SC EP:1245 The Juvenile Playing On My Tree Stand

Summary

Sasquatch Chronicles EP:1245 — "The Juvenile Playing On My Tree Stand"

Date: April 4, 2026
Host: Wes Germer
Guest: Jake (from Minnesota)
Theme: Eyewitness Sasquatch Encounters — A Lifetime of Unexplainable Experiences

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, host Wes Germer interviews Jake, a seasoned Minnesota outdoorsman and engineer, who recounts two decades-apart Sasquatch encounters on the same swath of private land bordering Minnesota’s dense state forests. The discussion centers on Jake's vivid memories of witnessing a juvenile, chimpanzee-like creature playing on his tree stand in the early 1980s and his later, much more unnerving close contact with a straggly, deformed adult Sasquatch in 2009. Both encounters are detailed with remarkable clarity, providing insight into Sasquatch behavior, physicality, and mysterious associated phenomena like floating orbs of light. The episode also considers the broader implications for Sasquatch research, hunter safety, and unexplained wilderness phenomena.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early 1980s Encounter: The Juvenile on the Tree Stand

[03:15 - 12:47]

• Jake’s Background & Hunting Area:
  Jake hunted on private property bordering state forest. The area had a unique history of private-to-state land transition, creating isolated pockets of dense, wild forest.

• Prelude Signs:
  Prior to the sighting, Jake noticed oddities — snacks missing from his backpack, strange wood knocks (“thump, thump, thump”), high-pitched and tinny, and rock clacks, all of which he rationalized as normal forest phenomena.

• The Sighting:

  • As Jake approached his deer stand, he was shocked to see what appeared to be a “pet chimpanzee” swinging on his stand and branch, describing the creature as three feet tall, with a “body of a great ape and the limbs of a chimpanzee.” Unlike typical Bigfoot descriptions, this juvenile had a visible neck and unusually human-like hands.
  • Quote:
    “This guy was a little guy... the same look like it had the arms of a chimpanzee, but the body of like a mountain gorilla... The hands is really what gave it away... those were more human. You could actually see the white sheen of them.” (Jake, 08:00–09:30)

• Reaction and Communication:
  When the juvenile saw Jake, it emitted a deep, anxious vocalization “like a baby chimp calling for mom, but much lower pitched.” Immediately after, a “roar from hell” (later assumed to be the mother) echoed from about 100 yards away.

  • Quote:
    “It did that, but it was a much, much lower pitch, you know... I heard what can only be described as a lion roaring through an elephant’s trunk...” (Jake, 10:26–10:51)

• Jake’s Response:
  Frightened, Jake fled, feeling “the percussion in my chest” from the roar, acknowledging, “I got the hell out of there as quickly as I could.”

  • Quote:
    “I sprinted back to my freaking truck... Not afraid or ashamed to say...” (Jake, 11:05–11:34)

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2. Aftermath & Tree Stand Destruction

[13:12 - 14:37]

• One Week Later:
  Upon returning, Jake found his deer stand destroyed and wrapped around a small pine tree, backpack and contents shredded and scattered over a 20-meter area.

  • Quote:
    “Everything was just annihilated.” (Jake, 13:57–14:22)

• Discussion of Sasquatch Motivation:
  Wes notes this is common among hunters’ reports and wonders if it’s a territorial act by alpha males.

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3. Second Encounter: The Straggly Adult Sasquatch

[14:51 - 22:44, 26:09 - 31:33]

• Setting the Stage (2009): Jake, now aware of Bigfoot lore, returns to the area, encounters an elderly local hermit (Johnny Ridlin) who cryptically warns, “Watch out. The one with the straggly looking hair I think is a mongloid and he'll mess you up.” (15:23)

• Physical Interaction:
  While traversing a swamp edge, Jake is suddenly shoved from behind into the swamp. Recovering, he sees a large, sickly, mangy Sasquatch about 45 yards away, moving away. He describes unsettling features: sunken eyes, straggly hair, grey, flaky skin — overall, visibly deformed.

  • Quote:
    “He was big but he was straggly, really mangy looking critter... his features just were not right...” (Jake, 16:33–17:44)

• Paralleling Behavior:
  As Jake retreats, the creature “parallels” him — two steps toward, three to five steps back — keeping 15–20 meters distance until Jake reaches the driveway.

  • Quote:
    “He paralleled me out. He would come two steps, always two steps forward towards me, and then he would back up three to five steps away... just bizarre.” (Jake, 21:24–22:03)

• Physical Details:
  Estimated at 9’3” tall, with a branch reference for measurement. The creature is described as more human in appearance but animalistic in behavior.

  • Quote:
    “He had more of a human face, but like a deformed human face is the best way I could describe it.” (Jake, 29:54)

• Aggression, but No Attack:
  Despite being easily capable of harm, the Sasquatch does not escalate past the shove.

  • Quote:
    “If he wanted to be aggressive, he would have done... Could have done more than giving me a shove...” (Jake, 23:57)

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4. Analysis & Emotional Impact

[34:11 - 35:51]

• Lasting Effects:
  The encounters have made Jake “a lot more alert” during outdoor activity, especially pre-dawn, forever changing his sense of security during solo forest excursions.

• Perceived Message:
  Jake interprets the shove as a warning: “That one, I wasn't wanted and two, I could take you out anytime I want to type of mentality.” (35:21)

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5. Mysterious Orbs of Light

[38:16 - 43:16]

• Eyewitness Orbs:
  Jake reports seeing large (8–30 inch diameter) blue orbs rising from the bog on foggy mornings, witnessed with binoculars and speculated to be methane. Later research casts doubt on the methane explanation.

• Paranormal Tie-ins:
  Wes notes that orbs are often reported in conjunction with Sasquatch sightings; both feel the orbs are "intelligent," but cannot explain their nature.

  • Quote:
    “They don’t move logically enough to be a natural phenomenon. From what I've researched.” (Jake, 42:58)

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6. What Are Sasquatch?

[46:11 - 48:08]

• Flesh-and-Blood vs. Paranormal:
  Jake is firm that Sasquatch is a “flesh and blood” creature but considers the “straggly” one to be abnormal, possibly “mongoloid.” He believes Bigfoot is more animal than human, dismisses shapeshifting theories, and advocates for their respect and left-alone status.

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7. The Challenge of Proving Sasquatch Exists

[50:52 - 52:46]

• Why No Physical Proof Yet?
  Jake attributes elusiveness to their mastery of camouflage and habitat. He expresses hope that advancing thermal and drone technology will eventually yield definitive evidence.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the juvenile’s appearance:
  “It was really hard to... Without a good solid reference. It’s hard to put an example on. But the best way I can describe it... body of a great ape and the limbs of a chimpanzee.”
  — Jake, 08:00

• Describing the adult encounter:
  “Imagine... that guy for little mascot... from the tale of the crypt... make him a little more hairy and give him, you know, probably a five foot shoulder span... Very straggly and eyes were super sunk back in the back of his head...”
  — Jake, 17:00

• On his instinctive reaction to the roar:
  “I sprinted back to my freaking truck. You know, I could actually feel the percussion in my chest...”
  — Jake, 11:14

• Analyzing the adult’s behavior:
  “He paralleled me out... always two steps forward towards me, and then he would back up three to five steps away... it was just bizarre.”
  — Jake, 21:24

• On the intelligence or intent of Sasquatch:
  “I don’t think they should be messed with... they should be respected and just left alone.”
  — Jake, 46:31

• On the orbs of light:
  “I've done research on it. I've tried to apply logic to it, and it's... I'm coming up with a blank. I don't know.”
  — Jake, 45:28

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Key Timestamps & Segments

• [03:15] — Jake sets up the context of the land, odd pre-encounter forest noises.
• [06:50] — Discussion of missing snacks/clothes; prelude to sighting.
• [08:00–10:51] — Full juvenile Sasquatch encounter, with detailed looks and behaviors.
• [13:12–14:37] — Returning to find deer stand destroyed.
• [15:23] — Local hermit’s cryptic warning about the “mongloid” Sasquatch.
• [16:33–18:38] — Description of the adult’s appearance after being shoved.
• [21:24–22:44] — The paralleling, “two steps forward, three steps back” behavior.
• [26:18] — Size estimate of adult Sasquatch: 9.3-foot reference point.
• [29:54] — Detailed facial description; more human but deformed.
• [34:11] — Effect of encounters on Jake’s hunting habits.
• [38:16–41:00] — Detailed account and discussion of blue orb sightings.
• [46:11] — Jake’s personal deductions on Sasquatch’s physical reality and nature.
• [50:52] — Technological hopes for future proof.

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Summary Takeaways

• Behavioral Complexity:
  Both encounters display unexpectedly nuanced behavior—playful juvenile antics, sophisticated predation avoidance, territorial warnings, and non-lethal intimidation.

• Physical Descriptions:
  The creatures do not always fit the “classic” Bigfoot model—some are described as straggly, deformed, or extremely human-like, even displaying “penile display” familiar to great apes.

• Associated Phenomena:
  The recurring, unexplained orbs of blue light witnessed by both Jake and Wes suggest a possible correlation between Bigfoot activity and other mysterious events.

• Impact on Witnesses:
  Jake, a competent, rational hunter and engineer, describes permanent changes in his sense of safety and a lasting vigilance rooted in these encounters.

• Skeptical yet Open-Minded:
  The episode stays grounded—Jake draws on science and experience, not folklore, to frame his observations, ultimately concluding that these are unknown, flesh-and-blood animals deserving caution and respect.

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For those who missed this episode, Wes Germer’s interview with Jake provides one of the most detailed, credible accounts of multiple Sasquatch encounters, complete with behavioral notes, physical detail, and open-ended questions about what lurks in North America's deep forests. If you have your own encounter to share, reach out to Wes at sasquatchchronicles.com.

Transcript

[Jake]

It looked like somebody was bent over and had their head in the window of the deer blind. And it either heard me or smelt me. And he pulled his head out of

[Wes Germer]

the tent and stood straight up.

[Jake]

And that.

[Wes Germer]

That shocked me.

[Jake]

They don't make people that. That big. The way moved almost as if it was gliding across the beach. I've never seen anything move like that in my life. They were screaming at each other in gibberish. It sounded like a language. And they were chuntering away, back and forwards, back and forwards, back and forwards. I know what a bear looks like and there is no way on this planet that what I saw were bears. Nine one, one, what are you reporting? Jesus Christ.

[Wes Germer]

You better see him. Hello?

[Jake]

Get somebody out here. What's going on?

[Wes Germer]

Down, sir, that son of a is

[Jake]

about 6 foot 9. I don't know. Do you see him now, sir?

[Wes Germer]

Yes, I'm looking right at him.

[Jake]

Oh.

[Wes Germer]

This is Phoenix Bun from Laxil First Nation, and you are listening to Wes Germer of Sasquatch Chronicles. Welcome to the show. Tonight we'll be speaking with Jake, who comes to us from Minnesota. Back in the early 80s, he witnessed something he described as a chimpanzee playing on his tree stand. Then 30 years later, in the same area, he encountered another creature. And it was displaying a behavior unlike anything I had ever heard before. If you've had an encounter and you'd like to be on the show, shoot me an email. My email address is wesasquatchchronicles.com and if you get a chance, check out sasquatch chronicles.com you can become a member and get additional shows. Let's jump into it tonight. I want to welcome Jake to the show. Jake, thanks for coming on.

[Jake]

Oh, no problem.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah. And you had this encounter. We're going back to the early 80s. If you would just kind of start from the very beginning. What were you doing and what happened?

[Jake]

Well, I started to be on this private property around 82 or 1983, somewhere around there. Well, this area that I hunted was just south of a large piece of state land in Minnesota that's open to public hunting. And the occupants of this area. In the 70s, Minnesota DNR pushed life leases on the owners of their recreational land. So these landowners would sell their land to the state for a chunk of money and upon their passing, it would become part of the state forest. So at the time this all happened, or at the time it started happening, it was private property. And again, I was a kid, I was none the wiser. But as I got older, it all made sense. And like I said, as a kid, I was none the wiser. I would hear things and observe different sounds. You know, I would, you know, rationalize it as, like, I'd hear knocks, three knocks, and they were perfectly timed. Thump, thump, thump, But a lot higher pitched and more tinny, like it was hitting a poplar, a birch tree. And I would rationalize it as it was a grouse thumping or whatever. I didn't pay much attention until I got older and started learning about, you know, all these bigfoot encounters and things people have seen and dealt with. So I heard that I'd hear stones clacking. I even heard a few whoops once in a while. But I pass it off as coyotes. So that. That's kind of where my mindset was. I was, like I said, none the wiser, Nor did I did anything about bigfoot or Sasquatch or whatever you want to call it. And first weekend of deer hunting season. I have an old Wes. Are you familiar with those, like World War II era radio men and mail pouches? They're a backpack with wide leather straps. They're about 3 foot wide. They're that olive green canvas backpack, those really wide ones.

[Wes Germer]

Oh, yeah. I have a replica of one I bought offline. I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Jake]

Yeah, so I would have one of those. And it hasn't been so bad in the last couple decades. But Minnesota winters, especially in November, would get very brutal cold. So I would take this backpack and have it full of extra warm clothes. I would put it out in my deer stand the day before the opener so I wouldn't have to get all sweaty carrying that in and out, because sweat equals cold. And for a couple years before this encounter, I noticed that. Again, I would just rationalize it as a coincidence or I forgot something, but there'd be things missing because I'd have my clothes in there, and I'd also have a couple snacks in there. Well, my bag of, say, caramels would be missing and gone. And like I said, I just blew it off as I forgot to put it in there or, you know, whatnot. And so, yeah, I would put this pack out there the day before. And like I said, for a couple of years, stuff was missing out of there and didn't pay much attention to that. And then the day I had the encounter, I realized what it was. I had three different ways I went into this deer stand, depending on the wind, so it came up over a ridge and then overlooked a big swamp bug. And, yeah, I mean, Minnesota's got a lot of that. So. But yeah, so I came up over this ridge and I hear bang, bang, bang. I thought, what the hell is that? Somebody in my deer stand. And as I got over the ridge and started coming down where I could see my deer stand, saw a little juvenile look like, you know, somebody's pet chimpanzee or something jumping on my deer stand. And then it was, there's a branch I used, I left. You know, you cut trim foliage away to on a tree to, you know, make a nice spot for your deer stand but still have cover. And right above my seat, three feet, there was a branch I left that had, you know, leaves and whatnot on it. So it helped, you know, hide me. And this thing was jumping on my deer stand. Then it jumped up, grabbed that log or the branch above and actually swung around a few times and then jumped back on the deer stand and was crawling up and down, you know, have those attachable ladders that, you know, extension ladders that lock together with pins and yeah, it was going up and down that. Just having a good old time. Well, coming over that for the wind that day, I came in directly from the east to west. So I came over ridge and as of coming over the peak of the ridge to a visual line of sight was about 45 meters. This guy was a little guy like I said he was. I hate to reference other primates, but that's all I have to use as a reference. The same look like it had the arms of a chimpanzee, but the body of like a mountain gorilla. Really fuzzy and thick, but its arms were like minimal to no hair. It was really weird looking. And again, the head was also like a great ape, but the features of it were, you know, like I said, it's really hard to. Without a good solid reference. It's hard to put an example on. But the best way I can describe it, where people would understand was they had the body of a great ape and the limbs of a chimpanzee. And it was probably three feet tall, approximately how you hear the bigfoots being described as no neck and just broad shoulders. This thing definitely had a neck. I mean, it was probably good. The bottom of the, like the chin area and you know, the base of the head where the neck would start was probably 4 to 5 inches above its shoulders. So I'm sure they grow into that. But yeah, it was very interesting. And the hands is really what gave it away. I mean, didn't have those rough, thick nails like you'd Think, you know, even a primate has. It was weird. They were. Those were more human. You could actually see the white sheen of them. I was close enough to see that. So it started, like I said, it was playing around, and finally it saw me, and it did this. Are you. Are you study primates at all the great apes?

[Wes Germer]

A little bit.

[Jake]

Well, you know, have you ever seen a young infant chimpanzee, how they go when they're feeling nervous or, you know, basically calling for mom? Yeah, it did that, but it was a much, much lower pitch, you know, and then I got to tell you, maybe 100 yards away, where the swamp opens up to Thick Island, I heard what can only be described as a lion roaring through an elephant's trunk point, you know, right in my direction. And, you know, the. The funny part is I had a.300 wind mag over my shoulder, a.44 Magnum, and a shoulder holster, and I got the hell out of there as quickly as I could. I mean, I sprinted back to my freaking truck. You know, I could actually feel the percussion in my chest. And like I said, it was a. I don't know sure how far away it was, but I know from my deer stand to where the island is, where it has thick tree growth on it, is 100 yards. I know that for a fact. And, yeah, I could feel the percussion from however far away it was. Minimum of 100 yards. That's what I know. And I just. Yeah, nature kicked in, and I got out of there as quickly as I could. I mean, I took off like a little girl and not afraid of shame to say whatever was roaring, I didn't want any part of it, especially when you think that this had to be a juvenile. So, you know, you don't want to become. Become. I'm sorry, get between mother and his cub, you know, that's sure way to get ripped apart.

[Wes Germer]

So, yeah, it's interesting that you heard that roar. I've heard that one time before. It was in the same area me and my brother had in our encounter. It was. I don't know, a month later, a couple months later, we actually heard that. And this thing must have been at least a mile, maybe two miles away. You could almost kind of feel it, as ridiculous as that sounds, because it was so far away. I know exactly what you're. What you're talking about. I remember thinking, like, is there a lion out here? Like an African lion running loose? What was kind of your thoughts about Bigfoot prior to this encounter?

[Jake]

I really didn't give it much thought. I'm an engineer, so I may see it to believe it type of guy or prove it type of person. And if someone would have told me that story, I'd have said, yeah, whatever. But seeing is truly believing.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, it truly is. I get it completely. Did you ever go back?

[Jake]

It took me about a week. But yeah, I had some. A pretty good amount of money in that backpack that was hanging in that, you know, behind the deer stand in the tree. So yeah, it took me about a week to build the courage to go back out there. But I did go back out and what I found was a very mangled and tore down tree stand.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, that's kind of an interesting detail. I've talked to many hunters who have never seen their creature. There's weird stuff going on and they'll come back and their tree stands torn down. Sometimes it's wrapped around a tree. And I've often wondered, you know, is that alpha males doing that? Is that juveniles doing that? When you went back, was there anything taken out of your bag?

[Jake]

My bag was shredded and everything inside of it was shredded as well. And probably over a 20 meter area. My deer stand was coiled up around. There was a small pine tree at the base of this. This tree I picked was, you know, a bigger pine. I tend to opt for putting my tree stand in pine trees because I'm a smoker and the thermals that are around all pine trees take my scent straight up in the air. So it really helps with that. So there was a smaller pine at the bottom and yeah, stuff was wrapped around that and yeah, it was. Everything was just annihilated.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah. After hearing this, I really think it. It must be the alpha males. Why would a juvenile destroy his little playground? He's playing on. Tell me about the second incident.

[Jake]

Well, I went back out there about two years later. Well, see, after this happened, I did start doing my research and realized that, you know, it was a lot more common than I would have ever thought. And I went back and there was an old guy that lived in the area. His name was John Ridlin. And that guy, he was a peer hermit. Even though he had money or there was rumors that he had all his money. And after his passing, the family did go out there and find mason jars full of money. I mean, he got his clothes from Goodwill. He rode a girl's bike with tassels on it. One of the old Schwins. He would go up and down the road and get roadkill, and that's what he would eat. He came up to me one Day, when I went down there before my second sighting, he just looked at me and said, you better watch out. The one with the straggly looking hair I think is a mongloid and he'll mess you up. I thought, okay, Johnny. And again, being a weird old hermit, I didn't pay much attention to it. So I went back in the same area. I went a little deeper and was scouting out for bear season because that particular county has the highest population of black bears in Minnesota. And there's no quota there. So you can just buy a license, you don't have to do a lottery. But here, nor there, I was doing some recon of where to put my stand up and where to start bait. And you know how on the edge of swamps you get those big clumps of dirt that walking normally you can almost fall and break your neck on? Are you familiar with those?

[Wes Germer]

I am, yeah.

[Jake]

Yeah. Well, I was hopping clump to clump and I was holding onto a tree, standing on this clump and something behind me pushed me over into the swamp. And it wasn't a stumble because I felt it on my back and thought what the hell? And stood back, got back up and once I regained my composure I turned around and this straggly looking thing, he was big but he was straggly, really mangy looking critter. And at that point he was probably again 40, 45, 50 yards away. He was moving away after he shoved me and I got the feeling he didn't mean me any harm. But I also did not want me there. So I got a, I got a good look at this guy. So imagine, you know, that guy for little mascot, whatever you want to call him from the tail of the crypt, that skull looking guy. Yeah, you can take that and make him a little more hairy and give him, you know, probably a five foot shoulder span and. But he was very straggly and eyes were super sunk back in the back of his head. And now I know what Johnny, old Johnny Redland was talking about when he said that, you know, there was something wrong with this guy because, yeah, I mean his features just were not right. I mean, I mean, I'm not saying I've seen a thousand of them. I don't know what they're supposed to look like, but this thing did not look right at all. And you know, you could see his gray skin underneath the black hair and was like all flaky. I mean, I would venture a guess from what I've researched that that's he wasn't normal. I Don't know if it was a biological defect or what, but yeah, that it was just an icky looking thing.

[Wes Germer]

And Jake, what you were looking at, did it look more like a human? Did it look more like an animal?

[Jake]

Yes, it looked like a really, really big human. You know, you hear about these, you know, 36 inch forearms and this from other sightings. I mean it's not like he wasn't big as he was, but he was very. You know, the only word that comes to mind is straggly. I mean he had big biceps, he had big forearms, huge thighs, big chest, big shoulders, but looks straggly. His the mass didn't match the size of the frame, if that makes sense. I would almost describe him as, you know, if I didn't know better, I would say he was the meth head of the bigfoot world. He was just a scrawny looking thing, but still big, if that makes sense to you.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, in a weird way that does make sense. So you get pushed down. Tell me what happens next.

[Jake]

Well, get the hell out of here. Kick back in. And I was a little more genteel about it this time and I just started going back the way I came and, you know, kept a good close eye on him. And he came two feet towards me and then five feet backed up. It was just strange. He kept doing that all the way out to where I hit the. There's an old two rut. There was a house back there. Like I said, it was a life lease. The guy had about a 45 foot house, believe it or not, with an indoor pool in the middle of this big woods. So he had a nice two rut driveway that went back to the main road. And this thing was coming a couple steps towards me and several steps away until I hit that, his old driveway. And then it just vanished into the woods.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, and that's what I find weird about his behavior of coming two feet towards you and kind of backing up. Coming towards you and then kind of backing up. Would you describe that like a bluff charge?

[Jake]

No, I wouldn't even say it wasn't a charge. He was literally just as I was walking out, he was paralleling me, but he was taking like I said, two or three steps. It wasn't like he was rushing or he wasn't like a fullback, you know, doing a blitz. He was just literally walking. But it was maybe it was very unsettling, his body language while he was doing it. His hands were shaking, his shoulders were kind of trembling. It was really weird. You could see the Muscle. Muscle that all primates have from their neck to their shoulder, especially males. I forget the name of the word for it. But you know what I'm talking about, right?

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I think you're talking about the trapezius, kind of the upper trapezius.

[Jake]

Yes. Thank you. You could see him trembling. It was just bizarre. And like I said, all the way out, and it was probably a quarter mile, he did this. Like I said, he wasn't acting threatening, but it was almost more threatening the way he was acting in my head anyway, because like I said, he would come. He paralleled me out. He would come two steps, always two steps forward towards me, and then he would back up three to five steps away. And then, you know, I'd do three strides and he'd do it again. It was just bizarre.

[Wes Germer]

How far away from you, Jake, was this creature when he was doing this, where he'd kind of move up on you, then back off, then move up. What kind of a distance are we talking about?

[Jake]

He kept about 15 to 20 meters away at all times, because unfortunately, where he was and the way, like I said, he was paralleling me out, I had to hook. He was east of me, and I had to hook east at one point because there's a standing water swamp that hooks around a piece of woods. So I actually had to go towards him at one point. He kept that same distance away from me all the way out till I hit that driveway.

[Wes Germer]

What do you make of him doing that behavior?

[Jake]

Well, like I said, with no baseline of how they're supposed to be, I really don't know. It was, you know, but as an engineer, I. I'm a federal contractor, so I end up all over the country, and normally I have to have all my stuff with me. I'm a structural engineer, so I've got a lot of tools I carry with me, so I can't fly. I have to drive. So I've been listening to a lot of different podcasts and encounters and things, and I've never heard anything like this before. So that's why I figured that you and your listeners would enjoy this one because it's something new. And like I said, I don't know how to describe it, but it was very unsettling.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I would imagine I would have taken the whole behavior as aggressive, him pushing you in the back and kind of pushing you over. That's the wrong way to start a relationship. I probably would have put a bullet in him just for doing that. What do you make of his behavior throughout this whole Encounter. I mean, him pushing you and then kind of like almost bluff charging you out, but not really.

[Jake]

Well, like I said, you know, it was unsettling. Real time hindsight's always 20 20, but, I mean, I think if he wanted to be aggressive, he would have done. Could have done more than giving me a shove because I had no idea he was there until I felt a shove on my back. And then, even then, it took me a few minutes to lock onto him because he moved away quickly. And I went back there a week later. At that point, I was irritated, I was mad. I thought, all right, I've been hunting out here since I was 12 years old. And now at that point, I'm in my mid to late 30s, and I'm thinking, no, not, not going to happen. So I actually went back and again, armed to the teeth. And this time I wasn't going to take any crap. If something was going to, you know, pace me and try to be a jerk. I understand that's probably their home territory, whatever their range, territory, whatever you want to call it. But I went back out there, I went to the spot I got shoved, and there was a track there because, you know, it was real mushy, mossy stuff where, you know, a footprint takes a month to go away. Like I said, I went back about a week later and yeah, he. I can tell where he. From his trackway. He had basically circled me for about 100 yards before I was shoved. So he was north of me, somehow was able to get around me without me detecting him to get behind me to the south to give me a shove. And I had stuck with me. I mean, again, I was no expert by any means, but I would have had some plaster with me if I'd have known better. But I found his tracks were 14, 3/4 inches long. I mean, I had that eerie, you're being watched feeling, but I did not see anything. And on the way out, I did hear, you know, a double whistle when I hit the two, you know, the two rut or driveway, whatever you want to call it. And that was no bird because it had percussion behind it.

[Wes Germer]

How tall was this creature? And if you would, I mean, would you describe it more human? Would you describe it more like an animal?

[Jake]

Well, the. His looking at him, I would say he was more human, but he acted more like an animal. Like I said, it's really hard to describe, but, you know, the only thing I could really do to enhance this, and I probably should have done it by now, is if I ever get a chance I'm going to have a sketch artist, you know, do this thing up because he was bizarre looking. You know, he's not this big mountain of a beast like you seen here, but, you know, he was straggly in comparison to his frame and size. I would guess for, based on the features where I saw him. I did pick one branch that was approximately where his head was. I measured that, it came back at 9.3. So that's real close. Like I said, that's not exact, but it's within 2 or 3 inches of his real height.

[Wes Germer]

And what year did this happen in, Jake?

[Jake]

That was 1996. I'm sorry, 19. I'm sorry, 2009.

[Wes Germer]

You know, a lot of times when these creatures get close like that, you would think if they go hands on, they're gonna hurt you. I mean, he did push you, which would have pissed me off. But why do you think that he didn't cause any real harm towards you? He didn't really hurt you.

[Jake]

I'm, you know, I, I've thought about that a lot and I don't know the best thing, you know, if you're going to go off of animal instinct, I'm very familiar. Like I said, I'd been down there for, you know, almost 30 years at that point doing, you know, bow hunting, rifle hunting, bear hunting, grouse hunting. I mean, I've been over every inch of that. You know, that's an 890 acre range where I was at. I've been over every inch of that thing that, you know, is passable. That's not underwater, bog, swamp. So maybe it's familiarity, I don't know, maybe that was him that was stealing my snacks out of my backpack. I have no idea, but he didn't try. What baffles me is you hear these things. People, you know, see a sighting and they vanish. Well, this thing was not even coming close to trying to hide when I was trying to get out of there. Like I said, he was paralleling me out. And that whole back and forth thing was really bizarre.

[Wes Germer]

Do you think it was the same one that you ran into in the early 80s?

[Jake]

No, no way. The first one I saw was very healthy looking, very, like I said, like you would see at the zoo type of primate, you know, that you, that juvenile. There's no way that could have been the same animal.

[Wes Germer]

You know, when he had that encounter back in the 80s and he saw what you describe as like a chimpanzee playing on it, and then many years later you're running into this thing. How far away is the distance between

[Jake]

those two places as the crow flies? Probably somewhere around an eighth of a mile, maybe a little bit, maybe a little better. I wish it would have been, you know, five years later because I'd had a decent smartphone with a camera on it, but it wasn't and I didn't. So.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I hear you. Let me ask you, when you were looking at the face, would you kind of describe the face of this thing that you were looking at?

[Jake]

Yes. As I was saying from you hear these traditional sightings and you know, renderings, people have done drawings, whatnot. It didn't look like that. Like I said, the eyes were way sunk back in the back of his head. His nostrils were wide, but again, kind of countersunk into the skull. It was just really, really bizarre. He had more of a mouth of a human than of a primate. So that's what really I found bizarre. I mean, there was no slathering fangs or anything. And he wasn't, you know, other than huffing, breathing, he, he wasn't, you know, hey, like again, I hate to go back to primates because that, but that's the only reference point I have. He did curl his upper lip a couple times and you know, in primates that's a sign of, you know, aggravation or annoyance. You know, everyone thinks, oh, cute, the chimp is smiling. No, the chimp is nervous or aggravated. And he was, like I said he did a couple times, curled that upper lip and you could see clearly see canines and you know, typical looking teeth, but nothing that really stands out. I mean, they weren't really huge, you know, I mean they were scalable to the body frame but they didn't have these, you know, big canines or, you know, incisors that people talk about. Like I said, he had more of a human face, but like a deformed human face is the best way I could describe it, I guess. And he was doing, I know it was a male because he was doing a penile display. And I'll try to keep it family friendly here, but you know what chimps do when they're displaying, right?

[Wes Germer]

Yeah. I appreciate you keeping it family friendly. I do know what you're talking about.

[Jake]

Yeah, he was very similar with a much larger feature than a chimp, obviously it was just bizarre.

[Wes Germer]

And I know we're in 2009 now and the other encounter was in the 80s. Did you know what you were looking at or were you just kind of thinking, I ran into some weird monster.

[Jake]

Like I said, after I saw that juvenile. I started doing a lot of homework, especially when the Internet came out and became a good database. So I was positive of what I was looking at. But what threw me, especially hindsight, was, you know what? It wasn't this big, hairy, strapping beast that you hear about all the time. It was really quite freaky, like I said. And maybe he was weird compared to others. We got to go back to what Johnny. Johnny Riddle and said. I never said a word to him about it. He just told me, watch out for the straggly looking one. I think he's a mongolite. You know, Johnny passed away that same year. I wish I could actually talk to him a little more. Maybe he knew more than most, you know, than you would think because he lived less than half a mile from this piece of land. So, you know, it's hard to say, but I, I would say that it's something. This did not feel right with it. It wasn't like, you know, I was being chased out by a bear because, you know, they look nice and healthy. This thing wasn't right. I don't know, like I said, maybe it was mongoloidish, I don't know because like I said, I don't have a good baseline comparison, but it didn't seem right at all.

[Wes Germer]

And I know you went back and found those tracks, but beyond that, have you ever gone back to this location?

[Jake]

I don't get back there much now. Since then, the gentleman that owned it passed away and it's now part of state forest, so they logged off a bunch of it. And I've only been back a few times since then and nothing happened. I went back and I looked for tracks and whatnot. I never found anything.

[Wes Germer]

Let me ask you, Jake. You know, I've interviewed many hunters and it kind of affects everyone differently. Some hunters kind of give up hunting, other hunters don't, but especially after having these two encounters. How did this kind of affect you?

[Jake]

It makes me a lot more alert on my way to and from my deer stand, believe me. And you know, for the first two, three years, you know, I'm one of those guys that I'm out there a good hour before daylight, just like I said, mask my scent and, you know, get the woods nice and quiet and the critters run around and early morning, you know, birds chirping and whatnot. And that doesn't happen unless you're out there well before daylight and makes you think twice about walking out there in the woods on a trail, you know, and I was one of Those people that I would have little reflective, you know, stickers on the tree I would put on every year. I could pop my flashlight on for a second and shut it off as I see the reflective trail through there. Make sure, you know, I'm headed the right way. Makes you think long and hard about, you know, heading out at, you know, quarter to six in the morning when it doesn't get daylight till seven.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, nothing wrong with being more aware of your surroundings and being more alert of what's going on around you. When it pushed you, do you think it was trying to hurt you?

[Jake]

I think it was just trying to prove a point. That one, I wasn't wanted and two, I could take you out anytime I want to type of mentality. I mean, that's, that's kind of what I, again, hide. In hindsight, that's kind of what I took from it.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I'm not sure how I would have reacted with it pushing me, especially being armed. I think I would have started shooting. I think I'd have been so pissed off. And that's just ego talking. I've seen them. I probably wouldn't have done, I probably wouldn't have done anything.

[Jake]

Even being straggly looking and weird looking. He could have snapped me like a twig. And I'm, you know, at the time I'm still, I'm six' four. And at that time I was extremely fit and, you know, 240 pounds of solid muscle. And I have no doubt that that straggly thing could have busted me up.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, it's easy to be tough and talk a big game until you run into one. And then that ego seems to fall apart pretty quick. You know, going back to your first encounter. I know you said you thought chimpanzee. Kind of think that's where my mind would have gone too. Like, is there a chimp out here running loose? But in Minnesota, that makes no sense.

[Jake]

Until I heard the roar, I thought, you know, somebody's illegal pet got away. That is the very first thing I thought. But once I heard that roar, I knew that was not the case. And plus, like I said, I got a good, I don't know, three to five minutes of looking at it until it started making that whimpering noise. And I'm assuming it was mama that did the roar. And like I said, after a good close look at him, there's no way that was a chimp or, you know, mountain gorilla or any type of, you know, natural known ape. The torso was too long, like I said, hardly any hair. On the arms, but the torso and head were matted, buzzy type hair. You know, there's no way that could have been a known primate and I

[Wes Germer]

might have missed that in the beginning. But it obviously had seen you. That's why it was whimpering right before you heard that roar.

[Jake]

Yeah, that's what I said before when it finally saw me and it just did the, you know, the poor, you know, but much lower, deeper and louder. That's when the roar from hell came blasting across the woods.

[Wes Germer]

So yeah, roar from hell is a good way to put it. It'll let you know where you stand in life pretty quick. You know, it'll, it'll definitely check your ego. Let me ask you, out of all the years of hunting this area, have you ever seen the lights?

[Jake]

I've seen, yeah, I, I've seen that a couple times and like I said in my youth before these sightings, but there's like I said, this is a nasty, on the edge of a, right in the middle is a nasty bog swamp that runs through there. And I always put that up as discharge methane because there's a lot of it there that comes out. So is that the case? I don't know. But yes, on two occasions, usually when it was foggy early morning, I saw lights out there. Like I said, it's hard to describe without having a visual of the way this woods is set up. But imagine a nice big ridge at the bottom is a massive God awful swamp that goes on for miles and you know, you've got, I don't know, probably 150 yards or you know, maybe 200 meters of pure bog until it's standing water swamp and you know, a lot of beaver dams and you know, that kind of paints the picture something, right? Obviously you see out of the middle of nowhere in Alaska is what it looks like. And both occasions, like I said, it was early morning, heavy fog on the ground. You know, coming up out of the swamp was orbs and I'd say the first time was about 300 meters. Second time was about 450. I glassed them with my binoculars and like I said, I rationalized it as, you know, methane and they were clear ish blue. And at that distance without binoculars, to the naked eye I would say they were 8, 8 inches to 14 inches in diameter. It's hard to gauge at that distance, you know, but from that's what it looked like to be to me from that, at that distance, you know, if I could have been, like I said, they look much bigger with binoculars. Close to, you know, I'd say about 20 inches to maybe 30 with my 10, 40 loopholes.

[Wes Germer]

Looking back now at those moments, do you think it was methane?

[Jake]

I don't know. Like I said, I'm a engineer. I've studied it. I have no rational explanation. Part, like I said, when I saw it, I was a lot younger before I was highly educated. And, yeah, I just. Oh, that's just methane. Blah, blah, blah. And doing my research on methane, it doesn't do that. So at least not in that color. So I don't know what it was.

[Wes Germer]

Well, let me ask you, Jake. Being an engineer and kind of having a scientific mind, I've seen the lights on two occasions, and on both occasions, I can tell you that I had the feeling like this thing was watching me as much as I was watching. Seemed to be intelligent. And I really have no way to measure that or really articulate that more than a feeling. But you'll often hear that from eyewitnesses to where when they run into these balls of lights, they'll say that. They'll say, this thing seemed to be very intelligent, seemed to be controlled as it was moving around. This wasn't something random like methane gas or something natural. But you also find where hunters will run into them in the woods and they'll describe these weird balls of light that they run into. I just wish there was a great answer. I wish I could give a great answer to someone, a natural explanation being like, oh, it's X, Y, and Z. That's what people are actually seeing. But I don't know that I can. And the lights really caught my attention when I would talk to eyewitnesses who have these creatures on their property. Usually the conversation would go, you know, they would tell you about the encounter and running into these creatures, and then they would always end the conversation with, oh, and by the way, I'm also seeing these weird balls of light. Sometimes people run into these lights, and there's no Sasquatch around. There's nothing really weird going on beyond these weird lights. And other times, it seems like they hang around where encounters happen or on people's property. As far as being an engineer and kind of having that scientific mind, what is it you think people are actually seeing?

[Jake]

I'm at a loss. I don't know. I mean, you know, I mean, I'm going to say this. It could only be something extraterrestrial. Extraterrestrial or something. I mean, they don't move logically enough to be a natural phenomenon. From what I'VE researched.

[Wes Germer]

You know, the main thing that draws my suspicion. About these lights. Is the fact that they sure seem to show up a lot. When these creatures are around. Around areas where these creatures are being seen. Like I said earlier, man, the first time it really captured my attention. Was when people would describe. Having these creatures on their property. And then they're like, oh, and by the way, I'm also seeing these weird lights. And that's when I was like, wait a minute. Tell me about these weird lights. We'll get to bigfoot in a second. And it would happen over and over and over again in interviews. And like I said, I've seen them twice. And I'll send you the video, if you want to watch it, of the one me and my brother captured. It was in that area where we saw those creatures. Not at the same time, Completely different time, where nothing happened, but we just saw this weird light. And it was just this ball of light. And it was blue. In the. In the video, Everything's chrome green because it was shot With a night vision camera. And then the other one that I saw Was at the browns property. It wasn't blue. But in both occasions, I can tell you, I just had a feeling like, this thing is watching us. This thing is intelligent. And again, I have no way to measure that or kind of explain myself When I say that. It was just more of a feeling. And the one I saw at the brown's property Wasn't blue. It was kind of. And I know you and I Kind of grew up around the same time frame. It was kind of an orange. Remember those crappy flashlights in the 80s, and they had kind of that orange, yellowish light to them?

[Jake]

Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. Ones that took two double Ds.

[Wes Germer]

Exactly. And they had that orange kind of a dull light. You think those batteries would pump out more light, but they never did. And, I mean, that's kind of what we saw at the brown's property. I don't get it. I don't get why these lights show up or what they are.

[Jake]

I don't know. It's. It's bizarre. Like I said, I've done research on it. I've tried to apply logic to it, and it's. I'm coming up with a blank. I don't know.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah. I just hate it when eyewitnesses come on and they're like, what are these lights? No clue. Why are they showing up on our property when sasquatch shows up? Great question. No clue. It's Frustrating, man. Let me ask you, on both occasions, you got a really good look at both of these creatures. Ask everyone on the show, what do you think they are? And because you got such a good look, what do you think these creatures actually are?

[Jake]

Well, obviously they're definitely flesh and blood, from at least what I saw. I didn't mean do I. You hear about the shapeshifter stuff. I really don't buy into a lot of that. But again, I like facts, so I don't know. I mean, like I said, I would definitely say they're flesh and blood. If there's some other aspect of them, I don't know. But like I said, I definitely think they're flesh and blood, and I don't think they should be messed with. I think they should be respected and just left alone. Because, like I said, that thing could have messed me up bad. I would have never known it until it was happening. And I'm not easy to sneak up on, believe me.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I agree with you. I think that they are flesh and blood. Would you say they're more animal? Would you say they're more human?

[Jake]

I would say they're more animal. I said, the critter I saw, at least the adult, I said, I believe that. Going off of what Johnny warned me about, I think there was something wrong with this one in the biology pool. Like, I'd say mongo retarded, or however, whatever word you want to use for that. I think this one was off compared to what a normal one would probably be. It looked too weird and he acted too weird. I mean, there was no logic at all to what he was doing. Like I said, he wasn't. If he was trying to bluff charge me, he would have came up a lot closer than what he did. The only time he got close was when he was behind me and I wasn't aware of his presence after that, he kept his distance. So he wasn't scared of me. But he also wasn't being that aggressive. I mean, I believe his body language was aggressive, but like I said, it's really hard to put, you know, actual description to what he was doing, having never seen it before or since.

[Wes Germer]

So, you know, the only thing I really have to compare this with would be known primates. And I'm not saying Sasquatch is by any means a known primate, but I don't know how else to compare this. A lot of times when you'll see, like, chimpanzees or gorillas, they don't just, like, bum rush you and attack You. It's almost like they kind of have to work themselves up or work up the courage to kind of attack you. And you'll see it with chimps to where they'll do a display. Even gorillas, they'll do this weird display and then they'll attack you. I almost wonder if that's what he was doing when he kind of rushed towards you and then back off. Rush towards you and then back off. I almost wonder if he was like working up the courage to actually attack you.

[Jake]

That could be. I mean, I know exactly what you're talking about. Like I said, primates have been an interest of mine my whole life, since I was a kid, since I first saw them at the zoo. And I've actually studied primates long before this happened. Just my interest in primates, not Bigfoot. And, yeah, that was actually running through my head as I was trying to get out of there with him doing this was, you know, with, especially with chimpanzees, they'll give you that false sense of security and, you know, while their hair's standing up and they're all aggravated, they'll turn their head away. Yeah, that's what I was thinking was there's this thing that's trying to give me a false sense of security that, you know, he's just here and not really going to do anything. And I mean, between, you know, to be honest with you, that's what I was thinking as I was trying to get out of there was, is he just building up for the big charge? But it never came. He just. Once I hit the road, he disappeared.

[Wes Germer]

Let me ask you, Jake, if you had the chance, would you ever want to see another one?

[Jake]

Yes, as long as I was well armed. And I'm not talking about a 3030 here. I mean, these things are, you know, even him, he was big. In other renderings I've seen, you know, it's going to take more than 9 millimeter to take this thing down. So as long as I was well armed, if I had a.338 Lapua in my.500 smithing lesson, I'd feel pretty secure in seeing one. But other than that, I wouldn't want any.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I hear you. I always say I'd like to see another one, but maybe from a helicopter holding a rifle, I would love to see another one. It's probably a terrible thing to say, but that's kind of how I feel. And you're an educated man, Jake. Why is it you think we haven't been able to catch up with them.

[Jake]

Well, if you weigh that down into pure science, okay, the only thing that can really catch anything without being able to mask it is thermal, because you can hide from thermal, as I'm sure you probably know. But if you hide from thermal now, you've got a glossy looking block, okay? So you're still detected even if you're not detectable. So I think once, as thermal keeps getting better and better and better each year by leaps and bounds, I think it's just a matter of time. I think that they're products of their environment and they know it well. I mean, they're masters of camouflage. So, I mean, I've had people walk within five feet of me in the woods and they had no idea I was there wearing a ghillie suit, you know, during the foliage time of year. And they were completely clueless and I could have reached out and touched them. So. And I don't live in the woods, so I think that they're familiar with their own house and it's just a matter of time. I think as thermal gets better, especially with these drones, we're gonna be able to get some hardcore proof here, in my opinion. Like I said, I just think, like I said, it's just they're, they're good at hiding in their own house. Like, you know, you or I, in our own yard, our garage, we could hide from, you know, say law enforcement or whatever until they tore the place apart. I mean, I think they're just a good product of their own environment. And I think it is just a matter of time. You know, I don't know necessarily believe that one has to be killed to, you know, prove it. I think as the, like I said, especially thermal. Thermal doesn't lie. So I think as that gets better, it's just a matter of time before they can't hide as well as I think they do.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. Seems like a lot of work, though, to catch up with something we've been chasing forever. It doesn't seem like it would take that much work, but, you know, who knows? Hopefully one day it'll be solved. I'll tell you what's strange about these creatures, you know, like in your situation, especially that second one, Jake, if it would have been a bear or a cougar, and most of the time they'll flee from you, but if they don't, they're going to hand it to you. And a lot of times with these creatures, even when they're aggressive, which I would consider that second encounter very Aggressive. Rarely does anyone get killed or even really hurt. And that's strange when you compare it to, like, normal wildlife. It's almost like these things either have, like, a weird humanity in them. I don't know.

[Jake]

Well, I. I would say, you know, like I said, even with the one I saw, the adult, if, you know, even if there was something wrong with him mentally, he. He didn't. Like I said, he. He didn't want me there. But there was no. Didn't seem any way other than, you know, what was already in my head from studying primates, you know, my preconceived notions of, like, what a chimpanzee would do versus what he was doing. And, you know, the, you know, the only logic I can put to that part was, like, I said what I've studied on chimps because it was a very similar deception before attack. You know what I mean? So I don't. I just don't think they just want to be left alone, I think, in my opinion.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, and you could be right, Jake. You know, I really appreciate you taking the time to come on and share these two encounters with us. There's many times where I've talked to hunters who've had their tree stands, like, torn down and, like, wrapped around a tree. I mean, there's no way a human's doing that. But it was insightful, man. I appreciate your time, and I really enjoyed chatting with you.

[Jake]

Yeah, there's. There's absolutely no way that the damage done to that deer stand was done by a human. It had a chain on it and a nylon, you know, backup safety strap around it. And the chain, the loop and screw were broken and tore off, and the nylon backup strap was actually ripped, so no way a guy did that. It wasn't cut with a knife. Was too frayed for that, so it was torn.

[Wes Germer]

Yeah, I believe you. It sounds like other witnesses that I've talked to who kind of describe the same thing, but I appreciate you coming on again, Jake.

[Jake]

Well, no problems.

[Wes Germer]

And that's it for tonight, everyone. Remember, if you've had an encounter, shoot me an email. My email address is wesasquatchchronicles.com and if you get a chance, check out sasquatch chronicles.com you can become a member and get additional shows. Until next time, everyone. Sam. Sa.