Lake Living Waterloo

Hikers walk on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail at the Waterloo State Recreation Area, 7500 Seymour Rd., in Leoni.

(MLive File Photo | Dan Stewart)

Two avid outdoorsmen camping in Michigan are claiming they recently had a possible Bigfoot experience.

In a message posted to the networking, information and discussion website, Reddit, someone under the username bob_saget666 said he was out in the middle of the woods near the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail on a small game hunting and backpacking trip with a friend.

According to the post, the duo heard footsteps 20 to 25 feet away around 2 a.m. Shortly after that, they heard the "most loud, freakiest, inhuman yell/scream/roar" shouted toward them before something took off fast from them using a heavy, two-footed running style.

In response to the claims, many have suggested the sound came from a cougar, but the Reddit user said the running sounded like it was two-footed as opposed to a four-legged gallop.

"The sound of it crashing through the woods made us realize it was big," the post reads. "We joked about it being a Bigfoot. Then we saw how much he's seen in these parts of Michigan. We think it must have seen us in the dark. We moved into the car for the night after this."

The Reddit user also notes that he and his friend are Marine Reserves and both have been raised as avid outdoorsmen.

"We're no strangers to the woods and wildlife," he says. "I have experienced a lot of nature and different animals and sounds that are part of our natural habitat in Michigan. This is unlike anything either of us have heard."

Since 2008, the Department of Natural Resources has confirmed 35 cougar reports in the Upper Peninsula, but so far there remains no conclusive evidence of a breeding population. No reports have been confirmed from Lower Michigan.

Cougars are an endangered species in Michigan protected by law.