Report 7148: Hunters find bower and footprints near lake

IT WAS IN THE FALL OF 1993. MY SONS AND I WERE DEER HUNTING BEHIND HAAG LAKE IN THE OREGON COAST RANGE. THE AREA WAS A NEW HUNTING GROUND FOR US THAT WAS RECENTLY MADE ACCESSIBLE BY A LOGGING COMPANY. WE SPLIT UP AND BEGAN OUR AFTERNOON HUNT.I WENT DOWN A GAME TRAIL FOR A WHILE AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO A FORK IN THE GAME TRAIL TO HUNT A DIFFERENT AREA. AT THE FORK I NOTICED A DARK AREA IN A BRUSH PILE. I WAS CURIOUS AND DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE. WHAT I FOUND WAS WHAT APPEARED TO BE A HUT OF SOME KIND MADE OUT OF LIMBS AND BRUSH. THE DIRT FLOOR WAS DUG OUT BUT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE DONE MY ANY TOOL. IT WAS A DRIZZLY DAY BUT THE HUT WAS PERFECTLY DRY. IT WAS LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMODATE AT LEAST FOUR MEN. I WENT TO LOCATE MY SONS TO SHOW THEM THIS HUT. BY THE TIME WE GOT TOGETHER IT WAS DARK. WE CAME BACK TO THE AREA THE NEXT DAY AND BROUGHT A CAMERA. WE WERE TAKING PICTURES OF THE HUT WHEN MY OLDEST SON CALLED US OVER TO THE GAME TRAIL. THERE WERE SOME LARGE FOOTPRINTS ABOUT 18 INCHES LONG WITH A STRIDE OF ABOUT 4 - 5 FEET. WE ALSO TOOK PICTURES OF THESE. MY SON WEARS A SIZE 12 SHOE AND ONE OF THE PICTURES SHOWS HIS BOOT NEXT TO ONE OF THE PRINTS. THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE THERE I FELT LIKE I WAS BEING WATCHED FROM THE THICK BRUSH AREA AROUND US. WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD LEAVE AND NOT DISTURB THE AREA ANY LONGER. WE NEVER WENT BACK. PLEASE NOTE: IT DOES NOT MATTER IF I AM CONTACTED ABOUT THIS. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR GROUP. THE PICTURES HAVE BEEN QUITE A CONVERSATION PIECE OVER THE YEARS. MY SONS AND I HAVE HUNTED IN OREGON FOR 25 YEARS AND NEVER RAN ACROSS ANYTHING LIKE THIS. THIS AREA HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN DENSE FORESTS WITH NO ACCESS. I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY HUNTER OR OUTDOORSMAN MADE THE HUT AND SURELY NOT THE FOOTPRINTS.