If a tree branch falls in the forest …
Sunday, July 8, 2012, at about 7:30 PM, I decided to take a short hike in a little area of southern Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine area that I’ve walked for about 19 years without incident. While strolling along next to a deep kettle, a huge bowl-shaped depression left by the last glacier, I noticed three young saplings had been bent over by someone or something to form a perfect rainbow-styled arch. I know this sort of formation can happen naturally, but some people believe Bigfoot creates these tree sculptures for various reasons. Anyway, it made me start wondering if this could be a good habitat for a Sasquatch.
That gave me the idea to pick up a stick and bang on a nearby tree a few times, just as a lark. I’ve never been sure about the efficacy of having a crowd of Bigfoot hunters pounding trees en masse, but I think it might not seem so much of a threatening invasion if there are only one or two people hitting a tree – keeping in mind that we still don’t know for sure what such knocks might mean to a ‘Squatch.
I knocked three times. Nothing. I tried several more rounds of three knocks each and then suddenly I heard what sounded like a return knock coming from down in the kettle. I knocked several more times and received responses. While there are homes dotted around this area of the Kettle Moraine, there was absolutely no one else around and the kettle was on private land too overgrown for even diehard hikers. The slopes of many of the kettles are also very steep and quite treacherous for humans to navigate, so I thought it unlikely some jokester was down there.
After a few more knocks I heard the unmistakable sound of something very loud crashing through the underbrush toward me. I couldn’t see anything, however, and the sound then stopped at least 50 feet away from the ridge where I was standing. I probably should have run but I was in denial that it could be anything dangerous and instead I whacked the tree again. I heard another crashing charge toward me. Again – idiotically — I hit the tree. There was a period of silence accompanied by muted scuffling sounds that seem to be getting farther away from me, and then I heard another knock from down in the kettle. I answered and it did too, except this one was accompanied by what sounded like wood tearing. I thought that was strange but I answered anyway and then there were two knocks again accompanied by the sharp sound of splitting wood. I gave my tree two sharp thwacks, reasoning that I was still close enough to the public pathway that I was probably safe, and then it happened.
I heard a deafening crack and watched in disbelief as a huge branch that I later measured to be over 20 feet long and at least 8 inches in diameter seemed to tear itself free from a giant old oak tree rooted in to the bottom of the kettle. The branch was at least 30 feet above the base of the tree but because I stood on a ridge it was directly at my eye level. I could not see anything moving the branch before it fell horizontally and thudded on the forest floor below. One end of the branch was covered with fresh green leaves and there was fresh wood on the tree where the branch of cracked off so I knew this was not a dead or hollow tree ready to shed its limbs. There was almost no wind and it was a blue-sky-white- cloud kind of day with great visibility, about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I could think of no plausible reason for that healthy limb to have cracked off the tree at that moment, and that’s when I realized that only some truly massive force could have done it. That’s also when I dropped the stick and ran.
I wanted to go back before dark to have a look at the tree limb and reassure myself that it really happened but I was not going in there by myself. I called my friend Sandra Schwab, an experienced investigator, and she immediately grabbed her 21-year old daughter, Natalie, and drove to meet me. Although I was still in shock, the three of us plunged in and made our way down to the bottom of the kettle where it was easy to find the torn branch. We were astounded by the size of it and by its obvious freshness. We confirmed it was easily 8 to 10 inches in diameter and over 20 feet long, counting the smaller branches at the end of it. We peered up at the tree and could see a freshly broken spur where the branch had been only a half-hour earlier. It was at least 30 feet above the ground.
The tree split into a fork about halfway between the ground and where the branch had been, but it still looked like a really tough climb even for Bigfoot. But when we walked around behind the tree, we saw a pile of logs and small branches that seemed to have been deliberately collected on the ground to use as a stepping stone to a higher perch where it could’ve sat unobserved to tear the branch away from behind.
As it happened, we found an oval patch of bark that had been rubbed off the branch leaving very fresh wood underneath. It was about the size that I imagine a Bigfoot hand would be based on many witness observations. Moreover, Natalie found the piece of bark that had been rubbed off lying not far from the branch. It was buckled in two places and had shred marks as if something with very strong nails had dug in and applied great force to it. It also stank strongly of musk. Since Natalie had already handled it and there did not appear to be any skin shreds or hair that would be useful for DNA, we each inspected it in turn; I smelled that musk odor on my own hands the rest of the night. We also found bare spots of ground that reeked of musky urine. Whatever the massive force was, it was rank.
The ground was too hard for tracks but we saw various places where the wild ginger and other plants were strangely flattened. And our adventure was not over.
We climbed the ridge behind the tree and looked down into the adjoining kettle. Suddenly, Natalie gasped that she saw it! Sandra and I both turned toward where she was pointing. But it was too late — it was out of our view. Natalie did not see the entire body but said she saw what looked like a tall biped covered in tan fur that was lighter than the numerous deer in this area. She said it was moving quickly but not running and not walking like a human exactly, either. The word she finally settled on was “striding,” in very long strides, as it disappeared into the brush. I should add that Natalie had been a skeptic on the idea of Bigfoot, but is no longer.
We stood there staring and hoping to get a glimpse of it again when we heard a very menacing growl from somewhere in the kettle below us that was like nothing any of us could recall. If only I would have turned my camera on and switched the dial to video I could’ve recorded it, but the sound was over before I could come to my senses and make my move. (If I had been smart, I also would’ve brought my digital audio recorder.) We all felt that the growling was a warning to leave and decided that was the prudent thing to do since it was fast getting dark and we did not want to be lost in those woods with a creature strong enough to tear an 8 inch branch off a live oak tree.
We returned the next day to have a better peek at the back of that tree. I was looking for fur tufts or other clues that we might have missed. We didn’t see any but did notice much of the top surface of the branches piled behind the tree had been rubbed smooth on top as if it had been used often. There were no other sounds or incidents, and the musky smell was gone.
Ironically, my plan for Sunday evening had been to take a drive over to Rock County to some other active sites. Instead I ended up being where – and when — something was actually happening. This illustrates the point I often make that both Bigfoot and the Dogman have large territories to roam and are just as likely to be seen in any favorable habitat — whether someone else has seen them there already or not. The key is to know what kind of places they prefer and to be alert to subtle clues. And then it still takes luck.
Because Natalie actually saw some kind of tall, furry creature and the three of us heard that strange growling, I feel a lot more confident thinking that this may have been a Bigfoot rather than some other unknown phenomenon. I don’t believe it was a Dogman because I think that a canine would have a very difficult time scaling a tree like that much less use its canine arm structure to tear off a giant branch. Bears can climb but can’t knock on trees with sticks. And it would’ve been next to impossible for most any human to have done what I witnessed without using an axe or other equipment.
And I may have had a previous glimpse. In May of this year, I was walking in the same area when I heard a medium-sized branch crack off a tree at the top of a kettle just behind the side yard of a nearby home. I looked just in time to see it drop as something very long and covered in light tan fur also descended quickly into foliage below. The only thing I could think of at the time was that it might have been the tail of a mountain lion that had just alighted from its perch, breaking the limb as it did so – rather a stretch in itself. Now I wonder if it was the arm of a Bigfoot that had just snapped off a tree branch while standing hidden below! There just aren’t many critters around here with light-colored fur.
I’m still rather in awe of the experience and I think that I will see and hear that giant branch falling off the oak tree for the rest of my life. Was it Bigfoot? I can’t prove it, but I can’t come up with any other explanation other than that it was the most extreme coincidence imaginable, considering the way everything happened. And Natalie did see something. I will let you all know if there’s more to the story!
(Location must remain confidential since the kettle itself is on private land and owner does not want disclosure of the site)
Thanks Gail, I seem to get one or two knocks (if any response at all) in return for my three. What we need is a Bigfoot Rosetta Stone!
Love this story…Yes I wish we knew the proper response to wood knocks. I love to listen to the group signal to the other family members. My area, it is one knock, then in three different locations a reply knock. Maybe it is to say yes i’m still over here? I also hear this before a big rain or thunderstorm moves in..Thanks for sharing this. I also had a large oak limb twisted off, it should have fallen into my roof, but was tossed to the middle of the lawn, on opposite side of tree. Be careful have fun.
That’s great Bill! In a Matrix world, there are no coincidences! 🙂
Hi Linda – Good news – the book arrived a day early, on 9/6 – already about 1/2 through it! Naturally, I had to first look at any reports that were near me in New Hampshire and saw the one from Palmyra, Maine. When I checked my DeLorme Maine Atlas to see if I could figure out the general location of the Martin’s report, I noticed that close to Palmyra and Madawaska Rd. is another road just to the south of Rt. 95 called Dogtown Rd. Coincidence?!
Thanks Bill re the book, and you are so right about looking up! That’s where mountain lions go too!
That’s why I and many deer hunters hunt from tree stands. As a prey species, deer have been conditioned through evolution to expect attack from the ground – from wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, etc. They do not expect attack from above, so they don’t consider what may be ten feet over their heads in a tree. If Sasquatch does occasionally or often prey on deer, it would make sense for them to be in a tree overlooking a deer trail.
On a side note Linda, Amazon has shipped my copy of REAL WOLFMEN. It is scheduled to be delivered on Friday 9/7 – I can’t wait!!!
Yes, and that tree also overlooks a deer trail.
Whenever i hear of a bigfoot sighting and it is said that they followed it, and it “just dissapears”… I always think “you should have looked up” it makes sense that this thing would go up for safety, and to gain surprise for an attack or to let its persuer pass by so it can escape…
The land is private and posted and no deer stand was there. Would be a hard tree for a human to climb! As for soil, was covered with leaves and vegetation. Thanks for the thoughts however!
With the amount of sightings all over the U.S. and Canada, and your descriptions of the wood being worn as it was, first I would normally wonder if it was not a hunter using the tree for a deer-stand. It would have been useful to use a plastic bag or cup to collect some of the soil where the “Squatch” urinated and be sent to a Bigfoot organization where they could possibly have it tested for DNA. {?} Very interesting article – first I have read of yours. Keep the cards and letters comin’ – looking forward to the next article !
Hi Jim, you make some great points, and it did occur to me when I tried those tree knocks that while I meant hello, I really had no idea what it might mean to a Bigfoot. If it was indeed a Bigfoot, it did not seem pleased. Thanks and please do share some more!
I am a sort of a chicken bigfoot hunter. Not that I don’t believe they don’t exist. Many members of my tribe and other Indian people with whom I have corresponded have seen them.
However, I do have to wonder about the technique of those bigfoot hunters–I won’t mention names; it is not my intent to anger or embarrass them, but you know them–who run around the woods knocking on trees or streaming alleged bigfoot calls out into the hither and yon.
How do they know the that the wood knocks they send out are some kind of bigfoot challenge, or that the streamed screams (streamed screams?) are the bigfoot equivalent of “Yo momma has a big showksho ! (I used the phonetic spelling of a word from my dad’s tribe.) They might just say this to the wrong bigfoot and get their showkshos kicked bigtime. I think it is unwise to try to communicate this way. I prefer to wait until R. Scott Nelson, a retired Naval cryptologist, completes his research before going around yelling at a creature that might outweigh you by over a quarter of a ton.
Seems to me your experience with your wood knocking is an example of what can happen.
By the way, what I mean by being a chicken bigfoot hunter is that I prefer to do library and internet research on the creatures.
Good luck. Stay safe.
P.S. I have another matter I would like to bring up to you, but my comment is way too long, and I will wait.
My son was @ military base in Iraq a few yrs ago, US Army, fueling helicopters. One night he saw a naked fair- skinned extremely hairy man some distance away, within the perimeter, walking stooped over, as if foraging the ground. A hootch door slammed, alerting the being, who proceeded to run away, gaining speed, then in transit drop to the ground and run fast as a dog or other 4- legged creature would. Son is glad he didn’t shoot as when he reported it, he was told to ” forget it” “we know, just don’t shoot unless fired upon”,&” the Iraqis call the
m’Jinn’, they live in the canyons & underground, they don’t bother no one.
Could be — Green Man is related to ancient hairy man of the woods tales in Europe!
Could this being have something to do with the celtic Geen man or as they also called him ” He Who Walks Behind The Trees”. William
yes I agree that the creature that tore that branch off in front of my eyes was sending me a very pointed message and it was not one of welcome. I really am careful about where I go by myself and I have heard many rumors, especially in old Native American legends, about women being taken for various purposes. The Canadian Cree are one tribe that talks about this. I’ve also written about the Skinwalkers and agree that they are not things to mess with. Thank you for sharing!
I agree that there could be a number of different explanations for the sightings. I’ve made that point in some of my books, as well. There are multiple possibilities. And no, I do not blame the Bigfoot for hiding at all! I’m sure that’s the only way they have survived.
Thanks for your concern. Evelyn. I do try to be careful and aware – – and I always remember that there are other things out there that we do know about that may be even more dangerous. I hope you enjoy the books!
Linda: Enjoyed your story. I think you are very brave. I would not have gone
back even with additional partners. Just always be careful when in the Kettle
or backwoods. Stay close to the public paths, rather than deep where you
cannot get help if you need it. I will be purchasing your books. Thanks for
sharing your adventure with us.
Evelyn in Detroit
Hi! It’s me again. Just want to mention that you most likely are dealing with more than one type of phenomena with the dogmen. Yes there are stories of skin walkers who take the shape of wolves to hunt or travel in packs without their identities being known, and yes some use that to scare folks.
However, the idea of skin walkers DOES NOT rule out the distinct possibility of spirit sightings or a werewolf(vampire)group or who knows what lived in Ancient times…. Could be more than one thing going on here…..peace and good luck.Pray blessings on the Bigfoot. They are not all bad but are hunted like dogs and they fear the great likelihood that they will be murdered or worse yet, taken to be experimented on,as we have a nasty reputation on how we treat animals….Can’t blame them for hiding now can we?
Yes you probably are dealing with a Squatch. They are telepathic as well, showing themselves at times, and hiding when they will.They aren’t gonna be found anytime soon as they are not entirely just a primate.He was marking his territory and checking you out. He was carefull to do a branch that he was sure that you would see(eye level) in a demonstration of what he could do as a warning. Frankly I’d be a bit careful about getting too close alone.
There are stories of Squatches taking a human bride or two on the W.Coast and Alaska and I have reason to think that they have had contact with humans.
They are more likely another human form than strictly primate therefore treat as a relative, a long, long, long, lost relative that you are unsure of…..
As for the skin walkers, not the same thing at all. Sask is big ape, skinwalker can be JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IT WANTS TO BE. And I’d be a bit carefull about seeking that one out as well. You don’t hunt them, they hunt you…if they choose to. Although not always for bad reasons, many have used this form for evil and hence the widespread fear. Avoid trouble, travel in groups if you are going to “investigate” such stuff.
YES I’ve heard that about the old forests! Wish I could find one of those dung heaps!
Thanks indeed!
Thank you! At the top of this page you should see the tab for the blog, or just type in lindagodfrey.com. The book list with clickable links should be above.
Yep, I have had no luck so far but I keep trying.
Yes, I have written about Skinwalkers, Skinchan They may explain some but not all sightings.
I wanted to share with you a story that was told to me by an OLD TIME LOGGER in the Washington State wilderness of the early 1900’s. Ed was in his late 70’s when I met him. He said the old growth forests were NOTHING like the forests of today. The trees were so huge and so old that very little light came to the ground. As a result there was little undergrowth and he said the woods resembled a park. This was back in the days they used axes and whip saws to fell trees.
Ed told me that the loggers called Sasquatch the “Big Ass Birds” because they had certain trees that they roosted in. Under their “perch” was a big pile of dung that stunk to high heaven. Ed never saw a Bigfoot but he did see the dung piles and you could smell them from quite a distance.
Great Coast To Coast with George Knapp, Linda!
Now that my heart has stopped racing after reading this — you are so brave!
I have REAL WOLFMEN pre-ordered and can hardly wait to read it!
Linda. Enjoyed this bf encounter you had in Wisconsin. What is your blog site and where could I find your book? Thanks glenn
Linda,
It sounds like this would be an ideal location for a trail- cam, do you have some?
You may have covered this in the past, as I just happened across your site after hearing you on Coast To Coast, but the wolf/dog-like creatures seem very similar to what the Navajo call Skinwalkers. I wont go into the mythology surrounding Skinwalkers, but I think its well worth your time to research.
Thanks so much Bill, I do hope you enjoy!
Hey Linda – Just pre-ordered my copy of REAL WOLFMEN from Amazon – can’t wait for it to come at the end of August; I know it will be as entertaining, informative and scary as BEAST and HUNTING!!
You’re very welcome. Jenny. I’ve been back there numerous times and not received any replies to my knocks or had any other indication that the big fella might still be there. It seems that after 20 years I was just finally in the right place at the right time. My feeling is that this particular spot may have been part of a feeding range rather than a home area, but I will keep checking! Thanks so much for the very nice comments.
What a Wonderful and delightful story!! Ohhh see what happens in life when we jus go with it!! Im in awe for you and your friend & friends daufhter !! Thank you so much for Sharing this Beautiful experience!! May you and the girls continue on your BF quest for zest of excitement!!! Love, Jenny
LOL Cass!
You say you wonder what three knocks mean to a sasquatch? I believe I have the answer to that…
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Thanks very much, Tom! I do try to be careful – more worried about the lone errant cougar or bear, really.
Linda , I met you a few years back in Alton Il. at a book signing. Enjoy your
work and the blog. Please be careful out there.
I’m not sure I want to see or encounter one! I think of it sometimes while walking to my deer stand in the dark with only a headlamp to show the way or sitting there at dusk – not sure what I’d do. Luckily here in New Hampshire I’ve never heard of a report of a dogman, Sasqautch yes, but so far as I know, no upright walking canids!
Thanks Bill, and I did have both plastic and paper receptacles but no shovel!
Real Wolfmen will be out next month. Wish I would see one of those!
Great story Linda! What popped out at me though was the bare spots that smelled strongly of urine. Too bad you didn’t have any plastic zip-type bags with you to collect a shovel full of the earth. Perhaps a lab could have determined what kind of urine it was -if that’s even possible.
How’s the new book coming? Can’t wait for it to be published!
Yes, I’ve already interviewed two of the homeowners whose houses border those kettles. one the owner of the house where I caught the possible earlier glimpse of what may have been an arm pulling a smaller branch off tree said that they had heard really strange and unidentifiable noises in the kettle, but had never seen anything. The other homeowner had just purchased this property and was unaware of anything unusual. as for your second question, I have a bunch of photos of those branches. I may post a few more photos separately.
Another big reason that makes me inclined to think this was a Bigfoot is the fact that it’s well within range of an area of sightings I’ve defined in southeastern Wisconsin that date back to the 1960s and they’re all in my estimation very credible. Most of these are listed in my monsters of Wisconsin book in the chapter on Bigfoot, but several more have been added since that book came out. They are all within easy foraging range of the Kettle Moraine and a huge swamp in northern Rock County. And these sightings are all very distinct from Dogman sightings. Thanks for your questions!
Have you interviewed any of the locals or landowners to see if they have any stories or sightings? Did you photograph the “piled up” branches?
You’re welcome Scott. I thought about whether I should but finally decided I owed it to all those who shared their encounters with me over the past 20 years!
Yes of course, doh! Thanks for catching that, going to edit now!
Very cool story… but I am sure you meant 80 degrees Fahrenheit…keep writing your books, I read them all.
Robert if you mean the branches piled behind the tree I’d need a chainsaw to remove them, they were very solid and not sure any of it was suitable for getting a print.
Branches do fall of course but this one was near top of canopy and had large, healthy green leaves, was not dry, rotten or hollow.It was shredded!
Thank you Linda for the posting and sharing of your story !
Peace.
I’m not sure if this occurred to you, but perhaps you could go back, grab some of that material that you think the BF used and try dusting it for fingerprints? If it has hands like ours, then it may leave behind fingerprints-or something like that. Or even, if you get lucky, a handprint.
Also, trees can spontaneously shed branches, generally if the branch in question is not receiving enough sunlight. I can’t tell just how close to the canopy the branch was from the pics, so I thought I’d just put it out there. Something had to be behind the knocks though.
You are welcome and I was interested that you also thinks BF perches in trees to watch game!
The “bare spots” you mentioned gave me a start. In the woods in our investigative area there are a couple trees that we think the Big Man uses as a perch. they are above game trails and the bark is plainly worn in the exact areas it would take to climb the tree and where anyone would decide to sit. I have yet to find any hair but the musky smell is there. Great story! Thanks for sharing! ~Kris
Ha! Probably true Sandra!
It just occurred to me, Linda! Bigfoot was laughing at your tree knocking and the big limb was his way of saying, “my stick is bigger than your stick!”