By Claude F. Reynolds
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS:
The observer in this case was E. A. Masterson, formerly of Mesquite, Texas. Mr. Masterson claims to have become lost while hunting in New Mexico on November 18, 1976. He said that when the sun went down, he attempted to find his way back to camp where his truck was parked. Such attempts were unsuccessful, and he claims to have followed a flashing light which he assumed to be an airport beacon or a game warden attempting to attract his attention. He claims that the flashing light came from a group of unidentified flying objects, which he observed to be located more or less in a semicircle on the ground.
Mr. Masterson said that he observed these UFOs during most of the night. He said that they included eight UFOs arriving and departing. He said that he also observe flashing lights, search light beams from the UFOs which apparently searched the surface of the earth, rectangular panels of lights in the sky, images projected in the sky, loud sounds similar to the sounds emitted by emergency vehicles on earth, a pair of vertical light beams which were projected between a UFO on the ground and another UFO positioned more or less motionless in the sky high above the site, and departure of the UFOs as sunrise approached. He also claimed that the UFOs pointed out the direction he should travel to find his truck.
Mr. Masterson said these events took place while he was hunting deer in New Mexico on November 18, 1976. He stated that immediately after the siting he returned home to Mesquite, Texas, and discussed the events of the siting only with his wife and a few close friends, including his minister. He said that on or about December 1, 1976 he decided to report the siting to the Airforce. He was referred from one agency to another and finally he reached APRO. APRO investigator Claude P. Reynolds contacted him on December 22, 1976. Investigator Reynolds interviewed Mr. Masterson and his wife in his home in Mesquite, Texas for four and one half hours on December 22, 1976 and again for about two and one half hours on the next day, December 23, 1976.
Mr. Masterson said that he had been skeptical about UFOs and paid no attention to UFO reports. He did say however, that a few months ago, he and his wife watched a television program of the Barney Hill case. He claimed that his total background information on UFOs prior to his own siting consisted of information he observed on the TV report of the Barney Hill case.
LOCATION SITING
When investigator Reynolds visited the Masterson residence, he brought with him a highway map of the state of New Mexico as well as two sectional aeronautical charts. One of the sectional aeronautical charts was the Denver section. The location of this siting is on the Denver sectional aeronautical chart.
Mr. Masterson studied the charts and maps that were provided to him by investigator Reynolds in an attempt to describe the location of the siting. He stated that on this particular hunting trip he was hunting alone and that he was camped in a hunting camp. He stated that the hunting camp was in the Ocate-Black Lake area of New Mexico, which is just west of US Highway 85 between Wagon Mound and Springer. He could not give an exact location for the hunting camp where he was camped, but he said that it was located on the shores of a small lake which was adjacent to a primitive road between the towns Ocate and Rayado. He provided investigator Reynolds with the names and telephone numbers of two other hunters he said were camped at the same camp at the same time. These two hunters also live in the Dallas - Fort Worth area. These two men were Danny Baker and Frank Miller.
The investigator called both Mr. Baker and Mr. Miller in an attemmpt to find the location of the hunting camp. Baker advised that he was very familiar with that part of New Mexico since he had hunted in that same area for nine years. Baker advised that the camp was located on the north shore of Rose Lake. Rose Lake is a lake of about forty acres which is located on the left side of the primitive road that extends from Ocate to Rayado. He said that he remembered E. Masterson since the two had hunted together two days.
Since Baker claimed to have spent considerable time hunting in this part of New Mexico, I informed him that Mr. Masterson had reported siting several UFOs on this hunting trip and asked Baker if he saw any evidence of UFO activity. He replied that he saw no such activity on this trip, but that he saw something strange three years ago when he was hunting one mile east of Rose Lake. He said that at that time he had seen some flashing lights which had the appearance of a spot light. He stated that since what he saw had been rather unusual he had not mentioned it to anyone. He gave me the impression that he would be willing to discuss the matter further if anyone decided to contact him to investigate. However, since the siting was three years old, I made no attempt to enquire further as to specific details.
Mr. Baker stated that he operated the Metroplex Mowing Service from his home which is located in Forth Worth, Texas.
Investigator Reynolds next telephoned Frank Miller. Miller indicated that he remembered Masterson since they had both camped in the same camp when they were deer hunting in New Mexico in Movember 1976. He confirmed that the camp was on the north shore of Rose Lake. He stated he was not very familiar with the area since this was only the second year he had hunted in the New Mexico area. He said that the Rose Lake area was generally located in the Black Lake - White Peak hunting area, but could not give a more specific location. He stated that before going into the area to hunt, he had obtained a topographical map from one of the federal or state agencies located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and had obtained the location for Rose Lake from this map.
The investigator then telephoned several federal and state agencies in Las Vegas, New Mexico, but was unable to determine the exact location of Rose Lake. He observed a small lake just west of the road between Ocate and Rayado. This lake is located on the magnetic bearing of 165 degrees from the Cimarron VOR at a distance of 17.5 miles south of the VOR. This lake is a possible site for the hunting camp where Mr. Masterson camped. The latitude and longitude for this lake is 36 degrees and 15 minutes north latitude by 104 degrees and 53 minutes west longitude.
Mr. Masterson said that on the afternoon of November 18 he was hunting alone. He went down into a canyon. He was given a ride by an elderly Mexican man in a Dodge pickup. He did not know the name of the canyon, but the person who gave him the ride gave an Indian name for it. After he got out of the pick-up, he walked into the canyon and watched for deer. He remained in the canyon until it got dark. He then got lost trying to return to the camp at night. Mr. Masterson said that he walked at least one hour and fired ten emergency shots in an attempt to attract attention. The next morning after the sun came up he walked about four hours in a south-westerly direction to find his truck which was located at the camp. This would place the location of the siting approximately ten miles north-east of Rose Lake.
INITIAL SITING OF LIGHTS
Mr. Masterson stated that as he walked about in the night attempting to find his way back to his pick-up mounted camper at the camp, he fired ten emergency shorts to attract attention and had five rounds left in his rifle. He said that after walking at least an hour he saw a revolving white light. Since he does not wear a watch, all times listed in the report are his estimated times. He estimated that he saw the light about 8:00 pm and he said he thought it was an airport beacon or a ranger flashing a signal light to try to get his attention. He walked toward the light. As he topped a mesa he said that he was located about two or three miles from the light. At that point he saw a jeep going at full speed across the mesa. The jeep had a spot light on it and the spot light appeared to be searching the mesa ahead of the jeep in an attempt to avoid boulders in its path. He knew it was a dark colored jeep, possibly black. Only a four wheel drive vehicle would have been able to negotiate the rough terrain at that location. Apparently from the fast speed of the jeep, the occupants were attempting to get out of the area in a hurry. The occupants appeared to be scared. They put the spot light on him but did not stop. He fired his last five rounds to attract their attention, but they still did not stop. He said the jeep was moving so fast that it was bouncing off of the ground. He assumed that they did not stop since only illegal hunters attempt to hunt with a search light. He chased the jeep for a few minutes as it sped away from the flashing light he had been walking toward earlier. When the jeep disappeared from sight, he stopped to rest. He said the jeep could not have been in his sight for more than five or ten minutes.
While he was taking a short rest after chasing the disappearing jeep, he saw a large light approximately 400 yards away from him. The light beam appeared to be emitting from a rectangular source approximately four feet high by eight feet horizontal length and was located at or near ground level. The light beam was slowly rotating. It rotated through an angular direction of 180 degrees at a rate of about one half turn per minute. As the light beam approached him he took shelter in a depression in the earth as it passed over him twice.
He followed the area lighted by the beam with his rifle scope. The rifle scope was a Lupold rifle scope and it was set on 7 power. He stated that as he observed the vegetation lighted by the beam, that it activated the vegetation (grass, bushes) and made them shake. The sound of the vegetation shaking was a rustling sound like wind but there was no breeze blowing. The vegetation outside of the light beam was still and quiet. Masterson stated that he looked toward the source of light and the beam was so bright that it affected his vision. His vision was blurred for a few seconds after looking at the beam. The brightness was similar to the light emitted by old aircraft search lights. The bright beam of light had a white appearance similar to a white fog.
Masterson stated that the light beam which appeared to be searching the earth was located about 400 yards away from him but that it was about two miles from the first rotating beacon he had been following. He said that the nearby light beam was on for about twenty to thirty minutes and then went off. He moved about forty yards while the light beam was on and selected a location to make a fire to protect himself from the cold and the coyotes. He spent the night at this location. He said he saw multiple lights come on and off throughout the night.
OBSERVATION OF UFOS
Mr. Masterson said that as the light beams came on and off throughout the night he searched the area surrounding his location both with the naked eye and with the rifle scope. He stated that he initially counted five UFOs or ships on the ground in the beam of rotation light which he first observed which was emitted from the location near him. This would make a total of six ships on the ground at that point, including the one that was emitting the light beam which lighted the other five. Later he saw two more land. The eight UFOs were in a semicircular orientation on the mesa top. This location of the eight UFOs with respect to himself and with respect to each other were sketched by him.
He stated that the UFOs he saw land, after landing,, would turn on a horizontal search light similar to the horizontal light he had seen on the craft located near him. After each craft landed that craft turned on the horizontal light and searched the area for a few minutes. The search light beam would then go off.
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