Early morning sighting by a deer hunter near Hugo witnessed in Josephine County, Oregon

Open Map

It was about 7:15am and overcast but had just stopped raining. I was hunting near Hugo, Oregon. I was about a half a mile from where I parked my vehicle walking on an ATV trail. It was still mostly dark and I had my flashlight in my hand but turned off. I was trying to be quiet as possible while walking quickly because I wanted to make good time to a favorite clearing without spooking any deer that may be in the area. As I was walking, I saw a very large animal walking upright in front of me across the trail at about 10 yards. It didn't appear to be running but expanded the distance of about 15-20 feet in two strides from left to right of the trail. It did so without making any noise that I can remember. I instantly froze and clicked on the flashlight. What I saw made my hair stand on end. I saw a large muscular dark fur covered animal that looked to be about 7 - 7 1/2 feet tall. I guess it would be around 500 lbs. I have seen a few bears and I know positively that it was not a b...