YEAR: 2003

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 26th

STATE: Texas

COUNTY: Dickens County

LOCATION DETAILS: Confidential

NEAREST TOWN: Dickens

NEAREST ROAD: Confidential

OBSERVED: Approximately two weeks ago we had a very unusual incident take place in our area. Of course, it is hunting season so there are incidence of wild animals coming into our area. Most times we can identify the animals, even if they turn out to be refugees from an exotic animal ranch. On this night, sometime around midnight, I heard a strange sound at the other end of the house. At the same time, our dog bounced off the bed and began barking towards our kitchen. I was home alone so I went armed in search of the intruder. The door was locked and there was no intruder in the house. On my way back throught the house, our dog began barking viciously at the back door. She was bouncing up and hitting the back door with her chest. She is very protective. She was very aggressive but I refused to let her out of the house. As I pulled her away from the door, this awful stench hit me. I can only say that the smell was a cross between swamp mud and musk. I drug the dog to the bedroom to try and quiet her down. The doors and windows were closed, but the odor managed to fill the room. I knew that what ever the animal was, it had to be fairly good-sized. When my wife came home, I told her about the incident but she did the eye roll thing and plopped down to watch tv. I was still curious about the smell so I opened the back door. Just as I got the door open, this "thing" screamed an ungodly scream. Not sure if my wife heard it, I turned to ask her if she had. The second scream came and I didn't have to ask, my wife had turned sheet white. Needless to say, I slammed the door shut. I do know that the "thing" was northwest of our house. I thought I might find tracks but the ground was too dry. I do know that the "thing" upset every dog in the area and they stayed stirred up for several days. I did mentioned the "incident" to a relative who is an avid hunter and outdoorsman and asked if he knew what it might have been but he said no. I wanted to make sure because I had another idea. Several years ago, I watched a documentary about Big Foot. In the film, they played a sound that they swear is a big foot yelling. However, non-big foot believers say the sound came from a wounded moose, not big foot, and they gave a long speel and some outrageous example. Okay, that was the sound I heard twice to a "T" and we don't have any wounded moose in this part of Texas, so what the hell was it?

ALSO NOTICED: We have two dogs. The male dog was in our yard and the female was inside the house. On the night this occurred, the male dog never made a peep when the "animal" was actually in the yard. This dog was once attacked by a bobcat and he survived. When he smells a large cat now, he howls a "death moll" and retreats into his dog house. Wild cats are the "only" animal I know he won't attack. On this night, there was no "death moll," and he didn't attack.

OTHER WITNESSES: First incident: The first witness was watching television/reading a book. The second witness was not present. Second Incident: The first witness was stepping outside a west facing door of a residence. The second witness was watching television.

OTHER STORIES: A similar incident occurred a number of years ago but we never really documented it.

A relative was awakened by the dogs barking on this night. The relative lives in the same county. The relative smelled the same foul odor, and has smelled it before. The relative thought is was an armadillo. The relative has some dogs and the dogs and every other dog in the area barked all night long.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: This occurred just before midnight. It was a fairly clear night and it was cool enought that I did not have the windows open. I believe there was a new moon beginning but it was dark out.

ENVIRONMENT: Mesquite trees, elm trees, wild plum trees, cactus, sand, brush, native grasses, weeds and a few willow trees.

Follow-up investigation report:

I spoke to the witness at length about the recent incident that he and his wife had. I found the witness to be credible.

The witness was home alone in the bedroom with the television on, while reading a book. The witness stated that he and his dog heard a noise that sounded as if the front door opened. Immediately, the dog became quite agitated, "cocked her head, barked, snorted and tore off" toward the opposite end of the house to where the noise originated. The witness grabbed a pistol and followed his dog. When he reached the other end of the house, he turned on the light and could now see the dog "jumping on the couch and barking toward the back window."

The windows were covered with shades and the witness was unable to look out through the windows without first pulling the shade back. He chose not to do so. By now, the dog was extremely aggravated.

The witness stated that the dog then "poked" him in the leg. The witness noticed that his dog's hair was standing up and it was obvious that the dog was upset. Next, the dog reared up and hit the door with her chest. The witness very quickly locked the back door. The witness said it was then that he smelled a "sick, musty smell" that reminded him of a "huge reptile." The witness further added that the smell had a "very organic" feature to it and that it was a downright "strange odor."

The witness pulled his dog back into the bedroom, and there, the stench only got worse and what seemed like more than ten minutes passed before the smell finally dissipated. The witness' dog refused to calm down and remained agitated for the remainder of the evening.

Later, the witness' wife arrived home and began watching television, their dog still growling, nervous and distraught. The witness told his wife of the incident and was greeted with an unemotional, unremarkable reaction and general skepticism. Shortly thereafter, the witness went to the back door, dog following, and opened the door. He stepped outside and immediately heard a "loud scream," that seemed to originate approximately 100 - 150 yards away. All the dogs in the area, including his, began barking wildly. The witness described the scream as something between a "bear roaring and a man screaming bloody murder." Another scream resonated through the area and the witness' wife heard it over the television. The witness' wife turned white and asked the witness, "What the hell was that?!"

The witness quickly retreated back into his home, locked the door and remained there. There were no further incidents that evening. The next day, there were no tracks or anything else of a suspicious nature to be found in the area.

In summation, the witness smelled a very strong, unusual odor and along with his wife heard something highly unusual that night. He stated that "cougar, bobcat, feral dogs, muledeer and white tail deer" frequently pass through their area, which is not without other houses. But the sound they heard was not like any sound they had ever heard. They did not question neighbors for fear of ridicule. There is a lake in the vicinity which further exemplifies a possible connection with southern bigfoot sightings and rivers or lakes.

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