SC EP:487 I can still see it looking at me

A listener writes "Hi Wes, I'll admit I feel awkward sending this e-mail as the people I've told have mocked me.

Anyway here goes. I grew up on a farm in southern Maryland and we had over a hundred of acres of mostly wooded land. Our property was adjacent to other large swaths of heavily wooded acreage.
To cut to the chase, I was an avid hunter growing up. So much that during my teens I'd go squirrel hunting daily after getting home from school.

One afternoon in October I went out alone. I was 16. However this time I decided to go further into the woods. As I hiked along my mind was somewhere else until I noticed I was in a part of the woods I'd never been to. I was surrounded by old growth trees and the terrain was rolling hills. I looked down into the bottom of this hollow and saw large grove of laurel. I slowly made my way down and suddenly was overcome with a heavy feeling of dread and that I was being watched. So much that I froze and began to look around expecting to see another person but didn't.

This fear kept growing to the point that I felt terror for lack of a better word. Without notice I saw movement in the laurel. Footfalls and branch snapping.

I called out that I wasn't alone hoping that whoever was in there would stop trying to scare me.
The footfalls stopped but my fear was still high. I was armed with a Ruger 77/22 bolt action rifle. I leveled the rifle at the laurel and again called out for whoever was in there to know I wasn't alone.
Then a chattering almost laughter came from the laurel bushes. It was so weird, it sounded like a cackle. Filled with fear I fired my rifle above the laurel.

Then all hell broke lose. The laughter became a growl. And the laurel was crashing. I could see that from the top of the bushes that it was coming towards me.

I again called out and again fired. It didn't stop.

I turned and ran up the slope. Now I should mention that it was dusk, the light was going fast and by how far I'd gone I wouldn't get back to my house until after dark.

When I crested the top of the hill I looked back and saw something hairy step out of the laurel and look up at me. Now as I write this I'm getting a chill up my spine.

I can still see it looking at me.

I cycled the bolt on the rifle and fired at it. I missed as it didn't respond, it stepped fully out and stood up. Whatever it was wasn't huge it was about five to six feet tall. I know, it doesn't sound like a Bigfoot but it had wide shoulders, long arms and covered in hair.

I took off as fast as I could, I was in a panic, I kept falling down and tripping. I was getting shredded by branches hitting my face but I didn't care. I could hear whatever it was chasing me. It was barreling through the woods but not directing behind me. What's odd is it seemed to be running parallel to me.
After 15 minutes I could see the lights of my house through the trees and this thing was still running near me. The issue I had was that if I turned right to head to the trail to go to my house I'd encounter this thing, so I passed the trail and headed around the trail and out into the field.
When I was in the field, I was screaming for my family, I turned and cycled the bolt and fired into the woods again. It was dark now completely.

I listened but heard nothing but I could sense it was still there. I ran to the house and went inside.
When I encountered my mom I was crying and covered in blood from all the cuts and slashes in my face.
My older brother grabbed a shotgun and went out, I followed him with a fully loaded rifle. And it should be said this was against my mother's wishes.

We both fired into the woods, and yelled at whatever it was.

I never encountered it again and I didn't go hunting by myself ever again.

My mother didn't believe me, she thought it was probably a black bear and my other siblings made fun of me. However my grandmother who lived in a house on the farm for 55 years told me she'd seen stuff years before and even had seen lights above the forest years back.

Even if I never talk to you, it feels good to get this off my chest."