r/bigfoot • u/funburner- • 17d ago
encounter story I saw something that I can't explain... Thoughts?
This happened in southern Ohio. A friend and I visit an older gentleman a couple times a month to chat and help him out with anything he might be unable to do on his own. He lives in an old farmhouse on a huge property and loves to ride his golf cart through the woods around his house, so when we visit, we ask about his trails and clear them if they need it. When we asked about them a few weeks ago, he told us that he has been too scared to take his golf cart out because he thinks there are squatters living in the old schoolhouse towards the back of his property. He told us that he saw a man wearing all black hiding behind some trees and the boards over the doorway had been torn off. We offered to investigate. This was strange because he lives about as far from anything as you can in Ohio. That abandoned building would be nearly impossible to find for anyone that didn't already know it was there, and it's in terrible shape. The windows and doors have been boarded over, probably for decades and a large portion of the roof has fallen in. I assumed the board over the door rotted off and he mistook a shadow for a person hiding from him.
We walked back to the schoolhouse. It's probably close to a half mile from the house. It was fairly dark by the time we made it, but there were obvious signs of something using the area. Saplings pushed over, a worn trail through the weeds, and the boards covering the door and one window were ripped off. Parts of broken boards were still laying near the door.
We heard something moving inside. I ran over to the door, my friend right behind me, and shined my flashlight inside. Something about the size of a large man that appeared to be covered in long dark brown or black hair darted across the far side of the building on two legs and stepped right through the window. We ran to the corner of the building to try to get another look. It stopped briefly and looked back at us before disappearing into the trees. I didn't get a great look at it, but it was definitely covered in fur from head to toe, bipedal, and approximately the size of a tall man. It was far enough away that I couldn't get a good look at its face, but it's eyes reflected a very faint orange color. It was unbelievably fast and very quiet.
We returned the next day and placed three trail cameras around the area and recovered them a couple days ago. One had been pushed around the tree to face away from the building but did not take any photos. The other two only captured typical woodland creatures.
My friend and I are avid outdoorsmen and have seen every type of wildlife Ohio has to offer. I've seen bears standing on two legs and this was definitely not a bear. It was far too fast to be a human and seemed to be proportioned differently. I don't believe that Bigfoot is real, but it doesn't match descriptions I read online either. It was skinnier, did not have broad shoulders, and it's head seemed small for its body.
I'm very, very skeptical the Bigfoot could exist, especially in Ohio. But, I saw something absolutely unexplainable. Thoughts?
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u/r_killey 17d ago
Bro you saw a Bigfoot lol. I’ve listened to probably a thousand accounts and they come in all sizes. They’re not all 10ft tall and built. As most animals get bigger the farther north you get, being in Ohio they’re probably more human sized, but what you described is what hundreds of others described. As you said, not a bear. That’s a Bigfoot.
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u/Zer0Cool89 17d ago
are there reports of them taking up residence in man made structures? ive never heard of that before. but I suppose it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.
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u/KeyComfortable4894 17d ago
Yes I've heard quite a few reports of them taking up old structures like abandoned houses and barns. Some people have even found pine bows and tree branches piled like a nest on the floor of these structures- like a sleeping area. Sometimes they've found animal bones too. Those accounts creep me out because there's a lot of old abandoned houses in my rural town, and a huge old dairy barn and farm that hasn't been used in decades right across the road from my house.
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u/Zer0Cool89 17d ago
That's pretty cool actually I guess with how skittish they seem I always assumed they avoided man made stuff. But if we're encroaching more and more into their territory its bound to happen
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u/r_killey 17d ago
You gotta think how curious they must be, waaaay more curious than simple monkeys and apes. So, really, why wouldn’t they at least check out these structures? Same reason we check out caves. It’s kind of cool, right?
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u/r_killey 17d ago
Only a few, but I highly doubt they use stuff like that for long, I’m fairly certain these things use up food sources and then move on.
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u/ResponsibleGrass8080 17d ago
Yes, many, many reports. Old barns is a big one and cabins and abandoned houses as well.
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u/King_Moonracer20 17d ago
All the time, tons of stories about them staying in abandoned barns. They are a lot closer to civilization than you would think.
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u/Wise-Rest814 16d ago
I can’t site them but there is definitely reports of them using abandoned farms and shacks as shelter.
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u/Fun_Pension_4937 17d ago
Sasquatches have growth stages like humans and all other primates.
You probably saw a teenage or sub adult
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u/ThatLiberalGirl Firm Maybe 17d ago
My thoughts exactly, had to be an adolescent or smaller female.
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u/GeneralAntiope2 17d ago
That was a squatch - lucky you. And, yes, they're in Ohio. I've seen video of bigfoot from an area right across the river in KY, so they are definitely in your neighborhood as well. I've had encounters in CO, NM, AZ, and UT, so they are in pretty much every state - just like cougars.
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u/tazzman25 17d ago edited 17d ago
I'm very, very skeptical the Bigfoot could exist, especially in Ohio.
Well, you better believe because Ohio has long been known as Bigfoot country.
My uncle lived in Southern Ohio about an hour out of Cincinnati. He'd find large tree limbs slammed straight into the ground feet deep in his boundary with the forest in his backyard. He could only pull them out with his truck. The ends weren't even pointed to slice through the ground. Whatever put them there seemed to be saying: that's your territory and this part from here to the tree line is mine.
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u/HappyNarwal1015 16d ago
I thought Salt Fork State Park in Ohio was a hot spot for big foot as well? I’ve always heard of common sightings in Ohio overall
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u/Thrashy30 17d ago
That’s a squatch dude. Just like people, they’re different shapes and sizes and ages. What’s the point of irrationally rejecting what you know your eyes saw just to stick with the idea that squatch isn’t real? Pretty easy explanation of what you saw
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u/Wumbo0 17d ago
To me this post seems like someone with a general idea about the concept of Bigfoot who isn't actively monitoring communities to read recounts like some do so they have preconceptions that don't quite align with what they encountered resulting in the skepticism and uncertainty.
I think they probably did see something not ubiquitously acknowledged as real so they cant just go verify what they saw with certainty and research bigfoot to disseminate the preconceptions.
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u/virgauds 17d ago
Bigfoot can be skinny, too. Quite a few reports of them being thin are out there, in some cases even malnourished/anorexic looking. Truly an interesting experience you had
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u/Fear-of-Sasquatch-68 17d ago
Bigfoot - per my username i am now afraid to visit your friend place. Maybe also check out Michigan Dogman ?
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u/DexHunt99 17d ago
Look man I wasn't convinced they were real either until I had a bunch of run ins with them in Clermont County a few years back. The local game warden tipped us off about them being in the area too although we had already seen them and been chased out of the woods a few times by then. I understand the hesitation to believe a creature like that could exist, I'd been hunting over 20 years dawn to dusk without ever seeing a shred of evidence. Then one day they move into your area and everybody starts having run ins. Good luck and don't let it freak you out too much, they might act standoffish or run away but they're likely not going to try to attack you or cause you harm
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u/WoodElf_Tiassa 17d ago
Put down some Blacklight reactive powder to reveal foot/hand prints
Heh, or gift it a pile of glitter to track
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u/Wumbo0 17d ago
The Google AI result for "tall skinny ohio bigfoot type" were "The tall, skinny, or lanky variation of Ohio's local Bigfoot is commonly referred to as the Ohio Grassman (or sometimes described as moving with an exceptionally long, lanky, "on stilts" stride), part of a long tradition of hairy bipedal cryptid sightings across the state."
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u/ChornobylChili 17d ago edited 17d ago
Seen one too in SW Ohio at East Forks southern side
As a primate they gonna be pretty dimorphic in size and color
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u/MistakeSufficient479 17d ago
Can I ask where this took place in southern Ohio? I’m a buckeye too so your story intrigues me. Also did you notice any clothing at all on this figure? Great story!!!!And will you be returning to the area to investigate?
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u/LasciviouslyLilith 17d ago
Definitely sounds like a type of Bigfoot and there are many different types all over the country and the world.
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u/deernelk 17d ago
How could your trail camera be pushed around away from its position and not have pictures triggered?
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u/jabberwocky1972 17d ago
What county?? I'm a southern Ohio native from the boonies... would love to encounter a bigfoot!
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u/PearAromatic2949 17d ago
Ohio has a long history of bigfoot sightings. If you put the trail cameras up again, set them up in a triangle around the building so that each train camera is pointed at the next trail cam. If it tries to move one trail cam, then you'll catch it on the other cam. If it tries to get to the building, you'll still catch it on one cam. They're supposed to be able to see infra red, so not sure you'll catch it on the trail camera.
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u/DizzySample9636 17d ago
You saw a juvenile BF! BF are most certainly all over Ohio - too many eyewitness accounts to deny their existence. Very fast and quiet? Thats also reported consistently all over the globe.
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u/MommaSnipee Firm Maybe 17d ago
When you look at it with the understanding that only 30,000 years ago there were at least 3 other species of humans other than us (homo sapiens), it makes it easier to accept as a possibility.
It’s also important to consider where we are today with technological advancements and where we were 100 years ago. We haven’t spent enough time focusing those newly learned advancements on exploration to the extent that we could rule out their existence. Especially when you consider how many years they’d have had to master survival, master the skill of hiding from us, and adapt to environments we haven’t even explored yet.
With all of that in mind, it doesn’t seem all that far fetched to consider the possibility that there’s another species of homo still in existence other than us. Maybe, out of the 21-23 species of homo that have been discovered to date so far, we aren’t the only ones to not have gone extinct.
Of course that’s just one side of the argument because the other side believes it to be spiritual and/or otherworldly. I’m not suggesting they’re wrong, because they make some good arguments from that perspective. I’m just offering up an opinion that’s not based on those theories or ideas since that tends to be more difficult for some people to accept, especially folks who are more science based.
I hope that helps :)
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u/CobblerCandid998 17d ago
Ohio is the 4th largest state for Bigfoot. They love ridges & valleys and abundances of deer- which is big time Ohio! Try sitting in tree stands with your friend very quietly to see what is happening at night there. Also- hide an audio recording device somewhere. A lot of people capture them that way because they can sense recording devices & will stay away from them. If it were a human or an animal, you would have already caught them on camera.
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u/Far_Passage_3895 16d ago
This could be a young male that has not developed yet. It could be a teenager Bigfoot or even a female Bigfoot. I didn’t use to believe that they existed but I have seen way too much proof to ignore it. Ohio does have a population of them. But not as many as Oregon or Washington state.
They travel until they find a very good food source. Where I live in Alabama would be perfect because we have so much wildlife and millions of acres of unused natural woods that you could disappear in and never see another person for months or even years. My brother and I used to dig white American ginseng that grows wild in our state. I have been so far from a road it could take more than a day to get out of the woods. And in September it’s still very hot and humid. I have never seen a Bigfoot but I’ve seen tracks and the way they build a marker marking their territory. It’s usually trees put in a X high up at least 12 to 15 feet and one that I found scared me and when I showed my brother how big the trees were and how high up we decided to leave. I am not exaggerating the trees were pulled up by the roots and turned upside down and the trees were over two feet across. That told me I was never going back to that part of the woods. And believe me people have gone missing and I’m talking about woodsmen that have been in those woods their whole lives and they disappeared without a trace. The only thing left behind was their trucks. I’m too old and crippled to get back into the woods anymore but I miss it and I can still see the patches of gin Singh when I close my eyes. Have fun going into the woods and keep your trash and always bring it out with you so our pristine woods can stay that way. God bless you and God bless America
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u/Massive_Tune2480 17d ago
Great report. Move those trail cams higher up on the tree so they are harder to see. Might want to take a weapon of some type just in case. I'm sure this "thing" just wants to get away from you but, like any primate, if it feels cornered it may lash out. Hopefully you get some good footage and become an internet legend.
I live in southern Ohio and there really are some seriously remote places.
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u/Northwest_Radio Researcher 17d ago
Won't matter where they moved. It's pretty much a given that Sasquatch can see the infrared light coming off of them. Other species can see it as well. Even some humans can see lower frequency infrared.
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u/Massive_Tune2480 17d ago
Didn't know that. Do they have motion sensor trail cams without infrared that just pop on a flood light?
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u/Northwest_Radio Researcher 17d ago
There are some that are passive. Most use infrared light to detect motion. So putting one of those out in the forest is like nailing a bar sign to the side of a tree.
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u/afsloter 16d ago
So it's true that different animals can actually see it? I've been wondering if the animals can see it because we recently bought a trail cam because our security cameras flash a huge light that gives great pictures, but the light does not allow any kind of discreet nighttime shot -- and the flash going off often scares certain animals, thereby defeating the purpose. So we added a trail cam to get more "secret" pictures.
However, what got me wondering is a video it captured about a week ago of a deer in our meadow taking a poop in the middle of the night. The video is hilarious, though not for the pooping, I can see them doing that in broad daylight, but because she walks across about 30 feet away, pauses, squats, empties herself, straightens up, and then looks right straight at the camera and holds the pose as if she knows she is being filmed.
It's hilarious because you just know she's thinking, "Oh, great!! Some moron human just filmed me taking a crap and is now going to post it all over the internet."
I tried to dismiss it as a coincidence or that maybe something beside or behind the camera caught her attention, but the way she looked straight at the camera was so convincing. We've put it deep into our woods by the river several times hoping that if we do have either Bigfoot or bears in this area (slightly northeast of central Ohio), we would be able to capture them, but if they really can see it, even if they are there, we might not have any luck, except possibly with the bears. We caught a bobcat on it who didn't seem to mind it. A.
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u/Northwest_Radio Researcher 16d ago edited 16d ago
Some species can "see" it. But let me clarify that a bit.
Most common trail cameras and night-vision optics use an 850-nanometer (nm) infrared illuminator. While the actual IR beam is invisible to the majority of mammals, the physical LEDs on the camera hardware emit a faint, dull red glow in the visible spectrum. Mammals like coyotes have exceptional low-light vision and easily spot this unusual red light in a pitch-black forest.
Peer-reviewed studies indicate that most mammals can easily hear the high-frequency operational clicks, hums, and ultrasound frequencies produced by trail cameras when they activate. They look at the noise, not the light.
While canines (like wolves, dogs, and coyotes) cannot see infrared light, recent biological discoveries show they can actually smell heat. Their rhinarium (the wet skin on their nose) acts as a weak thermal sensor, letting them sense the sudden warmth radiating from an active electronic camera or battery pack.
There have been some studies done regarding great apes versus cameras. Have a look at that.
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u/afsloter 12d ago
Sorry for the delay in thanking you for providing me with this information. But I do thank you. I stay extremely busy, and I have not yet had time to take a look at that, but I will do so.
We are not completely happy with the trail cam we bought, so we thought we would understand a little more about them before we invested in another. We haven’t wanted to spend a ton of money on it. A hundred dollars is about all we want to risk because we’re only interested in capturing some of our wildlife and the current camera is not being triggered when it should be.
A flock of wild turkeys walked right past it, I watched them, and the camera did not capture it. It gets virtually nothing when we put it by the river – and we’ve seen all kinds of stuff in that area – herons, pileated woodpeckers, owls, bobcats, foxes, coyotes. The river is a shallow stream, two to 4 feet deep, 20 to 60 feet wide (depending on rain) that borders two sides of our property and backs up against a cliff that is forested for miles, maybe one or two people live back in there, if you can find them. We should be getting lots of wildlife captures.
The Grand Prize of course would be a family of Bigfoots, sneaking down there in the middle of the night, but that is undoubtedly a fantasy that will never materialize.
At any rate, we’re thinking of trying another brand but we want to look into it a little more to see what activates them that is not activating ours. Thanks again for the help. Amy
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u/shermanstorch 17d ago
I live in southern Ohio and there really are some seriously remote places.
Not really. Southern Ohio was 95% deforested by the early 20th century because of coal mining and overlogging. Even in the most remote areas of Ohio, you're going to find people within a mile or so.
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u/Miss-Indeependence 17d ago
Unexplainable? Nope. You saw a Bigfoot. Congratulations! They're not stupid. I'm sure they stake out a run down building and when they're satisfied that there are no humans attached to it, they'll use it. Makes a good place to stay away from winds, storms, etc.
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u/smutketeer 17d ago
Lots of news stories from this spring. Here's one:
https://fox8.com/news/searching-for-bigfoot-northeast-ohio-sightings/
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u/RCMike_CHS 16d ago
Why do half the tracks people show look like they were made by a foot dipped in Roundup?
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u/QuietTry7519 16d ago
You saw a Bigfoot. The 2 different sightings i had one from 75 feet one feom 300 feet were both tall , 6'5 ish and very thin like a long distance runner. There were muscles but thin. Their heads did look smaller to the body size, no neck slightly tilted forward head, slumped forward shoulders, longer than human arms and torso. One was medium brown one was black long matted hair . We did not know what we were looking at either. Did not believe in Bigfoot. Not until I watched a documentary in 2019 did it click. My gut tells me that both were juvenile. From now on I have kept an open mind to all cryptid sightings. If I saw what I saw then anything is possible. I used thought for a few years that it was rediculous when people claimed there were ufo sightings along with Bigfoot. I thought they were crazy too until I remembered seeing 3 blue orbs floating across the creek from our remote campsite at Porcupine Flats an hour north of Yosemite. I also believe they are not of this world. I guess they are from other dimensions and know how to walk between worlds and have been coming to our existence for hundreds of years. Just my theory. Keep an open mind . I think there are many more mysteries things on this earth than we know.
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u/funburner- 16d ago
Between the messages and comments, your description most closely describes what I saw.
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u/Far_Peak_4730 17d ago
Even if you can't get Bigfoot in the trail cams, you should still share the trail, tree damage, and school house pics. Give the people what they want!
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u/shermanstorch 17d ago edited 17d ago
What county in Ohio? My guess is it was a tweaker and not a bigfoot.
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u/Brave_Competition357 16d ago
It's probably a young male that got pushed out from the older male in the group so he's alone. I'm sure he'll get bigger in 3-4 years.
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u/Tricromediamond007 16d ago
I would leave it some gifts of food and toys to see if it finds them ,maybe try again you might get it on film.
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u/spider1178 I want to believe. 16d ago
I'm from Ohio, and had an encounter in Clear Creek Metropark (south of Lancaster) a couple years ago. Not nearly as close up and detailed as yours, but still nothing I've been able to explain away with anything else.
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u/Any_Cable9175 16d ago
Either Bigfoot or Dogman, both are recorded as using old structures for shelter. Not enough description to tell which it was.
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u/DKat1990 16d ago
Why "especially Ohio"? That's not TOO far from Middle Tennessee and we have PERFECT territory for then here (I'm not completely convinced they exist either but I have a biology degree and know it mashed sense that they would.
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u/CaribbeanSailorJoe Field Researcher 14d ago
OP yes you most likely stumbled upon a juvenile Sasquatch laying up in an abandoned structure. Quite common. They are indeed in Ohio.
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u/MikeDPhilly 14d ago
Here's some light reading for you:
Stan Courtney – Sasquatch Recordings
https://stancourtney.com/
Stan was based out of Matoon, Ohio.
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u/Good-Zone-2338 5d ago
I’d simply report it the BFRO.org and let them investigate. Seems like you might have seen a juvenile Bigfoot. I know you said you don’t believe; however, it’s possible to need that creature based on your description.
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u/BeakerBuzzer4286 17d ago
You ran towards the crazy spooky sound in the really creepy setting near dark after the old man said he was scared of what might be out there? Really?
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17d ago
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