Paranormal

Bigfoot Screams (Or, Sounds You’d Rather Not Hear in the Woods)

In late 2012, reports surfaced of strange noises coming out of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon. Described as shrill screams and loud roars, the sounds were so terrifying that residents were kept awake at night, and their dogs wouldn’t dare go outside.

Then there were rumors – were the screams just foxes or coyotes? Some raised the possibility of Native American skinwalkers, shapeshifters who could change their bodies into animals at will. Others believed the sounds were something else – a Bigfoot screaming out into the darkness, perhaps even a young one lost in the woods.

One woman, Colleen Chance, recorded the screams on her iPhone.

Residents of the area, described by homeownership counselor Marcus Luke, were “woodsy-type folks,” and as The Oregonian reported at the time, they were familiar with the local forests, their animals, and the sounds they made. But many felt these were different, and so the rumors of Bigfoot began to spread.

A Famous Bigfoot Shriek

This wasn’t the first time someone claimed to hear the shrill screams of Bigfoot echoing throughout a forest. Allegedly recorded by campers in Washington in 1971, the above audio is often shared as an example of an actual recording of Bigfoot.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be a recreation of sounds that a couple from British Columbia had experienced, originally featured in a film titled Bigfoot: Man or Beast.

And then there’s this…

Recordings, as I’m sure we all realize by now, prove nothing. What can we make of the Siberia recording — the Well to Hell — for example? Could be anything, if you ask me. But that, folks, doesn’t mean what we see or hear can’t be disturbing on its own.

Here’s a set of alleged Bigfoot screams recorded on July 8, 2012 in the Sierra Forest near Clipper Mills, California. However, it’s this next recording, taken in the same area on February 3, 2013 that is, personally, not something I’d want to hear while alone in the woods at night.

Even if they include the sounds of coyotes — perhaps something else has joined them.

As for those sounds that occurred at the Umatilla Indian Reservation, I’m not certain if we ever discovered their origin. One possible explanation pointed to wolves as the culprits, but I’m not sure that’s a definitive answer, and I’m unaware of any recent followups. If you are, let me know in the comments.

Have you ever heard anything mysterious in the forest? A shrill scream in the dead of night?

Rob Schwarz

Writer, blogger, and part-time peddler of mysterious tales. Editor-in-chief of Stranger Dimensions.