- Class 1a
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1a A sasquatch/bigfoot specimen has been collected (alive or dead).
- Class 1b
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1b A report investigation results in a sasquatch observation or the documentation of clear tracks or other forms of physical evidence by an investigator.
- Class 1c
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1c An investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot by a very reliable observer is a distinct possibility, tangible corroborating evidence is documented, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 1d
- Class 1, Corroboration: Reports involving a sighting, and accompanied by another form of support.1d A visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility involving two or more reliable observers, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 2
- Class 2, Competency: Reports involving sightings by professionally trained or highly skilled observers.2 Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is exceptionally trustworthy, professionally trained, and experienced in the outdoors and/or is accustomed to looking for and recording details (e.g., biologist, anthropologist/archaeologist, ranger, trapper/tracker/seasoned hunter, bird watcher, game warden, naturalist, law enforcement), and other explanations can be reasonably excluded.
- Class 3a
- Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.3a Investigator determines that a visual encounter with a sasquatch/bigfoot is a distinct possibility, the observer is credible, and all other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 3b
- Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.3b Unidentifiable vocalizations were reported and there is accompanying tangible evidence to possibly indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot, the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
- Class 3c
- Class 3, Credibility: Sightings or possible wood ape evidence reported by credible witnesses.3c No visual encounter occurred, but physical evidence was found to indicate the presence of a sasquatch/bigfoot (tracks, hair, scat, etc.), the observer is very reliable, and other sources can be reasonably ruled out.
Case: 26041804
Class 3bNocturnal Hiker is Stalked by Large Whistling Creatures
Report Details
Occurrence date: February/2026
Location: Polk County, FL
Nearby/Vicinity: Lakeland
Time / Conditions: 20:00 — dark, cold and clear.
# of Witnesses: 1
Location: Polk County, FL
Nearby/Vicinity: Lakeland
Time / Conditions: 20:00 — dark, cold and clear.
# of Witnesses: 1
Witness Account:
The witness, (“BD” for privacy) is an experienced, but skeptical, independent Sasquatch researcher in Central Florida. He began a night hike from the campground of a wildlife management area within the Green Swamp, which is very close to an area where activity had been reported over the past several years. It was a very clear, cold night for Central Florida.
After leaving the camping area, BD waited for approximately 30 minutes to gain adequate night vision. He proceeded along the right-hand fork of the trail; he actually intended to use the left-hand fork, which would’ve taken him to a pond and some hills where a trail camera had been placed earlier that weekend (a location that is approximately .2 mile south-southwest from the campground). However, in the dark, he turned a few meters too soon and headed down the trail to the right.
BD began using his Sionyx night vision camera to view and memorize the trail ahead, then proceeded slowly for 10-15 steps before pausing and repeating the process. At approximately .1 mile along the trail, he saw eye shine. The animal bolted, but he used his thermal to confirm it was a deer and paused to see if the animal would circle back toward the trail.
It was at this point BD heard a whistle. He associated the quality of the pitch and brevity of the sound to the “white” of the Bob White Quail; the “Bob, Bob-White!” The whistle originated from the left side of the trail, nearly due south and approximately 30-40 meters away. It was a little behind him along the edge of the encroaching wood line that borders a large area of cypress swamp. Although the whistle was out of place at that time of night (it was as late as 10pm), and immediately recalled to him cautions from his Grandmother to “never whistle in the woods,” he proceeded with his method of scanning—memorizing the ground, and taking 10-15 cautious steps. As he continued he could hear movement from behind and to his left and thought the deer might be moving in his direction.
Approximately .4 mile along the trail, BD heard a second whistle. This was again from his left and a little behind him at approximately 25 meters away. He also heard movement in the brush behind him, always keeping a distance of about 25 meters and staying just behind him.
BD continued his slow progress of scanning and walking in the dark. A little more than a half mile into his hike he spotted some white-hot boxes in an open area on his thermal (which turned out to be bee hives). He ducked under a huge downed tree beside the trail to get a closer look because at the time he thought he had wandered upon an area of trailers.
BD took a few minutes to scan this open area with night vision but didn’t see anything of note. He returned to the trail and his measured pace. He continued to hear movement behind him on the left as he progressed along the trail. It remained a little behind him at about 25 meters away.
About .8 of a mile in, he heard a third short, shrill whistle. He stated that without really thinking, he whistled back and reflected that he “instantly regretted” that decision. Within just a few seconds, his whistle was answered with another whistle from the left, and just a few seconds after that came an additional whistle from his right. He paused for a moment to assess his position and scanned the area around him, but couldn’t identify the source for the whistles.
BD continued his progression of scanning and walking, but at a slightly faster pace, scanning around the area for the source of the whistles and movement which were now on both sides. The movement remained behind him at all times; however, whatever was making the movements and whistles on either side of him were now moving in tandem.
One animal would progress a few dozen meters, pause and whistle. Then the other would progress, past the first one for a few dozen meters, pause and whistle.
In this way the animals were “leap-frogging” along the trail, always staying behind BD and within 50 meters of each other. He described the maneuvers as “tactical,” the way military units would track a target.
Just short of the 1 mile mark, the trail intersects with another trail and BD decided to take quick action to throw the animals off his trail. He turned left (southwest) at the intersection. About 75 feet down the trail he spotted a small pocket of scrub brush to his left and crawled down into it. It also happened to have a bowl-shaped hole in the middle that was about 20” deep. He quickly covered his head with his hoodie, and curled up to become as small as he could. He laid face down, instinctively breathing into his sleeve to disperse the steam as he exhaled.
BD remained still as he heard the animal that had been tracking him on his left cautiously approach through the thick scrub and then proceed what sounded to him to be a systematic search of the area. This back and forth movement through the area continued for the next 15-20 minutes. Eventually, BD heard the animal retreating back along the trail the way it had come. (He no longer heard movement from the animal that was on his right side after he made his turn to the left.) BD remained in his hide for 90 minutes or so to be certain the animals were both gone, quietly raking pine needles from the forest floor underneath him to prevent the ground from pulling away all his body heat. When he was confident the animals were gone, he made a hurried return back down the trail to camp.
Sounds:
whistles
Additional observations:
movement in brush and palmettos
Investigator's Observations
Investigator(s): Tami Grimes
Background
The witness is well known to me and an individual of very good character. He conducts his investigations with integrity and approaches evidence with healthy skepticism due to a past encounter. He's been conducting research in the Green Swamp for a number of years and knows the area, other researchers who occasionally enter the area, and the flora and fauna extremely well. He's an Army combat veteran, worked in the medical field, and stands well over 6 feet tall (he fills a door frame). He's known to be genuine and trustworthy.
14 February 2026: Forensic Investigation of 8 February 2026 Class 3B Encounter
Investigator Tami Grimes met with the witness BD to recount the interactions he observed during his solo hike on Sunday, 8 February 2026. BD and Grimes arrived at the location at 10:00am. The campground was full but they quickly set up camp. Once settled in, BD shared his notes from the prior weekend. As Grimes followed along using printed notes, BD talked through the chronology of events. BD and Grimes grabbed a quick lunch before heading out to conduct a daytime forensic investigation, using BD’s notes as a guide of events.
The team started out of camp at 1:35pm, and halted just outside the campground where BD noted that during his previous night hike he waited for approximately 30 minutes to gain adequate night vision. He explained that he unintentionally took the right-hand fork, rather than the left-hand fork as he intended.
BD walked Grimes through his night hike, explaining his progression using his Sionyx night vision camera to view and memorize the trail ahead, then proceeding slowly for 10-15 steps in complete darkness before pausing and repeating the process. The team looked for animal tracks in the few spots along the trail where sand or mud were present.
It was a little after 2pm when they reached the point along the trail (about .1 mile) where BD noted where he saw eye shine and that he had paused his hike to wait out the deer when he heard the first whistle. He described the quality of the pitch and brevity of the sound with the “white” of the Bob White Quail's call, “Bob, Bob White!”
BD and Grimes investigated the area along the trail from where the whistle originated, about 30-40 meters due south, and along the edge of the encroaching wood line that borders a large cypress swamp. BD recalled to Grimes the cautions from his Grandmother to “never whistle in the woods,” and that at this point in his prior hike he was hearing movement from behind and to his left, which he thought was the deer moving in his direction.
They continued retracing his hike from the prior week until they reached the point where BD indicated he heard the second whistle. This was approximately .4 mile along the trail. This whistle was again from his left. Still following his notes, he recalled hearing movement in the brush behind him, always keeping a distance of about 25 meters and staying just behind him. The team continued to look for tracks as they hiked and noted how the wood line for the cypress swamp to their left was very close to the trail at the .5 mile point.
Around 2:40pm, the team reached the downed tree near the bee hives at the .6 mile mark. The team noticed an electric fence around the hives before moving on.
The woods on right side (north) of the trail pulls back at this point and just past the hives, the area transitions to palmetto. On the left side, the swamp pulls back to the south and the trail is bordered with pine and ash trees, intermixed with shrubs and palmettos. On the prior hike BD explained that he took a few minutes to scan this open area with night vision but didn’t see anything of note and began moving at his measured pace. He recalled that he continued to hear movement behind him on his left as he progressed along the trail. He said it sounded noisy then quiet, then noisy again.
The team pressed on to the point where BD indicated the location where he heard the third whistle at about .8 mile into his hike. Again, a little behind him at about 25 meters away, he heard the same short, shrill whistle. He stated that without really thinking, he whistled back and reflected that he “instantly regretted” that decision. Within just a few seconds, his whistle was answered with another whistle from the left, and just a few seconds after that came a whistle from his right. He paused for a moment to assess his position and scanned the area around him, but couldn’t identify the source for the whistles.
BD recounted the next .1 mile of his hike. In this area the trail is almost straight, headed west-southwest. He continued progressing, but at a slightly faster pace, scanning around him for the source of the whistles and now the movement that was on both sides. He described how the sounds remained always behind him; however, the animals were moving in tandem now. The area on the right is almost solid palmetto; on the left is a mix of palmetto, hardwoods, and pine.
BD demonstrated how one would progress a few dozen meters, pause and whistle. Then the other would progress past the first animal for a few dozen meters, then pause and whistle. In this way the animals “leap-frogged” along the trail, always staying behind BD and within 50 meters of each other. He described the maneuvers as “tactical,” the way military units would track a target.
The team turned left at the intersection (.9 mile mark) where BD ducked into the a small pocket of scrub brush. Temperatures dropped below freezing the previous Sunday. Grimes saw the pile of pine needles from where BD had tried to create a barrier between himself and the cold ground and noted the gap between the circle of shrubs around BD’s hide and where the scrub of small oaks and ash stopped. It was a clearing the size of a one-bedroom apartment that prevented the animal from approaching into BD’s hide.
They explored this area, checking the patches of sugar sand carefully for sign. From this location it was easy to understand why the animals sounded noisy then quiet; a break behind the palmettos showed how there were patches of open spaces mixed in with the palmettos and scrub brush. The area on this side also opens up into an area of pine which runs to a man made trench bordering the swamp.
It was 4pm at this point and the team took pictures of BD’s hide location and headed back to camp to prep for a night operation. The temperature began dropping and would again approach freezing by midnight.
A little after 8:30pm, the team left the campsite. They paused briefly outside the campground to discuss the path BD took the prior weekend, then headed west-southwest along the trail at the right of the fork. The team progressed following the same method BD used the week before; scanning then slowing progressing down the trail in complete darkness.
Around 9pm the team settled into an overwatch location, approximately .15 mile along the trail, in a spot between where the first and second whistles occurred. The team heard some owls, several odd vocalizations that may have been a hound (but both agreed it sounded off -- Grimes as a “hound with laryngitis”), a very loud percussive from about 50 meters south-southwest of their location (coming out of the cypress bog), and a piece of wood landed at BD's feet, even through we weren't sitting under any trees.
The team decided to walk down the trail to simulate the BD's movements around 10:30pm. They left hide chairs to pick up on their return and started a slow progress down the trail. The reached the hive area and BD entered to scan with a thermal while Grimes stayed on the trail. Grimes heard movement in the brush across the trail (west) and monitored as it moved closer along the left (south) side of the trail.
Around 11:12pm Grimes noted an odd vocal followed by dogs barking. BD exited the hive area as minute later and Grimes continued to note movement across the trail from the south. They pushed on to the open area of palmettos and heard another odd vocal followed by the dog barking. With nothing else of note, the team headed back to camp with white lights to attract attention. They reached the overwatch site around 11:35 and packed up their chairs and gear. They made a slow walk back to camp and arrived around 1:20am. It was at or below freezing and they were glad to be calling it a night.
Although no whistles were heard during that investigation, Grimes continues to conduct investigations and collect audio, photo and video data from this location. Another local researcher (also personally known by Grimes) reported hearing whistling in this same location, which he described as "the way a little kid would whistle when they don't really know a song to whistle."
Background
The witness is well known to me and an individual of very good character. He conducts his investigations with integrity and approaches evidence with healthy skepticism due to a past encounter. He's been conducting research in the Green Swamp for a number of years and knows the area, other researchers who occasionally enter the area, and the flora and fauna extremely well. He's an Army combat veteran, worked in the medical field, and stands well over 6 feet tall (he fills a door frame). He's known to be genuine and trustworthy.
14 February 2026: Forensic Investigation of 8 February 2026 Class 3B Encounter
Investigator Tami Grimes met with the witness BD to recount the interactions he observed during his solo hike on Sunday, 8 February 2026. BD and Grimes arrived at the location at 10:00am. The campground was full but they quickly set up camp. Once settled in, BD shared his notes from the prior weekend. As Grimes followed along using printed notes, BD talked through the chronology of events. BD and Grimes grabbed a quick lunch before heading out to conduct a daytime forensic investigation, using BD’s notes as a guide of events.
The team started out of camp at 1:35pm, and halted just outside the campground where BD noted that during his previous night hike he waited for approximately 30 minutes to gain adequate night vision. He explained that he unintentionally took the right-hand fork, rather than the left-hand fork as he intended.
BD walked Grimes through his night hike, explaining his progression using his Sionyx night vision camera to view and memorize the trail ahead, then proceeding slowly for 10-15 steps in complete darkness before pausing and repeating the process. The team looked for animal tracks in the few spots along the trail where sand or mud were present.
It was a little after 2pm when they reached the point along the trail (about .1 mile) where BD noted where he saw eye shine and that he had paused his hike to wait out the deer when he heard the first whistle. He described the quality of the pitch and brevity of the sound with the “white” of the Bob White Quail's call, “Bob, Bob White!”
BD and Grimes investigated the area along the trail from where the whistle originated, about 30-40 meters due south, and along the edge of the encroaching wood line that borders a large cypress swamp. BD recalled to Grimes the cautions from his Grandmother to “never whistle in the woods,” and that at this point in his prior hike he was hearing movement from behind and to his left, which he thought was the deer moving in his direction.
They continued retracing his hike from the prior week until they reached the point where BD indicated he heard the second whistle. This was approximately .4 mile along the trail. This whistle was again from his left. Still following his notes, he recalled hearing movement in the brush behind him, always keeping a distance of about 25 meters and staying just behind him. The team continued to look for tracks as they hiked and noted how the wood line for the cypress swamp to their left was very close to the trail at the .5 mile point.
Around 2:40pm, the team reached the downed tree near the bee hives at the .6 mile mark. The team noticed an electric fence around the hives before moving on.
The woods on right side (north) of the trail pulls back at this point and just past the hives, the area transitions to palmetto. On the left side, the swamp pulls back to the south and the trail is bordered with pine and ash trees, intermixed with shrubs and palmettos. On the prior hike BD explained that he took a few minutes to scan this open area with night vision but didn’t see anything of note and began moving at his measured pace. He recalled that he continued to hear movement behind him on his left as he progressed along the trail. He said it sounded noisy then quiet, then noisy again.
The team pressed on to the point where BD indicated the location where he heard the third whistle at about .8 mile into his hike. Again, a little behind him at about 25 meters away, he heard the same short, shrill whistle. He stated that without really thinking, he whistled back and reflected that he “instantly regretted” that decision. Within just a few seconds, his whistle was answered with another whistle from the left, and just a few seconds after that came a whistle from his right. He paused for a moment to assess his position and scanned the area around him, but couldn’t identify the source for the whistles.
BD recounted the next .1 mile of his hike. In this area the trail is almost straight, headed west-southwest. He continued progressing, but at a slightly faster pace, scanning around him for the source of the whistles and now the movement that was on both sides. He described how the sounds remained always behind him; however, the animals were moving in tandem now. The area on the right is almost solid palmetto; on the left is a mix of palmetto, hardwoods, and pine.
BD demonstrated how one would progress a few dozen meters, pause and whistle. Then the other would progress past the first animal for a few dozen meters, then pause and whistle. In this way the animals “leap-frogged” along the trail, always staying behind BD and within 50 meters of each other. He described the maneuvers as “tactical,” the way military units would track a target.
The team turned left at the intersection (.9 mile mark) where BD ducked into the a small pocket of scrub brush. Temperatures dropped below freezing the previous Sunday. Grimes saw the pile of pine needles from where BD had tried to create a barrier between himself and the cold ground and noted the gap between the circle of shrubs around BD’s hide and where the scrub of small oaks and ash stopped. It was a clearing the size of a one-bedroom apartment that prevented the animal from approaching into BD’s hide.
They explored this area, checking the patches of sugar sand carefully for sign. From this location it was easy to understand why the animals sounded noisy then quiet; a break behind the palmettos showed how there were patches of open spaces mixed in with the palmettos and scrub brush. The area on this side also opens up into an area of pine which runs to a man made trench bordering the swamp.
It was 4pm at this point and the team took pictures of BD’s hide location and headed back to camp to prep for a night operation. The temperature began dropping and would again approach freezing by midnight.
A little after 8:30pm, the team left the campsite. They paused briefly outside the campground to discuss the path BD took the prior weekend, then headed west-southwest along the trail at the right of the fork. The team progressed following the same method BD used the week before; scanning then slowing progressing down the trail in complete darkness.
Around 9pm the team settled into an overwatch location, approximately .15 mile along the trail, in a spot between where the first and second whistles occurred. The team heard some owls, several odd vocalizations that may have been a hound (but both agreed it sounded off -- Grimes as a “hound with laryngitis”), a very loud percussive from about 50 meters south-southwest of their location (coming out of the cypress bog), and a piece of wood landed at BD's feet, even through we weren't sitting under any trees.
The team decided to walk down the trail to simulate the BD's movements around 10:30pm. They left hide chairs to pick up on their return and started a slow progress down the trail. The reached the hive area and BD entered to scan with a thermal while Grimes stayed on the trail. Grimes heard movement in the brush across the trail (west) and monitored as it moved closer along the left (south) side of the trail.
Around 11:12pm Grimes noted an odd vocal followed by dogs barking. BD exited the hive area as minute later and Grimes continued to note movement across the trail from the south. They pushed on to the open area of palmettos and heard another odd vocal followed by the dog barking. With nothing else of note, the team headed back to camp with white lights to attract attention. They reached the overwatch site around 11:35 and packed up their chairs and gear. They made a slow walk back to camp and arrived around 1:20am. It was at or below freezing and they were glad to be calling it a night.
Although no whistles were heard during that investigation, Grimes continues to conduct investigations and collect audio, photo and video data from this location. Another local researcher (also personally known by Grimes) reported hearing whistling in this same location, which he described as "the way a little kid would whistle when they don't really know a song to whistle."
