The following account was recently forwarded to me:
I was hunting by myself on this particular morning in some woods I had been many times (east central Missouri). I pulled in and parked in a spot facing away from the woods. It was about 5:30 am and pitch black. About a half hour before daylight. As I was getting my gear together from the back seat of my truck with my back to the woods, I could hear something walking the wood line slowly. I decided to stop to listen and see if I could figure out where it was and what it was. The problem was that when I stopped moving so did it. So I went back to loading my rifle. This happened twice more. I was a little nervous about going into the woods at this point because I didn't know what or where this thing was, but I had a .270 rifle and .357 revolver on my hip so I figured I was fine. I walked a few feet into the tree line and looked around and nothing was there. So I made the 5 min slow walk in the pitch black with no flash light.
As I arrived I found a big tree and leaned my rifle and back pack against it. I popped up my hunting blind. As I bent over to put the first steak in the ground, something sounding as if it was standing directly over top of me made a snarling growl so deep it almost vibrated me. This growling grew into a high pitched scream like a woman. My hairs stood on end as I stood up and turned around with my hand on my revolver ready to fire at any sound or movement but nothing was there. I stood there for a minute looking into the darkness trying to make sense of it. I figured at this point it can see me but I cant see it. It followed me and if I leave it may see it as a sign of weakness or retreat and attack me. So I grabbed my stuff and sat waiting for daylight and didn't hear or see anything else.
People try and tell me it was a dog, coyote, or bear. The problem is I'm 6' 2" even bent over I'm at least 4' and no small guy. This was standing right over top of me. Plus when I stood up I never heard anything move. No leaves no sticks. There wasn't and big trees close to except about 10' away. Plus it was smart enough to watch me, stop when I did so I couldn't triangulate where it was. Then walk around me to come from behind. Someone I know who had a similar story seems to think its Indian spirits. This happened about 50 miles south of St. Louis in mid-November, and has a lot of Indian history and hieroglyphs all over the area. WS
NOTE: I wonder how close the being, or whatever, was to the witness? There have been sightings of big cats in eastern Missouri but, then again, I'm not discounting a Bigfoot, upright canine or a supernatural entity. Very disconcerting account. Lon
A Field Guide to the Cryptids of North America
Cryptids and Other Creepy Creatures: The World of Unsolved Mysteries
Adventures in Cryptozoology: Hunting for Yetis, Mongolian Deathworms and Other Not-So-Mythical Monsters
American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America
Lon's Suggested Reading List - Books & Films / DVDs