It was late September 1980, mid-morning on a Saturday with sunny, calm and cool weather. Perfect for squirrel hunting, so off I went, not telling anyone where I was going (I had a number of different spots). I headed for a small woodlot, maybe 10 acres in size, less than a mile from my house. This woodlot is about 1/3 mile from the nearest road, surrounded by farmland with a small stream on the south side and with several fence rows attached. It had a farmer’s lane that went though it in a rough L shape, with a grass and dirt base and large enough to drive on. Such woodlots are a fairly common feature of the southeastern Michigan farming landscape, if anything the woodlot was smaller than most. The lane enters the woodlot from the north, about ½ mile from the road I first walked onto the lane from. As I entered the woodlot I noticed something quite odd- there were a large number of birds making a big racquet in the underbrush in the woods just to the right of the lane. I noticed redwings, robins, jays and cardinals in particular, and they were flirting about the underbrush in a somewhat frenzied fashion. Many times I had seen redwings gather in large noisy flocks this time of year (pre-migration or corn field raids), but gather high up – this was different and struck me as strange. I continued my way, after 50 yards or so into the woodlot I approached a small bend in the lane where it veers perhaps 20 degrees or so to my right. My rifle was still slung over my shoulder with a sling, since the hunting spot was on the other side of woodlot near the lane exit on the west side. At the bend in the lane I was still glancing back at the bird commotion, and when I turned my head forward again I froze in shock and terror. Standing about 25 yards away was a huge furry creature, towering 7 feet into the air and standing just like a man. It was staring seemly straight through me, and our eyes locked. It stood in the underbrush just off the left side of trail. I could not see it below the waist, but could see everything else. It could see me from head to toe. We just stared at one another. It was massive, three feet wide at the shoulders, incredibly stocky and strong looking. Reddish brown hair was everywhere, shorter on the face but perhaps 3-5 inches long on the head and shoulders. The hair was quite unkempt and mop-like especially on the top of the head. The head was large, seemingly flat on top. I could not make out any ears. Eyes a simple black, no whites, and a lying flat nose without many discernable features – there was even some hair there in the middle of the face. The mouth was large with a bit more hair there, giving the appearance of a sort of mustache. It did not have much expression, pretty much straight lipped, it really seemed almost relaxed. Its arms hung at its sides, with the hands in the underbrush. There were no signs of aggression. Perhaps that is what kept me from panicking, and neither it nor I moved a muscle. That eerie stare seemed to last forever. My mind raced, desperate to escape. I felt that turning and running might encourage it to chase me, and I knew I could never outpace it. I did not attempt to unsling my rifle, fearing that it might consider such a move aggressive. Also, it was only a single shot .22, obviously of little use for something this size. The rifle was chambered but un-cocked, and if the creature charged I would probably not even have the time to cock it. I did not want to shoot this creature, but would in self-defense. So, barely moving my hand that was at my side I could reach back to the bolt knob and try to cock the gun while it was still slung on my shoulder. I could move the spring a little, trying several times, but from there I could just not get enough leverage to pull it all the way back. I will never forget how hopeless I felt at that moment. I had no idea what to do next, and just stood there. Then the creature made its move – its large hairy right hand came up, and swiped at a red berried shrub right in front of it. It moved the hand to its mouth and casually chewed. It repeated these motions- glancing down to the shrub, swiping up berries and eating, then glancing back up to me. The arm motion was very fluid and un-human like, no jerking motions, very deft flowing movement. The left hand remained at the creature’s side. It was not picking berries like a person would, it was raking them up. Also, during the entire encounter I never heard any vocalizations or smelled any odors. Watching it eat, I started to feel better. I was no longer this creature’s only concern, so I took this as an invite to leave. I slowly began to walk backwards, and the creature continued to eat and keep an eye on me. I slipped around the bend, and lost sight of the creature after a few feet. I turned around and quickened my pace into a fast walk, not wanting to alert the creature that I was running or in panic. I continued to look back to the bend in the lane, fearing it would follow. Soon I was at the woodlot’s edge, and broke into a full run. Finally, only to run faster, did I unsling my rifle. I was 15 years old, and it probably did not take me two weeks afterwards to clam up about this for obvious reasons. In the mid 1990s I told my future wife, and now am reporting it here. It just feels like it is time.