DakotaWoodsman
New Member
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- 6
My family and I live near Oakwood Lakes State Park, Volga, South Dakota State University in Brookings, and Lake Sinai SD.
I have never been afraid of the dark until I moved here. I have lived in old forest and waterways and never felt as small and unwanted in the dark as I feel here.
It started last year around late winter. I started seeing large animals in the trees with red, reflective eyes. They seemed like they were about 130-180 lbs. I first thought they were mountain lions because I have heard and tracked pumas in this area while out hunting before. After first light on the following mornings however, I would not find any print, tree scratch, fur or markings in my trees or surrounding ground. When I shared this information with my neighbors, they all seemed to want me to stay inside after dark and to warned me that things will get "worse".
On one of the first nice days the following spring, I took my 2 daughters on a light hike on a wooded hill near a pond adjacent to my small town. We found many dead warblers and sparrows that seemed unmolested and without wounds. The longer we walked into the trees, the more the girls wanted out. This past autumn, we saw a very large and shaggy dog walk casually from the slough into this wood, long face and hair. Most of the older folk that grew up here tell me to keep out of that treed hill. It is less than 200yrds from my house.
A few of my neighbors and myself experienced disturbances on our properties. One neighbor found his pigeons pulled through his fence but they had no visible wounds, all shattered bones, and no blood. Another neighbor witnessed the same deaths only from his chickens instead. Another neighbor told me he had his very large coon hounds disappear from inside his house one night. Then it got spooky.
I was home with my twin boys one day while my wife and daughters went to a pool party out of town. They kept looking outside and waving and saying "hi" "hello". When I asked what they saw, they both told me, "there's man hiding." I couldn't find this hiding man. After I put the boys to bed hours later, I started hearing knocking on my doors. Nobody was there. I loaded my rifle and prepared for bed. As I was getting dressed, it sounded like a person was running around my roof. Then the circle running stopped and moved towards my garage. I went to the door and opened it. Said, "get out of here!" And looked around. Saw nothing. Sound was gone. I shut the door and it sounded like something ran at the door and hit it near the top. More fumbling and slamming until it eventually stopped after about 20 minutes.
I specifically wanted to shoot at the sounds in my garage through the door, but was immediately given the thought that it could be my wife just getting home, and so I waited ready and alert though I did not believe she would make these behaviours knowing I was inside. She came home the next day in the afternoon as we had planned for her to do.
I looked for prints and sign. I looked for ways into my garage. I looked for shingles displaced and stolen items. I found nothing amiss. When I asked the neighbors about it, they all said that this stuff happens in this town and that leo won't respond anymore.
I want to know if any of you have insight and\or advice. We still hear strange things and often experience an odd darkness here on occasion, but have only had the foot sounds once since. Everyone seems to see dark, hooded people walking around some nights, but that isn't very odd. I do find small prints of bare human feet in my yard sometimes, even in winter, about the size of my hand.
Please share any knowledge and experiences you might have that sound like this. I would like to know more but can't seem to find witness.
I have never been afraid of the dark until I moved here. I have lived in old forest and waterways and never felt as small and unwanted in the dark as I feel here.
It started last year around late winter. I started seeing large animals in the trees with red, reflective eyes. They seemed like they were about 130-180 lbs. I first thought they were mountain lions because I have heard and tracked pumas in this area while out hunting before. After first light on the following mornings however, I would not find any print, tree scratch, fur or markings in my trees or surrounding ground. When I shared this information with my neighbors, they all seemed to want me to stay inside after dark and to warned me that things will get "worse".
On one of the first nice days the following spring, I took my 2 daughters on a light hike on a wooded hill near a pond adjacent to my small town. We found many dead warblers and sparrows that seemed unmolested and without wounds. The longer we walked into the trees, the more the girls wanted out. This past autumn, we saw a very large and shaggy dog walk casually from the slough into this wood, long face and hair. Most of the older folk that grew up here tell me to keep out of that treed hill. It is less than 200yrds from my house.
A few of my neighbors and myself experienced disturbances on our properties. One neighbor found his pigeons pulled through his fence but they had no visible wounds, all shattered bones, and no blood. Another neighbor witnessed the same deaths only from his chickens instead. Another neighbor told me he had his very large coon hounds disappear from inside his house one night. Then it got spooky.
I was home with my twin boys one day while my wife and daughters went to a pool party out of town. They kept looking outside and waving and saying "hi" "hello". When I asked what they saw, they both told me, "there's man hiding." I couldn't find this hiding man. After I put the boys to bed hours later, I started hearing knocking on my doors. Nobody was there. I loaded my rifle and prepared for bed. As I was getting dressed, it sounded like a person was running around my roof. Then the circle running stopped and moved towards my garage. I went to the door and opened it. Said, "get out of here!" And looked around. Saw nothing. Sound was gone. I shut the door and it sounded like something ran at the door and hit it near the top. More fumbling and slamming until it eventually stopped after about 20 minutes.
I specifically wanted to shoot at the sounds in my garage through the door, but was immediately given the thought that it could be my wife just getting home, and so I waited ready and alert though I did not believe she would make these behaviours knowing I was inside. She came home the next day in the afternoon as we had planned for her to do.
I looked for prints and sign. I looked for ways into my garage. I looked for shingles displaced and stolen items. I found nothing amiss. When I asked the neighbors about it, they all said that this stuff happens in this town and that leo won't respond anymore.
I want to know if any of you have insight and\or advice. We still hear strange things and often experience an odd darkness here on occasion, but have only had the foot sounds once since. Everyone seems to see dark, hooded people walking around some nights, but that isn't very odd. I do find small prints of bare human feet in my yard sometimes, even in winter, about the size of my hand.
Please share any knowledge and experiences you might have that sound like this. I would like to know more but can't seem to find witness.