Alabama Hunter Reports Deer Fleeing in Panic from Unknown Threat

There's something about a witness account that just hits different, and this one from the folks over at My Bigfoot Sighting has all the hallmarks of a classic encounter that makes you lean in a little closer. Episode 229 features a hunter named Darren Frank, a drywall contractor from North Alabama, who had an experience back in 2017 while on a management deer hunt in the William B. Bankhead National Forest that he just can't shake. Now, Bankhead is a massive swath of wilderness—nearly 200,000 acres of managed land that spills over into Tennessee. It's the kind of place where the trees grow thick, the hollows run deep, and the quiet can get pretty loud if you know what I mean. Alabama has a long history of reports, and this particular forest has popped up in witness stories more than a few times over the years. It's got that remote, rugged feel that just seems to attract attention from the unknown. Darren's story starts out pretty normal. He's on a three-day management hunt, which means he's got a special permit and is out there looking to take a deer as part of the forest's population control program. He's a seasoned hunter, knows the land, and has his spot picked out behind a big fallen cedar tree with a natural vine setup. Day one, he sees a couple of yearling does come down the hill in the morning—nothing unusual. But then the evening hunt rolls around, and things take a strange turn. He settles back into his spot around 2 PM, and within fifteen minutes, he hears something coming up the hollow fast. It's those same two yearlings, and they're booking it. Not just trotting—full-on galloping, eyes wide, frantic, the kind of run you see when a deer knows something is on its tail. They blow right past him, stop, look at him like he's a curiosity, glance back toward whatever spooked them, then take off again across the hollow and back up into their bedding area. Here's where it gets interesting. Darren is sitting there with a clear line of sight 150 to 200 yards out, rifle ready, waiting to see what flushed those deer. Nothing. Not a buck, not a dog, not a coyote, not a thing. And he makes a really good point in the video—Alabama doesn't have bears in that area, no wolves, and while there are coyotes and bobcats, coyotes hunt at night and bobcats are ambush predators. Neither of them would be chasing deer through the hollow in the middle of the afternoon in a full-on sprint with no noise from the pursuer. Whatever was back there was big enough and quiet enough to send two deer into full panic mode, and it never showed itself. That's the kind of detail that sticks with you. The story continues into day two, where Darren ends up harvesting a healthy doe, and things get even more unusual while he's field dressing her—but I'll let you hear that part straight from him. The discussion cuts off right at a wild moment, and honestly, you'll want to see how it plays out for yourself. If you're into witness accounts with that classic "something's out there but I never got eyes on it" vibe, this one's worth your time. The deer behavior alone is enough to make you wonder what was moving through those woods that afternoon. Head over and check out the full episode—you won't be disappointed.