Nathaniel writes "I've been listening to your podcast for about five years now, and over that time I've had multiple encounters that I've never really known what to make of. Recently I listened to Episode 769 with the wildlife biologist, and the way he described some of his experiences was almost exactly what I've seen. I'm also currently in school to become a wildlife biologist myself, so hearing that episode finally convinced me to reach out and share a couple of my experiences. I have several...
Nathaniel writes "I've been listening to your podcast for about five years now, and over that time I've had multiple encounters that I've never really known what to make of. Recently I listened to Episode 769 with the wildlife biologist, and the way he described some of his experiences was almost exactly what I've seen. I'm also currently in school to become a wildlife biologist myself, so hearing that episode finally convinced me to reach out and share a couple of my experiences. I have several others, but there are two that stand out above the rest. If you're interested, I'd be happy to share the others another time.
I've spent my entire life hunting and fishing, and I'm currently going into my junior year of college here in Kentucky. During deer season I'm usually in the woods four or five days a week after classes, hunting a large Wildlife Management Area (WMA) surrounding a nearby lake. I'm primarily a bowhunter, and at the time I never carried a firearm because, realistically, this is Kentucky we don't have many large predators that would make me feel like I needed one.
My first encounter happened in late November of 2024, around the end of Kentucky's gun season. I got to the woods around 2:00 p.m., and it took me roughly an hour to hike into my spot. It was about a mile back through some extremely thick, nasty terrain, which is exactly why I hunt there it keeps me away from other hunters.
After pushing through about 12 acres of dense cedar thicket, I reached the entrance to a deep holler. I climbed about 20 feet up into my climber stand and had only been sitting for around 10 minutes when I realized everything had gone completely silent. There were no birds, no squirrels, no movement nothing. The woods just seemed dead.
A few moments later I heard two distinct wood knocks off to my front left. I thought it was strange, but I brushed it off. Then, two or three minutes later, I noticed what looked like a bipedal figure walking through the woods roughly 100 yards away. My first thought was that it was another hunter or maybe a hiker, since I was on public land.
I looked away for just a second to scan the rest of the woods, and when I looked back, the figure was gone. In its place was what I can only describe as an enormous, jet-black wolf or something that looked like one.
I've seen plenty of coyotes over the years, and through school and visits to zoos I've seen wolves as well. This wasn't either of those. It was significantly larger than any coyote I've ever seen, and something about its proportions just looked wrong. The shape of its head, the size of it, and the way it carried itself immediately stood out to me.
It was only about 50 yards away, so I could see it clearly. The eyes were unusually large and locked directly onto me the entire time. It never looked away. It was crouched low, almost like a canine stalking prey, and it slowly moved from my left to my right, heading toward the cedar thicket. The entire time it stayed on all fours. Then it walked into the cedars…and simply disappeared. I don't mean it ran off or I lost sight of it because of distance. It was just gone.
At that point I decided I was done for the day. I called my parents to let them know I was heading out, climbed down as quickly as I could, and started making my way back toward the truck. As I climbed about halfway up the ridge, I stopped for a moment to look around and get a better view of my surroundings.
That's when I heard something I'll never forget.
The best way I can describe it is a cross between a woman's scream and a howl, but much deeper than either. It was unlike anything I've ever heard before, and I've spent my entire life outdoors. The sound immediately put me into full panic mode.
I took off running and didn't stop until I got back to my truck. A hike that had taken me about an hour going in took me roughly 30 minutes coming out.
I didn't return to the woods for the rest of that deer season.
I've had several other experiences since then, with one in particular being much more significant. It involved being followed while leaving the woods and seeing what many people describe as "orbs" in that same area.
I know this is a lot to read, and I realize it sounds unbelievable. These aren't exactly Sasquatch encounters, but after hearing Episode 769 I felt like I should finally reach out. If you're interested, I'd be glad to tell you about the rest of what I've experienced."
