Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy

Family reports encounter while in blackberry patch.

Report#: 01030011
Occurred June 16, 2003: (Submitted June 18, 2003)

Witness Observation

Me and my 2 boys and our 11 week old german shepherd, Boagie, were walking a trail behind our house. There are some massive blackberry bushes, and we were picking the blackberries. Boagie was acting odd. She was biting at our legs and whining. She would then run back up the trail towards home, then stop to wait on us to follow her. When we just stood there looking at her, she would run back to us, pick another leg and bite, tug and whine, then run off again. We knew she was trying to get us to follow her. We knew she didn't like it back there, but we couldn't figure out why. She never left us though.

When we got to her, we saw this huge footprint to her left. It was at least 12 inches long and maybe 6 to 7 inches wide. I have never seen anything like it. We walked on trying to figure out what it may be. About 20 minutes later, we were close to another blackberry bush, and heard this scream. Immediately after the scream, the horses in the next pasture spooked and started going nuts. As they were going nuts, my 15 year old son told me that he sees something furry brown above the bushes (they were at least 10 feet high). I told them to run, and we ran home. Boagie ran with us and waited until we would catch up, then bolt again. She fled to the house and ran under the porch when we got back on our property. I don't know what it was.

There is a creek running with the trail we were on. At the back of our property, we have a pond. There is plenty of water and so many blackberry bushes. My boys and I aren't scared, we are fascinated now. We take tomatoes and other fruit out there to see we can at least let the thing know we don't mean it any harm. We did get a picture of the footprint. We saw several, but there was one that was very clear. It has been storming here for at least a week and the footprints are fresh. We have gone out there everyday since and there are new prints every time we go. We haven't developed the film yet.

Physical Evidence

footprints.

Sounds

We heard a scream that sounded human-like, but not quite. We have heard screams in the past also.

Additional Observations

No odors at the time of the encounter. Later at home, we were working on our volleyball pit, there was a stink somewhat like a skunk, but different.

Time and Conditions

Early afternoon. - Wooded, with a pasture next to the property with horses and cattle. The Sabine River is 1/2 mile away.

Investigator's Comments

Charles DeVore and Jerry Hestand

This investigation was conducted as a result of an incident that allegedly occurred in Wood County, Texas, near Mineola, less than a mile from the Sabine River, in June 2003.

I (Charles DeVore) interviewed the witnesses on Thursday 19 June 2003, three days after the incident reportedly happened.

The witnesses had reportedly just moved onto this property two months prior. Apparently, they had not lived in a rural setting at any time before. All three witnesses were extremely cooperative and open. I found their statements compelling. The area behind the witnesses’ property is a combination of pasture land and timber with cattle and horses running on the land. The witnesses live on a dead end road approximately five miles from a highway.

I arrived onsite after dark. Using lights, the witnesses escorted me to the area of footprints, sounds and sighting. After three days of hard rain, footprints were mostly unrecognizable except for very large one. Blackberry bushes were everywhere covering several acres.

The witnesses told me that approximately two weeks prior to this sighting, at 3:00 AM, the 15 year old son was walking to kitchen when he looked out through the window and noticed a figure, what he thought was a “hobo,” looking in their chicken house. Watching from the house about 100 yards away, illuminated by a security light about 75 yards away, the son noticed that the subject was huge; he remembered that it had to duck to go through the chicken house door. I measured the height of the door; it was 6.5 feet. The son recalled that the subject backed out of the door and that it appeared to be wearing a long haired overcoat. The son stated that the subject then walked off into the woods without ever turning to face him.

Addendum by Jerry Hestand, 20 July 2003: While there have been no more incidents, the witnesses indicated that there have been several unknown vocalizations from the area. The blackberries are now all dried up. We have since set up a camera trap with bait hoping to secure photographic evidence of any visitors to the property.

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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.