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Self aggrandizement abounds in this field. Go to any of the festivals or conferences related to this subject that have popped up in recent years. It's a lot of lonely people who have found a place to belong. They gather to name-drop and to hint at forbidden knowledge that they are unable to share. They really strive for exclusivity, but outsiders can someday get access....for a price. Eh. They are all adults and can spend their time and money as they wish. Good for them for finding others to share their passion. I have just always found it a bit cringey that a whole area of interest that by definition is populated by those who are looked at as outsiders by normal society should themselves strive so hard for exclusive cliques. I guess that is just human nature.

It's not surprising that the info is suppressed. Bigfooters have been ridiculed by academia for a long time. In order to repair reputation, recover perceived lost respect, the community goes out of its way to avoid whatever they guess academia will not touch. Avoiding noticing the woo is just part of that agenda. Probably rightly so. It doesn't do the witnesses any good, though. It will be interesting, when academia does someday accept existence of bigfoot and begin studying in earnest, how they're going to deal with the woo they run into. My guess is most of the apparent woo is pretty normal stuff, misinterpreted, because we insist on looking the wrong places for answers. Some is just plain creepy though and I don't have a good explanation. There has to be some reason it appears so frequently and with such consistency .. delusion and attention seeking fail as explanations in that context. MIB

Field Work is fine, but Conferences are basically like Conventions, and it seems like every new Research group appearing on scene hosts one. It's an exercise in Popularity and Socializing, not Research.

I'll correct myself. Turns out Bea Mills has done a lot in Bigfootery, both in the field and conference organization. Hocking Hills and probably other conferences as well.

Even if that meant the extinction of your species? They seem to be doing ok? How are salmon, woodland caribou, lynx and wolverine doing? Are they ok too? How is it that Bigfoot is apart of the ecosystem and yet somehow detached from it in your mind? Ultimately this is all conjecture. Real data comes with species recognition and study. Your simply willing to roll the dice based on “faith”. I have no such faith. The data shows that species are better off discovered and helped. Than to be ignored and paved over. And even then it’s a precarious path. In the case of the woodland caribou? The reintroduction of another endangered species the Wolf was their undoing in the lower 48. Grizzlies are making a comeback too. Will this be beneficial in a world of dwindling resources?

Regarding trail cameras, one way around some of the problems is to use timed rather than triggered cameras. Daytime-only, thus passive, nothing to see. Originally I used the 2x lenses provided by DaySix, the makers of the Plotwatcher Pro cameras I use, but those lenses have been discontinued. I found that I can use any lens made for a home video camera that uses a 17mm thread. I still use the 2x lenses some but my favorite spot is a bit farther and I use a 3.8x lens there. It is enough to get a pretty good look at who / what is in the lake I'm interested in from a hidden spot high on the far shoreline. MIB

I would submit that sasquatches don't need anyone in their corner. They seem to be doing just fine based on the number of reports that keep coming from all over the country. I'd rather decide myself where I go than have an armed guard following my every move and a tracking collar permanently affixed to my neck.

All of my extended family know of my sighting 40+ years ago, and not 1 has ever given me any flack over it. Just 1 long time friend has outright rejected the idea, and we still hunt together, and talk about everything else but that. Georgerm, I too am a prostate cancer survivor, with radiation treatment 8 years ago, and removal, along with the bladder, 2 years ago. Recovery can be a tough road, but with a positive attitude, you'll get through it and get back to a relatively normal life sooner than you think.

Possibly nothing. You have to remember that he is an adult. You cannot force him to believe no matter how much you might wish to. What he believes is his responsibility, not yours. Offer the information, but acceptance is up to him. So is rejection. Even if there is a fatal consequence. Sometimes you have to do the best you can, then let go. Consider the possibility that you have as big a problem via wanting to force belief on him as he does rejecting belief. The only person in this life you have control of is yourself. So do what you can for him, but then focus on you, focus on accepting his adult choice as his right regardless of how wrong you think that choice is. ... sorry I don't have anything better for you, but I think that is the best there is. MIB

Pretty much anyone who spends any time around me knows about my interest in the subject. I am sure that some of them think that it is ridiculous, but I think that some of the crap that they are interested in is laughable myself. Don't get me started on golf or fantasy football leagues. The point is, most of the people who think that interest in this field is ridiculous know nothing more about it than the 'fact' that it is fake. They don't really know anything about it...much like I have little to no knowledge about golf or fantasy football. I think that those things are silly but it doesn't occupy up enough of my thoughts to really spend much time debating people about it. Those of you who are having trouble with family and friends over this subject...can I ask if you have allowed your interest in it to take over your entire life? Maybe it is a problem because that is all that you talk about. I ask because I have been guilty of that in the past myself.

Well, he hasn't come right out and said "Hello, my name is Steve Isdahl and I believe Sasquatch to be __________". However, given the fact that he is aligning himself with Scott Carpenter...it would be very safe to say that he believes that Sasquatch is a hybrid being that abilities that we would call paranormal. This is not the first time that he has posted about Scott's books. He is also a big fan of David Paulides' work with Missing 411. And he has made comments in the past in some of his videos concerning the strange nature of these things. Add to that his open disdain for Moneymaker and Meldrum for their pushing the undiscovered ape theory... I think that it is pretty safe to say that he doesn't believe that these are undiscovered apes running around the woods. I have often felt that part of the Bigfoot world is so desperate for the slightest hint of approval from the mainstream scientific community that they ignore things that don't fit neatly into the undiscovered ape or remnant primate boxes...even if that means ignoring consistent accounts and evidence. NAWACS talks openly about self illuminating eyes...does that sound like a species of normal ape that just hasn't been found yet?

What is never discussed WRT to conferences are the vendors' fees. Some are $100 per booth for three days. Some are $100 per booth per day. I have seen vendor space sold out. so on the high side. let's say there will be 120 vendors (because I have seen where there was that many) for a three-day conference at $100 per day: That's $300 per vendor booth for the weekend X 120 vendors = $36,000. On the low side of $100 for the whole conference weekend, for say, 100 vendors = $10,000. Then there are conference ticket sales from attendees on top of that. So let's say, 400 attendees at $30 per day for three days = another $36,000. Without meals, or special events. Sure the speakers and workshop instructors get paid and there are other overhead expenses like advertising etc. but all in all? I think conference promoters do make some money when all is said and done. Airfare and hotel? Who knows. Here's an example: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-psychic-sasquatch-retreat-tickets-87926529617?aff=erelexpmlt And make no mistake, the psychic Sasquatch is BIG these days.

On the subject of “discovery”, I take the HTH guy to stand on the idea that it was discovered long ago, for him and thousands of others like him. I have long agreed with that view of it. Footprints? Who cares anymore? DNA? Not worth the effort if all you want to do is confirm, yep, they are here. Photos and video ? Ditto. You can spend a life researching and documenting but until we as a society (and our so-called Leaders) choose to own up to what we all already know to be true, it goes nowhere. I include in this list of futile and meaningless acts the recovery of a body or body parts. I am convinced this has already happened, probably on multiple occasions, but it failed to penetrate the wall of denial and fear that attaches to this animal, like none other that modern man has ever had to overcome.

Covered it for you, NatFoot

What about an uncanny ability to avoid trail cameras . There is no other animal other than human on the planet that does that .I've read the theories on plastic smells , electronic noise the camera might make but no one what the answer is. It's like they know what this thing does and why it was strapped to a tree. I agree they are animals ..but what type,,

Excellent question. These creatures are incredibly fast and there's no comparison to humans as far as their ability to cover ground whether it be fairly flat ground or up a mountain. In the forest they have an incredible ability to blend in the surroundings and remain unseen. They are not your average bear. They can be very patient and sit and watch you for hours. I was in a camp one week around 11pm and one of our guys asks another guy to do a whoop. He lets out one and instantly a wood ape responds behind us up the mountain no more than 40 yards. They exchange 3 more whoops over about 15-20 seconds. One of the strangest things I've ever encountered. It was no owl and it was either a redneck hillbilly or an ape. As heavily as the other 4 men in camp were I'm going with an ape. They are intelligent no doubt but I still think they're animals, but very in tune with their surroundings and people when encountered.

Twist I agree with you 100% . Upvotes and downvotes do they really matter Not really . They only matter if you are looking for that type of attention . I have been trying to get back with Natfoot since we might not always agree but that does not matter to me. Since he has taught me some thing special and that is grammar and how to write out better sentences. You have always corrected me and I have to thank you on that you arm chair bigfooter. I still have a lot to learn but give me time Natfoot and I will get better. You can keep mocking me all you want. But I have to warn you it just makes me stronger brother. Friend.

WoW ! A down vote for being positive towards armchairs researchers. Well that's a new one for me. I'll take it .

Armchair researchers are great people who do great work in this field. I say this since a lot of us do not have the patients as they do to go through reports. They have always been the ones who have been able to get into the details of the reports . They have been able to get the details of the creatures and the responses that the witnesses have given that some of us have not been able to catch. They are very detailed in information. Very helpful and full of knowledge that some of us may not gain in the field. They are of a different type of researcher that is always needed. Yes, so thank you for being a part of a large family that I am not sure if one really wants to be a part of it. I say this only because of the ridicule that comes in believing in this creature we call Sasquatch.

Just as an FYI...I'm wearing my new black BFF t-shirt right now. Not directly related, but I did contribute to keep this place flowing of great information.

What happened with your friend? My son-in-law has been hunting the forest of southern Oregon since he was old enough to carry a rifle. He has never seen a bigfoot, and he believes he has seen all the animals that exist. He said he has seen over 500 bears. It's time for him to see bigfoot. He is at risk while hunting because a close up bigfoot encounter has cause some hunters PTSD. Some hunters may shoot one not knowing the consequences. Bigfoots usually are out in groups and shooting one will probably bring the others in for a revenge kill. An Oregon BFRO report describes a guide who is mauled and killed by bigfoot after he shot one. To be safe in the woods, we need to know what's out there and how it acts. Any ideas on how to get hard core hunters to know bigfoots are out there? If you can find the BFRO report post it. What can you say to people like my son-in-law?