Report 6961: Teen has daytime sighting near Myers Flat

This was a long time ago where I grew up in northern California.  I lived in a small town called Piercy, California about 17 miles from Garberville.  This encounter was located in a small mill town called Myers Flat.  Two friends and I were hunting up an old logging road roughly 2 miles up the mountain across the Eel River from the town.  I was far ahead of my friends and decided to scare them as they came up the trail so I climbed up some rock cliffs for a better advantage and settled down within some Huckleberry bushes to wait for my friends.  After things quieted down I noticed a heavy smell and started looking around.  The breeze was blowing straight from the brush behind me and I felt the hair on my neck starting to rise up. My two friend were nowhere in sight.  I noticed a small movement in the berry bushes right behind me.  I stood up ready to run when this thing stood up also.  It didn't hesitate but turned and walked off into the brush.  I heard trees snapping and the crunch of dry leaves echo away as I ran back to my friends who were still two hundred yards away.  After I calmed down we went back to the spot to look for some sign.  They believed I saw a bear but I know what I saw.  We found where something was squatted down and stripping berries.  I had disturbed its meal.  Small trees were just broken off about 4 feet from the ground as the thing made its retreat.