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First time out this Spring and many more to come. It was cool today (mid 40s) and raining and my mission was to look for prints in wet areas. Went to an area where last year I found a 17" footprint in a wet area. Creeks are all around several of which flow into this pond. I decided to follow several upstream to look for spillage areas that might hold footprints. Didn't find any but it felt fantastic to get out.

Each of us here has our own agenda and what is important to me may not comport with anyone else's idea of success. That's ok. I've said, ad nausem, here that I want things to stay exactly as they are. No official discovery and no body on a slab. My mission is a daytime sighting--and to that end I will be out there planting myself in spots I think will allow for that possibility and doing things that I hope may increase my odds even if only a bit. I acknowledge that my approach may be unorthodox and not in line with mainstream sasquatchery. The big secret is---pssst, and don't mention this to anyone, it only has to work for me.

That attack is very similar to mine, where I inadvertently got between a 3 year old grizzly and his moose meal. What saved me was the fact that I was moose hunting, with my 30-06 loaded and in my hands. The memory of that charge still gives me goose bumps while typing this, and it happened 40 years ago. I knew a fellow who survived a similar attack to this young man, with very similar injuries. Surgery could never fully restore his face, and he suffered emotionally for years, eventually committing suicide. Very sad.

I don’t understand how people think knowledge will keep you safe. Bears like humans are individuals who make choices. We can formulate averages.... “most bears will do X when there is Y”. But everyone who enters Griz territory is just a meatcicle in the food chain until you get back in your car. Even black bears, cougars and wolves pose a threat. Go armed and vigilant.

WHEN successful, not if.... Then do it again? Yes To what end? because it's fun. Doesn't fit your agenda? don't care

Meatcicle.....meat sack. Tough and chewy on the outside, pink and crunchy on the inside. The Brown Bear track is a bear in the Katmai gene pool. They are smart bears. The marks from the claws always bother me.

Brown bears are killers. Boars routinely kill and eat their own young, a cannibalistic trait that is rare among apex mammals. ADFG studies have confirmed that predation rates on moose calves (% of calves killed) by brown bears can exceed 50% of all calves born, and that each adult brown bear kills an average of 0.5-2.2 adult moose (. 1 year old) annually. You can be assured that sasquatch young are also on the menu. If sasquatches were superman bear killers, there would have been no grizzlies upon the arrival of Columbus. Instead, in less than two centuries of the European arrival on the west coast, the grizzlies were wiped out.

It is a rare issue that the California state government has absolutely nothing to say about. For examp,e, they are quite concerned about polar bears, despite not a one within a few thousand mikes from their border: https://www.vice.com/en/article/kz9dyx/californias-new-climate-legislation-hailed-as-a-breakthrough But, again, not a peep from any California authority regarding the PG film, shot within their borders, and that is despite tge state government being the primary authority managing fish and wildlife in it's state. If you'd like, you may quote and reference a statement (or mere mention) by any California government official over the past 54 years about the film. Just one will do, please.

Thought I would post pictures of my new Gila and existing Fortress 6,300. Took the Gila out for its maiden voyage today. It carried like a dream. All the weight was on my hips with no weight pulling down on my shoulders. That included a very heavy revolver in a chest pack that was docked to the backpack. Docking allows the chest pack to be weightless even though it held gear plus a 47oz revolver and eight .454 Casull rounds. The weight is transferred to the backpack. Their 4-way forward pull mechanism really allows you to dial in the belt. If carrying all day long, you can readjust the backpack quickly to have more of the weight on your shoulders giving your hips a break. That way, at day's end, neither your shoulders nor hips feel overused. It's a keeper and I'm already looking at ordering different-sized bag. Remove the existing bag and put on the new one in two minutes. One feature which is fantastic is the side pocket. As you can see, a quart-sized Gatorade bottle gets lost in the left pocket which can easily fit two. They've designed the side pockets at an angle so you can reach back on the fly, easily grab the water bottle, then put it back in with ease. You don't need to be a contortionist. Finally, for comparison, on the bottom is SO's much-larger Fortess 6,300 which I've had for 3 years. In my opinion, Seek Outside is on the cutting edge and revolutionizing this industry. The gatekeeper system used to lash things down or tighten the bag can be configured any way you want. Moreover, when carrying additional weight in the pack, you can add either 2" or 4" extenders to the frame to allow the load lifters to actually do their job. Flexibility for any condition. Finally, the weight is crazy light. The Gila on the left is only 2lbs 10oz and the Fortress on the right is 3lbs 13oz (each with cross stay removed).

Grizzly maulings tend to be rather gruesome. Back in the 70's I knew anther man whose face was crushed by a grizzly. He was horribly scarred. Some years later both he and his incredibly gorgeous wife were murdered, likely in a drug related killing. This is the story of a man who was mauled on a fishing trip at the Kenai River. https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/content/news/A-man-attacked-by-a-brown-bear-describes-the-attack-on-his-life--386872171.html

There has been at least 1 person on this board who fits that profile. Cryptids may be a curiosity for some students as they get into their field of study but that gets replaced by other research ideas pretty quickly. It becomes clear that you need to build a credible thesis to get your degree - that you may be paying big money to get. And it's not worth it to fight you way out of that hole as a grad trying to get a job. People doing the hiring for academic jobs are not impressed by bigfoot on a resume. To me, not coincidence, more of dead weight bureaucracy. Having been a Cali resident most of my existence it is very clear that the golden state governments over the years are overwhelmed by the challenges. They don't fix anything just band aids. What you get is inconsistencies. How in the world would fish and wildlife keep a position on BF straight when there are hundreds of other priorities that never get answered either?

Agree totally. And I am no different in that respect. And I've gone the extra mile setting myself up for the scientific DNA side of things, again, at my own expense. I have published a book (at my own expense) and am going to publish a novel (same funding) in hopes that books sales will further fund my efforts to pay for DNA testing should the opportunity present itself. If the books don't do well? I'll fund testing anyway somehow. But I will do it. THAT, my friend, is why I push to get at least one interested independent scientist involved who might benefit knowing there are people who stand behind their efforts- or help encourage their efforts. It wouldn't hurt the BFF community at all if that should happen. But how would we know without making the attempt? It's all about getting an unrecognized species recognized. I realize not all of are interested in doing that, however, for those that are, and for the reasons they give, then ALL avenues need to be explored. Good topic for a thread. What CONSTITUTES discovery in the real world is at least scientific species verification which, if done correctly, will lead to recognition.

Grizzly danger is a regular part of my life, but I'm thankful there are no snakes at all in Alaska. Frankly, I'm not sure which is worse. There are areas of the continent with both dangers present. I believe that sasquatches, being human and thus fairly intelligent, also prefer habitat without either danger. I also believe that the extirpation of grizzly bears in the western states was a blessing for sasquatches and may have even helped boost their population.........until homo sapiens completely flooded the region over the past half century.

That's a good point. The BFRO teams have used the same strategy to hide from BFs that are following them. Apparently, they get confused when trying to follow multiple people on foot. The field researchers follow a trail with multiple teams and then one team breaks off to stop on the side of the trail while the other team keeps going. This has resulted in getting sightings and thermal imaging. Apparently, we can utilize a similar strategy.

In my case, it just me the pricklies on the back of the neck, that uneasy feeling as some have reported, which is a real thing, and to your point is likely in some cases to be enough to drive the unwanted out of a given area with minimal confrontation. But the science for it is definitely in the animal kingdom already.

Just got back from driving my son in law out to his buddies Turkey camp by Trout Lake. I snapped a pic! He works at the local lumber mill and gets fri-sat off.

Oh good two MORE people from the Steering Committee. That makes THREE stumbling blocks just on that last page. And one has to wonder why? Not true! there are PLENTY of people doing something about it. But nothing has worked. No one seems tired of Norseman's rants about shooting one. That's why something is obviously off here. It's time to at least try and include a different way. But all there is, and has been for about the last two years or so, is senseless resistance. Can't figure out why that is. I mean, it's only science that I've been trying to bring in. What's the big deal. What's wrong with doing that or even promoting that? It's not like saying, "Hey, let's all go find Dr. Matthew Johnson and open some portal." It's about including science and having scientists engage us. Just tell me truthfully that no one wants scientists in our court and I'll be gone.

After years of taking a No Kill position, I have reluctantly concluded that taking a type specimen is the only way to prove the creature's existence. Taking a type specimen will likely take a lot of time, effort, and perseverance especially considering how elusive and intelligent the species is. We already know the animal's habitat, the Pacific Northwest from Northern California to Southern Alaska. There probably are other, much smaller and more isolated populations in the American South and an even smaller population in the Eastern United States. But the Pacific Northwest is where the vast majority of credible reports come, and has the most suitable habitat in North America for a large, unclassified primate, so that is where we need to concentrate our search. At least in my opinion. As I stated before a few pages back, the best way, in my opinion, to take a type specimen is with a large, dedicated, well-equipped and well-trained group of researchers divided into many smaller teams spending months at a time in prime Sasquatch habitat and continuing the search until a specimen is taken. Looking for trackways would be the first step. If we could find structure and remain in place in that area until one shows up, even better. The problem is, we are likely dealing with a highly intelligent apex predator. It will likely know when humans, even well-trained researchers and survivalists, are in the area before we have any idea of their presence. This is why, as I said, a lot of time, effort, and perseverance is needed. Not to mention a lot of money. If such a group could be properly organized, then it is very likely a specimen will be taken. But it would likely take several months.

Just making the point, I used to be skeptical of it until I actually experienced it. It's not that far fetched given the amount of mammals that actually can use it in similar ways.

Why prove the existence of Sasquatch to anyone? Especially to big government. Government already has proof. They actually have specimens. It's all about money and what it would do to religion if these things were made public. And they'd be hunted down and killed for absolutely no reason but fame. If anything I think these beings need protection from us.

I agree with you that killing a Bigfoot is not ideal, and if there are alternative methods for acquiring species recognition than those alternatives should be pursued. I have always taken a "No Kill" position myself because I believe Bigfoot are a rare, intelligent species and an awesome apex predator whose population should be conserved and protected. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that neither DNA nor film nor any other form of evidence other than a physical specimen or part of one will result in species recognition. Considering the difficulties of capturing such a powerful and elusive species alive, and the the even more difficult prospects of finding the remains of one already dead, it seems more and more likely that the taking of a type specimen is the only thing that will achieve our ultimate goal of species recognition and eventual protection under the Endangered Species Act. And I say this with the utmost reluctance. I wouldn't want to kill a Bigfoot anymore than you would. But if that is what is will take to prove the animal exists and provide its remaining population with scientific recognition and the protection that it deserves, than so be it. DNA samples of purported Bigfoot-like creatures have been taken in North America on several occasions. Some of these samples even suggested that they came from an unknown species of primate. Not one of these DNA samples and their accompanying lab results resulted in scientific documentation of the species. It is a shame, but that is the sad truth. The skeptics are as adamant as ever in claiming Bigfoot doesn't exist. And this in spite of all of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Heck, the MonsterQuest documentary that first got me interested in Bigfoot involved the collection of just such a DNA sample. The results came back as an unknown primate, not quite human and not quite ape. Should this evidence have convinced a skeptical scientific community that these animals exist? Yep. Did it convince them? I think we all know the answer to that question. I wish I could agree with you about DNA evidence. But the cold hard fact remains, that without a type specimen the species will most likely never be documented. And again, I say this with extreme reluctance.

What are you trying to do here with that kind of a statement? Kill a rare, rather incredible and amazing species? Especially i you think it's real? That's the best you can come up with? Tell me something, Sir, might you think that getting behind science and giving them a good sound collective nudge in the right direction would be time better spent? Because having an affinity for a military style operation is again a "you go get 'em" kind of thing. This thread is, again, intended for a "we" thing. There's no room for torches and pitchforks.

I've just looked over all the threads in the last three pages or so. My conclusion has left me wondering if anyone has any thoughts about moving this Forum to the next level? I also think everyone might know what that move would entail. This goes to the possibility that the most important anthropological discovery of the last two centuries could actually happen within our lifetimes. Think about it......within our own lifetimes.

This was an interesting thread, resurrecting it to bring up something that recently occurred to me. There's a thing I use called Next Door that's like local discussion boards/groups. Sometimes wildlife gets discussed, thankfully not always negatively, but some folks freak out over cougar and coyote sightings. There was a recent discussion about a backyard photo of a barred owl, of which there are many around. So another person stated that they heard spotted owl calls from a canyon near their home, but there must be some confusion, since I don't think spotted owls exist here. When I looked them up at the Cornell Lab, I found this in the description: "To stay in contact, mated pairs also emit a hollow whistling sound that rises in pitch at the end." These sounds can be heard in the background of the second example and in the third example at the link. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Owl/sounds They sound similar to classic BF whoop sounds to me, and to Redbone's examples on the last page. In the third clip at the link, notice how the call echoes. It makes great sense that BF communications would carry long distances for locating others and that they'd use mimicry. I'm not thinking that the BFs specifically mimic that species, as whoop calls are commonly reported in all regions, but they resemble general bird calls enough to escape notice. I think I'll get over there to drop a recorder, anyway!

Doing well, really appreciate you guys! Went hiking a few times alone this last week, guess that's the new plan, my other 'dogs' are just getting a bit too old and not looking to get any more....getting too old myself, lol. Found a nice fresh print & trackway, a Collared lizard catching the spring rays. and had to laugh at this one.......one of the peanut butter containers from a few years ago, ha.