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Geographical Index > United States > California > Calaveras County > Report # 431
 
Report # 431  (Class B)
Submitted by witness G.E. on Tuesday, October 10, 2000.
Sound and Footprint Reports from Stanislaus National Forest

YEAR: 1981

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

STATE: California

COUNTY: Calaveras County

LOCATION DETAILS: Sound report occurred at a campsite located up stream from the Board Crossing Bridge, near Frog Lake (up above the lake on a ridgeline). Frog Lake is in Carson-Iceberg Wilderness on the Stanislaus National Forest. The footprint was seen near Mt. Reba/Bear Valley, near Beartrap Cabin.

NEAREST TOWN: Hathaway Pines

NEAREST ROAD: Highway 4

OBSERVED: I am filling out this report for a witness that I have already spoken with. Witness had two "events"; one a sound report and the other a print sighting. The sound report happened in 1981 in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. Starting at about 11:00 pm and ending at dawn, a whole series of howls began and continued every night for three nights. The howls would start after two men with dogs started out into the forest after dark. The howls were very deep, unlike anything witness has heard before. The sounds would circle around a ridge and then end up where it started near their camp. They had a dobberman dog who was very afraid of the sound, and this is what alarmed the witness about the whole experience. Witness has heard many bobcats and mountain lions, and this wasn't even similar. Sounded to him like the howls on the BFRO website.
Footprints were seen in summer of 1984 near Beartrap Cabin in the Mt. Reba area of Calaveras County.

ALSO NOTICED: The men traveling with the dogs were behaving oddly. They were probably poaching or looking for the creature making the howling sounds. This may have been why the creature was acting the way it was.

OTHER WITNESSES: Sounds were heard by witness, his wife, kid, and other family camping there. Footprint was seen only by witness.

OTHER STORIES: none

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Sound report happened during the evening. Footprint was seen during the day. Weather was very good, because it was during the summer.

ENVIRONMENT: Pine forest. Sounds heard in the wilderness, coming off of a ridgeline. Footprint seen in a remote area of Mt. Reba.


Follow-up investigation report:

I talked with G.E. by phone and visited the locations a week later. No footprints were evident, but the area will continue to be monitored.