WARNING: Southern Illinois hunters beware

[SDS-GEN]

I just couldn't save these until Halloween.

For anyone who hunts the Shawnee Forest.

http://www.prairieghosts.com/mudmonster.html

http://www.prairieghosts.com/enfield.html

[GRIMJIM]

Those woods can get weird. I was hunting in williamson county in January and came across an old cemetary right in the middle of the woods. Stones dated mid to late 1800's. Place kind of gave me the creeps. It was interesting to read the head stones though. Most of them were so old the faces were eroded off and you couldn't make out what they said.

[SDS-GEN]

Never been to the Shawnee, but I do have a prairie cemetery on the neighbor's place a couple of hundred yards from the house.  Same as you describe, old stones so worn that you can't read them. A bunch of stones marked GAR (Grand Army of the Republic).  There are some that show whole families, mom, dad and kids that died within a couple of months of each other, maybe smallpox?

[Glanceblamm]

I personally know of one case like this but have mixed reactions to it because of other long-winded stories that came from the teller. This tale was just told as an experience though and did nothing to boost his own prowness or ego in the eyes of others.

Our man (Bill) was long known to myself as he was a Maint man at our workplace. He liked to Bowhunt the old Site M area (now named as the Jim Edger wildlife area?) an hour or so northwest of Springfield IL. Bill found what he thought would be a pristine patch of woods in all that acreage because it was out of the way to all but the most dedicated hikers along with being behind an old Cemetery.
He did see one hunter in his scouting that warned him not to go back there because of a Werewolf!

Bill did hunt that patch the very next morning. He said that he had got in his stand while it was still dark and had only been there a few minuets when he heard some awful growling coming down the trail that he had used and that whatever it was stopped directly underneath his stand while continuing to growl menacingly.
Bill got out his flashlight and turned it on the creature but his battery was completely dead. The creature eventually moved off but Bill said that he was so scared that he hunted the very same stand the very next day because he knew that he would never go hunting again if he didn't. Bill is far from being a pilgrim in the woods and is a long time coon hunter.
<end of story>

As I reflected on this, my first thought is that the other hunter who warned Bill of the Warewolf was simply trying to scare him out of the said hunters personal spot.
It would not make good sense to try and scare Bill off in the dark though because Bill could have easily chosen to start loosening arrows at the unseen noise. Perhaps the hunter was stupid?--even if he had night vision glasses, this would still be a great risk to take in order to scare someone off. Also there would be the risk that Bill could be carrying a handgun (he wasn't but a lot more people than you would think of do.)
And Finally
We come back around to Bill again. This is very near the start of the Bowhunting season and Bill say's that his flashlight was dead. It would make sense for this to happen during mid to late season but usually never on that first week where you make sure everything is up to snuff.

In Conclusion: I am undecided on this whole Story. Bill can tell tales as I said already but he really had nothing to gain and that his demeanor was more apprehensive than anything when he told me.
I think that this really happened but don't know if it was a large cat or simply a Coyote. Darn that Bills flashlight anyway...perhaps he imagined this?

[S.B.]

I see there's a good one about mysterious black panthers (actual cats not human)of Illinois on this site?

[jdwolf]

Who remembers the Peckerwoods Monster? 

[six_gunz]

I see there's a good one about mysterious black panthers (actual cats not human)of Illinois on this site?

I believe they had a segment on "Monster Quest" (a new series on the History Channel) about these panthers in IL.

That's a good one about the MUD MONSTER   ....kind of a MOTH MAN prophecy like tale

[kevthebassman]

I think the size of your friend's imagination is only surpassed by the size of his mouth.

I'm from the "Show Me" state.  Don't believe a word of that claptrap.  I live in meth country.... running across a bigfoot or a mudmonster would be like having a cup of tea with the Queen of England compared to stumbling into a tweaker camp. 

I've been carrying a 9mm with me when I step foot in the woods, but since I just bought a .44, I think I'll be upgrading my firepower.  If there is a bigfoot, and if I run across him, you can bet good cash money that I'll give him a dirtnap, and I'll have some flesh, teeth, and hair stashed away before anyone gets close to the kill.  But that's a rather ridiculous thing to think about, as far as I'm concerned, there is no bigfoot until somebody puts a bullet in one and he gets a proper scientific examination.

Oh, and my flashlights always have fresh batteries.

[S.B.]

kevthebassman, how quickly the shackles are raised on non-believers?HEHEHE

[Glanceblamm]

kev,
I think it was a Werewolf, not a bigfoot.

[S.B.]

Randy, you know that's just a rumor, don't you?

[kevthebassman]

I wouldn't call myself a non-believer, because I wouldn't put bigfoot's existence out of the realm of possibility, but I'm definitely a skeptic.  I will believe in bigfoot when some lucky hunter happens to be in the right place at the right time with his 30-06 and brings one down for scientific study.

[SDS-GEN]

I didn't mean to get a believer vs. non-believer debate going here, I just enjoy a good ghost story.

As for werewolves in the midwest try this.  http://www.prairieghosts.com/brayrd.html

[Cement Man]

When I was at Boy Scout camp in the 50's, the late night campfire stories were about "Seaweed Sam".  I pass the warnings along to me grandkids now.

[S.B.]

Very good thread. Especially the links to the goblin site, I enjoyed them all.
Steve

[Glanceblamm]

Steve, when my family or friends hear a noise or get a sense of forebodding when out in the woods I tell them not to worry cause it is probably just me lurking around  
My oldest Son especially enjoys this explanation cause he knows that I spend a lot of time out there.

[Chilachuck]

I thought the big foot clan all got shaved and started playing football or pro-wrestling?

[S.B.]

I thought the big foot clan all got shaved and started playing football or pro-wrestling?

No, I rhink they still live out by Cornel Illinois in the "Skunk Hollow" area?