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Geographical Index > United States > Ohio > Harrison County > Report # 35079
 
Report # 35079  (Class A)
Submitted by witness on Sunday, April 15, 2012.
Dairy worker describes 5am sighting between Tappan and Clendening Lake

YEAR: 1982

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: March

STATE: Ohio

COUNTY: Harrison County

NEAREST TOWN: Deersville, Ohio

NEAREST ROAD: Weavers Run Road

OBSERVED: I worked on a dairy farm between Deersville and Tippecanoe, Ohio in Harrison County during high school. It was March, 1982 about 5:00 in the morning. There was a heavy frost on the ground, a full moon, and I could see fairly clearly due to the moonlight. I went to the outside paddock area to feed the replacement dairy heifer and started dumping the grain into the trough attached to the board fence when I heard a low grunt. The kind of grunt that someone makes from being in one position too long as you stand up. When I looked up, this figure was in the process of standing up. It was on the other side of a small creek that ran through the paddock approximately 50 yards away. The figure was standing next to the wooden hay feeder. It stood there for a few seconds then walked towards the other end of the pen closest to the woods. I only saw it for about 5 to 10 seconds but could hear it walking for approximately 30 to 45 seconds. I heard the sounds of footsteps crunching in the frost as it moved to the other end of the pen and then heard the squeaking sound of the fence being pushed down. The cattle were not spooked at all during this encounter and continued to eat. After we were finished milking, I went over to the hay feeder and couldn't find any prints in the ground as the frost was gone. The figure appeared to be approximately 7 feet tall which I estimated was a foot taller than me.

OTHER STORIES: I have hunted and farmed the area for years. My parents farm is approximately five miles from where my incident took place. I have had two other possible incidents while bow hunting .

The first occurred while hunting from a tree stand in a hay field in 2010. It was the end of October or first part of November and it was right at dusk. I watched three does enter the hay field and start to eat the grass. After approximately two to three minutes, I heard a scream that I can't explain. The three doe's immediately ran off through the hay field and into the woods. While still in my tree stand, whatever it was kept screaming for 15 minutes which caused me to leave the area.

The second incident was in 2011, during bow season, while hunting the same place with my teenage son. While using a doe call, I heard something walk down over the hill through the trees. I watched and listened for a few minutes and could hear the sound of something urinating. Whatever it was did not move again. When it was too dark to hunt, we left the area.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: There was a heavy frost on the ground and a full moon. I could see fairly clearly due to the moonlight.


Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator James Thompson:

I contacted the witness by phone and arranged to meet to talk about the encounter.

The witness and I met to discuss the details of that morning in 1982. At the time of the encounter, the witness was in high school and working part-time at a local dairy farm.

It was around 5 AM on a Sunday morning in March with a full moon out and he was going about the pre-milking routine of feeding the livestock.

Located behind the barn was a small shed inside a fenced in area where the young heifers were kept. That morning the witness was carrying two 5 gallon buckets, one with silage, the other with grain. As he approached the gate, he found the heifers all bunched up in the corner by the gate, which is out of the ordinary. They would normally be lying over by the hay feed rack. He made his way through them and dumped the bucket of silage in the trough. A grunting noise caught his attention, it sounded like a person rising from being down in a crouching position for too long. He looked in the direction of the sound, towards the hay rack 75 feet away and saw a 7 to 8' tall, bipedal creature, coming to a standing position. They stood looking at each other for 5-10 seconds before the creature turned and started walking away into the darkness out of sight.

There was a full moon that morning with a coating of frost on the ground. While the creature was facing him, the witness said that due to distance and available light, the creature was dark in color. He was unable to make out any facial features, but did say it had broad shoulders and an absence of a neck.

When it turned and started walking, its footsteps made a crunching sound on the ground. He was looking at the side profile of the head expecting to see a snout so he could identify it as a bear, but the side view of the head showed a flat face. As it walked, the witness noted that its arms were long and its hands hung down by its knees. As the creature disappeared in to the darkness the witness heard a creaking of the 4' tall wire fence at the back side of the pen as the creature stepped over it.

The witness went about finishing his chores. When the milking was done, he went back out to the hay rack to see if he could find any evidence of tracks or possible hair where it stepped over the fence. Unfortunately, nothing was found.






About BFRO Investigator James Thompson:

Jim served as a Marine Corps helicopter engine mechanic / air crewman for 24 years. He recently retired as a County Veterans Service Officer. He is a lifetime hunter and outdoorsman. Jim has attended expeditions in Ohio during 2019, 21 & 22.