Retired Officer Recalls Bigfoot Tracks Found During Elk Hunt Near St. Helens

A fascinating interview dropped recently on the Creek Devil YouTube channel, and it's one worth carving out time to watch. Host William Jevning sits down with Richard, a retired law enforcement officer who spent 27 years serving as a sergeant, lieutenant, and police chief. The guy knows how to observe, document, and report — exactly the kind of witness researchers dream about. Richard's most jaw-dropping story takes place during a solo elk hunt back in early November, years ago when elk were still plentiful in his hunting area. He ventured into unfamiliar terrain using his compass as a guide, but something strange kept happening — he'd check his compass and find he was heading the opposite direction. Three times. Compass malfunctions and electronic disturbances are a recurring theme in Sasquatch encounters, and it's wild to hear it from someone with a law enforcement background who knows how to use navigational tools. Then the snow started coming down hard. He sat for a while, heard a loud grunt in the distance (which he attributed to a buck deer), and started heading back out. That's when he walked by a huge bush and looked down. Fresh footprints. Huge ones. Well-defined toes, the works — much bigger than a man's foot, somewhere around 16 inches or possibly larger. He was the only person in that area, and the snow had only been accumulating for about 45 minutes to an hour. These prints were fresh. He called his son over, and they both stared at them in amazement. Here's where it gets really interesting: the tracks transitioned from human-looking shapes into large ovals, losing their definition. Richard wondered if the creature dropped to all fours to avoid detection — a behavior that's been reported by other witnesses over the years. It's a detail that adds a lot of credibility to the encounter because it shows the witness was paying close attention and thinking critically about what he was seeing. The interview also touches on something that's been bugging hunters across the Pacific Northwest — elk and bear are vanishing from areas where they used to be abundant. Richard and his hunting buddies have noticed it for the past couple of years, and other hunters in the area are reporting the same thing. Old sign everywhere, but nothing fresh. No sightings. It's a mystery that deserves more attention, and it ties into the broader question of what's really roaming these forests. What makes this interview stand out is Richard's demeanor. He's not trying to sell anything. He's not looking for fame. He's a retired cop who happened to stumble onto something he couldn't explain, and he's sharing it because it's true. That kind of straightforward honesty is rare in this field. Creek Devil has built a solid reputation for hosting credible witnesses, and this one is a must-watch. The compass malfunction, the size and definition of the prints, and the transition from human-like to oval tracks — it all adds up to a compelling account. Check it out and see what you think.