1981 Alaska Bigfoot Encounter Terrifies Two Experienced Hunters

So I just came across this absolutely gripping video over on the Bigfoot Sasquatch Stories YouTube channel, and I had to share it with you all because it tells one of the most intense Sasquatch encounter stories I've heard in a while. It's a detailed account from two Alaskan trappers who claim they actually killed one of these beings back in 1981, and the aftermath is what really got my attention. The story centers on Thomas Walker, a 28-year-old hunter from the Fairbanks region, and his older mentor Earl Dawson, a tracker famous for being able to read the forest like an open book. These two set out on a nearly three-week moose hunting trip into a remote part of interior Alaska in late September of 1981. Now here's where it gets interesting, Earl had deliberately avoided a certain valley between two mountain ranges because, according to local Indigenous peoples, that land was considered a place where humans shouldn't linger. But a freak storm knocked down their usual route, forcing them straight into that very valley. Almost like something wanted them there. The first sign something was off came on the third morning when Thomas found a massive footprint pressed into the mud along the creek. It wasn't a bear track, and it wasn't anything either of them recognized. When Earl measured it, the tape showed nearly 20 inches long, unusually wide, with five clear toes and a deeply pressed heel. For context, that's significantly larger than typical Sasquatch track casts that have been reported over the years, which usually range from 15 to 18 inches. This thing was enormous. Things escalated quickly after that. They found a dead adult moose with its neckbones broken by tremendous force, but most of the body was left intact, which is completely atypical of bear or wolf kills. Then they found a pine tree with bark scraped away at over 8 feet high, fresh pale wood showing the damage had happened recently. Even a very tall man would struggle to reach that spot. Then came the knocking. Thomas describes it as a dry, heavy sound like two large tree trunks striking each other, echoing from different directions at regular intervals, almost like it was being passed through the valleys rather than coming from trees falling in the wind. This kind of coordinated wood-knocking behavior has been reported in Sasquatch encounters across North America for decades, and researchers have long suggested it could be a form of communication between family groups or even a territorial warning. What really stood out to me, though, was what happened with Earl's trail markers. He'd tied orange ribbons to the trees to mark their path back, a habit he'd never abandoned. But overnight, those ribbons disappeared, and here's the creepy part, they weren't torn or cut. The knots had been neatly untied, and the ribbons were carefully rolled up and placed at the base of trees, on rocks, under roots. As if someone deliberately returned them. That level of intentional behavior, understanding the purpose of human trail markers and choosing to undo them neatly rather than just destroying them, is something that comes up again and again in credible Sasquatch encounter reports. It suggests intelligence and curiosity rather than animal behavior. The climax of the story, and the part that makes this video worth watching, is the moment Thomas describes seeing a tall dark shape shifting between the trees at the edge of the forest. And then the encounter itself, where Earl fires his rifle at a Sasquatch more than 8 feet tall that collapses onto the wet moss. But what happens immediately after is what sent chills down my spine. From every direction, other knocks answered all at once. Thomas understood in that moment that the being they had shot had not been alone. This account fits into a broader pattern of Sasquatch encounters reported in Alaska's interior wilderness, where vast, untouched terrain and sparse human population create conditions where these beings could thrive largely undisturbed. Alaska has long been considered prime Sasquatch territory, with reports dating back to Indigenous oral traditions long before European contact. The video does a fantastic job laying out the entire story with atmospheric narration, and the channel makes it clear they can't fully verify whether this was a real event or a legend embellished across generations. But honestly, the level of detail, the consistency with other Sasquatch encounter patterns, and the emotional weight of the account make it worth your time. Definitely check it out and let me know what you think, because stories like this are exactly why I keep coming back to this subject. There's something out there, and accounts like this one only deepen that conviction.