Hill Country Bigfoot Sighting Part 2
It’s been a very hairy two weeks!
My September 27, 2023, column dealt with a possible Bigfoot sighting in Gillespie County. I reported that a man named Joe (his real name and the exact locale of the incident were kept vague to protect the individual) encountered a strange creature roughly 20 miles outside of Fredericksburg. Joe, and avid outdoorsman who grew up ranching, caught glimpse of what he initially believed to be a large black feral hog rooting behind the tree. That form stood to reveal that it was actually man-shaped and covered in coarse black hair. Joe, who is 6’ 1”, said the bipedal creature was taller and broader than him and that the mere sight of it scared the hell out of him. Although he said he has no idea what the creature he saw was, most that have heard his story believe the creature was a Bigfoot for North American Wood Ape.
Let's go with that.
My sharing Joe's story here in the paper resulted in a ton of queries, tales, warnings, and fear from the public. I had people email me, call the newspaper, stop me in town, and call me with questions and concerns about what I reported. And the feedback wasn't just local. I’ve heard from all over the state and from a couple as far away as Wisconsin concerning this matter. A lot of these people reached out to me on Friday, September 29, 2023, to share with me news that a black bear had been captured over in Uvalde. Those that contacted me felt that, based on this and history, Joe could have sighted a bear.
Probably not.
Bears in Texas are actually quite small. The one caught two hours from here in Uvalde was not much larger than my 100-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback dog. Historically, black bears in Texas have rarely exceeded five feet in length (standing) and 300 pounds in weight. I don’t think what Joe saw was a bear. But in an effort to get other opinions – and to give an update to you fair readers – I reached out to a few experts.
Ken Gerhard is a world-renowned cryptozoologist, author, TV cohost, and guest lecturer. After reading my report, he’s pretty convinced that what Joe saw was an actual Bigfoot. “As you mention in the article, reports of Bigfoots/Sasquatches in central Texas are rare. So, sightings like this one are more than likely transient individuals who are traveling to better habitat. I do not view these animals (Sasquatches) as being any more dangerous than black bears or pumas, which are reticent and will typically avoid contact with us. Sometimes Bigfoot will display territorial aggression (throwing rocks, loud vocalizations, bluff charges, etc.) but again... they will almost never attack humans. If they did we would have conclusive evidence of their existence. The description of size and black hair fits the majority of descriptions.”
Gillespie County Sheriff and former Gillespie County Game Warden Buddy Mills has no idea what Joe saw. “I never got any reports like that as a warden. I’d have the occasional mountain lion sighting. Lots of big hog sightings. And exotics. Ya’ know, with as many game ranches as we have around here and people that own strange animals, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone somewhere had a monkey that escaped. You never know. I don’t know.”
Gillespie County Game Warden Tommy Johnson is fairly certain it wasn’t a Bigfoot. “I know nothing about the sighting. Yes, they caught a bear near Uvalde. The closest bear I know of was sighted the other side of Junction. Kimble County. But I suppose [what was seen] could have been a bear. I don’t know. But I do know that no one should worry [about what was seen]. You have to ask yourself, if this person was so scared of what they saw, why didn’t they call us [law enforcement]? If they were that scared…if it was such a big deal…why not call?”
I think Joe didn’t call law enforcement because he didn’t want to be perceived as nuts.
But as for what Joe saw, I’ll say this: I don’t think it was a bear. It probably wasn’t an escaped monkey of some sort. And I don’t think it was someone pulling a prank. I believe it was exactly what Joe said it was – an over six-foot tall, hairy covered, bipedal animal. What the correct name for something like that is is anyone’s guess.
What do you think Joe saw? Have you seen anything similar? Drop me an email at the below address. I’d love to hear from you. Others would too!
This piece first appeared in the Fredericksburg Standard.
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