked
like nothing we could even guess at as we saw it "spring" for lack of a better term.

   We played this game of hide and seek with our unknown companion for another half hour or so
as we drove through the different fields of produce. It was obviously interested in us because
it kept hanging around. But each time we would just catch it with the spotlight for an instant
- and then it would spring away. We had similar encounters on two later visits to the
vegetable gardens although whatever it was did not seem as interested in following us around
as it had been the first time.

   My last experience also took place with Mr.R and his wife in the same area of the ranch.
This time however, we felt we encountered a much larger unknown.

   It was about 10 p.m. and we were approaching the "U-Pick" site on a gas line grade that ran
through the property. Mrs. R. was driving while Mr.R. and I stood on the open tailgate with
the Q-Beam. Mrs. R. stopped the vehicle as we all saw the same thing at once.

   Across the first field (no more than 50 yards) were two large red eyes about 5 or 6 feet
off the ground. The animal was in a drainage culvert between this field and the next. We
couldn't see anything but the eyes because the culvert was thick with small trees and
undergrowth.

   I am an amateur hunter at best, but Mr.R. had been doing it all his life. He had also been
a fighter pilot...the man had excellent eyes. We sat there and just stared at these eyes
staring back at us. They were about the size of tennis balls.

   Finally, Mr. R. looked at me and said,"I have no idea what the hell that is". We didn't
know how to proceed.

   We considered shooting at it, but we wanted to know what it was we were going to be
shooting at. We listed all the different large animals we could think of - Bear, panther,
Bobcat...Mrs. R. ventured that it might be an owl - All we could see were those impossibly
large red eyes. And then Mr. R. said something that surprised me - He wondered if it might be
a man. I asked him why was he thinking this? He noted it had to be tall - 5 or 6 feet - ...And
suddenly Mr. R. hollered at it.

Something to the effect that we had guns and we were thinking about using them. The eyes just
stayed there, staring at us.

   Mr. R. told me to put down my shotgun and to grab the rifle. The rifle was a 30-30 that had
only been fired at some empty cans. It was a gift from my godfather and although I never
thought I would have use for it, I was sure glad that I brought it along.

   Mr. R. and I gave the Spot to Mrs. R. and began to walk across the field directly towards
the eyes, which still had not moved after ten minutes. As we got closer, we called out but got
no response. Then as we were just about two/thirds of the distance to it, the eyes
disappeared.

   We yelled to Mrs. R. to turn off the engine so we might possibly hear it. The night went
silent for a moment, then Mrs. R. yelled that it was to our left. She was right.

   About fifteen feet to the left of where they had been, the red eyes appeared, still
seemingly 5 to 6 feet off the ground.

   Mr. R. and I decided we had had enough and turned back towards the vehicle. Again, Mrs.R.
yelled to us; the eyes had disappeared again. We got back, loaded up and quickly drove around
the field on the road leading to the culvert. The culvert winded its way through the eastern
side of the farm area. It was dry and floored with debris and we were unable to identify
tracks of any kind. As we drove immediately next to the exact spot we had seen the eyes we
realized that whatever we had been looking at must have been standing in the culvert, which
was approximately 3 to 4 feet deep. So we had been observing something that was perhaps 8 or 9
feet in height.

   We have no idea what we were looking at.

Activities of Witness:   Hunting

Description of Creature:    8-9 feet tall, red eye reflection in the spot light
 

Other Notes:      The only thing that makes these stories the least bit interesting is that there
were several actual Sasquatch reports in our area in this same general time period. A plaster
cast was taken at one of the sightings by a Manatee County Sheriff's Deputy of a large track.
Several "Skunk Ape" stories appeared in the local papers, including one from a group of kids
who visited a graveyard in the area on Halloween and were supposedly chased by the "Monster".

I have never talked about my experiences outside of my own circle of friends and I
will be the first one to tell you that I have never seen a Sasquatch or any evidence thereof.
However, the general scenario given here is similar to how things started in California.
Roadways are built into areas that have previously been left alone and suddenly you have a
little wave of sightings. And people in our area had sightings during this same time period.
What has intrigued me most about the different "encounters" I had with my friends is this:
None of us could ever identify what we encountered. All of us had been going into the woods in
our general area for years and yet no one had similar "mysterious encounters" with some
unknown form of wildlife outside of these incidents in the same general vicinity in the same
time period.

   These experiences and the reading I have done concerning this phenomenon lead me to believe
that these animals are far more intelligent and living in much closer proximity to humans than
most might consider. I am glad you are looking into our history of these animals in the South
- I know two individuals - very credible witnesses (separate events) who have had real and
tangible encounters in the South, and I believe these animals exist. If I can ever be of
service to your organization with follow up research in this general vicinity, feel free to
contact me through my E-Mail or by Pager.
 

Additional Notes or Comments:  N/A
 
 

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