From the archives. Contributor: Spence Hutchins, Curator of the Fulton Hills Historical Society.

FULTON HILLS GAZETTE
“Man Claims Encounter with Hauntahk in Lotsydu”
October 12, 1953

FULTON HILLS—A local man, arrested last week for trespassing and poaching in the mountains of the Lotsydu Kingdom, has sparked widespread debate after claiming to have encountered the legendary Hauntahk. The man, identified as 42-year-old Roy Turner, was detained by the Fulton Hills Police Department at the request of Kingdom Police, who help protect the region under agreements with the Nohoda Odsada Council.

Turner, who admitted to hunting deer without a permit in the restricted Lotsydu wilderness, insists his intrusion was interrupted by a terrifying, otherworldly encounter.

“I was tracking a buck just before dawn,” Turner told authorities. “I’d just notched my arrow when I heard this voice—my own voice—calling my name from the trees. I thought I was going mad until I saw it.”

According to Turner, the figure that emerged from the dense pines was unlike anything he’d ever seen. He described it as towering, ape-like, with fur “the color of moss-covered rocks” and glowing eyes that reflected the dim light of his lantern.

“It wasn’t no bear, and it wasn’t no man,” he said. “It let out this low growl, almost like it was warning me. I dropped my bow and ran.”

Turner says he fled nearly a mile before stumbling upon a patrol from the Kingdom Police, who had been tracking him for hours. Officers reportedly found Turner disheveled, pale, and without his hunting equipment.

When asked for comment, Fulton Hills Police Chief William Toft said, “We take trespassing seriously, especially in the sacred lands. Mr. Turner’s claims, while unusual, have no bearing on the charges against him. However, the Nohoda Odsada have long spoken of the Hauntahk as protectors of these mountains. Who’s to say what he saw out there?”

Turner’s arrest has reignited fascination with the Hauntahk, a creature deeply rooted in local legend. While most non-indigenous residents regard it as a variation of Bigfoot, the Nohoda Odsada maintain that the Hauntahk is a spirit guardian of the Lotsydu, connected to their ancestors and the land.

Elder Tomo Wemata of the Nohoda Odsada Council offered a measured response to the claims. “The Hauntahk is not a beast to be hunted or feared,” he said in a statement. “It is a reminder of our responsibility to respect the land and its mysteries. Those who trespass in the Lotsydu take risks beyond the reach of human law.”

Despite skepticism from local authorities and residents, Turner remains adamant about his story. “I’ve been hunting these hills for twenty years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told reporters. “I don’t care what anyone says—I know what I saw. And I’m not going back to those woods, not for a thousand dollars. Not for a hundred thousand dollars.”

Turner is requesting his hunting equipment be returned to him. “That was my daddy’s bow and his daddy’s before him. I’m partial to it.”

Turner is scheduled to appear in court next month to face charges of illegal hunting and trespassing. Meanwhile, the Hauntahk’s legend continues to grow, with Turner’s tale adding another chapter to the mystery of Fulton County’s most elusive inhabitant.

—By Edith Marell, Staff Reporter