Creature seen by witnesses at the bottom of the hill witnessed in Skamania County, Washington

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My son and I were elk hunting in November 1997, and were standing on a ridge overlooking a semi-forested flat area below us. The ridge we were on was fir trees and heavy brushy groundcover, and the area between us and the flat at the bottom of the ridge could not directly be observed. As we were watching the flat below us for signs of elk, I heard what I thought was two hunters slowly walking up the ridge and softly talking to each other. I could not make out any words, only the soft murmuring sound of a voice. I told my son, who was to my left and about ten feet from me, that I hear two hunters coming toward us and we'll let them come up so they know we are there. Just as I said that, we heard a heavy thumping sound, which later I thought sounded like heavy footfalls, going back down the ridge, and suddenly saw a flash of black at the bottom of the ridge as something vanished into the trees on the flat. At this same time, my son snapped his .300 Winchester magnum rifle to his shoul...