Number of Witnesses: Two in our camp and two across the lake – they heard the
splash
Length of Observation: Heard huge splaaaaash (not kerplunk) and not a tree… too big to be a beaver tail. We immediatly grabbed our lights and scanned the lake as did the pair of people across the lake. Neither of us saw what made the sound and, stranger than that, there were no ripples on the water anywhere. A while after that, my girlfriend of twenty plus years, went to releive herself and heard very heavy footsteps coming from behind where our tent was and they stopped when we shined our lights in the woods. Well, we went to bed around 12-12:30 am. Something came into our camp walking very heavy on two feet and woke her up. She, in turn, woke me up at which point I grabbed my 12 gauge shot gun and she the light, opened the tent and she shone the light around the camp and we saw nothing. Threw more wood on the fire and laid back down. 20-30 minutes later it came back. This time I worked the action on my 12 gauge and said out loud “I WILL SHOOT YOU!!” Then, we went to look outside the tent again – still saw no eyes or animals. The third time it came back I went out of the tent and stayed out for a while trying to use my ears to locate the animal’s movement and it was silent for a very long time. I think it knew what I was doing – maybe watching us! Finally, I grew tired and went to bed. The “animal” did not touch our food, as it would have been easy for a bear or raccoon to move the rocks I had piled on our small cooler – it was undisturbed, as was our dry goods and garbage tripple bagged and hanging like 12-15 ft in a tree over a thin branch. The other pair of campers left at first light. We never got to talk to them except to ask what that huge splash was to which they replied “I dont know.”
Animal Description: No visual contact
Aprox. Height: n/a
Aprox. Weight: Very heavy footed. Felt the vibration in our tent through our sleeping bags no foam –
just a thin ground cloth
Head/Facial Description: n/a
Any Odor? If so, Description: None noticed as whatever it was was down wind of us
Vocalizations Heard?: Not in this encounter but had another like five miles from there as the crow
flies. Northwest of this location with 2 witnesses present.
Wood Knocks Heard?: No
Recordings Made?: No
My girlfriend and I were hellbent on going canoeing into this spot, even though it was raining profusely. She never gets much time off and we had a baby sitter for our dogs. We went anyway, even though all of the people that were supposed to go canceled on the count of the rain.
We paddled in and looked at the first site and saw what looked to be bear tracks in the mud very deep. I sunk in up to my shins as i got closer to examine the tracks, which i found very strange, as like 10-15 yards away there was a much easier way into the lake. I rinsed off my legs there. As we walked up the path to this spot, we were both spooked out like something was not right. We went down the lake and checked other sites till we found one that felt comfortable to us. We set up camp and then went in search of wood and brought our fishing poles with us caught one nice bass which I took pics of then let go at camp. While at other sites, we noticed no wildlife present – no squirrels, birds, chipmunks… nada! We got back to camp and got fire going, but the wood that we found was like 20-28 inches around so I had to use a small hatchet to whittle away at it; using a bigger peice to hit the back of the hatchet head to drive it through the wood. Did this for several hours. First night, nothing but a mouse that came up begging like a dog as we ate. I held him there with my shoe then let him go – couldn’t squish him. The next day a family walked around the lake via a path that goes all the way around. Then, just before dark, a couple came in and camped accross the lake from us setting up just before dark. We cooked dinner and just got our dishes cleaned up and evrything put up and away, when my girlfriend went to relive herself and came back startled and said “Theres something big walking around back there, breaking big branches.” I said, “Quit being a wussie!” I stopped cutting wood and turned the radio down and heard something pretty big moving around and dissmissed it. A little while later we heard this huge
SPLAAAASH!! We grabbed our lights and already had the shotgun out and immediatly scanned the lake in the direction the splash came from as did the other 2 people accross the lake. We saw no ripples and no sign of what made the splash. I yelled accross the lake, “What was that?” They replied, “I don’t know.” We stayed up for a while and then went to bed around 12-12:30am. My girl woke me up saying that there was something in our camp, terrified. I whispered, “You shine the light. I got the gun.” We opened the tent and she shined the light out behind us and all around and saw no eyes, animal – nothing. I threw more wood on the fire we went back in the tent. About 20-30 minutes later, it came back. I got up and we did the same thing, except I worked the action on the shotgun and said “I WILL SHOOT YOU” but not loud enough to startle the folks accross the lake. I remember that I said that so that if it was a man, he would know I wasn’t joking. We, again, saw nothing. I stoked up the fire and sat there with my light and gun across my lap for about an hour, trying to use my ears to locate any movement but felt like I was being watched or that it knew what I was up to. I finally went to bed around 4 am.
I don’t think it was after our food, as our coolers were by the canoe, covered only by a few good sized rocks that might have kept a raccoon out but not a bear. Our dry goods and garbage and a lot of other peoples’ garbage were hung over a 2 inch branch 12-15 ft off the ground. The folks from across the lake left earlier than I got up. We didn’t get to talk to them. We will go back but with more people next time!!
5/6/11 – Sent witness follow-up email requesting interview and provided him with PDF copy of his report.
5/11/11 – Witness responded via email. He had a few errors/revisions he wanted corrected in report and advised he has some site photos that warrant a look. Shots of loons on the pond next to their campsite. Shots show something moving from frame to frame across pond in background – something he did not notice at time of pictures. Awaiting email for hi-res images to review and then will call witness for interview.
5/12/11 – Witness sent hi-res image of camping area (attached) and indicated that he believes
there is something in the bushes to the right of the tree with the trail marker on it – but that one needs to zoom in to see it. I do not see anything definitive there. Also, witness indicated he has more hi-res photos he will send. I responded asking him to send the additional photos and that I would call him after I have reviewed them all for interview/follow-up.
6/18/11 – Have yet to receive additional photo images so I emailed witness again inquiring about them.
6/22/11 – Witness emailed me another 10 images of
the campsite and adjacent pond. I have attached images to report. Also, witness states he believes the lake and campsite are on Good Luck Lake and that this lake is near Powley Place in Hamilton county – but he needs to check with his roomate to verify
