My unexplained story...

So I was reading a bit about jayfkntee's encounter with "The Breather!" and it reminded me of my own story.

I really don't think it was a Crypto and I laugh about it now, but I still don't know exactly what it was.

My parents have what's called a raised ranch house. The basement is only about 3 feet into the ground and the rest is above ground so there can be windows. Well, there's a patio out back. It's about 3 feet lower than the ground in a swale (a dug-out valley type of thing) that goes from the back door to about 50 feet into the back yard from the house.

One night, I'm out back smoking and standing at the edge of the patio. The ground level is about the height of my hips - or maybe middle of my thigh. And I'm 6'2". It's pretty dark out back. I was only there for a couple of minutes, probably looking up at the stars - it's gets dark in the country (about 60 miles SouthWest of Chicago).

I didn't hear a thing other than normal night sounds. I got about half through my cigarette.

Then all of a sudden, something breathed/snorted right in my left ear!

Scared the sh!t out of me!

I turned and fell backwards on my ass and saw (what little I could in the dark) something run along the ground towards the house in the direction I fell. I got up off my ass and ran back into the house. Didn't even think to grab a flashlight and look.

It didn't sound like normal breathing to me, but then I don't think I've ever had a dog (or other animal) breathe right into my ear like that. It was a very strong heavy breath, which made me think of a cow.

Unless one of the neighbor's cows got loose, I've assumed all this time that it was one of the neighbor's dogs. Probably the pretty Irish Setter they had for a while. It would have had to be a calf if it was a cow - it was smaller than a full grown cow, and I don't think any neighbors had baby cows then. It's possible it was a coyote, since they started showing up around here. But I don't think a coyote would make that deep of a sound. And I think it was bigger than the coyotes we've seen around here. My Dad thinks it might have been a deer. It would have had to be very young, to be that small.

But honestly, I still don't know what it was.

I think that's the most unexplained thing I've ever had happen to me.

a reply to: CryHavoc


Certainly, a hooved animal is not going to move that fast and close to you without making a sound, so I would rule out that sort of an animal. Maybe a friendly dog that you scared as much as it scared you?

a reply to: Aliensun

Probably. The neighbor's dog was always running into other people's yards.

Thanks!

Deer are very quiet and numerous. I'd put my money on that.

I'm also on the deer train.

Even a small doe can make a fairly deep snort, especially when it's close.

You probably startled it, it snorted and took off.

I startle them all the time on my measly 5 acres.

Wild boar?

I've heard deer make that sort of sound. But you said you were halfway through a cigarette, so I wouldn't think you would have surprised it. It would have smelled the smoke as soon as you lit up. And since you were half way through, you would have been out there a couple of minutes, it either was standing there the whole time or walked up on you.

A dog probably wouldn't have run off like that.

So I don't really have an idea of what it is.

a reply to: CryHavoc

Any javelina in Illinois? I have had several encounters with them and they can be quite aggressive

I've been craftily sitting on a stump wrapped up in a sort of ghillie robe out in the woods and had that happen.

Here's a truth. I didn't believe it until the eldest Bedlam brother demonstrated it to me 'live' one fall.

If you approach a herd of bedded-down deer from the upwind direction, very carefully, they can't scent you, and may not see you moving clearly enough to react to it. But their eyesight and memory are good enough that they know that something has changed. If you sit there very still and don't provide them enough information to figure out what you are, eventually the buck will send a low-ranking doe to investigate. That's the part I didn't believe. But we did it several times over that fall to watch them do it. The buck and the higher ranking does will remain in the thicket, and one of the yearling does will come out into the open.

At first, she'll just stand there, but eventually, she will sneaky foot it over to you, tossing her head and occasionally doing what looks like a dog 'play bow' to see if they can get you to move. If you don't move, she'll get closer until she's in touching distance and snuffle at you or do a big snort right in your ear. We did this over and over before hunting season one year and several times I was within touching distance of a doe.

It's a lot more startling when you're looking the other direction and they do it, though.

No wild boar or javelina in Illinois that I know of.

originally posted by: Bedlam
...or do a big snort right in your ear.

That seems about right.

My First Encounter with the Breather

Just maybe you encountered the breather as well, a new entity on the earth ?