Author Topic: A tale from Texas  (Read 1250 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Online Graybeard

  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (69)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 26977
  • Gender: Male
A tale from Texas
« on: December 31, 2004, 11:04:11 AM »
OK guys I'm gonna make one of my rare starter posts here. Since I've seen nor heard anything I even remotely suspect was a bigfoot I don't start many threads. But this one from Texas was told to me by the folks who experienced it. I might see if I can get either of them to drop in later to comment as they likely recall it better than me.

Location is the Reed Ranch on the Trinity River near Kerens which is just east of Corsicana. The Reed Ranch is about six miles from front gate to the river at the very back. Well back in there perhaps half way is a good size natural lake named Bearman Lake. Jim Reed, the owner tells of the stories he was told as a boy about  the "bearman" that would get you if you were caught out at night down in those bottoms and swamps along the river. To this day he still kinda believes those stories and doesn't feel comfortable down in there at night. He'll go but he won't feel comfortable.

Just up from the river is a little flat spot where on our first trip out a huge old log had washed up on the bank and and they called it the "sitting log". For a photo I might can round up later to add here they put some seat belts on it and had me and Faye pose for a photo. The plan was for me and her to sit there on the sitting log to hunt. No one else was brave enough or perhaps stupid enough to do that at night. Turned out we didn't either as no one would volunteer to take us down there or come back for us after the hunt.  :eek:

Why? Well one night when Kevin and Jim, one or both (memory is foggy here) were down in there late after dark getting ready for the hunt they heard a horrible squealing noise from a hog. They were pretty sure a fair large one. Can't recall the details clearly enough here to remember just why they were sure it was a large one. At any rate they were quite confident something was killing and maybe eating the hog from the sounds they heard. Needless to say neither were in any mood to go see what or why that night. They left.

Next day all they found was some blood where something had obviously been killed and perhaps eaten there. And it seems to me I recall something about a stick. Maybe the stick had the blood on it? Memory of the details are foggy here again. Been a few years since I heard the story.

So what's there? What gave the lake it's name and what prompted the legend of the bearman? I dunno.

I do know that one night when I was down in there less than a mile from the river waiting for hogs to show at the feeder I heard a really loud sound in a tree very near me. This was the night I later killed the GrayGhostWhumpusHog. But that's another story. I was sitting waiting for the hogs to show and all of a sudden I heard a huge animal jump up into a tree and go climbing up aways. It then jumped down and continued on it's way.

What was it? I have no clue. Both cougar and blackbear have been seen in the area. Maybe it was one or the other. It wasn't anything smaller I'll promise ya that.

So that's my tale from TX for now.


Bill aka the Graybeard
President, Graybeard Outdoor Enterprises
256-435-1125

I am not a lawyer and do not give legal advice.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life anyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life!

Offline Ol' Man Mountain

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 64
    • Sasquatch Information Network
A tale from Texas
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2004, 12:28:00 PM »
Hi Graybeard,  :D

Excellent tale from Bearman Lake, Texas for sure. Would be interesting to find out what originally prompted the legend of the bearman.
Here's one report of a Bigfoot seen in a tree by a hunter in Le Flore County, Oklahoma:
http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=4532
Ol' Man Mountain

Keep off the skyline, keep yer powder dry, and watch yer topknot!

Online Graybeard

  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (69)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 26977
  • Gender: Male
A tale from Texas
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2004, 05:28:34 PM »
I really believe what I heard in the tree was a cougar. Can't be sure of course as it was pitch dark night. No moon and cloudy. I saw nothing nor did I hear another sound after it hit the ground. Hearing nothing before or after makes me think cat and they can be mighty quite on the ground. But the bark on the tree was pretty noisy.

I too would like to know what gave Bearman Lake it's name. Perhaps just the bears that ran the woods in those days. Perhaps an old hermit who hung out with the bears. Who knows. Jim didn't seem to and his parents are deceased. But I suspect local legend of the area was founded on some evidence of sightings of some creature.


Bill aka the Graybeard
President, Graybeard Outdoor Enterprises
256-435-1125

I am not a lawyer and do not give legal advice.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life anyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life!

Offline 1911crazy

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4793
  • Gender: Male
A tale from Texas
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2005, 02:44:37 AM »
Guys;   I was hunting in another section of the national forest in Vermont and had something strange like that happen to us in the daylite me and my son were up on a ridge above an apple orchard.   As we walked the ridge looking for bear sign we heard a clawing noise of some sort we just couldn't make the sound out.  As we went lower into the apple orchard I found a large white birch tree with fresh claw marks on it that went up to around 30 to 40 feet up it then stopped.  Since I know there are mountainlions in the area I figured it heard us talking but it couldn't figure out where we were so it went up to get a better look to see where we were at.  These weren't bobcat or bear claw marks these were mountainlion claw marks.  I know that sound now of it climbing.  This orchard also has very large bear tracks/droppings in it too.  This is one of the spots were the tracks are larger than my 13" sorel boots.   BigBill

Offline bullet maker

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 979
  • Gender: Male
A tale from Texas
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2005, 05:53:06 PM »
Good story of the Bearman lake Greybeard :D  Wonder if anybody seen large foot tracks on the ground? Sounds like maybe it was given the name (Bearman), because thats what a lot of people think when they first see Bigfoot. They think its a bear on its hind legs, standing up, until it starts to walk, and then they know, it ain`t no bear.  Let us know more if the other party tells you more, sounds very interesting.

bullet maker :D
I like to make bullets, handload, shooting of all types, hunting, fishing, taking pictures, reading, grandchildren, 4 wheeling, eating out often.