Hunter Stopped Going Into Tennessee Woods After This Creepy Cryptid Encounter

 

After thirty long years, a Tennessee man has finally revealed the reason behind his abrupt decision to stop going into the woods. The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has kept this secret hidden for decades, but recent events have prompted him to speak out about the harrowing experience that led to his avoidance of the Tennessee wilderness. The tale he tells is one of fear, survival, and a brush with the unknown that changed his life forever. The Tennessee woods used to be this man's sanctuary, a place where he could escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and connect with nature. He would spend every free moment there, hunting, fishing, and camping alongside his two loyal German Shepherds. On this particular day, he packed light and only hiked a couple miles into the Smokies. He set up camp and spent a perfect day exploring the area with his faithful canine companions. The dogs fussed over some scat at some point, but the man believed it to be from a bear and didn’t pay it too much mind. 

As late afternoon arrived, the man was ready to settle down and start a fire to warm up the campsite. However, he noticed that his two dogs seemed unusually agitated, barking and growling at something in the distance. Even though they had always managed to keep bears away before, the man couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern. But he had his trusty rifle by his side, and he was confident that he could handle anything that came their way.

As night began to fall, the warm summer air enveloped the campsite, prompting the man to leave the tent door open. He settled in for the night with his two dogs nestled close to him. He awoke too soon, seeing bright moonlight illuminating his camp before he realized the dogs were making deep, low growls and had hackles raised at something. He then noticed another noise like a thrumming groan coming from outside the tent. 

The source of the groaning noise became apparent as the man's eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could now see a dark outline that seemed roughly the shape of a bear, lurking just beyond the now-cold embers of the campfire. The man shouted at the dark, looming figure outside the tent. To his surprise, the creature went quiet but then began to grow in size until it was towering over the screen window in the tent roof. The man could hardly believe what he was seeing – he had never encountered anything so massive outside of a zoo. Meanwhile, his two dogs continued to growl, their instincts telling them that this creature was not to be trusted.

He could hear the creature inhale a long, slow breath before letting out a trumpeting call. It sounded like a mixture of a lion’s roar and a human shout. The dogs were terrified into silence and the creature bolted away. He was helpless to stop his canine companions from giving chase to the creature as they ignored his commands in favor of the hunt.

Without a second thought, he grabbed his rifle and headlamp and ran after them. He could hear their barking in the distance, but they were moving too fast for him to keep up. Then, he heard something that sent chills down his spine – a maniacal laughing sound, like that of a hyena, coming from the same direction as the dogs. Despite his growing sense of dread, the man continued to follow the sounds of barking and laughter, hoping against hope that he would find his dogs safe and sound. But as the night wore on and the barks faded into silence, he realized he had to return to camp or risk becoming lost himself.

He stayed up all night waiting for the dogs to return to camp, calling for them occasionally but to no avail. As soon as the sun came up he set off again to search for his beloved pets. After hours of searching, he finally stumbled upon them – one badly injured and whimpering from within a thicket of bushes, the other torn to pieces. The loss of his dog’s life hit him hard and the surviving canine was never the same again, becoming fearful of both the night and the woods. 

The man knows he had encountered something truly terrifying in the woods that night, something that was far worse than any bear or other known predator. To this day, he has never been able to fully explain what he saw and heard that fateful night, but he is certain that it was an encounter with an unknown creature that made him give up exploring the wilds of Tennessee forever.