A man contracted by the Department of Natural Resources to pick up road kill came to the Washington County Sheriff's Department to report a 7-foot-tall "animal" had taken a deer out of the back of his pickup truck at about 1 a.m. Thursday, Sheriff Brian Rahn said.

According to the report, the man loaded a deer carcass into the back of his truck on Highway 167 near Station Way, got into the cab and prepared to drive away when a large black animal, very wide and larger than a bear, jumped into the back of his pickup and dragged out the carcass he had just loaded.

"He was horrified and took off out of there," said Rahn.

During his retreat, the man also lost an all-terrain-vehicle ramp that he used to ease carcasses into the truck.

Deputies went to the location near Holy Hill after the man reported the incident - at about 4 a.m. Thursday - and could find nothing, including the ATV ramp, Rahn said.

"I don't believe we have Bigfoot running around Washington County," said Rahn.

However, deputies will do an additional follow up on the report, he said.

"It will take more than this report to convince me," Rahn said.

Dick Liethen lives on Troll Hill Road, just through the woods from the reported sighting. He was out hunting this morning, but didn't catch sight of anything unusual.

"If I'm not hunting, I'm out walking the woods and I've never seen anything," said Liethen. "But the gentleman must have seen something. He was pretty shook up."

Liethen has a camera set up in the woods to record passing wildlife, but said he has not recorded any images of an animal matching the description.

The sighting has added to Liethen's daily chores, however.

"Since this happened I will be taking out the garbage and getting the mail. My wife says, 'you do it,' but the paper might wait until it's light out," said Liethen.

Highway Commissioner Ken Pesch was amused by the report.

"That's one way to get rid of them," said Pesch of the pilfered carcass. Reports of dead animals are sent to the Sheriff's Department and the state Department of Natural Resources contracts with the man to have the carcasses removed, Pesch said.

"We can't touch those carcasses. You need a license, so if they catch Bigfoot, they might want to check his license," said Pesch.

Source: Greater Milwaukee Today