BFRO #61066: Howls in September, 3AM, from marsh south of Steilacoom, due west of McChord AFB

📍 Location

📝 Description

My partner and I had spent a week on vacation in Pierce County, Washington. The incident occurred on the last night of our stay. We were packed and ready to leave around 3:30 am but stopped to sit for a minute on a screened-in porch to have a cup of coffee before we headed to the airport. As we sat down, I heard something that sounded like what I thought was a man loudly yodeling not too far off in the distance. I asked my partner if he thought it sounded like someone who had been drinking. The sound changed to a very loud �call� starting with a long �whoop!� followed by a long, anguished-sounding howl/cry (about 10 seconds long). For a second, I thought maybe someone was being harmed because the voice had a very human male quality to it, however it became quickly clear it was not human. After a minute or two, we heard a very similar whoop/howl/cry for the same length of time (approximately 10 seconds long) coming from a further distance away. My partner and I stood at the door listening to these calls go on for a couple of minutes, trying to determine what we were hearing. This was not a familiar sound to either of us. We closed the porch door to shut the sound out because we were both completely shaken by it. I didn�t even want to go load our bags into the car. On our way out of town, we thought about calling the PD to see if they had any reports but because we had to get to the airport to catch our flight, we decided against it. Since arriving home, we have listened to many recordings of different animals to see if we could rule anything out, but we cannot find anything like what we heard. My partner and I both have experience living and recreating in wooded, natural areas and are accustomed to hearing coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, foxes, owls, elk, deer, etc. I lived for many years in Pierce County and consider myself very familiar with it. This was something outside of �normal� for us.

🔍 Circumstances

2 people - my partner and I

🌤️ Weather Conditions

3:30 AM. Cool, clear weather. Outdoor lighting in yard surrounded by darkness/wooded area.

ℹ️ Additional Details

3:30 AM. Cool, clear weather. Outdoor lighting in yard surrounded by darkness/wooded area.

🔗 Sources (1)

👥 Community Contributions

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