The following newspaper 'letter to the editor' was published in the Arizona Republican on Sunday, February 2, 1913. It chronicles the sighting and hunt for a Hodag...a beast usually described as the size of a large bulldog with two horns and a series of spikes along its spine. Residents of Wisconsin have traditionally claimed the Hodag as a local monster...but other sightings had been reported nationwide:
HODAG AGAIN IN EVIDENCE
Another Rancher Catches Glimpse of Strange Animal; Former Uncertainty Seems to Waning; Ranchers Plan Hunt
The Republican, Phoenix. Ariz:
Ever since I saw the red part of your paper several Sunday's ago, I have been looking out for that Hodag you said was around here. And yesterday night I seen him. We went out to a small knoll near my place, my boy and me, and watched just we done several times to see if the animal would come. About nine-thirty my son said, Dad, there is something sniffing down there and when I looked, there was the Hodag! He was just as plain. We snuck down on him with a shotgun, but he heared us coming and went off around the hill so fast I thought I must a been mistaken and didn't see him at all. But Bub said he seen him, so I am sure I did.
Of course we did not see him very good. It was plenty light enough, but we was above him and could only see he was about as big as a yearling calf and tawny color. We could see the short legs of him on the upside and the big ones when he run. He had paws like a mountain lion, but looked more like a almighty big wolf. We are going to get some neighbors that live about six miles over the hills and try and get that critter next Wednesday night.
Yours truly,
WM. KITCHIN.
Sycamore Creek Ranch, Jan. 30th 1913.
Editor notes: Mr. Kitchin, in his interesting if rudely constructed notes, predicts an organized hunt for the Hodag next Wednesday. It is not known yet whether this paper will be able to cover the hunt at first hand, but if there any information available, it will be set forth in these columns in due time.
The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers
Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods: 20 Chilling Tales from the Wilderness
American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America
Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature
