Big Black River Swamp, Montgomery/Carroll County (at the line) Mississippi. December of 1986. I was a high school senior and was out stalk hunting with my .30-30. Hunted this place often and had just been here the week before.

I had jumped a few deer in the normal places and was putting a sneak on, slowly working my way parallel with the river. In areas the swamp would get wide so you'd have to work around it. I got to a thicket of cedar trees and just knew I'd jump a deer, was ready. Had killed 2 in same spot in year past. Worked my way in and I stopped in my tracks. In front of me was a rectangle hole...about 2 feet wide, 5 feet long and 4 feet deep. Shovel upright in the mound of dirt. This is a mile from any road. Zero trails to here. Hard walking out in the middle of nowhere. And I was just there in the exact spot not 1 week earlier. No hole then.

As I was studying the situation I got an uneasy feeling. Then I heard some limb snap very loudly not far away....hind sight it was probably just a limb falling and nothing....without thinking I just bolted. I ran ans fast as my 17 year old self could run. By the time I got back to the road and my jeep I was cut up and bleeding from all the briers and limbs. I went to the Sheriffs office and told them what I found. Wasn't sure what county I was in, so I took both sherriffs to the scene. They were stumped but said it looked like a human grave was being dug. Nothing ever came from it as far as I know.

I hunted elsewhere after that.