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The Origin of the Ozark Howler

Chelsea Davis|

Transcript

Hiking through the Ozarks will lead to breathtaking views and comforting silence. But when the silence if broken by the eerie call of the Ozark Howler, you’ll find yourself running for safety. This story is for anyone who has caught sight of something out of the corner of their eye … and everything in them tells them to run.

Chelsea Davis bio photo
Chelsea Davis

Chelsea Davis is on the content and media team at REI and manages the podcast program. When she's not binge listening to new shows, she can be found hiking with her dogs, attempting to grow vegetables and learning how to play the banjo. REI member since 2006.

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16 Comments

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  1. Adam

    Possibly the scariest one yet! I had to have my husband escort me to the bathroom after listening to this. Host Weston is AMAZING and does such a fantastic job!

    Reply
    • Marc McClurg

      I was not too impressed with the th.at. I actually encountered a bearwolfman when I was hunting in Shenandoah mts. In Virginia. It did have sorta have reddish eyes and it was hairy ad a mo fo. I just shot it and called it a day. The next day I found it’s tracks by the creek where I thought I had killed it. It was gone and I know for fact that I had put one in the head and another 2 rounds of 500 Cal bullets through its head. There were good tracks 15 inches long but I never could locate the dang thing. I’m still pissed

      Reply
  7. J03

    If you liked this story you might like the movie, The Ritual (2017) A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them. Its scary.

    Reply
  9. Joehanna Heath

    My favorite so far!!! I had goosebumps listening to it, it’s the perfect mix of spooky and calming.

    Reply
  10. Carolyn branch

    Had me looking around me. And I’m in my kitchen. I want to hear the howler.

    Reply
  11. Timothy

    My great-grandfather claimed that he was the origin of the Ozark howler. Said he took an old coffee can, streatched a piece of leather over it, and put a piece of hay twine through the leather. When he knew his friends would go out hunting, he would follow them and pull that string, it would make a crazy howling sound. When news reached California, a cousin cut out the new paper article and sent it back to my great grandfather asking what he knew about this, and if he kept it up, he’d get shot. He was gonna go out and do it to a hunting party looking for the howler, bit was talked out of it, for his safety.

    Reply
  13. Ben M

    Possibly the scariest in this season of REI’s camp monsters podcast! Phenomenal storytelling by Weston Davis. I am anxiously waiting for season two.

    Reply