DATE:   11/xx/81

TIME:    2  a.m.

LOCATION: Ashland County, Ohio, Hanover Township
 

TERRAIN: State Forest (Swampy)
 

OBSERVED: I was coon hunting with my blue tick hound and red cur hound in
the Pine Run Valley.  I had taken two hides prior to getting knocked down. I
continued my descent into the creek and came upon a thick growth of pine. I
stopped after hearing something weird. The woods became silent. After about
2 minutes I heard a crashing sound and was knocked down hard to the ground
which momentarily knocked the wind out of me.  From my laying position I
looked at a dark figure above me.  It made a growling sound for lack of a
better word which I sensed on my face.  After recovering form the loss of
breath I was able to locate this creature in my sunburst light (Sunburst was
a popular coon hunting light in the early 80's) at which time I observed
the creature that I believe struck me to the ground. It appeared to be 7' to
8' tall creature weighing approx. 300 lbs. I believe this to be an acurate
physical discription determined  by the fact that I was 6'2 approx 230 lbs
at that time, and that I walked to a tree that had been grabbed during this creatures
departure which had a branch horizontal to the ground at approx. 13'.   I
remember stinking with a fowl smell from my landing in some sort of feces. I
returned home that morning with a ruined pair of valuable coon hounds and did
not ever return to the woods till 2001.

ACTIVITIES OF WITNESSES: Hunting racoons with 2 coonhounds.

DESCRIPTION OF CREATURE:  Muscular, Grayish in the light. Could have been a darker gray or
black in the daylight. The brief sight of what I believe was the face
indicated a vanilla colored area with orangish / redish eyes in the light.
Head was blockish in shape.  Large shoulders and body.  Moved quickly in a few
bounds.

OTHER NOTES:  Loud crashing, which led me to believe there were multiple
creatures.  A blood curling scream simalar to a child's scream.
 

OTHER SIGHTINGS IN THIS AREA: No.  However I believe I observed a creature in October of 2001
while squirrel hunting. This brought some uneasy feeling to the forefront from
my 1981 encounter.