Incident #1000855
Yakima, Yakima Cty, Washington
Oct 1975
Account
Earl Thomas, Tom Gerstmar and Jerry Lazzar, bear hunting near Section Three Lake (not on map) on Pinegrass Ridge, South of Rimrock Lake. Coming back down hill to camp by lake they heard noises indicating something was following them. At night Thomas spotted yellow eyes across the little lake. Others shined flashlights and saw the eyes, also could make out black, hairy, upright figure 9 or 10 feet tall. They fired rifles to try to scare it away, and it moved into the forest. Then they heard a terrifying scream, and they piled in their jeep and fled. They reported to Yakima County sheriff's office, and Deputies Larry Gamache and Ken Pettijohn went there the next day with Game Department agent Larry Konen. They found the boys things undisturbed, except that some meat the boys said they had left on the table had been eaten.
When
- Observation Date
- OCT 01 1975
- Month
- Oct
- Year
- 1975
- Season
- fall
- Time of Day
- before 10 p.m.
- Duration
- considerable
Where
- State / province
- Washington
- County
- Yakima Cty
- Nearest Town
- Yakima
- Direction from Town
- West
- Distance from Town
- 40
- Population of Town
- 40000
- Elevation/Altitude
- 60
- Latitude
- 4632--
- Longitude
- 12118--
What was seen
- Individuals
- one large, sex unknown
- Population Status
- wild
- First Seen
- on
- Terrain Object
- shore
- Near or/at
- water
- Shot Hit
- No
Witnesses
- Witness(es) Sex
- Male
- Report type
- 1st person
Setting
- Terrain
- alpine
- Exact Terrain
- beach
- Slope
- easy
- Slope Faced
- Northeast
- Nearby Water
- small lake
- Distance to Water
- close
- Cover
- heavy
- General
- none
Weather and light
- Lighting
- flashlight
- Visibility Index
- 4
Source
- Source
- Yakima, Wash., Herald Republic quoting Earl Thomas
- Source Type
- newspaper
- Source Date
- OCT 03 1975
- Source reliability
- 6
- Incident reliablility
- 6
- Jwg file date
- OCT 1975
- Incident type
- 1
Creature description
- Reflection
- reflected yellow
- Hair Covered
- yes
- Height
- 9 ft
- Posture
- erect
- Hair Colour
- dark
- Neck Length
- short
- Shoulders
- wide
- Arms
- long
- Movement
- staying still
- Later Movement
- turned
- Arms Action
- hanging
- Sound
- scream
- Reaction
- watched
- Attracted By
- human activity
- Describe Unsual
- Eyes were greenish yellow.
- Position when first seen
- erect
- Head Size
- medium
Witness
- Wildlife Familiarity
- considerable
- Sex
- Male
- Interviewer
- Dick Grover, Deputies Larry Gamache and Ken Pettijohn, James Wallace, reporter.
- Interview date
- OCT 1975
- Witness Saw with
- naked eye
- Observer Was
- hunting, camping
- Moving Y/N
- Yes
- Position
- upright
- Making Noise Y/N
- Yes
- Closest horizontal distance
- 50 yards
- Least vertical distance
- nil
- Action on sighting
- studied, shot, fled
- No of witnesses
- 3
- Age
- 16 to 20