The Tennessee Wildman Returns

When the air turns heavy and the trees start whispering in late September, people in west Tennessee say to keep an ear out for the Wildman. The latest report came from a hunter near Carroll County who was setting trail markers at dusk when he caught a pair of red eyeshine reflections about twenty yards off the path. He froze, expecting a deer. Then came the stench. A mix of sulfur, wet dog, and decay rolled through the clearing, followed by a low growl that seemed to vibrate through the ground itself.

The witness described a tall, broad figure covered in matted hair, its face human enough to be unsettling, with deep-set eyes glowing red in his flashlight beam. The creature took one step forward, then turned and melted back into the timber without a sound. The man left his gear behind and drove off, shaking. When he returned the next morning, the ground where it had stood was pressed down in two oval shapes about sixteen inches long.

Locals say the Wildman has been part of Tennessee lore since the 1800s, a cousin to Bigfoot with a temper sharper than his northern kin. Sightings ebb and flow, usually when hunting season begins and the forests stir with human noise. If the reports are right, the Wildman is awake again, watching from the tree line, reminding everyone who really owns the woods after dark.