Leaderboard

Okiefoot, I counted 5 that either came out from behind large trees or rose up out of the thick brush. I could also hear more stirring about all around us. They used the canopy shadows to perfection stepping out into the moonlit areas where I could see them. I had been very, very skeptical of some of the stories I had heard about the land owner and how they interacted with these forest subjects. That all changed quickly-seeing is believing. They maintained their positions close to me, never were threatening and I could see their expressions seemingly as astonished as I was getting a close look at me. There is much I won't relate that happened that evening because it shifts into perimeters many on this blog would discount as pure nonsense. I will say that I went into that area thinking I may see some undiscovered animal. I came away realizing they are much, much more to them and is the primary reason people have spent years trying to "Harvest a specimen" with absolutely no success. A dumb animal would have been baited and shot a long time ago. This event changed my perspective on what these subjects are. Others can believe what they want and that's okay, I know what I experienced that night and what others may say or believe doesn't change a thing for me.

Ugly and scary are subjective and a matter of degree. The ones I've seen and encountered have broad and proportional human-like (African American) noses. The pregnant female was shorter than Patty by at least a foot, but stockier. Square jaw and broad face. A very large human-like female chest. By human dating standards she would have been ugly. But she wasn't repulsive outside of that frame of reference. Nor was she scary, at least not so at the short distance she was away. She was very much interested in the fish I was catching, but wanted none of me. I don't know how possessive of their females bigfoot may be, but she acted as if being near me was more of a risk to her than I, myself, presented once I noticed her, waved, and called out to her. That impression, however, may be simple human-centric bias on my part. Right after that, though, three of them stalked me in a coordinated manner. One scout on the ridge behind me, another at the far end of the lake, and the third maneuvering around the lake from the area into which the female had retreated to the copse of trees immediately behind me. The two scouts would intermittently knock from their stationary positions and you could track the progress of the third as he knocked along his route. Without recapping what I've written in the Sightings section thread, the message was pretty clear that attention to the female wasn't welcome. Are they scary? No more so than their size, obvious differences, and close proximity might inspire. They are clearly powerful enough to make short work of a man. Can they be scary? I'm sure they can any time they want. Was I frightened? Of course. Twice I've been in staring matches with adult males in their prime knowing full well they could kill me at will. I learned early and young, though, that if you are in a threatening situation from which you can't retreat, you have to stand up to the threat; be it vicious dog, neighborhood bully, or abusive adult. Did that behavior on my part influence theirs? Who can say?

Good points, MIB. I see lots of wildlife, none of which I would call "scary", or "ugly", but some of which commands respect due to impressive size and/or speed, and potential for huge damage to my person, if not treated with due caution, my Sasquatch sighting included. When faced with a charging grizzly many years ago, I felt an urgent need to defend myself, but not what I would describe as "fear", or "scared", just the urge of self preservation in that instant. He makes a beautiful rug.

I have been fortunate enough to have had multiple sightings of these elusive subjects. The most intense was being approached by a family group in central Oklahoma. There's no way to describe the intense feelings that well up inside you staring at a subject looking back at you that looks like something right out of a Stephen Spielberg movie yet it's alive and breathing 20 feet from you!! It's easy for people to say " Well why didn't you do this or that" but they weren't there dealing with this intoxicating flood of emotions clouding your thinking!! I was expecting this since the land owner interacted with these subjects and had their trust. Even then, it was something I will NEVER forget! With that said, my heart goes out to those who never believed then by chance they stumble onto one of these subjects face to face!! I'm sure there are some with deep emotional scars that may haunt them for life! As part of the agreement for this close meeting, I was told by the land owner, they do not like cameras or anything you put up to close your face so I never intended on taking photos. Besides, staring at this hulking 10 footer in the dim 3/4 moon light that looked huge and massive, was not something I dared to **** off. He could have squashed me like a bug if he wanted to! A 6 footer I suspected to be a juvenile was a mere 15-20 feet from me. I have attached a sketch of mine showing what he looked like. I also have a marked picture I inadvertently took as I nervously fumbled with my camera standing there. It shows the dim face of one of the subjects peering out from the brush illuminated only by the moonlight. His nose and brow ridge are clearly seen. This was the real distance no telephoto used. I saw 5 but there were more all around me in the thick brush. I enjoy sharing with interested folks and care nothing about convincing the skeptic. Enjoy!

Yeah absolutely, that's the same Des Plaines River corridor I'm referring to. Look how close to O'Hare it runs - talk about risk takers. I think in general, they'd rather remain in areas and keep using routes they've been in for hundreds of years if they can.

From my perspective, those are wrong questions because they includes terms that have implied value judgements I'm not sure are appropriate. They're fundamentally anthropomorphic. I didn't call my cat ugly because it didn't look human. It was a cat. "Ugly" brings implications of such great similarity that the slight differences become unsettling. I did not find either bigfoot I saw "ugly" but neither were they exactly, precisely, identically human either. They just were what they were. "Scary looking" doesn't compute unless you're talking about a dog with very large teeth or a bear with very big claws. "Scary" is a behavior, not an appearance .. at least for me. "Scary looking" means, to me, the person offering the description is fundamentally a fearful person who is looking for a way to rationalize their fear rather than deal with it. "Friendly appearing" is much the same ... it's an interpretation of behavior, not how the thing truly looks. A nice open smile may actually be the baring of teeth ... a warning of great aggression to come. Sometimes it is easier to deal with wider differences where you KNOW there are differences rather than greater similarity where you can stumble into the pitfall of assuming similarity that isn't truly there. I don't know if this makes any sense at all or if it is just a reflection of an internal dialog I'm having. If it makes no sense, I apologize for subjecting you to me talking to myself. MIB

Who cares what science demands. What scientific groups have been spectacularly and continuously funded to go out and find BF? When that occurs then science can demand it. Saying what science demands is like saying that a 650lb fat guy demands food even though he will never leave his bed to go out and earn the money to pay for it nor go out and physically get the food himself. It must be delivered to him without him ever lifting a finger.. Give me a break. Science can go pound salt. Period.

I don't have a long, rich history as some of you do. My foray into the bigfoot world began around 2005. Have seen or heard seven or eight things that could not be explained. Every time I was with someone else so we could volley the discussion back and forth about what just happened. I haven't lost any interest. To the contrary, it has gathered steam. I do wish I had better technology the times when things have occurred. The addition of a thermal monocular might have revealed things the times things occurred. That is one arrow that will get added to my quiver by the start of next year. Pulsar Helion series. All-in-all, I am pleased how things are going with my sasquatchery. Heading out tomorrow morning for an overnight and will backpack into an area where there I've heard about two encounters occurring of reasonably-recent vintage. I've hiked in the area several times to scout it out. Remote and very squatchy with very little human activity. A stray hiker or hunter during the season. Otherwise, it's a veritable playland for Mr. Sasquatch. I hope he wants to come out and play tomorrow. For record, I'm not part of the kill club, don't agree with it but do understand where they're coming from. To each, their own. I have been blessed as my family and friends all know of my passion for the subject. They always ask about my endeavors and I think that's because I've always offered up things I've seen and heard and what others I know have heard and and seen as well. Some are luke warm about it while others are truly fascinated with the whole subject but scared to death to go out in the woods. I let them live this aspect of their life vicariously through me.