‘My Trail Camera Caught Bigfoot’ – Hunter’s Terrifying
My Trail Camera Caught Bigfoot — And It Lured Me Into the Woods on Purpose
I used to think the woods behind my property belonged to me.
Three generations of my family hunted those mountains. I learned to track deer before I learned long division. By the time I hit my thirties, I’d killed just about everything that walked those forests. My cabin walls were lined with antlers, pelts, and trophies—proof that I knew those woods better than anyone.
But there was always one thing missing.
The stories.
Every kid around here grew up hearing them. Old men whispering at the general store. Loggers finding footprints too big to explain. Campers hearing screams that didn’t sound like any animal alive. I told myself I didn’t believe them.
That was a lie.
In early 2010, I bought six trail cameras. I told my wife it was to watch for predators. Bears. Mountain lions. Dogs had gone missing lately. That part was true.
But deep down, I was hoping for something else.
For months, the cameras showed nothing unusual. Deer. Coyotes. A bobcat once. I started to feel foolish, like I was chasing ghost stories meant for bored men with too much whiskey.
Then came September 17th.
At 3:47 a.m., one of the cameras lit up near a creek two miles into the forest. A young deer stood drinking, unaware of anything nearby. Then something entered the frame from the left.
At first, I thought it was a bear.
But bears don’t walk like that.
This thing moved upright. Smooth. Balanced. Massive. At least seven, maybe eight feet tall. Its arms hung past its knees. Its body was covered in dark hair that shimmered faintly under the infrared light.
The deer bolted.
It didn’t matter.
In a blur of impossible speed, the creature crossed the distance and grabbed the deer with both hands. The animal barely struggled. The strength on display wasn’t frantic—it was casual. Like a man picking up a house cat.
Then it turned its head.
For one second, its face filled the frame. Heavy brow. Flat nose. Deep-set eyes reflecting empty light. Not animal eyes.
Aware eyes.
Then it walked off, carrying the deer as if it weighed nothing.
I watched that clip over and over until my hands stopped shaking.
The smart thing would’ve been to tell someone.
I didn’t.
Two hours later, another clip appeared.
The same creature stood fifteen feet from the camera, completely still. Staring directly into the lens. For nearly three minutes.
It wasn’t passing through.
It was letting me know it saw me too.
That should’ve scared me away.
Instead, it lit something ugly inside me.
I wanted it.
The next night, I went into the woods alone with my .338 Winchester Magnum. Enough gun to stop anything on this continent. I told myself I’d make it quick. Humane.
What I was really thinking about was the wall space in my cabin.
By 11 p.m., I heard movement. Slow. Heavy. Circling. The creature stepped into moonlight near the creek, knelt, and drank water with its hands. Its head turned constantly, scanning, listening.
I had a shot.
I waited.
Then my boot scraped a rock.
The creature froze.
It turned its head toward me and stared through darkness and brush like distance meant nothing. After a long moment, it turned and walked deeper into the forest.
Not running.
Inviting.
I followed.
That was my second mistake.
The deeper I went, the stranger things became. Trees gouged with claw marks starting eight feet off the ground. Objects hanging from branches—antlers lashed together, bird skulls strung like wind chimes. Circles of stones. Feathers arranged carefully in patterns.
This wasn’t random.
This was culture.
Then I saw it kneeling in a clearing, arms extended, head tilted skyward. It made low, rhythmic sounds—structured, deliberate, almost musical.
A ritual.
Something ancient.
I watched through my scope, forgetting to breathe.
This wasn’t an animal.
It was worse.
It was someone.
And still, I followed.
Eventually, we reached a larger clearing. The creature stood with its back to me. Perfect shot. I clicked the safety off.
That’s when something slammed into me from behind.
Another one.
Bigger.
Stronger.
I never even saw it coming.
My rifle flew. I hit the ground hard, hands wrenched behind my back by massive strength. My head smashed into dirt and everything went dark.
When I came to, I was being dragged through the forest like dead weight. Rocks tore into my back. Roots scraped my skin. I heard them vocalizing—deep, structured sounds, back and forth.
They were arguing.
About me.
Three of them stood over me when I finally came around. One furious. One curious. And the one I’d followed—calm. Measured.
They fought without fighting. Displays of strength. Chest beating. A tree struck so hard it cracked.
Then the calm one spoke.
The others backed down.
They carried me instead of dragging me.
Hours later, I woke at the forest’s edge near the road. My cameras were piled beside me. Some smashed. Some intact.
My weapons were gone.
Five figures stood watching from the trees.
The one I’d followed stepped forward, pointed at me, then at itself.
“No.”
Then it pointed to the forest.
“No.”
I understood.
This wasn’t mercy.
It was a warning.
They vanished.
I crawled back to my truck at dawn with cracked ribs and a shattered ego. I threw the cameras away. I never hunted those woods again.
Fourteen years later, I still hear things at night. Trees falling. Calls I can’t name.
And I remember how close I came to becoming just another man who disappeared in the woods.
Those forests don’t belong to us.
They never did.
And I’m alive only because something smarter than me decided I was worth teaching—not killing.