Hunter hears strange chattering and finds tracks in Sam Houston National Forest witnessed in Montgomery County, Texas

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Deer hunting in the Sam Houston National Forest last November (2003). Near dark, I heard what sounded like a large limb or small tree snap. I listened, but heard nothing further. Next day, I returned before sun-up, and spent the day hunting the area. Late afternoon, I hid in a clump of small trees near the edge of the field. As darkness fell, I heard a mumbling sound, like someone was whispering. No words could be made out, although individual syllables were definately distinguishable. The sound was coming from the thick woods and sounded maybe 300 yards distant. Sounded quite human, but carried far better than I would think human whispering would. Most syllables seemed to start with "s" sounds. I listened for a while, then said "who's there?" No reply, and silence for maybe 10 minutes. Then the chattering resumed. The source of the sounds seemed to move around, but I took it to be one critter, changing location. It was very dark by now, and I turned on my flashlight and moved into the...