Fisherman Stalked by Wood Booger Along Appalachian River
Posted Friday, July 10, 2026
By Squatchable.com staff
If you've ever spent time in Appalachia, you know that the locals have their own way of talking about the tall, dark, hairy figure that most people call Bigfoot. Down in those hollers and ridges, they don't always use the name Bigfoot or Sasquatch. Instead, you might hear folks refer to it as a wood booger, the booger man, or simply "the thing in the woods." These regional names aren't just colorful folklore. They reflect a long tradition of encounters that stretch back generations, long before the term Bigfoot became mainstream in the 1950s.
A recent video from The Holler Files with Buzzard dives deep into this very topic, and it's a must-watch for anyone interested in the cultural roots of Bigfoot research. The episode focuses on the wood booger of Appalachia, covering the classic descriptions that researchers and witnesses have documented over the years: seven to nine feet tall, covered in dark fur, emitting a strong odor, frequently spotted crossing logging roads, and known for whistling or knocking from ridgetops. If you've spent any time reading encounter reports, you know those details line up perfectly with Sasquatch sightings reported across North America.
What makes this particular episode worth your time is the story at its center. An old fisherman who spent decades along a river in the region shared his experience, and it's the kind of account that sticks with you. He described a stretch of riverbank that locals avoided after dark, not because of bears or trespassers, but because something watched from the timber line. One summer evening, as the sun dropped behind the ridges, he heard footsteps moving parallel to him through the woods. Every time he stopped, the sound stopped. Every time he walked, it followed.
That's classic Bigfoot behavior, and anyone familiar with the literature knows it. The paralleling, the mimicking of movement, the staying just out of sight. It's a pattern that shows up in encounter reports from British Columbia to Florida. The fisherman's story takes an even more compelling turn when he describes hearing a loud crack from the hillside above him, something heavier than a twig or a branch underfoot. When he shined his light toward the ridge, nothing. The woods went silent. Then another crack echoed from further up the slope, and he decided it was time to head back to his truck.
Halfway back, he caught movement from the corner of his eye. A large dark shape stood between two trees on the opposite side of the bank. Too tall to be a deer, too broad to be a person. He blinked, raised his flashlight, and it was gone. The next morning, curiosity got the better of him, and he returned to find several deep impressions in a muddy sandbar. They weren't clear enough to prove anything, but they were larger than any boot he ever owned.
This is exactly the kind of grounded, regional storytelling that keeps the Bigfoot research community buzzing. The wood booger tradition in Appalachia is rich and deeply rooted, and it deserves more attention than it often gets. The video does a great job of honoring that tradition while also setting up an investigation into whether the old stories still hold any truth. Buzzard mentions heading into the hollers and along the rivers to follow up on these accounts, which is the kind of boots-on-the-ground approach that serious researchers appreciate.
If you're new to the Appalachian side of Bigfoot research, this is a solid introduction. The regional names, the cultural context, and the specific behaviors described all point to the same phenomenon that researchers have been documenting for decades. And if you're a seasoned witness or researcher, you'll likely appreciate the way the episode frames these encounters within the local folklore. Either way, it's worth carving out some time to watch. The Holler Files with Buzzard has built a following for a reason, and this episode is a good example of why.
Head over to YouTube and check it out when you get a chance. And if you know anyone who loves this kind of content, pass it along.