Park Ranger Can't EXPLAIN SIGHTING at Yellowstone

[jeff of pa]

May 8, 2022

 

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[releventchair]

Similar but different...

Large expanse of woods adjacent to the house here. Several hundred acres , plus connecting properties.

Still had two legs. And put them to use late fall deer season in those woods one afternoon.
Out a ways to watch a terrain feature till light faded and seeing branches through the riflescope was no longer a sure thing. Some shooting legal time left but I'd been out long enough and the woods were not feeling occupied at all.

Previously my daughter had been out there with me on a ridge overlooking a "kettlehole" with another beyond it. Maybe within a hundred yards of where i'd posted watch that solo evening after.
Squirrels frogged around till near dark , and thier noise in the leaves must be studied ; just to be sure they're not deer.
So , we had tabs on what was going on.
Till the squirrels ceased early. And something ran through the kettlehole bottom we were watching.
We both strained to spot it as we followed it's sound thirty-forty yards away expecting a squirrel or running deer but could not spot anything.
No unsettling as much as confusing...

Back to my solo hunt the eventful night after a totally uneventful watch.

I didn't need a light yet. (I tend to use one in low light during hunting season just in case an unscrupulous or nearsighted hunter arrived without my sensing them.) but it was getting dark enough to slow down for sure.
A running sound came from behind and left of me.
I turned to watch what appeared to be a dark pony on a route alongside to my left. Then as it passed it looked like someone with a round "outhouse" style hunting blind on thier back. Odd. And I thought it could be the neighbor kid and he shouldn't be running that late in the woods.

Then , "it" swung onto the trail in front of me ;turned toward me and advanced to within about fifteen yards and stood erect.
I could see a light colored upside down teardrop shaped area on it's chest about a foot tall and near as wide at the top.
Bear for sure I thought then. (We only have black bear here).
No problem as I'm holding a high powered rifle. Not that I expected any trouble , but I wasn't looking to pet it or anything if it rushed me.

It studied me briefly. Seemed longer of course as it was starting to be a strain trying to see detail in the now lower light.
When it dropped back on all fours it was already turning , and I watched it for a few yards till it became listening to it's progress. I had a good idea where it was heading. Another trail that skirted homes ect. that other bear had used before.
No where I was headed so , fine!

I left the trail we had shared briefly after another fifty yards or so onto the faint "spur" of my own trail headed to my house and shortly after (without exaggerated steps to get there or heightened pulse or panic like the ranger in the video ) I could see my porch light on the left , and across the road the neighbors porch lite on the right.

When I was nearer and could see the edge of the treeline a figure was running from my house/yard towards the neighbors.
Upright and when it went through /past a gap in the treeline I could see a silhouette. I was moving and didn't stop but sped up and that allowed me to get a couple more peeks of it.
Werewolf from old scary movies is plenty accurate!
And my thoughts that evening are still clear. Which now was that that bear must have did a button hook of sorts for some reason and crossed my yard. But a bear trotting that far /that distance I watched it before losing sight of it?
Then thinking who would be running towards the neighbors other than the neighbors boy? (Who was not welcomed in my yard if I wasn't home).

I'll blame imagination on the last sitings appearance.
But know I was under the impression I was calm enough to try to find logic in what I had watched.
A check the next day for any sign of ground disturbance (and I'm no slouch , more so on my sandy ground) showed nothing. No flipped leaves crushed grass . Prints of any kind. And I've located a couple two three claw marks out on the trail I'd been on before from 12ish pound dogs hundreds of yards out when we've had escapees.
So , I asked the neighbor if his boy was out that evening. No he wasn't was the answer. And he and I were on good terms so I believed him.

Had it not seemed to change shape within decent sight range repeatedly It would have been forgotten as just a bear by now.
Not the only odd sighting , though a different creature.
I held a tape measure to the dusty tracks of one while the person (my ladyfriend) who reported a road being crossed by something that was not supposed to exist here.

I try not to quiet the dogs when they sound off at night when I let them out into the fenced area till I know why they are hollering.
Sometimes in the day they burst out fired up and I study the woods to find out why.
When coyotes are around (they sound off at night) I note the distance and if close put the "coyote watch" note on the door I let them in and out.
With a spotlight and gun .

But when a dog skulks , especially certain ones that would at times take on the devil with a squirt gun , I consider a threat to them (or us) to be close.
Just in case something not understood could be real.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I have spent at least 16 weeks camping in Yellowstone over my lifetime and have seen lots of animals. nothing that was ever unexplainable.

 

[Peyton Manning]

I spent time backpacking in Yellowstone, just saw elk and bear

 

[smallfoot]

That was an interesting read Releventchair! Now or up to now, I don't believe I've ever encountered anything in the woods that I couldn't identify. I'm of like mind on being vigilant when something occurs without immediate recognition. If I'm not sure what it was I saw, I'll track it until I either see it again to confirm or at least see recognizable tracks. And the dog thing...it bothers me when I see people just yell at the dogs to shut up without getting up to ascertain what the best early warning system in the world was trying to tell them in the best way they know how. When the Catahoula speaks, I listen. And all ya'll dog owners know what I'm talking about. There are different barks and vocalizations for different things. I'll honor my mutt to confirm and he's right every time...

 

[releventchair]

That was an interesting read Releventchair! Now or up to now, I don't believe I've ever encountered anything in the woods that I couldn't identify. I'm of like mind on being vigilant when something occurs without immediate recognition. If I'm not sure what it was I saw, I'll track it until I either see it again to confirm or at least see recognizable tracks. And the dog thing...it bothers me when I see people just yell at the dogs to shut up without getting up to ascertain what the best early warning system in the world was trying to tell them in the best way they know how. When the Catahoula speaks, I listen. And all ya'll dog owners know what I'm talking about. There are different barks and vocalizations for different things. I'll honor my mutt to confirm and he's right every time...

A breeder and showdog sucess acquaintance runs a training facility. (Nice place!)

Understood the breed she was walking is not a common hunting breed , though her husband has some bird dogs if I recall right...

Recently she was walking two of her dogs , the well trained obedient type and they did a u-turn doubling back on her.
It puzzled her as that was something they wouldn't do without being told.
(At this point in the retelling I had a sneaky suspicion).
She was watching them , then looked back where she had been heading to see a coyote.
Which held it's ground when she yelled at it.
That unsettled her and she retreated back towards home.
I'll hazard a guess a den is near.
But them dogs knew before she did . As they often do.

I would like at least one dog to let me know in advance something is around as is usually the case. But I watchout for them too.
Did have a deer out back once they didn't spot one morning. Air flow factored but squirrels ,cats,birds get noticed usually.
They were distracted too. Morning potty stuff.

 

[releventchair]

I have spent at least 16 weeks camping in Yellowstone over my lifetime and have seen lots of animals. nothing that was ever unexplainable.

Maybe you needed a ranger hat!

Gal from a family camping there long ago had a bear rocking the camper from outside.
Knowing it was a bear might have helped..... Still exciting though!

 

[crashbandicoot]

They,re out there,be careful!

 

[smokeythecat]

Maybe you should have shot it then either paid the piper for shooting something illegal OR gotten worldwide headlines for nailing a bigfoot. And probably a gig on Oprah. I do not like going out at night anymore...monsters.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Maybe you should have shot it then either paid the piper for shooting something illegal OR gotten worldwide headlines for nailing a bigfoot. And probably a gig on Oprah. I do not like going out at night anymore...monsters.

I,ve seen some strange things in the woods at night,especially in the river bottoms,but I,ve never been tempted to shoot them.On the other hand I,ve seen a few monsters on the city streets I,d gladly shoot if it was legal.

 

[smallfoot]

Just about sundown, when the owls choose their hunting territory for the evening, my dog thinks the world is coming to an end! Probably a dozen or more hang out here within hearing distance and they get quite vocal. That's a whole different vocalization than other warnings from Chief!

 

[crashbandicoot]

Just about sundown, when the owls choose their hunting territory for the evening, my dog thinks the world is coming to an end! Probably a dozen or more hang out here within hearing distance and they get quite vocal. That's a whole different vocalization than other warnings from Chief! View attachment 2026281

Barred owls? They can get vocal indeed.Love them! That,s a nice dog you have.

 

[smallfoot]

Barred owls? They can get vocal indeed.Love them! That,s a nice dog you have.

Barred owls mostly, see some great horned owls too.

 

[smokeythecat]

Well, in my front lawn in Maryland I have seen coyotes, foxes, that quick as lightning bobcat and a cougar. So heck with outside!

 

[smallfoot]

Back to the OP. I don't doubt that there may exist some things that cannot be easily explained. Heck, we're still discovering things living in the seas that were never seen before. I don't doubt also that if there are a small number of these beings around, you can probably bet that you are facing the only survivors of a dying breed and probably the most skillful at staying mostly undetected.

 

[smallfoot]

Don't mind me, I'm just holding up this tree...

 

[releventchair]

Maybe you should have shot it then either paid the piper for shooting something illegal OR gotten worldwide headlines for nailing a bigfoot. And probably a gig on Oprah. I do not like going out at night anymore...monsters.

Nope.

Firstly due to nothing harming me or mine , or about to.
Secondly , the last thing I'd have is attention; let alone a headline for killing a previously unproven specie.
Thirdly , I wouldn't want to eat a bigfoot (if they exist). If stomached; it'd still be bad juju.

A coyote better skedaddle. Other nongame or out of season critters can annoy me , but not get shot over it.
A rabbit wiped out three climbing bean plantings one year before they could grasp the concept or height to climb. Pose seductively and watch me watch it.. Oh , I thought about shooting it.
I gave up on pole beans instead as season was progressing.
Owl nailed the rabbit about a week after the last bean sprouts were eaten.

 

[smallfoot]

Maybe you should have shot it then either paid the piper for shooting something illegal OR gotten worldwide headlines for nailing a bigfoot. And probably a gig on Oprah. I do not like going out at night anymore...monsters.

Something like that happened here in Florida years ago when a rancher complained of a black panther predating his stock. Game and fish commission said, no, there are no such beasts walking in Florida. Next thing ya know, the rancher calls the warden and tells him he just shot the panther. There was some brew haha if I remember but I believe they exonerated the rancher.
Another time, early 60s, I was invited on Halloween to spend the weekend with one of my friends family in their cabin on the river. We were traveling down the dirt road heading for the cabin and stopped at an intersection where several trucks, some with flashing lights were gathered up. Game wardens were there looking at a spotted leopard that a hunter had killed. I saw that one with my own eyes. They aren't supposed to be here either.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I love Yellowstone, we would go this summer if it wasn't for the damn high price of gas. I have camped there in June, July, August, and September. September was the best as there were no crowds. We went once the last week of May, first week of June, and the animals were still down in the valley, there is usually still snow on the ground and on the mountains and it is still cold at night, with lows in the high 20s to low 30s at night, highs in high 50s to low 60s.

I have had it snow on us in June and in September while camping in YS. The nighttime fires sure feel good as do the heaters in the tent and campers. Love cooking breakfast over the fire in the mornings, bacon and eggs just seemed to taste so much better.

We drove into the park one year on Labor Day, it was wall-to-wall vehicles leaving and we were the only car entering, vacant campsites everywhere, with no crowds anywhere.

 

[Peyton Manning]

Have you been to Custer state park in South Dakota?
Best state park I’ve been to
Love the bison