BFRO #62714: Elk hunter reports trees being pushed over and vocalizations in the Colonel Bob Wilderness

📍 Location

📝 Description

November elk hunting in the Colonel Bob Wilderness in the Olympic National Forest. First day of modern elk season, high above the Humtulips River area. As I was setting up my truck tent for the night on a remote spur road I heard what I believed to be elk movement in the gulley/ravine below me. The area is a good elk hunting location and I have had success there in the past. It was too dark at the point to pursue any bull so I decided to make a cup of coffee, fire up my lantern and do a little reading before crawling into my truck tent for the night. It was a few minutes after I sat down that I heard a tree in the high timber above me being moved. It sounded like it was being pushed or shoved until it crashed to the forest floor. I am familiar with timber and have spent my entire life running chainsaws and around logging. The tree was large and there was no wind or weather. So I rationalized it as just a weakened tree in the forest that possibly a bear or other large mammal just happened to rub against until it came down. But what happened next unnerved me unlike anything I have ever experienced. About five minutes after the tree incident, I head extremely loud limbs breaking, like fir or hemlock limbs literally being snapped from a tree. The echo of this resonating through the deep timber and deep into the ravine below me. It seemed to be around 100-120 yards above me to my north. Then I heard the same thing in the ravine below me, and another smaller tree snapping and crashed. Then I heard a very odd sound. I have tried to describe it to my family and all I can compare it to is almost a primate like sound, and it echoed through the timber.At this point I packed up and drove the 7.5 miles back out to the gravel forest service road. I have never been as unnerved as I was. I had the overwhelming sense of being surrounded, and could not rationalize what I had encountered. I have spent my entire life hunting and camping in the backcountry of Washington and Oregon. I am a big game hunter and hunt alone much of the time. I am familiar with big game in Washington. I have no explanation for what I heard.

🔍 Circumstances

No

🌤️ Weather Conditions

Late afternoon, dusk/dark

ℹ️ Additional Details

Late afternoon, dusk/dark

🔗 Sources (1)

👥 Community Contributions

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