YEAR: 2024

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: September

STATE: Ohio

COUNTY: Carroll County

LOCATION DETAILS: Investigator (MM) Notes:
GPS for vicinity of the strip mine ponds:
40.722200,-81.227490 ]

NEAREST TOWN: Stark/ Carroll county line

NEAREST ROAD: Carroldview / Citrus rd

OBSERVED: I was bass fishing at these strip mine ponds one sunny fall day. I had been fishing these ponds all summer but had not fished them in many many years . I used to go with my dad to these ponds back in the 70's. He told tales of swimming in these back in the 60s. He grew up right down the road in Mapleton Ohio. So I went that day and parked at the oil well rd and walked on down the slow hill. About a quarter mile downhill.

First pond I fished for few min, caught a few bass and went on to the second pond. The second one is always gloomy to me. Only way to fish this one is from a spot on the west side of the strip pit where it looks like trucks used to enter and exit the pit.

The rest is steep all the way around and can't access any of it. I always get an erie feeling when I'm at that one. Feels like your trapped . And definitely I always felt like I was being watched. I always heard little things like twigs breaking or leaves stepped on. I would hear movement off the one side and I always figured it was deer, which are very plentiful at this place.

So I caught a few here as well. Pretty much every cast I caught decent size bass. I decided to walk to the 3rd pond there and try it. I had not ventured back to that one since spring time so I went and was catching few. I kept hearing something off to my left every few min. I kept saying to myself it's just deer. Heard snorting, almost a weez sort of. I then said to myself I wish I had my compound bow with me because I figured it was a buck snorting like that. And it was deer season then. So after 20-30 min I picked up my cpl objects and headed back towards the access road and the long uphill walk.... That's when I heard the loud wood hitting wood sound loud and clear . I instantly knew what I was hearing.

As I got closer to the road I could tell the sound was coming from a little area by a very small strip pit that I can't even get too. But it kept stopping them starting louder and louder. By now I was on road headed back up the hill to my truck. I started walking faster and faster and I started yelling "IM LEAVING BITCH, IM LEAVING.."

I then got nervous because I realized I left my pistol in the console of truck .. I looked back a couple times as I got higher up the hill and only once did I see movement off in the distance. It was dark down in there during the day because of all the trees and whatnot but I did see something move out behind some brush. I figured it was a female Sasquatch and her youngins and the tree knocks were warning me to get outta her house, so I burned rubber to get away from there.

I went back next day to the parking spot up top the hill and was on my Harley. I pulled over and screamed obscenities at her for ruining my fishing spot.

After a week I decided to go fishing again. I went to the first pond and had my 14 yr old grandson with me. I told him the story and he laughed at me but I refused to go any further back into the area where the good ponds were. Well then all of a sudden something threw a stick and it came close to where we was standing by the pond in a grassy area. Then another. Then another . So I looked at him and said "Now you believe me?" He said, "Let's go grampa," and we left. I have not been back since ....

OTHER WITNESSES: Grandson the second time

OTHER STORIES: Yes it's on this site

TIME AND CONDITIONS: Mid afternoon around 1-3 pm
Was kinda sunny, but it's dark and gloomy always down in these strip mines..

ENVIRONMENT: Old strip mines deep down in the woods

About BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

Matthew Moneymaker is originally from the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles, California.

- Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

- Juris Doctorate (Law degree) from University of Akron School of Law

- Founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization,1995.

- Writer and co-producer of the Discovery Channel documentary "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science", 2001.

- Co-producer of the TV Series "Mysterious Encounters" for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN Channel), 2002.

- Producer of the "2003 International Bigfoot Symposium" (Willow Creek Symposium) DVD set, 2004.

- Co-host of "Finding Bigfoot" on Animal Planet Channel, 2010 - 2017.

- Current Director of the BFRO

- Available for private bigfoot expeditions and conferences. To inquire please email ContactUS@BFRO.net

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