What's Thanksgiving without a few Thanksgiving weekend Bigfoot stories?

While you're stuffed with turkey, pie and anger towards your embarrassing family today, here are a few accounts of people who have had an encounter with Bigfoot around Thanksgiving. The first report was investigated by president of the BFRO, Matt Moneymaker.

2 youths encounter an 8' tall bi-pedal figure while on family campout (follow-up investigation by Matt Moneymaker)
Dona Ana County, New Mexico

We were camping for Thanksgiving week. There were 3 adults, 2 teenagers and 2 small children.

My 14 yr old son was outside in the night getting me something from our SUV when he turned to see what he described as an 8' tall humanoid shaped figure walking south in the half-moonlight.

He had no flashlight to look closer but when he saw it/him/her (I'll just call it an "it") he got scared and ran into the trailer where we all were.

The weather was fairly cold (just a little above freezing if I remember right) and it was just after a sandstorm had passed through the two days before. All was clear with few clouds in the sky that night.

Once inside he told us and we laughed and thought he was joking so we suggested that perhaps, because of it's size, that it was Bigfoot. I have a friend who knows/knew some people and had heard of at least 4 Bigfoot sightings in the [mountains] over the last decade or so it was not unheard of to know of Bigfoot sightings in the desert even though they usually live in forested areas.

We have, within an hours drive of there, many forested and wooded areas in the mountains all over New Mexico and it is not a far reach to think they would roam outside their territory on occasion... especially in the dark of night.

So after we got a good laugh my nephew, age 18, took his flashlight and they stood just outside the trailer looking to see if they could see this 8' tall figure my son claimed to have seen.

Just then, although they didn't see anything, they heard a very large growl, like a warning sound or angry sound type growl, along with a shuffling of the dirt, or digging of the dirt with a foot(?) which reminded my nephew of a bull scraping the dirt with it's foot just before it runs towards you.

The boys both freaked out completely and ran inside the trailer, falling down and slamming the door behind them all at the same time. They were yelling and said that it was outside. I asked a series of questions and I could plainly see that Derek was totally freaked out and absolutely unwilling to go back outside.

I suddenly got this feeling that we were in danger. We just stayed inside peeking out the windows with flashlights trying to see anything. We locked the door to the trailer and our friend (who sleeps in his car) locked his car during the night.

The boys drove back to Las Cruces to spend the night because they were too afraid to stay and my nephew had to work the next morning.

We didn't check the area until the next morning, but any tracks from the day before, including our own, were erased by the blowing sand.

Click here to read the follow-up investigation by Matt Moneymaker

Evening sighting by motorist on Hwy 75 near Duke's Creek
White County, Georgia

It was on thanksgiving night in 99. I was driving home from my daughters apartment in Cleveland Ga. When suddenly I thought I saw a man crossing the road on hwy. 75. I hit my brakes and realized that it was wearing no clothes and was covered in hair like a bear, but it walked upright and hunched more like a man or a huge ape like thing. It was definately not a bear. It was large and long armed. It turned it's head and looked over at me, then swiftly jumped down a huge drop and dissappeared into the woods. It all happened so fast. I was shocked and went home not sure of what i believed i had seen at the moment. Before then I had never been sure something like that had existed and I tried to rationalize what I had seen, but now I am convinced that it was in fact neither man nor bear nor simple ape. I cannot prove what it actually was, but I can say that it was quite amazing. Either that night or the next morning I callerd Animal Control saying I saw a bear, believing that it wouldn't be taken serious if i said what i know I saw. There were cattle near by that needed protection.

Early evening sighting by motorist two miles outside Bon Wier
Newton County, Texas

My sighting took place in the fall of 1981 (poss. '82) so I believe it's of no great value, except to record keepers/researchers.

My wife and I were heading home for Thanksgiving from Gulfport, MS to Nacogdoches,Texas. We saw this large hairy, Chubaka-like creature walk across the road in front of us near Bon Wier,TX.

Our trip began in the early afternoon which put us in S.E.Texas at dusk. The road was unfamiliar so I kept my speed at 60MPH and had my head lights on (1982 Datsun KingCab).

Well as anyone who has seen one of these things will tell you; it the last thing you expect to see, as it was in our case.

- Location: Approx. 2 miles west of, to maybe half way between Bon Wier and Newton, TX. on HWY.190. I do not recall any houses, side roads, or lights in this area.
- Time: 1700-1900hrs (5-7p.m)
- Weather: Overcast (possibly occ. drizzle).

Both sides of the road had 12-18" of water. I don't remember any fences on either side, just thicket(s) like vegetation.

What was seen: A lean (my guess male) hairy (yellow in the headlights; poss.grey/silver) creature/being/bigfoot calmly stride to the center of the road, pause, turn slightly to look in our direction for a couple of seconds and the casually stide/walk off.

"He" was headed east to west. The Caney Creek was on the east side of this section of road. My guy did not seem to be as broad shouldered/big chested as drawing/photos I've seen since. "He" was easily 7 foot tall. I remember thinking (somewhere in the back of mind I was considering "him" a hazard) that if he fell over he would take up the better part of one of the traffic lanes.

I guess my subconscious was trying to fit what I was seeing with a "normal" occurence like a injured hunter. My wife (ex-wife now) and I did not speak until about ten seconds after we passed where "he" went off the road in to the shrubs/bushes. I saw "him" for what seemed like ten seconds - from about a 1/4mi. to about 100 yds. Hairy face made features small. Hairy hands and feet. Didn't see any genitalia. Again "he" casually walked to the approx. middle of the road in about 4 easy strides and left the same way.

Night time sighting by motorist outside the town of Keyser
Mineral County, West Virginia

So much time has elapsed since this incident, so I am not sure of exact dates and times, so those aspects will be approximations. However, I DO remember EXACTLY what I saw.

It was approximately 9pm, and it was dark and cold. I believe it was around Thanksgiving. My girlfriend lived, at that time, on Green Mountain, about 6 miles outside of Keyser, WV. The area is hilly to mountainous and I will enclose a mapquest picture of the area (although it has changed a bit since the picture was taken). It is technically Rt. 46/4, and the sighting occured along this route, what is now known as Green Mountain Road locally, but older maps may list it as "Hoover Hollow Road".

I was returning home after dropping her off. I was alone and beginning my descent back down the mountain, at approximately the halfway point.

The road changes levels several times in a short distance at this point; many dips and slight rises before the meat of the descent begins. I was in this section and on one of the rises when something on the left side of the road caught my attention. There appeared to be someone sitting on a log on the bank above the road; the "person" looked at me and I realized it wasn't a person at all. The motion of the creature-- for lack of a better term-- indicated that I had startled it-- very sharp, quick movements. The eyes glowed yellowish/amber as my lights hit them; the being had long brownish fur with strands of white (maybe) through it; it appeared matted, or dreadlocked; the feature that struck me most was the size of the thing-- I can't even imagine the actual numbers but, I have a 300 pound Brother-in-law and a 6'3" tall Brother and they both would have been dwarfed by this guy, both in height and weight. I would conservatively estimate the creature to have been at least 400lbs and every bit of 7 feet tall. Upon seeing my car, this creature stood up and jumped from the bank, landing somewhere near the middle of the 2 lane road, and began to run from left to right, into a deep pine and laurel thicket.

I do not know why, but I stopped near the point that the creature entered the thicket and turned my vehicle off. My windows were rolled down slightly, so I could hear the thing running through the thicket-- the sound receded quickly, as if it was moving with considerable speed. I listened for mere seconds, before recognizing the stupidity of my actions forced my hand and I continued on.

As I drove on, I saw what appeared to be a fire burning directly ahead of me. The road bends to the right and the fire was actually on the same side of the road as the point where I observed the creature. Around the fire, I saw several people. They were talking and partying. To me, it appeared that the spot where the creature was sitting was a PERFECT observation point for the happenings at the campfire. And, I remembered him (I say "him" because I got the distinct impression of masculinity from this enormous creature-- barrel chest, thick arms and legs and just a "maleness" to it's movements) turning his head to face me and it turned in a way to suggest that it was looking TOWARD the clearing where the fire was burning. I remember thinkin, "Huh... He just wanted to see what they were doing".

I immediately called my girlfriend after observing the campfire. I told her that I think I just saw a Bigfoot, and I related what I saw. She panicked and told me to come get her, but I was too spooked by then to turn around.