Depictions of Bigfoot in pop culture vary greatly: from mindless aggressor to gentle giant. But what are real Bigfoot like in the wild? While many encounters are simple observations or sightings, a rare few experienced close interactions with these creatures. Some witnesses were even chased. These stories could provide some insight to the creatures’ motivations. Whether these three tales are of narrow escapes or instances of cross-species miscommunication, their harrowing nature can’t be denied.

The Uphill Pursuit

In Adams County, Ohio 2012 a man rode his ATV through uninhabited family property with his 4-year-old cousin in tow. After a long day of riding the trails, they turned back home under the setting sun.

Just as their ATV began its struggle up a particularly tricky hill, both the driver and the young passenger heard a large thumping sound. They both turned to see a large, hairy man-like creature chasing after them. It appeared to be carrying a large log. Due to the poor condition of the hilly road, the ATV could only accelerate to around 10mph. The Bigfoot easily kept pace. After cresting the hill, the ATV made its way into a grassy field where it picked up to 30 mph. The driver felt temporarily relieved now that they are able to put a little distance between their young ward and the seemingly angry creature. To their shock, the Bigfoot still kept a fair pace with the motorized vehicle.

One last surprise awaited the riders.

The creature hurled the immense log.

Thankfully it did not have accuracy to match its great strength. The log landed harmlessly in the field nowhere near the ATV. They pulled away from the creature and onto the road that lead home. The young boy still speaks of the hairy man he met in the woods to this day.

Mountain Chase Terror

In the winter of 1995, a teenager named Lance encountered a Sasquatch in Washington’s Wenatchee National Forest. As Lance rode his mountain bike along the park trails, he came across an older couple who were visibly upset. He heard startling animal sounds coming from the woods. They told Lance they were from out of state, so he took their reaction as a naive understanding of the local wildlife. He continued down the trail.

As he biked on, Lance couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Soon, large footprints in the snow appeared on the side of the trail. He dismissed them as melted animal prints and rode on. In reality, he had just stumbled upon a stretch of ill-fated Sasquatch evidence.

To his great shock, Lance spotted a monster in the treeline. The figure was nine-foot-tall and covered in dark hair. It lumbered through the woods. Lance, unsure of what he was seeing, decided to try and ride out of the area as discreetly as possible. Unfortunately, this didn’t work.

The creature charged. The stink of rancid death carried it through the trees. The Bigfoot barreled down the mountain side, crashing through the brush at an angle in an attempt to cut Lance off. Despite Lance’s effort to outrun the large creature through the treacherous terrain, the beast kept pace with the bike. Lance screamed in fear. The beast screamed right back!

Soon Lance felt comfortable enough to look back to check on his terrifying pursuer. Nothing there. He stayed on course, wanting to be off the mountain as soon as possible.

Suddenly, the Bigfoot burst from the growth on the side of the trail in an attempted ambush.

Lance rode as fast he could, all the way until he was touching his car. He lost the creature again some point before the trail head, he isn’t sure when. He could still hear its roars until the moment he got into his car.

Lance believes the creature could have caught up to him at any time, and its motivations for chasing him may not have been to catch him. Lance doesn’t ride far from home anymore, and he won’t ride alone anymore.

The Real Monster of Bluff Creek

Our last story is about a late-night trip that an unlucky driver says was so traumatic that he blocked it completely from his memory. This event took place in 1952 near the famed Bluff Creek, in Orleans CA. The person in question had been driving on a rainy night when a hairy orangutan-like beast appeared on the side of the road. An overactive imagination, no doubt. But the creature emerged a second time in the rear window. Again, it quickly disappeared.

After driving a little farther, he found a fallen tree blocking the road. It looked like it was dragged to block the cars passage. The driver exited the car to drag it away. Suddenly, thunderous footsteps sounded out. The apparent Bigfoot lumbered toward the headlights. It was barely taller than his 5’9’’ but its round eyes glowed luminous in the bright lights. The “thing’s” teeth looked sharp and long.

The Bigfoot charged the poor man. The creature paced down the road. Every time the man moved towards his car it would charge back again. Eventually, out of pure desperation, the driver sprinted for his car. He plowed over the fallen tree. The creature roared in rage and gripped the back of the car. The vehicle overpowered the creature allowing the witness to speed away into the night. Read the full story here.

Aggressive Displays or Compelling Behavior?

These stories, as gripping as they are for us, and frightening as they may be for the people who lived through them, can provide us with useful insight and nature of Bigfoot. At first glance, these may seem to be attacks of a hostile beast, but it is with further examination we may glean something more. Behavior: the use of the log as thrown weapon, the hide-and-ambush tactics on the mountain trail, the placement of the sapling across the road to separate a man from his car.

We see here not just simple animal aggression, but demonstrated thought, strategy, and tool use. Bigfoot may be at odds with mankind at times, but this should not be mistaken for a lack of intelligence. Perhaps, one day, we will better understand these more hostile confrontations (read more tense encounters via Bigfoot Base) and why they happened. For now, it is fair to say that these were likely not just random acts of violence but a crossing of paths for two very different species.