Missouri Deer Hunters Hear Howl Spooking Deer, Uncle Shares Bigfoot Legend

A spine-chilling account out of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest is making the rounds, and it's one that any researcher worth their salt needs to hear. Two deer hunters stumbled into something they couldn't explain back in 2012, and the story has resurfaced thanks to a detailed retelling on the Base Camp Chris YouTube channel. The hunters, Dave and Randy, were set up in an elevated deer blind on Dave's Uncle Bill's property — a sprawling 400-acre tract tucked deep inside the 1.5 million acres of the Ozark Highlands that make up Mark Twain National Forest. Uncle Bill had built them a proper setup: a 10-by-10-foot cabin perched 15 feet in the air on sturdy 8-by-8 posts, with windows facing a clearing where white-tailed deer regularly converged. A prime hunting spot, and one that had produced sightings of a trophy 12-point buck. The morning started like any other. 4 a.m. coffee, a quad ride through the dark forest trail, and a careful climb up the steel ladder into the blind. They waited. Watched. A small herd eventually appeared, including some nice bucks, but they held out for the trophy. Then, out of nowhere, a sound ripped through the valley. A loud, deep howl that rose from low to high, dropped back down to low, and ended in something described as a moaning sound. The deer didn't hesitate — they spooked instantly and vanished into the trees. Dave and Randy looked at each other. Dave asked if it could've been a wolf. Randy wasn't sure. They headed back to the farmhouse to ask Uncle Bill, who had lived on that land for years and knew every sound those woods could produce. Uncle Bill's response was telling. No wolves in Missouri — not since the last grey and red wolves were killed in the early 1950s. Definitely not a mountain lion, bear, or coyote. But then he paused, looked down, and mentioned something he'd heard about over the years from locals. Back in the old days, they called it the "hairy man." He didn't want to elaborate, but the implication was clear — he was talking about Bigfoot. The Ozarks have a long and rich history with Sasquatch-type reports. The dense, rugged terrain of southern Missouri, with its hollows, ridges, and thick forest cover, provides ideal habitat for a large, elusive primate to remain hidden. Regional folklore often refers to these beings by different names — the Ozark Howler, the hairy man, wood devils — but the descriptions tend to align remarkably well with what witnesses report across North America. Mark Twain National Forest, in particular, has been the subject of numerous sighting reports over the decades, with hunters and campers describing unusual vocalizations, large footprints, and fleeting glimpses of something big and dark moving through the trees. What makes this account stand out is the credibility factor. Uncle Bill wasn't a believer making grand claims — he was a practical farmer who had spent years on that land and simply acknowledged that something unexplained lived in those woods. The hunters themselves were skeptical but shaken. The way the deer reacted — instant flight with no hesitation — suggests they recognized something genuinely threatening, not just a passing coyote or stray dog. The retelling on Base Camp Chris goes into much more detail about the geography, the setup, and Uncle Bill's reaction, and it's worth watching in full for anyone interested in this kind of witness testimony. The host also spends some time enjoying a Dirty Wookie Imperial Brown Ale from Reno's Brewers Cabinet, which adds a folksy campfire vibe to the whole thing. Stories like this are exactly why researchers keep digging. Two hunters, a credible landowner, and a vocalization that doesn't match any known animal in the region. The Ozarks are keeping their secrets, but occasionally, something slips through.