Coon hunter reports late night visual encounter on Canadian River in Central Oklahoma.
- Report#
- 02090002
- Occurred Fall 1970
- (Submitted March 8, 2009)
Witness Observation
A friend and I went coon hunting along the banks of the the North Canadian River, just north of El Reno, OK in the fall of 1970. We parked just east of the Foreman Road bridge, along the south river bank. This dirt trail was between a field and the river. People would come go there to dump trash. There was a full moon and some snow on the ground. It was about 2:00 am when we decided to head home. We were sitting in the vehicle drinking some coffee, trying to warm up, when I spotted a skunk walking towards our car. I got out of the car and was taking aim when the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand straight up. It felt like something was not right. I looked over my right shoulder towards the bank of the river and saw a large shadow behind a fallen trunk. I looked towards the moon to see if I could figure out what was casting the shadow when I saw a large, red eye appear, then another. The only artificial light was from the dome light of the car. The full moon was to my left as I was facing west.
I remember looking over my left shoulder up at the moon to see what could be casting the shadow after looking over my right shoulder at the figure. Between the full moon and snow on the ground, visibility was real good. As I was looking at the eyes, the first thought that came to me was that I was looking at two reflectors that had been nailed to the tree trunk. The eyes blinked and then I called for my friend to come and take a look. I pointed towards the shadow as my friend was getting out. About that time, the shadow slid off the bank down towards the river bed. It sounded like something as big as an ice box had been rolled into the river. We watched as a tall, upright animal ran in a zig zag pattern from sand bar to sand bar towards the west. We just stood there with our jaws hanging open. We decided not to tell anyone about what had happened. A short time later, an incident occurred west of where I had my encounter. The local news labeled that incident the "El Reno Chicken Man". The location was on the south bank of the North Canadian River, on the west side of the old Highway 81 bridge.
Additional Observations
The air was cold, the sky was cloudless with a full moon. A thin blanket of snow was on the ground. I was amazed at the brightness and size of the eyes. The animal's speed was surprising.
Time and Conditions
2:00 am - There was a full moon and snow on the ground. The moon light reflecting off the snow provided good lighting.
Investigator's Comments
Alton Higgins
This investigation was conducted as a result of an incident that allegedly occurred during the late fall of 1970 on the outskirts of El Reno in Canadian County, Oklahoma, near the Foreman Street bridge over the North Canadian River.
Through a comprehensive interview with the witness, I learned that he is a military veteran, an active scout master, and has served as a police officer for many years in the Oklahoma City metro area (employment information was corroborated).
According to the primary witness, he was with a friend at the time who also witnessed the event, but he lost contact with the friend years ago.
Visibility the evening of the sighting was described as very good. The witness recalled that the eyes appeared red (possibly red reflex from the dome light of the vehicle?). The subject, observed from a distance of about 25 yards, was said to be black or very dark in color and quite tall, perhaps as tall as eight feet or more, with a wide, thick-looking body. The witness was startled by the apparent great speed demonstrated by the subject ("It was moving damn fast") as it fled up the sandy riverbed of the North Canadian River, which is normally shallow. The witness noted that the subject appeared to zigzag as it ran. As the witness recalled, the estimated time of observation was less than 30 seconds.
A number of other possible sasquatch-related events and sightings have occurred in this general area over the years, including an attack on a chicken pen carried out by what was dubbed the "El Reno Chicken Man" that occurred shortly after the sighting described in this report, just a few miles to the west.
View of the North Canadian River.
Another view of the North Canadian River.
- Class 1a
- A sasquatch/bigfoot specimen has been collected (alive or dead).
- Class 1b
- A report investigation results in a sasquatch observation or the documentation of clear tracks or other forms of physical evidence by an investigator.
- Class 1c
- An investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot by a very reliable observer is a distinct possibility, tangible corroborating evidence is documented, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 1d
- A visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility involving two or more reliable observers, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 2
- Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is exceptionally trustworthy, professionally trained, and experienced in the outdoors and/or is accustomed to looking for and recording details (e.g., biologist, anthropologist/archaeologist, ranger, trapper/tracker/seasoned hunter, bird watcher, game warden, naturalist, law enforcement), and other explanations can be reasonably excluded.
- Class 3a
- Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is credible, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 3b
- Unidentifiable vocalizations were reported and there is accompanying tangible evidence to possibly indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot, the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 3c
- No visual encounter occurred, but physical evidence was found to indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot (tracks, hair, scat, etc.), the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.