Daylight Sighting at Erwin Mountain State Forest

A retired corrections officer turkey hunting near Erwin Mountain State Forest, about two miles southwest of Erwin, watched a roughly seven foot tall, reddish brown figure walking upright about 75 yards off for four to five seconds before it stepped behind a tree. It happened just after 6am in May 2022, calm and partly cloudy with no wind, so there wasn’t much else around to explain the size or the movement. About 15 minutes later he heard something strike a tree branch high up and then thud to the ground, followed by a musky odor drifting through the area. The witness had decades of hunting experience, which is part of why BFRO classified this one Class A, their category for direct sightings under conditions that rule out easy misidentification.

Location: Erwin Mountain State Forest, near Erwin, Steuben County, NY
Source: BFRO Report #74487