Teen Hunter Recalls Terrifying 1994 Bigfoot Encounter From Tree Stand

Posted Friday, September 25, 2026

By Squatchable.com staff

A new documentary is making waves in the Bigfoot community, and if the buzz is any indication, it could shake the foundation of everything researchers thought they knew about the most famous piece of evidence in the field. "Capturing Bigfoot" is slated for release in late October, and the conversations surrounding it are getting intense. Over on the Dogman Teepee Hunting channel, host Phil recently sat down with Jason from Papa Squatch Productions and Dan to dig into what this documentary actually claims and why it has people talking. The discussion gets pretty deep right from the jump, and Phil makes his position clear early on. He isn't too worried about claims that the Patterson-Gimlin film might be fake. Phil has spoken with enough people over the years that his belief in the existence of these beings is solid. What does concern him, though, is the possibility that the documentary might present evidence showing the original 1967 footage was premeditated. That distinction matters, and Phil makes sure to draw the line clearly. But the real meat of the conversation comes when Jason opens up about his own history with these creatures. His story goes back to December 1994, when he was just 16 years old and sitting in a tree stand. He woke up to a sound, something heavy stepping on a branch, and when he opened his eyes, there it was. Roughly 30 yards away, staring right at him. He describes the creature as seven to ten feet tall, covered in hair, and wider than the tree he was leaning against. The encounter escalated quickly. Jason fired his rifle, and the creature let out what he calls a "hellish howl," a sound so powerful he could feel the vibrations through his body even at that distance. What makes Jason's account stand out is the aftermath. His stepfather and uncle came to get him, and despite finding footprints in the mud and sand, despite tracking the creature a quarter to half a mile through the woods toward the river, and despite finding drops of blood along the way, they refused to believe what had happened. They either didn't believe him or didn't want to. That kind of dismissal is something so many in this community know all too well. The ridicule, the scoffs, the silence that follows when you try to share something that doesn't fit the accepted narrative. Jason kept that story bottled up for decades before finally reaching out to podcaster Stacy Brown Jr. with Bigfoot on the Ground last year. It's a familiar path for witnesses who carry these experiences alone for far too long. The conversation also drifts into some fascinating territory about the nature of reality itself. Phil brings up the idea that the supernatural is actually natural, that the paranormal is normal, and that these things occur daily in ways we simply haven't learned to understand yet. There's mention of the heart's neural network and the electromagnetic field it generates, and how beings or entities might operate within that field. The Galactic Council gets a mention too, along with the idea of a "super smart primate" that knows how to bury its dead and keep its numbers small. Patently ridiculous, as one voice in the discussion puts it, but that's the thing about this subject. The line between absurd and profound gets blurry fast. For anyone interested in where Bigfoot research might be heading, or who wants to hear a firsthand account from someone who has been sitting with his experience since 1994, this is worth checking out. Phil keeps the energy moving, the chat is active, and Jason's story is the kind of testimony that stays with you long after the stream ends. The documentary "Capturing Bigfoot" drops in late October. If the claims hold up, the conversation around the Patterson-Gimlin film is about to get a whole lot louder.