A teen and his cousin are playing Airsoft in the woods at Long Lake, Wisconsin. After going deeper into the forest the teen observes a wolf-like creature that eventually chases both of them.
I received the following account:
"Hi, Lon. I just started reading your blog. When I was younger, 16 or 17 I think, I had an encounter with something strange in the forests near Danbury, Wisconsin. Background on me is that I am 6'4" and athletic, I am a hunter, camper, and martial artist, generally a survivalist. I was naive and didn't give nature the proper level of respect and basically was a cocky teenager who felt invincible.
Our cabin had been on Long Lake in Danbury. The whole area is forested for the most part, I was there on vacation with my cousin and grandparents, it was a nice hot summer day, and we had decided to play Airsoft. I took Airsoft really seriously. I wore a full BDU Woodland with a camouflage mask even. My cousin just wore jeans and a T-shirt.
We had a battle which I took into the woods where I felt comfortable. We were about 150 yards into the forest when we stopped. Then I decided to tease my cousin. I shushed him and said, "We're being watched" jokingly. Unfortunately, it turned out to not be much of a joke, because I immediately noticed that the woods were dead quiet. I was on edge very quickly. Next, the feeling of being watched hit hard so I started scanning the surrounding area.
Then I saw it. The whitish teeth gave it away. What I saw, was at the edge of a clearing about 40 meters from us crouched and holding on to a tree with its left hand. It was panting and watching us with its ears up. It had reddish brown hair/fur and looked canine. In my head, it clicked as a werewolf. I said to my cousin, "We have to go!" He bolted, and I still had my eyes on it when my cousin started sprinting. The creature charged, it ran on 2 legs for maybe 10 feet and then dropped to all fours, and then I turned and sprinted. I could hear it crashing through the woods behind us as we ran out of the woods.
Once back at the cabin we discussed it. It's still unclear if my cousin saw it. I told him I thought it was a bear to not freak him out, but I know bears. It wasn't a bear.
I started doing research on these things after my encounter which brought me to many dogman-related sites, what I saw coincides with other people's sightings. I am now far better about respecting nature and I am extremely cautious with the forests. If I go into nature alone I am always armed, but I prefer to not be alone.
That was 12 years ago, and I haven't seen anything like that since. Always trust your senses." M
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