Mora County, New Mexico

I had submitted a report recently, and then gotten cold feet when those other investigators tried to speak with me, due to a personal dilemma. I will explain in detail, but I have had alot of time to think about different aspects and other incidents. Let me start at the beginning. My name is John V.

My grandfather, who has recently passed away, owned an 1100-acre ranch along coyote creek. Approximately xx miles out side of Mora County, New Mexico. The first incident occurred in about 1968 or 1969. According to my uncle who's nickname is Leroy. He is known to be an exaggerator, so I never really new if he was telling the truth, until I had my own experiences. Any way he was on a camping trip during that summer, with his hippie friends, two girls and one guy. They had set up a tent to sleep in and started a campfire, and ate dinner.

Just after dark my uncle, and his male friend were both Vietnam veterans had began to brag in front of these girls about who was the strongest, and most fearless, and so on, any way it had gotten pretty late, probably around midnight, as Leroy recalled and he said to his friend, if your such a tough guy why don't you walk across the creek, and up the side of the mountain in the pitch black of the night, and when you get about half way up, sleep there by your self for the remainder of the night, he said you can take your sleeping bag, but nothing else, and his friend replied no problem, since he had been a green beret, and was afraid so he claimed of nothing. So he grabbed his sleeping bag, and set out in the dark. Just as he agreed, and proceeded about half way up the mountain, where he laid down to sleep. Then approximately about 3 a.m. my uncle, and the girls woke to a horribly loud scream that he had never heard before in his life. He said it was eerie, somewhere between a roar and a scream. He was so terrified that he grabbed a shovel, and jumped out of the tent to see if he could see anything. It was still dark but he could see something coming down the mountain hobbling, and approaching his tent very rapidly. He clenched the shovel and was getting ready to swing, when he heard the voice of his friend saying, "it's me, it's me."" He was still in his mummy bag. My uncle asked him what happened, and he said a giant creature had walked up to where he was sleeping, on two legs. He said it was covered with hair, and roared at him. He got so scared; he didn't have time to get out of his sleeping bag. He told Leroy we should get the hell out of here so they loaded up the camp, and drove off as fast as they could!

The next incident was an experience my grandfather had. It was about 1973 or 1974. He had cattle and he drove out about once a month to check on them. He had a small cabin near the creek. He would often take me with him we were very close, and had a special sort of bond. We would have long talks, and really got to know each other. Any way we went to spend a weekend at the cabin, so he could do his routine. We got there in the evening, ate dinner, and went to bed he always got up at 4 in the morning, before the sun came up and set out across the creek, to cut wild loco weed, so the cows would not eat it. I would stay in bed till about 8 a.m., when he would return and make breakfast. Well that morning he retuned about 5 a.m., woke me and looked white as a ghost I new him well, and he was a man that was not afraid of anything, he said he was cutting loco weed at precisely the crack of dawn, when he heard a scream that made the skin crawl up the back of his neck. It was unlike anything he had ever heard. He said at first he thought it sounded like a woman's scream, but there was something animal like, it was very hard for him to describe. This was a man who was raised on this very mountain and had visited time and time again, but never recalled anything like it.

The men got together for a game of cards, and beer on the picnic tables. The women went inside the cabin to gossip. My brother and sister were playing together. My cousin Freddie and me were bored, and we approached my grandfather. He said I have the cure for you, and quickly put us to work. He had a ten acre corral, fenced with barbed wire, surrounding a fruit orchard. What he wanted us to do was take these wire twists, and insert them between the posts, binding the barbed wire through the twists. So we took as many twists as we could carry, and my dog, and set out to the southwest corner of the corral.

There were no cows, because they were on top of the mesa grazing. It was a beautiful clear and warm day I told my cousin, we'd start at this corner you work west toward the fruit orchard, and ill work the fence north. My dog stayed at my side, as I worked north. About 30 minutes into it my dog started acting very strange. I was trying to continue north, but he would not move. He was frozen stiff, belly and nose down in the dirt, facing west directly towards the fruit orchard. His eyes were tearing, which I had never seen before, and he was letting out a very quiet whimpering, which I had never seen before. I kicked and pulled at him to try to get him to move, but he would not budge. Then I could hear a heavy breathing, very low pitched rumbling, and then a long loud low-pitched roar, coming directly from the fruit orchard. I looked, and I saw what I thought was a bear. I could still hear it breathing I looked closer, focusing my eyes, and noticed it was sitting down like a man, on a knocked over tree, as it was eating apples with one hand, still breathing heavy, but yet it seemed to be looking directly at me, and I got the feeling it was happy, and somehow smiling at me. At that moment, my cousin had reached me at break neck speed, yelling did you here that? I replied I'm looking at it. He turned to look; we saw it stand from its sitting position, next to a 12-foot apple tree. It seemed to be just as tall as the tree, or pretty close reaching in grabbing apples with one arm, one at a time, then sit and eat one at a time, while staring at us every time it ate one. It was covered in long reddish hair all over its body; the sun shining directly on it its hair. It almost seemed to have blondish sun bleached highlights very shiny. It had a cone shaped head and it looked clean. I personally wasn't scared, but my cousin was frantic, and the way my dog was acting troubled me. My cousin said were dead I replied look at the length of its legs, we are standing about 200 yards away I think if it really wanted to hurt us, we would already be dead, and he replied I'm not taking any chances, I'm gonna make a run for it. I said if your running I'm not staying so we took one last look, and darted, and my dog got up and darted after us.

We ran as fast as we could to the cabin, where my dad, grandfather, godfather, and they're friends, were playing poker, and drinking beer. We ran up screaming frantically there's some sort of creature in the fruit orchard. My grandfather replied you guys are just trying to get out of work dammit. Get back to work. Nobody would believe us so I told my little brother, and he said I want to see it. Show me. He grabbed a hand full of bottle rockets, and we walked towards the orchard. To his amazement, and ours the creature was still there eating apples.

My brother started shooting bottle rockets at it. I told him not to but he did not listen, then the creature casually stood up from its sitting position, and gracefully walked deeper into the orchard, out of our view. We told my brother to walk over into the orchard, to see if it was still there, and he replied no way! We knew no one would ever believe us. So we put it behind us, and just tried to forget about it. We would talk about it amongst each other, but never to any one else, out of fear of ridicule.

Years went by! The next incident happened in the winter of 95 about mid November. I was anxious to start my own business, selling live trees. I had a small Mazda pickup my grandfather was loaning me. I got my nursery license, tree tags, some twine, some burlap, some nails, chicken wire, a bailing hook, a shovel, and two spades. My idea was to collect Pinon pines and juniper from my grandfather's ranch, bring it to Albuquerque, and sell it on the side of the road.

I was married then, my son only seven years old, so my wife and son stayed in town, while I ventured out on the weekends to collect trees. Always the same set of circumstances. I chose an area with loose soil, however there is an abundance of minerals in this 80-acre area, off of the main dirt road. It's pristine, virtually untouched virgin land, but definitely a mineralologists dream. It had heavy pine Pinon, and juniper in the lower elevation, and Douglas fir white fir in the upper region. The minerals I've come across while digging up trees I've seen huge chunks of pyrite fall from the root balls as I dig them out. Copper azurite silver white quarts flint and many others I don't even know the names of, but a rock collectors dream.

Anyway back to my point, I drive my truck into this certain area as far as I can until the trees become so thick I have to stop and set out on foot. I grab my backpack with all my gear including food and water, and one shovel, and a spade, no guns I don't believe in them! I walk about 300-600 yards into the forest. Looking for only the best looking tree specimens I can find, one here, one there spread out. I'll locate one set down my gear, take a drink of water, take a deep breath of fresh air, relax, and break out my favorite pipe, and then start to dig.

About 15 minutes into it I get a strange sensation. A distinct feeling that I am being watched I look into the trees and I can see movement from tree to tree, at several points, in various locations, about two hundred yards, but the figures are shadowy, and hard to focus on, but they seem to be large upright, moving from behind the tree to another tree. Well I figure maybe my minds just playing tricks on me, so I continue with my work, I'll collect all my trees, lift the root balls, and drag them back to my truck, and call it a day; drive back to Albuquerque, and return ever other weekend or so that winter with the identical circumstances. I told my wife and she didn't know what to make of it.

The summer came and I didn't return till the next winter in 96. That first winter was dry, and there was no snow, but the next winter was moist. I started again in November this time it was snowing quite heavy. I did the same routine but this time there was virgin snow.

I got out of the truck at the usual location, but walking through fresh snow my foot prints visible I walked out, did my usual routine, about 15 minutes into digging I get the same sensation I am being watched but this time I for sure can clearly see a figure in the trees, very visible because every thing is white and this figure is dark but I try not to pay to much attention and continue my work once all my trees are ready, I grab the first two; one root ball in each hand, and ! drag them towards the truck following the exact foot prints I made earlier.

About halfway to the truck I saw foot prints directly crossing my path about 15 to 18 inches in length very large with 3 toes a left foot and a right foot one large toe on each a medium toe and a smaller toe about 7 to 8 feet a part I wonder could this be the same creature I had seen when I was a child? I return several weekends in a row that same winter, in fresh snow with the exact same circumstances.

I told my wife and she definitely believed me but who else would believe me? I thought. So I called my brother I told him the story and suggested it could be the same creature we had seen when we were kids. He remembered the incident but still he said my current story sounded a bit hard to believe.

So I said there is only one way to find out, and asked if he would go to the area the following weekend. He agreed we went together that weekend, and I did every thing the same it was snowing really hard when we got there.

So we sat in the truck til it died down, then got out together only our tracks in the snow, walked out about 300 yards started to dig, I figured we would take turns I told him to start digging he went about 10 minutes, and then I went about 10 minutes, and then he said he had the incredible sensation, I felt it to, we looked out, and saw what seemed to be twenty or so figures watching and moving about 100 yards in a half circle in the perimeter.

He was terrified I told him not to be, as animals have been known to sense fear. I told him to relax I gave him a drink of water, and we both smoked my pipe we continued our work, started gathering our equipment, and trees, followed our foot prints out I expected to see tracks as I had before and we did but I was astounded, For the first time I saw three sets of 3 toed prints the large set I had seen before but a smaller set and even smaller set I looked at him and said oh my God there must be family's of these creatures.

I thought we should have brought some plaster because no one will ever believe us, but at the same time I was relieved, because I had at least one real witness and if nothing else. I knew I wasn't imagining these incidents! I'm sure I could have gathered even more proof, but my father wanted me to stop digging up trees, in fear that I might damage the environment he told my grandmother to pull the plug on my tree business, and my grandfather took the truck! I've recently passed through the area during the summer months and have had the same being watched sensations. I know they're out there!

Back to my dilemma I spoke of at the beginning, I feel like I'm caught between science, and nature.

On one hand I feel it's my duty to reveal this because it may be of great importance to science, and mankind.

On the other hand I feel these creatures have never brought any harm to me, and I owe it to them to preserve protect they're safe haven. I have to look at all the angles.

Man by nature wants to ultimately prove he is the smartest of all species. To do this he has exploited caged and zoo every other species on the planet as specimens of a lower intellect, somehow giving himself a sense of empowerment and dominion over other species.

What exactly would happen if we could absolutely prove Bigfoot exists? Would the Bigfoot benefit or would we benefit? Would we get rich, would we be famous, would we have a moment of glory?

What would the Bigfoot gain? Why has Bigfoot eluded mankind for so long? There must be a reason? With all the reported sightings I would think it's pretty obvious that it exists. Isn't that enough?

My own personal experience suggests to me that bigfoot is trying to communicate something to us and that is symbolic, mutual respect for all living creatures. By hunting them down, aren't we just forcing them to run further away? Maybe we should just leave well enough alone! What do you think? For the sake of science I am willing to take a lie detector test to back my claims my brother is also willing. I have not spoken to my cousin in years but I am sure I could persuade him to take the test also.

John

Report, with sketch attachment by the witness, taken and logged by Bobbie Short February 10, 2001