Beast of Bray Road

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Beast of Bray Road
General
Other Name(s)	Wisconsin Werewolf
Type
Sub-Type	Canine
Geography
Continent	North America
Region(s)	Elkhorn, Wisconsin
First Sighted	1936

Overview and Evidence

The Beast of Bray Road was a large canine-like beast reported by many residents of Elkhorn, a small rural town in Wisconsin, to stalk the wooded areas around Bray Road. Often likened to the werewolves of classic European folklore, the Bray Road monster has since become somewhat of a local legend in Elkhorn and the surrounding regions, although alleged sightings of the creature have significantly decreased in frequency since the turn of the 21st century.

Supposed eyewitnesses seem to struggle with creating a unified appearance for the creature. They have described it as either a bear-like animal or a bipedal canine similar to a typical Hollywood werewolf, making it difficult to discern which reports (if any) are reliable. The beast is reportedly very large, weighing several hundred pounds and standing between six and seven feet in height. The beast's body is allegedly like that of a muscular human covered with short brown fur and its head is that of a wolf-like creature with yellow eyes and pointed ears.

Alleged photographs or videos of the creature are difficult to come by with nearly all evidence for its existence consisting entirely of personal testimony. One particular image (shown in the infobox above and in the gallery below) surfaced online in 2018 and was reportedly taken by Danny Morgan in late January of that year. The photograph allegedly shows a canine walking upright across the road, but most people who have seen the photo, including many in the cryptozoologist community, believe the photo to either be a hoax or a picture of a deformed wolf. More detailed versions of the photo seemingly reveal its forelimbs to be nearly skeletal, which would suggest that the creature is either a taxidermy job or a severely injured wolf or dog walking on its hind limbs to survive, a behavior not uncommon in domestic dogs that have undergone amputations or been born without front limbs.

Like many of the more unusual cryptids, the creature's anatomy seemingly defies all current zoological knowledge due to being a perfect blend of human and dog anatomy. This alone has raised skepticism among zoologists, who have proposed that the creature is almost certain a misidentified wolf or American black bear, both of which have been witnessed in Elkhorn's Walworth County. Cryptozoologists who deny these hypotheses have suggested that the creature is some sort of new species of upright canid or a genetic experiment, but this is difficult (if at all possible) to verify.

The common speculation online is that its a bear with mange. Black bears are common in northern Wisconsin but not so much in southern Wisconsin. It is possible that one has wandered all the way south as there have been more sighting of bears in Southern Wisconsin. That being said, mange is not commonly associated with Black Bears in Wisconsin, although it is common for bears to have mange in Pennsylvania and New York. As of 2023, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource have reported that there are no black bear sightings involving mange. The closest bear to be reported with mange was on the lower peninsula of Michigan in 1984, which is separated from Wisconsin by Lake Michigan.

Alleged Sightings

Third-Person Accounts

• Ron Rice

On an unspecified day in May of 2020, Lake Geneva resident Ron Rice claimed that he had traveled to the town of Lyons to deliver a load of fertilizer to a farm on Highway 36, a job that he performs on a regular basis. While sitting in his truck on the farm's driveway after having completed the delivery, Rice looked to the side and noticed a strange figure standing at the edge of the treeline approximately 150 feet away. Rice described the creature as standing nearly seven feet tall and being covered in coarse brown hair. The creature picked a unidentifiable object off the ground and retreated into the foliage.

• Lori Endrizzi

On a late fall night in 1989. At around 1:30am Lori was driving home via Bray Road. As she was driving she noticed a figure on the side of the road. The figure was facing away from her and she could see the pointed ear. As she kept driving she was able to see the front of the figure. It was a creature with dark brownish- gray fur. The creature was kneeling and she could see it large claws.The claws were holding a chunk of a flatten animal, roadkill. She believes the animal was the size of an average human 5 feet 7 inch and roughly 150 pounds. The creature's had glowing eyes as the headlights of the car shined on it. The creature was not scared and track Lori's car as she drove away.

• Doris Gipson

During October 31 in 1991 Doris was driving home on a smoggy day. While on Sitler Rd,now called Hospital Rd, she felt that her tire lifted of the ground. She drove for 50 feet until she pulled over to check her tire. She thought she hit a small animal and go stuck in her car so she went to go investigate. She didn't see anything at first, so she went to go check the back of her car. As she was walking toards the rear of the car she saw a creature charging straight at her. It was a beast bigger than her with a hairy chest. She Barely made it into her car and quickly stepped on the gas rushing out of there. She doesn't remember how it was running the only thing she remember is the chest heaving as it was running and stps getting louder as it was stomping on the pavement.

She saw the creature again at a different time that isnt disclosed. After picking up a friend from a party, her friend pointed at a creature that was stalking the side of the road. Doris didnt turn to look and instead to step on the gas to get out of there as quickly as possible.

After inspecting her car, Blue Plymouth Sundance,she noticed what looked like claw marks on the back of the truck. Linda Godfrey, the author of the book, confirms that there were some markings but could not tell what they are from.

• Heather Bowey

In late December 1990, Heather had an encounter with the creature. Heather's mom, Karen, also remembers that day. Karen recalls that Heather came home scared, saying she saw what looked like a dog until it stood up. Heather explains that she and her friends were sledding. When dusk rolled around, they saw a large dog-like creature. The creature had silver-collared fur with brown patches, and its face was shaped like a coyote's. The creature looked at Heather and her friends, who, while looking at the creature, slowly backed away, not wanting to turn their backs on it. The creature then started chasing the kids and got about halfway to their house before stopping and going back into the cornfield. Russell Gest, who was one of the kids with Heather, also confirms the story.

Gallery

Image Gallery

An alleged photo by Danny Morgan (almost certainly a hoax)