In a published commentary for OutKick, writer Sean Joseph argues that an unexplained encounter reported by a veteran deer hunter in the mountains near St. Maries points directly to Bigfoot.
The column breaks down an official report submitted to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization detailing an incident on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. According to the source material cited in the piece, witness Gabe Coder was conducting an evening deer hunt around 5 p.m. roughly 10 miles southeast of St. Maries in Benewah County when the strange events unfolded.
The Encounter in Benewah County
Walking down a trail in a thick pine forest creek bottom, the hunter heard what sounded like loud knocking on a tree
coming from a creek bed 200 to 300 yards away. The writer highlights that the noises persisted for five to 10 minutes and were immediately followed by a super strong smell of death.
Upon searching the area for any animal carcasses, the hunter found nothing. The witness also reported hearing what sounded like a really deep voice but I couldn’t make out what it was saying, sort of gibberish.
The Case for Sasquatch
Building on the details of the Class B report, the commentary stresses that the witness is a seasoned outdoorsman who usually hunts in Bonner County and has never experienced a potential Sasquatch encounter in all his prior years in the woods. Conditions at the time were calm with clear skies at dusk.
The column emphasizes that the hunter saw no human footprints or signs of people in the area, noting he was the only truck seen all day on the road leading to the drainage. Describing the sensory details provided by the witness, the text notes, The smell of decay was extremely strong, as if you were standing right on top of a carcass. It was overpowering,
alongside the observation that he could not even find a single sign of a dead animal near me.
