The following is my account of an experience that occurred ~3 years ago. A lot has happened/changed with my perspective since then but one thing has remained constant. That is, that night in Louisiana the BF* involved was a flesh and blood entity.
*BF; an entity yet to be conclusively identified via forensic sciencific methods.
The Louisiana “Hunt”
(01/2002)
The following is a recollection of my account on the GCBRO “hunt” which took place at Monster Central a ~1500 tract in NW Louisiana some miles south of Shreveport. There were three of us in attendance at the invitation of Monster Hunter (Jim L.) since his family owns the property. My companions go by the initials D.G., W.W. and T.G. (myself) none of which were GCBRO members. Also, this account likely isn’t 100% perfect for the last “perfect” person I’ve heard of was nailed to a cross ~2006 years ago.
D.G. and I arrived at ~15:00 on Friday and as we slowly drove into the “camp” area D.G. remarked, “it isn’t too late to go back home to Oklahoma”. What precipitated that comment was first the sight of one GCBRO member (Rick T.) sauntering from around his tent with a Budweiser in one hand and a single shot 12 gauge shotgun in the other. We didn’t find out until later that M.H. wouldn’t let him load the thing. Also, another GCBRO member (Richard C.) was observed pulling on a bottle of whisky while toting a Marlin .45-.70 lever gun. Had W.W. not been coming in later that night and we didn’t want him to be blindsided we’d have blown the entire deal off. In retrospect, this turned out to be a portent of things to come.
That evening’s “hunt” turned out to be uneventful as all of the hunter parties (GCBRO members) got cold and radioed to be brought out prior to 21:00. The weather for that weekend was mostly clear skies with a slight breeze during the day with temps in the low forties at daytime and the mid twenties for nighttime lows with almost a dead calm wind. The moon was at the apex of its full phase.
The layout was for one hunter to be positioned in a tree (climbing stand) up on a rise ~1/4 mile above the main bottom area where a recent road-kill deer carcass had been placed beside a field road adjacent to a creek crossing. There were 2-4 climbing tree stands in that immediate vicinity.
The next day M.H. gave us a general layout of the place along with a new plan for that evenings hunt. D.G. & W.W. were to be in climbing stands across the creek ~50 yards from the carcass/bait with an additional attractant consisting of pheromone scent (we had brought) placed in cotton balls hung in a small thicket of river cane located between their positions. I was to take up the spot immediately on the bait location with a guy (Randy) ~30 yards behind me up in a pine thicket with a high dollar video camera perched in another tree stand. One of the problems were the type of stands themselves as they were the “Tree Lounger” models which were almost impossible to shoot from as lateral and opposite side mobility were very limited if nonexistent.
A recent MRI had revealed herniated disc (3) in my back and coupled with the stand design problematic issues made for my decision to use a ground blind ~20 yards from the bait plus I felt better able to defend myself (if need be) from that position as well.
The camera guy (Randy’s) campmate a member of the Caddo tribe from Anadarko, Oklahoma was to have taken the spy tree stand spot up on the rise above us. He (Doug) was reputed to have been some sort of military sniper with “14 confirmed kills” and was carrying an H&K model 92 in .308 with a 40 rd. clip and high quality glass atop it.
However, he threw a hissy fit at being left alone on the ridge with “no backup” and insisted upon being with his campmate, Camera Guy Randy. The end result was I was to go back to the camp area with M.H. and take the late night watch on the carcass spot as “sniper boy” went up the pine tree adjacent to the deer carcass location.
We had no more gotten back to the camp area (~1 mile away) and sat down at the fire when a single shot shattered the still night air. On the radio, came sniper boy saying, “I got him” with W.W., & D.G. screaming to “shoot it again” but there was no second shot. I guess it was the manifestation of his purported “one shot, one kill” mantra. Unfortunately, he FUBAR’ed the shot and instead of hitting the BF squarely in the back between the shoulder blades, as he tried he’d gut shot it at a lateral angle.
Then, the cluster&#@* began its endemic cycle.
Several GCBRO members were the first to arrive at the carcass scene. They immediately proceeded to walk/stomp around in and around the bait carcass and in the process contaminated/destroyed much of the forensic evidence in that spot. When MH and I got there one of the first things was I told them to back away from the immediate scene yet a couple of them persisted in tampering with things. Then, I went across the creek and assisted W.W. & D.G. out of their tree stands and we hustled back to the bait location.
A quick examination revealed the BF had made it away from the immediate area back into the brush which consisted of a 3-4 year old clear-cut “jungle” consisting of ~200-250 acres of 6-8’ pine trees, greenbriers, box elders and other assorted heavy vegetation. The BF had apparently belly-crawled up to the carcass and grasped it by the snout intent upon dragging it back into the thicket as evidenced by the shored up leaves/ground cover against it’s back and the clear indentations in the deer’s snout caused by the BF’s fingers as it’s hand clamped down on the carcass.
W.W. was literally screaming for a Coleman lantern but none of the GCBRO members present apparently had the foggiest notion of why he wanted one. Finally, M.K. Davis showed up in his Toyota PU and took W.W. back to camp where he retrieved a lantern. Meanwhile, sniper boy and camera boy had beat a hasty retreat back to camp and were in hiding there as according to their later statements, “we were afraid the rest of the BF would come back and tear up our camp”.
With the lantern ablaze, W.W., D.G., M.K., “Jim”, “Gary” and I went into the brush to track the BF down. The rest of the GCBRO people were told to stay put on the field road and M.H., Josh and a couple others went on top of the rise to try and head off any escape though that direction.
We had gone ~50 yards into the area when I came upon a greenish-yellow substance the size of a pencil eraser on a leaf. Then, I located several more a few feet away followed by several drops of blood of almost the same size. These samples were tagged and bagged and we proceeded on a few yards coming upon the creek to my right where it had apparently bent back to the west. We later (next day in the light) saw that this bottomland creek meandered all over that area as that nightÂ’s foray into the brush was our initial venture into that location.
At that point there was a large (~24-30” diameter) tree blow down immediately in front of us and from which a series of low growls began to be heard. I moved right and crossed the creek in a move to flank the downed tree and get a view from the tree trunk’s lateral position. As I eased down the bank, skid marks were noticed where I was getting down into the creek bed with an almost perfect handprint impression on the opposite bank (~6-8’ away) where the BF had caught itself moments before.
Also, at that same time noise was heard from either flank as two more BF began moving in directly toward us in an apparent attempt to come to its aid and rescue. Sniper Boy later mentioned there was another (larger) BF standing a few yards to the right of the one he shot and had also heard another one behind him a few minutes before the shot. D.G. & W.W. also commented that M.H. and I hadn’t even cleared the rise/ridge in his truck while we headed back to camp when a series of primal screams were emitted from the cutover and they could clearly hear footsteps as the BF traversed the creek bottom headed to the deer carcass and even stopping at the pheromone “bait” to check it out before proceeding to the deer bait. Again, the style of stands prevented either of them from getting a clear view/shot at the BF plus with the full moon at their back we presumed D.G. & W.W. probably stood out like beacons up in the oak trees lit up by the moonlight.
At that point, “Gary” was instructed to watch my back (he had a lever action .45-.70 rifle) from his position on the other creek bank as one of the other BF was making a direct line in off my right side. D.G., M.K. & “Jim” were with W.W. with the first two guys covering the left side (where the third BF was approaching) and peering into the blow down for any sign of the wounded BF. As I moved to get a better look down the tree trunk a movement caught me eye behind the far end of the trunk near where the root wad base was sticking up out of the ground. It was hard for us to see well for our illumination equipment was mainly coon hunter type headlamps plus the glow from the Coleman lantern tended to night blind us to a certain extent. Then, a blackish object headed away from the tree in a northerly direction and I raised the Remington 1100 (w/000 buck & 24” rifle sight barrel) and began tracking it. As I swung past a large (30”+ diameter) pin oak I fired at what appeared to be the BF’s head for by now it was in quad mode and quickly moving away from us. At that point, M.H. radioed for us to back out of the scene, establish a perimeter and wait for daylight to go in and finish the deal.
Also, when I fired the other BF began moving lateral to our positions and making quite a bit more noise than before. A concern for us was that some of the GCBRO guys might get antsy and begin spraying ordnance about the area as well. Given the fact that “Gary” had the appearance of going into a state of shock (his eyes were almost totally glazed over) and we had to almost carry him out added to our concerns for the state of mind the other guys had at that moment. Keep in mind that here we were in a strange location with people we didn’t know in a highly charged situation and also mindful that alcohol was already a major component in the situation and it made the idea of focusing upon securing the wounded BF a daunting task to say the least.
A perimeter line was set up around this area with people building and maintaining bonfires at intervals to discourage exit from the cutover by the BF. Several instances of large animals moving around in the brush were heard throughout the night.
Then, a GCBRO (a dentist from OKC, I think) member situated in a 14Â’ deer stand tower up on the middle of the ridge overlooking the clear cut radioed that he detected something moving from the area where I had fired the shot and was headed almost straight at his position some ~500 yards away. He was using a GCBRO thermal imager which had a ~800 yard range.
He radioed a constant stream of reports such as it was moving on all fours, then upright, then stopping, then laying down, etc. His radio continued to report the progress with the BF eventually coming out of the clear cut and headed for a crossing of the fire lane ~75 yards west of his position. M.H., Josh and “Tommy” were beating a path to intercept the BF when the “dentist” radioed the thermal imager batteries had failed. A couple of GCBRO members had “played” with the thermal imager the evening before and apparently fresh batteries had not been installed. After a few minutes of pandemonium “Tommy” showed up at the deer stand tower with fresh batteries and the thermal imager was operational again.
Then, according to “Tommy” who was now using the thermal imager, the BF suddenly became a “log” just across the fire lane into the adjacent tract of uncut pine timber!
(Back then we were pretty green when it came to equipment such as NV and TI technology but have since learned there is NO WAY a “log” could give off enough heat after a forty odd degree day with current ambient temperature of ~twenty-six degrees at ~23:00 hours to register of a thermal imager the quality of the one in use that night!)
Needless to say the next morning we went back into the area and no carcass was to be found. Another GCBRO member, “ETS” led this search and he sped though the area almost at a gallop with total disregard for intensive searching for even any residual evidence. D.G. and I did locate where the BF had curled up under the blow down tree trunk and secured another blood sample in the process. There was supposed to have been a casting made of the handprint found that evening by a GCBRO member but I have my doubts it was ever done.
We left headed back for Oklahoma later that day totally exhausted (had been up for ~38 hours) and dreading the 6-hour drive back home.
The three of us we asked (by M.H.) to come back down there the second weekend thereafter and conduct a thorough search of the entire 1500 acres in an attempt to locate the carcass or anything thereof. M.H. and ETS had (allegedly) found a substantial blood sample in the vicinity of where “Tommy” had reported the “log” on the evening of the shot. A portion of this was (again, allegedly) sent off for DNA analysis to a laboratory in Texas with the preliminary findings listed as “unknown primate” classification. There was supposed to be further analysis performed by this lab as well as one in New York but this is where things get murky and a shroud of secrecy and disinformation has since permeated the entire event.
Our two day search turned up nothing of substance except that M.H.Â’s son (Josh) kept (3X) appearing at my side while making sweeps throughout the various tracts of the area??? The (later) suspicion is he was directed to birddog me just in case anything WAS found? Again, things werenÂ’t quite on the up and up as we have since surmised in subsequent reflection on the entire event.
In summary, M.H.’s place is a veritable hotbed of BF action and it’s a mystery to rival the trinity as to why one hasn’t been taken except that if our experience is any type of indicator, Moe, Larry & Curly would have a better chance than any of the GCBRO clan. Also, M.H.’s “plan” to extort money from the timber companies in exchange for the carcass was extremely foolish and likely a fast track to a shallow grave(s) in the middle of coastal plain pine forest.
Greed, unprepared ness and general incompetence were the catalysts of that event and IMHO the proximate reasons for the outcome that transpired.
So, the mystery continuesÂ…
