BFRO #14373: Possible daylight stalking and knocking heard by hunter near Deposit

📍 Location

📝 Description

My unusual experience occurred during the first week of October 2005. I was scouting for deer in a very isolated and limited access area in upstate New York accessible by a 4 x 4 trail. I had scouted another area earlier during the day and had about 2 hours of good daylight left to scout this area. My standard practice is to drive the entire length of the valley to check the parking areas as to see where other hunters are located before scouting. On this day, like most during pre archery and archery season, I was the only person and vehicle on the 4000 acres. I turned around and headed back up the valley to where I wanted to scout. It was a nice sunny fall day but the sun was beginning to drop. I parked my truck, grabbed my backpack, and headed down a steep ravine into a creek bed. I crossed the creek and proceeded up the other side of the wooded ravine. There is a field at the top of the ravine that I crossed and a hedgerow that separated a hidden field on top. I wanted to check some apple trees for apples. On the far side of the hidden field is a large pile for rocks that appear to be the foundation of an old homestead. I usually climb on top of the rock pile because it is high enough for me to glass the entire field to the top, which is a couple hundred yards. I glassed the field and saw nothing, which is odd for that time of day but not unheard of. A deer trail crosses in front of the rock pile and heads into a marsh area with a thicket on the backside of the marsh. The thicket is a few hundred yards wide then breaks into a mature open hardwood where I wanted to scout for a tree stand location.I was about halfway across the marsh when I heard a very loud, deep, resonating growl or roar. It stopped me dead in my tracks and came from the thicket I was headed into about 100 yards away. I have never heard anything in the woods in my 25 years of hunting like it. It was not a cat, coyote, dog, and I do not think a bear. I did see a very large bear the season before in this area at 20 yards but he did not make a sound when I waved him off. He just stood up and looked at me then turned and ran off about 50 yards before walking again. I had a rifle at the time and the bear did not see me until I waved at him. He was walking straight down the mountain at me where I was sitting on stand next to a huge boulder. One year I did spook a bear out of a small orchard and he kind of "woofed" at me as left the area. But this sound wasn't anything like a "woof" it was more of a roar that lasted about 1 to 1.5 seconds. I was shocked and taken back by it.After stopping dead in my tracks I spotted a big flat rock a few feet away. I climbed up on the rock and took my pack off. What ever made the noise was very large so I dug out my hunting knife and put it on my belt. I usually carry a sidearm when scouting but they are not allowed in this area. That day I wish I had one with me. I glassed the thicket with my binoculars but I could not see anything that could have made the sound. After about 5 minutes of looking, I wrote it off as a bear and decided to change direction and go check another field that is over the hill from the field I crossed to get to the marsh but at other end of that field.I started walking up the marsh parallel to the thicket and to my surprise and shock; whatever was in the thicket was walking parallel to me or flanking my right side. I could hear it snapping limbs and twigs as it walked. This was something heavy at least the size of a deer, bear, or person. I never heard anything scamper or scurry in the leaves like a small animal will eventually do if you listen long enough. I could hear it busting through the saplings. At this point I decided to get out of the marsh and into 75 to 100 yard wide hedgerow and that runs between the field I crossed and the marsh. This also would lead me away from the thicket. I could not hear whatever was in the thicket after I got into the hedgerow.I was about in the middle of the hedgerow on an old logging road that runs parallel to the field I crossed to get to the marsh when I ran across something odd. There were two trees about 20 to 25 feet in height bent completely over and parallel to the ground across the logging road. The trees were a good 4 to 5 inches in diameter. There was no obvious damage to the trees and the trees were alive with green leaves on them. I kept walking up the hedgerow and toward the field at the top.I arrived at the top of the hill and top of the field I had crossed to get into the marsh. There is a hedgerow that separates the two fields. I glassed the second field for a few minutes and saw nothing. I had yet to see any kind of wildlife on this scouting trip. The sun was starting to get very low in the sky so I decided to start heading back to my truck. I knew if I followed the top hedgerow down the hill I would pass a couple apple trees and it would lead me to the top of the ravine. I kept following the hedgerow down the hill until I almost rea

🔍 Circumstances

Just myself scouting for deer.

🌤️ Weather Conditions

It was late afternoon. Sunny and warm.

ℹ️ Additional Details

It was late afternoon. Sunny and warm.

🔗 Sources (1)

👥 Community Contributions

Help improve this case by adding notes, observations, theories, or tags. Your contributions help the community understand patterns and connections.