Report Received From: The GCBRO Online Report Submission Form.
 
Report Posted To GCBRO Web Site On:   April 1, 2008

DATE:    October 15, 2006 
 

TIME:     Late Morning 
 

LOCATION:   Ogemaw County, Michigan 
 

TERRAIN:    Wooded 
 

OBSERVED:    I actually have three incidents. The first was mid October in 2006, it was a cloudy but clear day when I took my Arabian mare out for a ride down the gravel road. I headed west toward the state land, intending to just stay on the roads since it was bow season. The road curves south 1/2 mile from the barn and has a small travel trailer and thick hardwoods on the inside of the curve. Across the street is approx. 600 acres of swampy, forested state land. My horse (who is an endurance horse and had been on many trail rides) went rigid as we neared the woods. Her walked slowed and her head was up, snorting and blowing. I turned to my left, thinking a deer or even a bear was in the woods. Instead, I could have sworn I saw something arm like waving in the woods, about 100 feet away from us. My mare stopped, still rigid. The thing stopped waving up and down and I was able to get my mare to walk on, her neck still craning behind her as she moved forward. On the way back, she refused to walk on the side of the road near those woods and so we had to go back on the north side of the road.

The second incident happened last July 2007 when I took a friend's daughter (10) and my own (2 1/2) horseback riding--this time opposite heading east.  After crossing a creek, the 10 year old pointed to a tree, "Some THING is trying to spook the horses." I saw a tree waving, but there was no wind present. The horses eyed it but were unafraid. It was cloudy with a light rain coming down. The 10 year old kept insisting it was "some THING" but didn't elaborate. I saw nothing.

Third incident was taking this same girl (w/o my daughter) riding February 22, 2008. She was riding my mare, I was on my older horse. Both horses, though both endurance horses, were acting very skittish. We were also accompanied by the barn owner's 4 year old pit bull. Both horses were on the edge of bolting the whole ride, when we got near the trail head on our way back, the girl said she was afraid and wanted to dismount. As we both began, there was a snapping and rustling in the woods, my mare bolted away from the girl as the pit bull took off. The girl fell down but was unharmed, the horse I was riding knocked me over once I was on the ground, trying to get away from whatever it was. The 3 horses in the pasture closest to us also bolted and huddled down at the fence closest to the barn. When we got all of us safe inside, the girl's mom mentioned that she had never seen the dog so terrified--he was shaking when he got back. "Maybe it was the local Bigfoot," she joked, not entirely in jest.  "He's been seen up at the Rifle River Recreation area" .
 

Activities of Witness:   Horseback riding, talking, horses were "jiggy" so riding was difficult. 
 

Description of Creature:  No creature seen, but whatever spooked the horses and dog, it spooked a pit bull and an old mare that has stared down and attacked coyotes. 
 

Other Notes:    Most property up here is seasonally occupied. Tracts of land are large and densely wooded and swampy. Lots of small lakes in the area. Large deer population. Black bear and mountain lion have been spotted in this general area, lots of fish in local lakes, land in Arenac and Ogemaw counties was home to a large group of Ojibway Indians. I have not heard of any local tribal legends, though. My boyfriend has personally seen a mountain lion twice about 6 miles south of here though the DNR denies the existence of them in the Lower Peninsula. 
 

Other (Informational or Encounter History in the General Area) Notes:    Read accounts above, a few people have mentioned about the Bigfoot up at Rifle River.
 

Additional Notes and or Follow up Comments:  The only thing I want to add is that the most recent incident on Feb. 22 happened about 5pm, the sun was setting, it was partly cloudy but clear.