Near Cisco Grove, Loch Leven Lakes area, Tahoe National Forest, California, United States
The Cisco Grove Bow-and-Arrow Encounter
A bow hunter later identified as Donald Shrum reported a prolonged nighttime encounter in the Sierra Nevada in September 1964 involving humanoid figures and a robot-like entity while he sheltered in a tree. Project Blue Book documents survive, including a recorded statement. The extraordinary encoun
Why This Case Matters
An unusually elaborate occupant case with a genuine Project Blue Book documentary trail, making it far more auditable than many later 'entity' stories despite the lack of independent encounter witnesses.
Chronology
- 4 Sep 1964 Shrum separates from companions while hunting
- night-long claimed encounter from tree
- rejoins party next day
- Air Force/Blue Book material created including tape/documentation
- case enters NICAP literature
The Witnesses
Evidence
The following evidence types are documented for this case:
Conventional explanations: Exhaustion, fear, dreamlike/hypnagogic experience, misidentified people/animals or fabrication remain possible. The long duration and elaborate detail increase narrative richness but do not create independent corroboration.
What Remains Unresolved
- Original audio file
- companion statements
- exact camp/site coordinates
- earliest drawing
- whether any physical tree/arrow evidence was documented at the time.
Key Takeaways
- The Project Blue Book file establishes that the claim was investigated, not that the humanoids were verified. Keep companion evidence limited to what they independently observed.
Sources
Primary and secondary sources for this case file: