Growling in Tehama County, California

Well, this was many-many years ago and I've actually been very reluctant to even mention this, but after reading your web site, and seeing various reports on the t.v. / and documentaries, has made me think even more of what I had seen that night. What happened was one early Morning in 72 or 73, I was with my uncle and we were going either deer or bear hunting. I would say it was about 4-5 in the morning, it was very crisp morning I would but it maybe 35-45 degrees. We left my uncles ranch [my uncle and I], as we were going down the road about 3 miles from his house, I noticed out of the headlights what appeared to be maybe a cow coming out of an olive orchard. As we got closer, I noticed that the creature was on all fours, the upper part [thoracic] seemed to arch and it was higher, than the rear part [postural], the fur was dark but seemed to shine with the headlights, the head itself did seem to be round in a way with the exception that the occipital area seemed to be more pointy. The creature crossed the 2 way road, I would say that the length of the body itself was almost 1/2 the length of this 2-way country road. I did notice that it crossed the road in, I would say 3 strides. When it got to the other side it went down the irrigation ditch 2ft down, at this time it was coming out of the headlights, but the figure seemed to have stood, then take one step over the fence. So if we figure that it stood on a irrigation ditch 2ft below the road and then took a step over a 4ft fence, what ever it was huge. There were things that did catch my attention. 1.The fur how it shined, it seemed to sway with the movements of the body. 2. At the level of the shoulders, I would say it was as the same height, as my uncles F-250 4wd, which I will say that the hood stands easily 5ft. 3. As we approached the creature did turn his head to look at us, the face was dark, humanoidish like, it's eyes where planted firmly in front and not to the side, also the creature seem to like growl at us because it did show us his teeth. 4. Now when the creature did turn his head, it seem to do so with some difficulty, as it completed its rotation of the head it seem to make its right shoulder move towards the back and I would attribute this because it had a very short neck. 5. The eyes in the headlights were RED, but yet the teeth did not seem to shine yet you knew they were teeth, also the mouth area seemed to be almost flat like, in other words more human like, and not a snout like a bear or cat would have. After we passed I do remember my uncle mentioning that there must be a skunk around cause it stank. Personally, I cannot smell so I cannot account to that. After it crossed the fence I could not see it any more. p.s. You could see the movement of the muscles of the upper body.