NUFORC Sighting 137698

Occurred: 2017-12-10 23:43 Local
Reported: 2017-12-10 23:21 Pacific
Duration: 3 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Grand Forks, ND, USA

Shape: Unknown
Characteristics: Lights on object, Animals reacted

Strange animal behavior prior to appearance of lights.

I live in Grand Forks, ND but work in a small community 30 miles away. I work the PM shift (2:30p - 11:00p) so am on the highway commuting frequently.

There are 2 routes available, a Interstate roadway and a "back road" way on a county highway. I often use the county road as there is less traffic and it is a more direct route to my residence. One disadvantage of this route is the high number of deer that live in the woody areas that line this road. I have been commuting this route for 2+ years and have seen deer on or next to the road 90% off the time on my drive home.

There is an area about halfway through my drive where groups of deer seem to gather most frequently. I am familiar with this area and slow down to 30 mph as I pass through this section. These deer are accustomed to traffic on the road as they usually just look at you as you drive through.

On 12/10/17 at approximately 23:45, I was driving through this area and noticed several strange and unexplained events: 1) I saw a group of approximately 20 deer on the East side of the road that were all standing and facing the West. 30 feet further down the road 3 deer were standing on the roadway and looking West. I had slowed to a near stop and honked my horn to encourage the deer on the road to move on. They jumped in fear when I honked and looked at me briefly, then looked West again. I was close enough to the deer at this point to notice that they were in a state of panic. I came to a complete stop and honked my horn for several seconds. The deer did not move. I looked in my rearview mirror to check that no traffic was coming up behind me, then opened my door and got out with the intention of yelling or approaching the deer to make them scatter.

2) It was at this time that I heard a very low "humming" sound that to me seemed to originate in the sky directly above me. I looked up to the sky and did not see anything. I then looked at the deer and yelled "hey" to scatter them. They looked at me and then looked towards the West. It was as if they acknowledged my presence but just did not care. I then walked toward the deer and yelled again, at which point the deer slowly exited to the East off the road but they continued to turn their heads to look West.

3) I looked towards the South to make sure traffic had not approached while I was focused on the deer. At this time the low "hum" quickly changed tone and seemed to gain bass frequency. There was a "swooshing" or "hissing" sound that was very brief, however, immediately following that sound the "humming" seemed to rapidly change in direction and no longer originated directly above me. It was now originating in the sky to the West. It sounded very close but I could not see anything. The "humming" became almost rhythmic in nature with a fast increase and decrease in intensity. I felt the need to get back in my car immediately. As I walked a step or two towards my car the "humming" abruptly stopped and the deer behind me ran across the road toward the West. Judging by the sound I heard the larger group of deer to my South were doing the same thing.

4) I was startled by the sudden movement of the deer close to me and quickly moved to my car door. As I was opening the door I happened to look up and to the East and saw many red circles of light in the sky. It appeared to me that they were quite high and in a basic straight line. I would estimate 70 individual lights. All red and completely solid, no flashing or flickering. I was kind of frozen in shock and probably fear and just stared. I would estimate that 10-20 seconds later the line of lights became off-set, with the majority of lights appearing to rise higher then the ones that did not move. It was not a uniform shift, by which I mean that it did not split evenly. The lights more to the North had the most concentration of what appeared to be a increase in height. There was a distinct noise that I immediately recognized as hearing before but I am unable to verbalize how it sounded. The closest I can get to a description would be the sound of a coin that is spinning on! a table top, but that is not quite right. The lights did not move again or appear to move, they just disappeared. Almost like they just turned off. All at once. I immediately got into my car and drove home as calmly as I could.

I do not know what it was that I saw or heard, but I am 100% positive the deer were reacting to it.

Posted 2017-12-14

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