Hunter briefly observes a stationary upright animal before it runs away witnessed in Grant County, Oregon

Open Map

My story is approximately 30 years old and I have never told it to other than friends and family. My wife and I were in, I believe, Union County, Oregon, where I was elk hunting. I hunted alone because too many hunters like to ride all day and I like to walk the high country. I carried a CB radio so I could stay in contact with the wife and kids. After driving to the high country I would have my wife drive back down and I would hunt the ridges and if necessary call and have her move my truck to another location as I hunted my way along the high ridges. On this day it was beautiful, clear cool, and sunny. I had a small breeze coming toward me as I walked along a high ridge. As I came down into a saddle where there were about 3" diameter saplings on both sides of the ridge, the path in front was clear on top for a long ways and about 30 feet wide. Vision was great. As the ground became level at the bottom of the saddle there was a single pine tree about 9 feet tall in the middle standing...