This is an interesting account of a possible Bigfoot encounter in Northeast Delaware near the Delaware River. The description is curious, especially with the pig-like ears and wispy long red hair.
The following account was forwarded to me:
“I'm from Delaware. I guess I should start by saying I never truly believed in anything like Bigfoot Sasquatch or Swamp Apes. Before my encounter, I watched a couple of those silly 'Finding Bigfoot' shows as a general interest when they first came out. But to me, it was just a show about some idiots walking in the woods at night. I watched a couple of episodes and laughed at them and moved on. I always considered myself an open-minded person to all things probable but Bigfoot, at the time, was way out of my scope of consideration, outside of the famous Patterson film and the Sierra Sounds. I never heard anything more on the topic unless someone was making a joke or some new TV series or movie about the topic came on. As for what I saw it was nothing spectacular. Not like what I had heard, but it was enough to make me a true believer.
My encounter happened on November 20, 2017, on the outskirts of Bear, Delaware. A close friend of mine and I had just moved there from Long Island, New York. Our home was a duplex that was at the end of a dead-end street. At the very end of the street was an old rusted and ivy-covered chain link fence that was so overgrown and bent over. Beyond the fence, it was all woodland and the look of the area had enchanted me to check it out. My friend and I are photographers for various Renaissance Fairs and we would find wooded areas to take photos of people in their garb. I asked our new neighbors about the woods and they said we should not go back there. They told us people have gone in those woods and have come out with injuries from a variety of animals and a couple of boys had drowned in the swamp back there many years before. In her words describing the swamp, "You'll never see it until you're in it." Despite this warning, I really wanted to check it out for myself.
On the day in question, my friend left that morning to visit her mother and I stayed at the duplex. The weather was cold and windy, and it was a cloudy day with the feeling that we might be getting snow. I was so bored that I decided it was time to investigate the woods. I did not take my camera with me because I didn't plan to take any pictures and wanted to see if the terrain was not a trip hazard before I lugged in an expensive camera. I wanted to just make it back there to get an idea of the area and it was literally right next door to the duplex. I stepped over the fence and walked into the woods some 50 feet. After that point, the more I walked in I started to get this ominous feeling building up about me, but I tried to shake it off. The ground was all covered with what looked like many years of fallen leaves and sticks so it was like stepping on a 10-inch shag carpet. The trees were shedding whatever leaves still dared to cling on. I couldn't walk in this deep leafy area without making noise.
I found a small open area and stopped to consider if it was a good spot to take pictures. Looking around that area for about 15 minutes I saw nothing much of interest to use for a photo shoot and that ominous feeling was still hanging around me. It never dawned on me till days later that I never heard anything in those woods the whole time I was in there. No birds, frogs, toads, or any other wildlife. Granted, it was close to winter, but still, even in New York birds were whistling about in the snow. I decided the area was dull and nothing to speak of, so I planned to find some other wooded place to take pictures.
I began to head back to the fence when I began to hear a second pair of footsteps walking somewhere far behind me. I stopped, turned, and looked about. I saw no one nor any animal so I figured my ears were playing tricks on me. I went to turn to leave but before I could take a step I heard the footsteps again. It sounded like someone slowly walking, not running. I turned about again and this time I saw something step from beyond the trees from my right about 30 feet away from me. It was reddish in color, close to the same color as the leaves on the ground but its face was pinkish-gray. I slowly squatted down where I stood and watched as this hairy-covered thing just meandered through the woods. It stood erect and walked like a person, not hunched over and cumbersome like an orangutan or gorilla. Its legs were directly in line with its body, whereas a gorilla or orangutan walked more bowlegged. Its hair was long and I do mean hair, it was not fur. When the wind blew the hair waved about and I could see its pinkish-gray skin underneath in a few places. That's when I became concerned and aware that this was no person in a suit. My first thought was someone was trying to prank me or make a film. I looked about to see a cameraman or someone but it was just me and this thing. I also remember thinking Bigfoot from the shows on TV, but this thing was not 10 to 12 feet tall like I heard people say they encountered. It was probably not much taller than me and I'm 6 feet tall it was thin, more like a person. I could not say if it was strong with muscles because the wind was blowing its long hair and blocking me from seeing any musculature as well as parts of its face.
Then about halfway through this incident, I started to pick up a bad smell. It was like rancid meat that had been sitting out for a week. I think had it not been for the wind I would have smelled it sooner. What stood out the most to me was its ears which as best as I can describe were like pig ears. They were pinkish and stuck outwards but they were oval like a human ear. The hands were massive compared to its body. It was walking like a person just slightly bent over as if it were watching its way. I could not make out much of its face because of the wind but I know at one point I saw the whites of its eyes just for a second. The only parts of its body that were not covered in hair were its face, chest, parts of its belly, hands, and the inner parts of its wrists and inner arms. But as I said it was coated in hair, not fur. So it was not well covered, not like a dog, cat, or other animal. You would think such a critter would be freezing to death. The hair looked like it served very little protection from the elements.
I continued to watch it. Three or four times it bent down like I was, squat or perched as some people called it. I watched as it moved the leaves with its right hand and stuck its hand into the dirt. It looked like it was looking for something. Whatever it was searching for it knew where to look. Then it got up, walked more, and repeated its actions. The third time it bent down and did this search thing it found something in the ground, pulled it out, and put it to its mouth. I could not see it clearly. Then as its back was somewhat toward me it stood and walked on. I did not move a muscle at all. My back and legs were starting to ache something bad. I watched this thing for a good 5 to 6 minutes and I was starting to regret not taking my camera. It just walked on till I couldn't see it anymore.
I waited a bit longer. I wanted to make sure whatever it was would not hear me leaving. The one thing I still ponder about is that even though I was squatted down while watching it, it never noticed me. If it did it certainly didn't care if I was there or not. I mean I was squatted down but not behind anything. Its head stayed hung low like it was looking for something as it walked or like it was just watching its step. But it never looked further than that.
I never told my friend what I saw, at least not at first. I just said it was not interesting at all for picture taking the sighting spooked me for a couple of nights because in my head I kept thinking that nothing was stopping it from stepping over that broken fence and into our open yard. Since my bedroom faced the woods I started to spook myself with the idea of waking up at night and seeing it in my window. My only comfort zone was that our neighbors had a German Shepherd that could deal with it if need be. That's what I thought at the time. Now knowing the reputation dogs and Sasquatch have I'm not too sure that German Shepherd would have done much good. Eventually, my interest grew on the topic of cryptids and eventually, I told my friends and neighbors what I had seen back there.
The neighbors were miffed that I went back there and said we told you not to. Then the guy broke down and told me one day when he first moved into the duplex years before, he took the dog back there and saw the same thing. The dog went wild and barked at it. He went on and said the hairy thing faced them, got angry, grabbed a small fallen branch, and threw it at him and the dog. But more like a warning. I drew an image of what I had encountered rather quickly and asked if what he saw in the woods looked like what I drew. That's exactly what he saw he said and his voice started to get shaky. I found this odd for a man who was a master trainer and owner of the martial arts dojo in the area.
From there I just started researching the topic and started to find myself drawing and painting what I saw. Admittedly, I did go back in the woods about 6 maybe 7 times with the camera in hand, but never saw it again. After almost 4 years my friend and I parted ways and I moved back to New York in 2020. At first, the whole experience spooked me. But now, looking back at the whole event, I'm glad it did happen. What I saw opened my eyes and mind more at the very least it has given me a new interest. I'm not sure if I want to see one again or not, maybe from a distance where I'm safe. I don't know really what to call what I saw. I have puttered about the internet and books looking for anything in the animal kingdom that looked like what I saw and I keep coming up empty. The closest images I came up with are various depictions of early pre-man. I have tried a few times to draw what I think the face would have looked like but with so much weather distortion and the angle I saw it at I just cannot come up with something where I can say yes to. I feel it would be wrong to present to anyone a presumptive face." S
Weird Winged Wonders: The Twilight World Of Cryptid Creatures
Toward the Light: Rescuing Spirits, Trapped Souls, and Earthbound Ghosts
Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice in the Modern World (Pennsylvania German History and Culture)
Energy Essentials for Witches and Spellcasters
ALIEN DISCLOSURE: EXPERIENCERS EXPOSE REALITY - Audiobook
THE MEME HUMANOIDS: MODERN MYTHS OR REAL MONSTERS - Audiobook
PHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LIST
Feel Free to Post PHANTOMS & MONSTERS DIRECT LINKS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE. Thanks For Your Support!
.jpg)
Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.
.jpg)
