Hunter Describes Terrifying REPTILIAN Encounter at Brooks Lake, Wyoming

"I am sending this experience and you will be the second person I have ever told about this. The first person went back here the summer after I told him about this and has NEVER talked to me about my story or his trip back there. We slowly lost contact over time and I think this is the reason why.

In 1978 I was elk hunting west of a town called Dubois, Wyoming. I was on my way back to town for a hot meal, gas, and to restock my food supplies, as I was camping in a tent in the backcountry. I was on the highway going west of town coming in and found a man wearing only hunting shoes, a heavy shirt, and a goose-down vest. In Wyoming in the middle of October then this was definitely underdressed! The daytime temps were at a high of the 30s at best, and nights were in single digits or lower. Well, he got out on the road and started waving his arms wildly and begging to stop, I saw his eyes had a trail of tears on his face trailing down in the dirt on it. I pulled over to the side of the deserted road to see what his problem was, I thought it might be a wreck on the icy spots of the highway. Little did I know this would change my thinking and the way I hunted by myself forever.

He ran to my side of the pickup and I could see he was very scared about something. He grasped the pickup and begged me with tears in his eyes to take him to town. I couldn't say no to this man, I asked him if he was in a wreck or something he said "No just please get me out of here, I need to go somewhere safe." I thought it odd that he would say this and as I had my right hand on a pistol in my lap (guys you never know) I said to get in. He looked around at the treeline along the roadway and again ran to the passenger side of the pickup. As he was coming around the truck I put the pistol in a side pocket of the door and he got inside and locked the door and made sure the window was up, again watching the treeline, "Go please" was all he said. I started back towards town and I then noticed the scratches on his face, clothes, and hands, and his whole body was shaking. After we went a couple of miles he somewhat slowed down on rechecking the treeline and passenger rear view mirror.

"You OK. buddy?" I asked, he stared at me for many seconds and just broke down crying like a little kid. "Yeah, but don't think I'm crazy man, I just had something happen and I ain't going back there for nothing, I hope the guys are OK." He composed himself some and started to explain:

I am hunting here with two buddies and we always hunt below Brooks Lake when we come to Wyoming. Usually, we get elk or deer, never go home skunked here, just love it. I was going along a trail I had been on many times to get to a small overlook to sit awhile. It was their turn to push (the elk) to me. I was almost there when I walked past this stand of three trees close together and on the other side was this huge lizard, it was standing easily over 6 1/2 feet tall, golden/bronze color with a vest and short metallic-looking briefs. I could tell it was a male I guess and he had a black thing in his clawed hand. Its eyes were like a cat's and it had a tail. I just stood there with my rifle in my hands across my chest frozen kinda like. I was looking into the face of death, I just knew it. I coughed a little and its arm with the black thing came up so fast I could hardly see it. Something hit my whole body from my feet to my head and I fell back on the ground, I dunno if I flew or fell I just went backward. It came slowly walking up to me I could hear it and could only move my eyes slightly as it came into view, it just looked down at me its mouth slightly open making a low hissing sound and its forked tongue slightly coming out of its mouth. Its head turned down looking at me and did this for a few minutes, I could hear it breathing, see the nose holes working, see its chest, muscles tensing and relaxing all over its body, I was just frozen there looking up, I couldn't look at it directly and I couldn't close my eyes very easy either. Its expression never changed only the eyes moved sometimes slow like sometimes so fast you could hardly see 'um. On its sleeveless shirt it had a kinda 'O' with a smaller, screwy offset Y and Z I think, it finally walked away down the trail.

I dunno how long I lay there, from the sun's movement it was maybe a couple of hours. I could hear the forest sounds, birds, wind, trees, and animals going about their day like nothing happened, I would use my arms or legs to move hell, even my fingers. When I could move every muscle in my body ached as I would use it, like after a workout at the gym or something. I knew if I went downhill I would come to the old creek bottom and hopefully not see him again. I did that, I followed it to the canyon bottom and then to the road and you. Thanks again, don't make me get out. I took off my coat, I guess I forgot my rifle, and cap, I don't need them. I hope Jake and Bobby are O.K. I heard something following me when I first got up, it was really heavy sounding and would stop when I stopped and once or twice I could hear breathing like "it" did, kinda of a raspy wheeze sound. I would start running or walking again, but I couldn't rest.

He told me which motel to let him off at and I did, he thanked me many times, got out, and went into the office. I never saw him again. I thought about the fantastic story and wondered if true, but it could be right? I didn't hear anything about someone having problems anywhere around town that fall.

I asked about the man the next year at the motel (no one could remember him) and if anyone knew stories about the area, I didn't get specific or anything. I didn't press it. My buddy whom I was close to and explored stuff like this at every opportunity was very interested in my story and the location. He took off up there the next summer for a long weekend, I had to work so couldn't go.

I didn't see him until a couple of weeks later. I asked him about it and what he found out. He looked at me and got very serious, "Dude, don't go up there, promise me, OK?" That was all he said, I could tell he meant it. I would go with this guy sometimes and he was very analytical and professional when doing things like, taping sounds at cemeteries, exploring ghost haunts, and others. He never acted scared at any time. I have never hunted or been on that side of the highway since then, but have talked to others who have seen large barefoot prints, strange flying stuff, or howls over the years since then around the Wind River Mountains for what it's worth. I do like to read about the unknown and sometimes explore it, but, and I mean but, if it just feels wrong before I start. I leave it alone.

Now when I hunt anywhere I don't fear bears, wolves, or other people, but I am wary of what else might be out there, and always let someone know where I go and when I should be back." AWH