Knocking in Polk County, North Carolina

October 2011 we found footprints leading away from our outdoors fire pit. Something had stepped in wet ashes after a big storm. We could see where it had tried to wipe ash off on rocks and then took long strides across the yard. Several years later (year not recalled) on a camping trip near same area. At about 7pm I heard heavy footfalls, a knock in a pattern of 5 or 6 knocks. Then about 100 yards away from that I heard another commotion and more heavy footfalls running toward the 1st. It sounded like the 2 animals met and a flock of turkeys sleeping in a thicker was just anihilated. The attack lasted 15 seconds with the turkeys screeching and flapping loudly. Later that night I heard the same knocking pattern and then an answer in the far distance with the same pattern. A few years later back at my home. During a break in a huge storm at about 2 am I heard something trying to climb over wire fence in my back yard. My son and I went out with guns as we've had some vandalism incidents. On the back porch, the fence was still shaking and we heard footsteps crashing to our left. I yelled out for whoever it might be to leave us alone. I announced we were armed. Then we heard a loud crack like a rifle shot from the direction of the footsteps. At this time we were really afraid and I emptied my shotgun toward the crack sound. There were several more pops and I pushed my son and now awake wife back in the house and then emptied my 22 rifle also. As my son handed me the shotgun he'd reloaded... the cracking increased and I realized something was pushing a huge tree over and the cracks were the splitting of wood. The tree crashed to the ground literally shaking the whole house. My family pushed their way back outside, terrified. And we all heard loud footfalls running away from the fallen tree.