First and foremost...this one goes in the 'Especially Bizarre' category. I received an email from a witness in west-central Arkansas last evening. I followed up with the witness by telephone and email today...adding details to the original account. I did edit some spelling, but tried to keep the narration as original as possible. I honestly don't know what to make of this sighting...so I'm just going to present it to you as it was explained to me:
I found you on the internet and needed an explanation of something I saw last October while bow hunting. I live just east of Little Rock and make my way to Sebastian County when the season opens. There's a man who owns a farm with woods who I've known for many years, so he lets me come on his land to hunt. He told me a while back that he doesn't like to go into the woods anymore because there were people seeing too many weird things. I never saw anything weird until the last time I was there.
When I got to his house that morning we talked over coffee, then I made my way towards the woods. I guess it was in the low 60s and clear. It had rained for a few days, which made me happy because the wet ground in the woods would make less noise when walking. I took the usual trail along the edge until I reached the ridge where I would take cover in the rocks.
As I got near the rocks I saw something moving on the ground. I stopped walking and stood still about 40 foot away. It was an injured deer moving around but it just didn't look right. The legs weren't kicking and the head was still. The body was sliding away from me. I stepped into the woods and walked nearer on an angle so I could see what was going on. As I moved closer I quickly froze. At first I thought it was a huge snake dragging the deer, but as my eyes adjusted to the low light I don't think my brain wanted to believe what my eyes were seeing. I needed a better look, so I slowly moved closer then crouched down behind a pair of rocks.
I'll swear on the good book, it looked like a giant centipede. It was dark colored and thick, maybe compared to a stovepipe. It was side-winding back and forth as it pulled the deer along, so it was hard to tell how long it was. I'd guess that it measured ten feet or more. There must have been a hundred legs on this thing. The body had segments all along it's length. It was pulling the deer by the hind quarters and tail. I know I sounds crazy but I watched it for a good while. I followed it down the ridge into the hollow. It didn't stop moving until it reached a pile of rocks as it tried to pull the carcass over it. It let go of the deer and raised up. I'll never forget the eyes as it looked my way. It laid down on the deer and watched me. That was enough because I didn't want to mess with it. If I had a gun, I may have took a shot at it, but I wasn't sure what an arrow would do. I slowly backed away then turned and quickly walked back towards the farmhouse.
I didn't mention anything to the farmer other than I wasn't feeling well and needed to go home. I haven't been back since, but I do want to go back soon and see if there is a trace of it. I haven't told a single person what I saw but I will because I want some backup when I go back into those woods.
You asked me for a sketch or photo, so I attached the best picture I could find. The head and eyes are similar. Real weird. The body was rounder and thicker in comparison. I give you my permission to use my story but don't give out my name and phone number. As I told you before, if I find anything else I'll let you know right away. Thanks for getting back to me. TT
NOTE: As I mentioned before, I don't know what to make of this story. If I had not talked to the witness, I probably would have stuck this one in a file. But he convinced me that he observed something out of the ordinary. Below is the image forwarded by the witness. This is NOT an April Fool's prank...in fact, I asked the witness the same thing. I thought the 'Mantis Man' sighting was improbable as well...until I started receiving other reports. If this is true, I'm not sure I'd want to go back. BTW, please don't shoot the messenger! Lon
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