BFRO #67875: Sighting by dog walker and more recent incident on Stone Church Trail (Wayne NF) NW of Shawnee

📍 Location

📝 Description

My husband and I have been hiking a local trail system in our area nearly every day since we got our dog in 2013. Over the years we have experienced several instances of wood knocking and did not think much of it in all honesty. More recently we have stumbled upon small trees (4-5 inches in diameter) that were twisted/broken in ways that a human could not achieve (in our opinion). All these instances combined over the years have not really made us feel unsettled or afraid, nor did we think it was anything too worthy of note; however, our most recent experience, which occurred over a period of a few days in September 2020, was unexplainable and I cannot go without reporting this any longer, as it has truly been bothering me since it occurred. In September 2020, my husband and I were on an evening hike (approximately 4:30-5:00 pm) at the Stone Church Horse Trail System, which is a part of the Wayne National Forest in Shawnee, Ohio (Perry County) when heard what we can only describe as a �howling/roaring� sound. The noise occurred twice, and there was approximately a minute of silence between the two �howls/roars�. Sadly, I was unable to get my phone out quickly enough to record the instance, as it all happened so fast. My husband and I have never heard anything like it before. I was a bit unnerved by the sound and we quickly left the area and headed back home. We spent that night looking up the calls of animals native to Ohio, but none of the sounds we listened to even remotely resembled the sound that we heard that evening. A couple of days later, we went back out to the same trail system where we heard the noise. We stopped along the trail to allow our dog to get a drink of water. My husband was preoccupied with the dog, and I was just taking in the scenery. I happened to hear some rustling on the ridge above us, and when I turned to look, I saw what I can only describe as a very large, bipedal creature, walking between the trees and brush. The creature was far enough away that I could not make out its features specifically, but it was very large. It had dark colored fur/hair, dark brown or black in color. I cannot give an exact height measurement, but the creature appeared to be approximately 6 ft tall�This estimate is based upon our survey of the surrounding trees where the creature was sighted on the ridge. I called for my husband to look over at the creature, but it disappeared over the crest of the ridge into the forest before he was able to see. Additionally, more recently, specifically, February 13, 2021, at 4:57 pm, I unintentionally recorded a wood knock while recording video of my dog. This instance also occurred on the same trail where my husband and I heard the howling/roaring and I saw the bipedal creature in Sept. 2020. I do have that footage, and the wood knock can clearly be heard.

🔍 Circumstances

Two witnesses were involved, myself and my husband. Prior to the first incident (howl/growl) my husband and I were hiking along the trail, and during the second incident (sighting of the creature), I was observing the scenery while my husband tended to our dog.

🌤️ Weather Conditions

The incident(s) occurred in the evening, around approximately 4:30-5:00 pm. It was a warm, sunny evening, and the area was well lit.

ℹ️ Additional Details

The incident(s) occurred in the evening, around approximately 4:30-5:00 pm. It was a warm, sunny evening, and the area was well lit.

🔗 Sources (1)

👥 Community Contributions

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