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One thing that frustrates me about the Bigfoot community (or I should say a small faction of it) is the folks who make the unwarranted leap from believing in the existence of the animal to professing to know all about it, what it really is, how it behaves, etc. I'm not trying to rile anyone or point fingers, but honestly, you have people writing books and doing publicity saying that they know this creature is mostly human, likes to give gifts, has special powers, etc, etc, and it all seems more than a bit presumptuous to me. I want to say, "well, you may THINK this is true and you are perfectly welcome to say that, but you cannot KNOW it is true because there is precious little at all known about this creature at this point." There is not even a single specimen in capivity or on a forensic lab to glean any real evidence from; all else is total speculation. And that is fine, but just SAY it is speculation, not fact. Again, I strongly believe this creature exists. Thousands of witnesses are not ALL misidentifying, hoaxing or lying. They just...aren't. But beyond that, I have no clue what is going on, for certain. And really, neither does anyone else. We're all just guessing; educated guesses, to be sure in some cases, but guesses nonetheless. I think it's important to be able to dwell in the uncertainty before you leap to conclusions. That way your mind is kept open and isn't stuck defending positions you were 'sure' about, when and if the real truth comes out.

Won't stop the BS. These folks used to get called out on here but it seems they just get tolerated these days.Salient point about those who claim multiple sightings. I've been lucky enough to have spent an all too short time with gorillas, albeit in captivity. This doesn't make me Dian Fossey by any manner of means. Indeed, I'd suggest I learned very little about their habits and behaviours during the time I spent with them. A Sasquatch encounter determines one key thing for the lucky individual in question. The confirmation these creatures exist. When people turn that magical, life changing moment into a PHD in BF Anthropology then my BS-ometer kicks into overdrive.

I guess in that instance your using yourself for bait, which seems to work better than anything else!

I wonder how they will get them to come out & be studied...... Especially after somebody shoots a family member & steals the body. That can't be good PR.

The Leap From "belief" To "i've Got It All Figured Out" is only legitimately made by a sighting with your own eyes IMO. Good post Ted.

I would think that all it takes to shift from a believer to a knower is one unquestionable encounter with one of the big furries.... As a believer, they would probably have a number of theories as to what they might be/do, and upon actually observing one or more of the creatures some theories will most likely fall away in favor of those that are supported by what the individual saw. Through the elimination of theories and hypothesis that dont effectively address the observed phenomena, one is left with various explinations of various aspects that form a framework of interpretation which will at least imply further probable conclusions extrapolated from the event, as well as from the reports of others having had similar sightings with parallel elements involved. So its easy to imagine how a person might become an "overnight expert" following a sighting. But, of course, their "expertise" may well be limited to that specific region, and that particular creature, or group of creatures. There doesnt need to be a body on a slab, or live specimen in captivity in order for an individual to have some or even extensive. knowledge of these creatures, through sighting events, habituation contexts, interspecies interactions, and communications with others who have also experienced such phenomena. Should we choose to wait until these beings are officially recognized and acknowledged to further the inquiry, we will find ourselves woefully behind those who moved foreward with the certainty granted by their contact with these creatures that as of yet dont exist...

Because this is about honesty, and hoaxers are just an example of people being dishonest. Nobody has called Gumshoeye a hoaxer, but I will be the first to say that I think he's being dishonest. Without honesty then this field is nothing. The evidence adds up to exactly nothing because the potential of deceit is behind it. Was it a deliberately set up photo or story to make people believe something was there? That equation comes into play with evidence provided by a dishonest person. Considering that I never stated any such thing, your canned assumptions are getting old. The question you should be asking is: Why are you allowing this garbage to fester into this field? You aren't going to ever advance anything unless you know that person behind the evidence is being honest. It's ridiculous to think otherwise. You don't seem to understand that all of it- the bigger picture, the "serious research", all of it is based on honesty. To ignore that critical detail and let it slide because "it's fun" as you say is nothing but self-defeating. Need an example? Here's a good one. It has your "interesting stuff" being shared, it has your 'serious researchers not spending the time' as you say, it has loads of people having fun and coming to conclusions of it's authenticity. You call it "advancing the general knowledge in this field" by ignoring everything. But then it all gets ruined when somebody decided to "accomplish exactly bupkiss" by looking into the honesty of the report. http://bigfootforums.com/index.php/topic/33928-the-elbe-track-line-saga-from-a-to-z/page-1 I'm sure the Elbe trackway would be regarded as "the bigger picture" today had people gone by your logic. Had everybody questioned the honesty from the get go it probably could have avoided a lot of embarrassment.