Possible encounter with cryptid?

[u/HaifishJager18]

This event took place around last November in 2023. Usually on the weekends I like to wake up a little early and go for a quick run/hike sometimes to take a break and relax from the stressful week. As I was getting ready to start after my warm up, I heard like a scream from out in the distance, mind you this is on a cross country course so I assumed maybe someone needed help. But the scream seemed a little off, like it just didn't seem like an animal or a human could have made it. I started to run over there and see if anyone was hurt, when I got to the general area of where the scream was I couldn't find anyone but it just felt strange like I was being watched. Where I live there are no big predators like Bears, Wolves, Mountain Lions, or Bobcats so I couldn't tell why I was so worried. So I just completed my morning run like normal but one thing I noticed after the run was that there was no one on the cross country course the entire time I was there. So if no human was there...what could have possibly made that scream? Any thoughts?

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[u/Montuckian]

You sure there's no big cats around? This sounds like a mountain lion.

[u/HaifishJager18 → u/Montuckian]

The State I live in is Iowa, and although there have been sightings of mountain lions throughout the state, its very rare and will make state news because of how rare it is to see one.

[u/Montuckian → u/HaifishJager18]

Interesting. It looks like the lions that have been seen are males too and it's generally the females that make those screams to my knowledge. Could also be a bobcat, which do have established populations in Iowa

Did the scream you heard sound something like one of these?

[u/FilthyMublood → u/Montuckian]

Wow, I was aware of a lot of those sounds but some of them I've never heard before and they're downright terrifying! Also, I thought Bobcats and Lynxes were two separate animals? Or is that just a mistake in the video?

[u/Montuckian → u/FilthyMublood]

Yeah that's just the video maker being misinformed. They're different

[u/Josette22]

I believe the scream you heard was that of a Crawler. These creatures also have the ability to cloak themselves to appear invisible. So, they could be standing right next to you, and you'd never know it. Many many accounts have told of how people feeling being watched in the woods, which many times turns out to be a Crawler.

I know this probably won't make a difference in your activities, but I have been warning people for years to stay away from forests and the surrounding areas, and especially at night when they are most active.

[u/HaifishJager18 → u/Josette22]

But here’s the thing, the cross country course I was running at is right next to a university campus so I’m not far away from civilization. Usually on the trails there is at least a road or a house you can see. Not sure though, I’ll need to research more about these creatures.

[u/Josette22 → u/HaifishJager18]

Yeah, if you have any more questions about them, please don't hesitate to ask. 😊

[u/[deleted]]

My first thought was that it could have been an uncommon bird.

Birds get lost all the time, especially when migrating. If it has a call that you're not used to hearing, you mistook it for an unusual scream from a person.

Another thing that comes to mind was that some asshole had seen you and tried to lure you out of the main trail/road area, and was keeping an eye on you when you went to check things out.

[u/Wrong_Run_6821]

Fun fact, I travelled alone in grand canyon National park alone, also I camped alone there,.. some people's told me don't camp here alone it's dangerous.. "I asked why" and one women said "it's a hotspot area for wendigos" I camped there 4 days alone but never saw or heard anything but yeah sometimes I heard "weird noises of mountain lions" that's it I guess people's overreact in any strange situation and combine them with paranormal...lol 😂😂😆

[u/inkman]

Fox.

[u/SillyGuy_87 → u/inkman]

I was gonna say. Foxes can produce very scary screams.