FIELD FILE · WOOD-DEVILSHOMINIDLOCAL LEGEND
Wood Devils
Also known as Wood Devil, Coös County Wood Devils, Woods Devil
Tall, thin, gray-furred figures said to slip between the trees of New Hampshire’s Coös County, a legend that grew out of North Country logging camps.
The Wood Devils are New Hampshire’s homegrown woods creatures: tall, skinny, two-legged beings with shaggy gray hair, said to haunt the forests of Coös County, the sparsely populated North Country that runs up to the Canadian border. Witnesses describe them standing seven or eight feet tall yet so slender that they can hide behind a tree trunk, and moving with startling speed.
The stories are usually traced to the logging camps of the 1920s and 1930s, when crews working deep in the spruce and fir forests swapped tales of strange figures watching them from the timber. Old-timers in the region say the creatures were seen far more often in the early 20th century than today.
Later accounts give the legend names and dates. Storytellers recount a hunter named George Lavoie who said he saw a tall, horse-faced creature near his camp at sunset in November 1948, and a hunter named Robert Goulet who claimed he fired a rifle at a long-faced gray figure near Lake Gloriette in Dixville Notch in October 1952. Reports continued from Pittsburg, Colebrook and Errol through the late 20th century and into the 2000s, usually from hunters and hikers.
Enthusiasts debate whether the Wood Devils are a lean regional variety of Bigfoot or something distinct; their gray coloring and whip-thin build set them apart from the bulky brown ape of most Sasquatch reports. Either way, they have become part of the North Country’s campfire lore, retold in podcasts, local histories and Halloween features.
- Type
- Hominid
- Status
- Local legend
- First reported
- 1920s
- Best-known location
- Coös County, northern New Hampshire
- Also called
- Wood Devil, Coös County Wood Devils, Woods Devil
- Reported in
- New Hampshire
What witnesses describe
A bipedal figure seven to eight feet tall, extremely thin, with shaggy gray hair or fur, long arms, and a long, narrow or horse-like face, sometimes described as pointed. It runs very fast with heavy footsteps, hides behind trees, and can give a loud, high-pitched screech.
Where and when it’s seen
Dense spruce-fir and hardwood forest in Coös County – around Dixville Notch, Pittsburg, Colebrook, Errol and the back roads such as Route 3, Route 26 and the Stark Highway – especially at dusk during autumn hunting season.
Notable sightings
- 1920s–1930sLogging-camp tales Coös County, New Hampshire
Loggers working in the North Woods reportedly passed around stories of tall gray figures glimpsed among the trees.
- November 1948George Lavoie’s encounter Coös County, New Hampshire
According to retellings, hunter George Lavoie saw a tall, horse-faced creature near his camp at sunset.
- October 1952A shot at Lake Gloriette Dixville Notch, New Hampshire
Hunter Robert Goulet reportedly fired at a tall, long-faced gray figure and apparently missed. Friends told him it matched local Wood Devil stories.
- November 2004Deer hunters’ sighting Coös County, New Hampshire
A man hunting with his grandfather said both of them saw a tall figure with a long, pointed head that let out a high-pitched yell.
What could explain it?
- Most accounts are second- or third-hand retellings with no contemporary documentation, typical of oral folklore that grows in the telling.
- Black bears, moose standing among trees, and people in gray clothing or hunting gear seen at dusk can be mistaken for tall figures.
- Dead, broken-off trees and snags with peeling bark can look strikingly like thin, upright bodies in low light, and hunters’ eyes play tricks at the end of a long day.
- Lumber-camp culture had a rich tradition of “fearsome critters” – humorous tall tales told to tease newcomers – which may have seeded the legend.
Legend, culture and tourism
The Wood Devils belong to New England’s logging folklore and are a favorite of regional storytellers, featured in the New England Legends podcast and in North Country Halloween lore. Coös County’s vast working forests, state parks and snowmobile and ATV trails keep the legend close to the people who use the woods.
Places to visit
A North Country park with hiking and off-road trails through the kind of forest where Wood Devil tales are told.
A rugged mountain notch near Lake Gloriette, scene of one of the best-known Wood Devil encounters.
Where it’s reported
Wood Devils in the news
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Sources
First published · Updated
