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Hey everyone! First time back here in a long while. As someone who used to be a moderator and admin years ago (when HRPuffnstuff was the Chief), it certainly seems much slower on the forums these days, myself included. I don't believe it's from lack of interest, I think it's mostly because as mentioned, there's a ton of other places discussing the same topic. Facebook was a substantial "thing" when I joined the forums in 2016, but it was not even close to being the behemoth it is today. In my opinion the term "bottom feeders" used above is an apt description. There's little moderation, tons of smart aleck trolls, and skeptics and non believers are pretty vicious to anyone claiming anything. It's always been my belief that these forums offered more serious discussion (believer or non), more personal interaction between members, many of whom form friendships that transcend their interactions here. It probably wouldn't hurt if some of the members here made posts in some of the FB groups and pages talking up how great these forums are, and the immense amount of content they contain. It's good to be back. I look forward to catching up with some names I see are still active here, and some newer members I don't know much at all.

Clear water river, Bull lake, Libby dam, Yaak river Great trip thus far!

I submitted a paper to RHI last November, but it's still in peer review. In the meantime, here is a YouTube video of my presentation at the Kiamichi Mountains Bigfoot Conference in May: The first few slides, omitted here, were about DNA and the microphone was not on and so were not recorded. Nothing new in them that you probably don't already know.

Agree. Agree BUT .. Agree BUT !!!! ... I think the quality and detail of information on the non-forum platforms is somewhat lacking. Or maybe you could say the signal to noise ratio is lower. So while forums may be perceived as old fogey stuff they're still where to go for better quality. The others are fine if you're primarily there for entertainment but if you are trying to do research .. nah.

Several years ago, when I was active on the JREF/International Skeptics Forum, I ended up betting that Sasquatch would be scientifically proven by X date, which was a couple of years in the future. In the negotiations, I was able to talk them into giving me odds of 50,000 to 1, so I put up $50. That X date came and went and I paid $50 to a charity of his choice. It was fun and added something to the back and forth banter that I dealt with on that site. I wasn't ever going to collect $2.5 million if science finally proved they exist, but I was willing to put my money up for the cause.

I originally found the mask used in Sasquatch Ontario's 'The Face of Nef' photo, but now it looks like the exact same mask and photo were reused in a separate encounter. Sasquatch Ontario, ran by Mike Paterson, released two YouTube videos consecutively in May of 2023 claiming to show photos of an alleged Sasquatch named 'Nef'. • Video #1: 'Sasquatch Selfie', published May 6, 2023, featured a photo 'Nef' took of himself. The video explains that Mike was sitting at a table with Dwayne and showing him some images, when he noticed that one of them was actually a partial face shot of 'Nef' (photo #1). He also specified that this picture was taken on April 1, 2023. • Video #2: 'The Face of Nef', published May 27, 2023, featured a photo Dwayne took of 'Nef'. The video explains that Dwayne stepped outside, heard laughter, and photographed two photos of 'Nef' blindly (photo #2). He specified that these pictures were taken on December 27, 2019 and were sat on for a while. The videos 'Sasquatch Selfie' and 'The Face of Nef' are described by Mike as two entirely separate incidents. However, upon comparing the images in these two videos, I believe: • Both photos use the same mask, and • They may actually be the exact same photo, just cropped or resized. The biggest things that I've noticed are: • The two light reflection dots in the eyes are in the exact same spots. • The nose shape and angle are identical. • The eyes, brow ridge, and facial tilt match perfectly. • There’s no variation between the two images. Both photos share the exact same features, right down to the angle the face is at. There's virtually no difference. I've provided a comparison of the two photos (photo #3) as well as a gif comparison (photo #4) so you can see for yourselves. You may notice that the eye reflections are slightly larger in the 'Sasquatch Selfie' photo. I believe this is due to 'The Face of Nef' photo being cropped, as bright pixels like light reflections can appear bigger and blurrier when you resize a photo. Some might argue that similar lighting or facial features are to be expected, as it's alleged to be the same subject featured in both photos. However, that doesn’t explain the identical eye reflections, exact nose angle, and exact matching of the facial structure, which wouldn’t occur naturally across two separate incidents. Given the similarities, if 'The Face of Nef' photos are proven to be hoaxed, then by association, the 'Sasquatch Selfie' photo may be as well. If you have any questions, please let me know.

It's good to hear a lot of people posting on this topic, and it seems like we all agree that the Bigfoot Forum has lost a little energy. It's really encouraging to see that we have pages of replies on this topic so maybe the Bigfoot forum will remain alive for quite a while longer. I originally became interested in Bigfoot around 1980 after I had a midnight sighting while we're camped out under the stars up by Prospect Oregon on a wood cutting trip. At the time Bigfoot was not on my radar and what I saw was thought to be a big black bear looking at us while we were sleeping out but later I realized that whatever was looking at us did not have pronounced fuzzy ears, and it had a flat face and cone shaped head so I finally decided it was a Bigfoot. This incident got me started in Bigfoot research and I began to visit various spots in Southwest Oregon and visited deserted campgrounds at night and had some spooky experiences. I stopped going out and researching as much as I used to because at a couple of different areas I got tangled up in the woo and it was so confusing that I just decided I wouldn't pursue the study of Bigfoot for a while. Well, I kind of missed the subject, and I decided to get back on Bigfoot Forum and at least have interaction with other people. I'm 77 years old and will be 78 August 1st and I might start doing more field research. I have found some really out of the way campgrounds that are close to Coquille, Oregon, that are right in the middle of what I consider to be a Bigfoot territory. Anyway, if there are people that would like to come to southern Oregon and camp out in a primitive campground then maybe we can get this expedition going for 10 people who qualify and agree to meet in Coos Bay, Oregon where my wife and I live. We will meet at my home, for two days then head about 40 miles east to the mountains north of Coquille, Oregon for a primitive campout under the stars on tarps, or in tents or in trailers 16' or under. We will attract bigfoots into out campground and not hunt for them. This needs to happen before the middle of September before deer season. I don't use drugs and moderately drink so keep this in mind. If interested email me at gmcnair800@ gmail.com

True. But the Smela case followed Backdoc's suggested scenario almost to a T, only failing because Smeja and his partner failed to take and distribute pics immediately. Which is the precise reason cited by Smeja as to why they left the scene immediately. This should be no surprise, especially in the current litigious society, and especially with a creature that might very well be a feral human or human subspecies.

Real or Fake? Is it a biological life-form? Or a rubber dummy stuffed with pig guts? I can say with complete conviction that it doesn't matter. Why? No physical evidence. And that video has made the rounds on social media. It did not matter.

It is now proven that government didn't need to silence Patterson and Gimlin. All they needed to do was place tighter controls on access to the Bluff Creek area. BTW, the area is closed all winter long, when tracks in the snow can tell their tale. Every year. You really don't have to "cover it up". All you have to do is officially ignore it and occasionally make a silly joke to make believers look stupid. Your scenario is fine, and if it went that way, it would essentially out the squelches. But, like I wrote, that's essentially what happened with Smeja, but without the videos and body parts, but of course, that's because he figured he'd be arrested...................and he was right................... I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

and I was told this forum was dying. great thread. thanks all.

If anyone goes they should come see me in Newport! I am still healing up from surgery.

Dr. Squatch soap and deodorant are awesome! I think that the further the younger generation gets from their hunting roots and woodsmanship, the less they care about nature other than in a general, climate change way. The less one cares about nature, the less something like sasquatch comes up in their thoughts or cares. Because I am a hunter, have loads of woodsmanship, am very old and spend a lot of time in nature, sasquatches are important to me.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner. However, I suspect that the Forums management would not want us to say that "X researcher's post about whatever" can be proven to have been hoaxed." When I first got interested in Bigfoot circa 2010 or so, I relied primarily on a website by a person who is such anathema to the Bigfooting world that even mentioning his name here led to banishment. One of the things this person did (although not why he was persona non grata) was outline the different lawsuits threatened, filed, claimed, etc. by one bigfoot "researcher" who felt slighted by another bigfoot "researcher." That being said, your analysis appears to be spot on and the visual aids support your claims. Way back in the day (2013ish or so), I had visited this particular sight and/or read about it here and found videos claimed to having captured a bigfoot playing tic-tac-toe or playing with ghosts. Needless to say, your two reports simply add to the conclusion that claims by this individual merit little weight.

Interest in Bigfoot... Demographics? How much is the topic of Bigfoot of interest in various generations? Does this explain any dip in BFF activity? Most people around my age group (59 years old) got their Bigfoot interest by movies like Boggy Creek or especially Peter Graves The Mysterious Monsters show. It was in the Peter Graves show where most saw the PGF for the first time. Once you left the theaters, you were done seeing the PGF. The only time you saw the PGF again would be a book or two you could buy or rent at the library. Even then, the only thing you got in such as book was a still shot of Patty on the famous look back. In the 1980s those of us who rented VCR tapes (and for a while VCR's themselves) could for the first time rent a video about Bigfoot. For the first time we could not only watch the PGF multiple times but could also freeze frame, slow it down, and run it back and forth. About the time of serious home computers of the 2000's some researchers were able to take the PGF and stabilize it. Then, two things happened. 1) Discovery channel type shows started having Bigfoot TV shows on. Unlike the ugly 1970's these shows where clean, well-produced with good sold fair scientific discussion about the subject. 2) The internet created discussion boards as well as YouTube which allowed further video access to the PGF subject. As long as these generations feels interested in Bigfoot they will continue to consume the Bigfoot subject with TV Ratings and other activity. This would apply to activity on the BFF. Yet, the next thing to happen may be two-fold. 1) The older generation feels tapped out about Bigfoot. They studied it to death and now they either accept it or reject it. They then move on to other interests or things that effect their life now (grandkids, a reverse mortgage ad, or arguing politics on the internet) 2) The young generation quickly considered the subject based on what they are exposed to (Finding Bigfoot, American Paranormal - Bigfoot, and so on) The hear people like Jeff Meldrum on TV and are much more likely to give him consideration in his opinions and are willing to challenge the old guard. To some young person they couldn't imagine someone like Meldrum would be taking a risk even talking about Bigfoot. The younger generation has less bigfoot concerns because they are focused on many of the issues they care about. Being more open minded they might be more inclined to believe in Bigfoot but then move right off of it because once they accept it, they don't need/care to study it further. It's just a given and they move on. They watch a Messin' with Sasquatch commercial and think Bigfoot or something like him is probably out there. They laugh and move on. As far as the BFF I have to think the population itself as seen a shift. The number of people who grew up (8 track tape generation and older) have sustained or died off. The younger generation replacing them might not have a deeper interest in Bigfoot since it didn't make up a big part of what they grew up with. In that way, I wonder if we get less interest in the BFF based on fewer being passionately interested in Bigfoot. I think the BFF probably skews older like me who grew up with less tings competing for our attention. One Bigfoot movie (Peter Graves) or some book in elementary school would be more likely to have a deeper impact on us. If the BFF is down, it actually makes sense. A downturn is probably expected no different than Car Shows, Cruise Nights, or Baseball Collections. I wonder if increasing BFF activity means reaching those older 50+ somethings who are -to my thinking- a lot more likely to have the interests in Bigfoot in the first place. Other than that, I have to think only newsworthy Bigfoot events would drive further interest. As we all know, there hasn't been another PGF in 50 + years.

I've thought of mentioning the BFF on the Facebook groups more often, but then I really don't want to be the one that inspires a bunch trolls to enlist here with their "they simply can't exist and you're either crazy or drunk if you think any of these reports are real, no matter what you think you saw" style or attitude...since those folks tend to drag down every thread they join with their insistent denial and defamation of any with perspectives that differ from their own....

That polar bear darting is one context where you won't be following your subject around asking for your dart back! "Hey! Yeah, you, Bear! Gimme that back! ...oh dang...."

I still visit here quite often. I watch many of the Sasquatch related programs on Youtube and I visit the Bigfoot communities on Reddit. Although many of the posters on Reddit to me are negative.

Welcome back. I remember you though I don't know if it was from after I joined or from the few years that I lurked first. I think continuity with older times is as important as new blood .. can save a lot of unnecessary wheel spinning if we remember what has already been done. MIB

By Jove, I think you've got it.

I still check BFF occasionally to see if there are any recent topics of interest. However, a lot of the material and debates in BFF seem to go through repeat cycles. For field research topics of interest and in my region (CA, OR, and WA), I have moved on to Facebook and interact with non-anonymous field researchers in private Facebook groups. I find it more rewarding to deal with folks who I have actually met in the field, many who have more years of field experience and/or that have focused on particular aspects (like audio recording or thermal imaging or other technical aspect) and are willing to share their expertise.

Looks pretty cool and seems like it would scrape reports up to the current date. The python coding is beyond my capabilities, sadly. Other datasets I've reviewed all include the BFRO data but not all the variables and not reports from the last couple years. The most comprehensive is the SSR dataset with the BFRO reports, John Green reports, and reports from various regional Bigfoot research groups. One question I had of the BFRO data was about the types of interactions witnesses were reporting. David Daegling in his book Bigfoot Exposed argued that most Bigfoot encounters are "mundane" -- the witness sees a Bigfoot, there's a brief period of mutual recognition, and then the Bigfoot just walks away. This certainly wasn't my impression. To get a sense of what witnesses are reporting, I pulled a random sample of BFRO reports of encounters that happened between 2010 and 2022 and then read and coded the witness descriptions (this is the "observed" variable in the BFRO dataset). I created the following coding scheme: Level-0: These are asynchronous encounters. That is, there’s evidence that a Bigfoot might have been in the witness’s current location, as shown by foot tracks, scat, stray hairs, tree breaks, etc. [this would map to the BFRO Class C] Level-1: This and the remaining levels are synchronous encounters. In Level-1 there is evidence of Bigfoot currently in the witness’s proximity, as demonstrated by loud calls, tree knocks, stone throws, strong odors, bi-pedal footsteps, etc. Bigfoot is believed to be nearby but there is no visual confirmation. [this would map to BFRO Class B] Level-2: This adds visual confirmation but the sighting is one-directional. There is no indication from the witness that the Bigfoot was aware of the witness’s presence. [this gets into BFRO Class A but depends on observability] Level-3: This introduces mutual recognition between the witness and the Bigfoot. The Bigfoot simply acknowledges the witness and then casually turns away and disappears into the forest. "Mundane". [this seemed to be what Daegling wrote about; the P-G encounter would fit here] Level-4: These are aggressive interactions with Bigfoot, as demonstrated by Bigfoot bearing teeth, chest pounding, yelling or roaring, charging, or similar behaviors targeted at the witness. Level-4 is often characterized by competition between the witness and Bigfoot, whether for home territory, hunting grounds, or specific prey animals. [I would put Mike Wooley's encounter and Wes Germer's encounter here, as examples] Turns out most encounter reports fall into Level 1 and Level 2... and most of these cases are susceptible to alternative explanations and readily dismissed by debunkers. I suspect few even consider filing a report for Level-0, though cases like Cripple Foot and the Skookum Cast fit here. Level-3 cases were infrequent (~10% of cases) and Level 4 non-existent. Here's how my sample of 102 cases breaks down: overall (top chart) and by BFRO's Class A and Class B.

^^^ i think Bill Miller’s scenes in Bigfoot’s Reflection are in that area I plan to watch this documentary tonight. Thanks for posting

No, I don’t actually. It’s not an issue where “records are not available to prove it either way” What does Hillary Clinton have to do with anything? Many times, and maybe this is one of those times, she happens to be the favourite topic of certain people. I suspect when she was able to practice law in Arkansas she had to provide copies of her diploma, grades, and so on. Thus without my access to her personal papers I have to trust the bar of Arkansas who vetted her ability to take the test. IF Bob claims to have 2 degrees he does not actually have what does that make him? How about answering my yes or no Question and leave others out of it. I’ll go where the facts take me. I won’t ask the facts to go where I am and swat them away if I don’t like what they suggest. Fine. What do YOU say? Does Bob have 2 degrees. 1 from MIT and one from Cal Tech?

Hi im daniel i have always found a interest in bigfoot i own a cottage and have had some encounters i really hope to do more research on this website

Sorry. I respect you. But right now your the person that saw the Heronimous claim and bought it hook, line and sinker. Bob Lazar's claim includes Element 113, which at the time of his claim wasn't even on the periodic table. Other witnesses place him at Los Alamos, S4 at area 51 and he got busted trying to film test flights out of area 51. At a time and place no one would guess unless they had insider knowledge. And during his last documentary? His house and business were raided by the FBI. These are the facts. I am sure there is some embellishment to his story. There always is..... maybe he was just the janitor and had a good ear at the cafeteria. But he knows stuff that at the time of his claims? Was not known. The Janis flights out of Las Vegas daily. The Groom lake facility being underground. So forth and so on. And yet the government has never budged, has raided his home and business and has basically white washed his whole past, and pronounced him a crack pot. Sound familiar? The reason I bring UFO's into the discussion is simply because we are dealing with the same entity. The US Government and its shadow corporations. We could talk about Giants instead and why the Smithsonian is exempt from federal law concerning ancient burial skeletons. They don't have to produce the goods or even provide an inventory. People have the receipt that they shipped odd bones to the Smithsonian. Smithsonian says we don't have them. How convenient. Forget Bigfoot, UFOs and Giants....... lets look at the Missing 411 books and the fight it was for David Paulides to even get a missing persons report from the US Park Service? I stand for transparency, and I think its our citizen's duty to hold our politicians feet to the fire. Because they are anything but transparent. Not at the Federal level and not even at the state level. Lots of shenanigans going on unfortunately. And then the flip side of the coin? Just the Federal capacity to monitor the US borders? How are they missing 800 lbs ape men walking to and fro? Maybe like UFO's at some point there will be leaked footage from the US military or border patrol? The whole thing stinks to high heaven. But if your just Joe Schmo you just think the whole thing is stupid and your more interested in the score from the ball game last night. Until one day your on National Forest hunting? And your life is changed forever. And your question is......how does this thing exist without the authorities knowing about it. Who do I make a report out to? Am I gonna be ridiculed? Am I in danger?

Exactly. At this point I am ( again ) convinced that Bigfoot is not some species of undiscovered Ape. But some type of large human subspecies.

But it's not just Justin Smeja. The thing I've noticed through the years is how many of the stories told of someone who after killing the creature. Standing over the body and feeling remorseful and fearful they would be charged with murder.

I take it you didn't view the proffered video. Question: What did Lazar (notice the spelling) have to gain from leaking his information? Why was the government obsessed with him?

^^^ Made up stories can have elements of truth. But part truth is still not the truth. My hotel receipt or speeding camera picture in my rental car is convincing I was in Chicago on some date and time. It doesn't mean I saw Elvis alive while I was there if I made such a claim. People tell untruths sometimes innocently and sometimes for some other motivation. The problem comes for someone who NEED that person or needs to believe them. It's just like how Greg Long needs Heironimus so he overlooks the changing suit, stories, timelines and so on. They can't walk away when these witness' stories don't add up. They should, but they don't. In this case of the Bob Lezar thing, some NEED him. In the event the storyteller is exposed by massive holes in their story, those who need him will say, "Wow, the government was SO powerful they convinced him to lie for them!" For them, that government can even somehow remove him for yearbooks. I wish this didn't have to spin into a UFO forum. Just so you know, Mike Farrell's UFO show in the 1980's tells me Aliens like ice cream; especially strawberry. Got to be true, right

To: "the Government knows" crowd This is for those who think the Government knows about Bigfoot and is keeping it quiet I have a Question: Scenario: A person is hunting a carrying a cell phone. They shoot Bigfoot and kill it. (Choose any reason you wish. Mistaken Identify, an act of self-defense or whatever). 1) They take pics of it and video with the cell phone. 2) They post the selfies on Facebook and various social media. 3) They call the cops and others 4) The cops show up. At this point (a) everyone on social media is sharing the pics and vids (b) those who show up are regular cops and game warden types who just minutes before were worrying about someone having an updated fishing license or littering. At no time do these 'cops' know they are somehow supposed to know they are supposed to help the government keep Bigfoot quiet. 5) While these local cops sort things out, the videos and pics on social media continue like wildfire. 6) These guys fill out a report and call DNR type people as well as a coroner. Who knows, maybe even the state university to see if there is some primates expect who can come down. My Question: What actions could the "Government" take to put the horse back in the barn in this example? I am suggesting any effort- even if such a government wanted to silence the story- is too late. There really isn't anything in my story problem that is unrealistic. In fact, I think I am even making any steps the government would need to do to silence the story to be much easier than it actually would be. Please tell me how the Government keeps things quiet in this scenario.

As a hunter, and a bow hunter as well? I would back off and give it some space for a few hours and then I would track it. The dart will be a bright color and it might be possible to place a AirTag or other tracking device to help locate it. In a forest environment the dart is either going to fall out. Or the creature may pull it out, or the brush and limbs may pull it out as it walks. I was a hounds-man 20 years ago. We used to track our dogs with Marshall collars and a Yaggi antenna. I bet that technology is better and smaller now. I have not kept abreast in that field and would have to research further. I think they use satellites now instead of radio telemetry. Anyhow I still say shoot the first one with a gun and be done with it. But being a member of these forums I understand that most researchers are just not willing to do that. So option B is we still need a chunk of the animal, real physical evidence. So how do we do that with minimal harm to the target species? Anyhow I am talking out loud right now. But I may buy a crossbow and start playing and testing with the idea. It doesn’t have to be the latest greatest crossbow. Just an old style recurve would be plenty powerful enough to get a one inch sample core from the creature. It reminds me of a bow hunting trip we were on in northern Washington. We never saw an Elk but we were killing Grouse for dinner with our judo points. We had this bull moose come through and we of course didn’t have a tag. It’s a once in a lifetime draw. So my buddy loads a judo point and we called it in and he smacked it right in the heart lung area. It ran off and we collected his arrow. Just an aluminum arrow with a big rubber tip. Didn’t hurt the Moose at all. But probably wouldn’t have impressed a game warden. But we basically called in and shot a bull moose. It was a sense of accomplishment. Any bow hunting is….very challenging. Anyhow it gave me the idea and so I started researching the idea and found they do use this in biology.

I gather a set-up akin to a bowfishing rig on a crossbow with low power draw and tipped bolt that has a stop, like the business end of a ski pole or somesuch. I'm sure it's doable, it's getting it into the hands of a prepared individual, in the right place, at the right time--the usual wrench in the works...

Perhaps not, but it's still fun, especially since you so deserve it.

It wasn’t mean to degrade you in anyway. Your opinion is a popular one, trust me. What would it change? Much. Well for starters it would shut up all the nay sayers that make fun of the topic. It would also be a stark warning for anyone that ventures outdoors. 411 books? Don’t hike alone. Don’t wear bright colors. Etc. I also think it would be profound for humanity to suddenly realize we are not the only species in our genus. If it plays out that way. That a bipedal relative still shares the planet with us? Science would study this for the next 100 years. Official scientific recognition would also bring about profound changes in resource extraction on public lands. There would be environmental impact studies that would come about because of this discovery. A 800 lbs primate in North America would make the spotted owl pale by comparison. And the bottom line is that it would expand human knowledge. If science can miss this? What else are we missing? What’s in our oceans? Our cave systems? Under the poles? Our jungles? Maybe this discovery would light a fire in humanity’s belly to get out and explore Mother Nature. We have become a species of electronic alternative reality. And it’s not a good thing IMHO.

Thanks for your encouraging remarks, Kiwakwe. You are a true visionary. If and when my paper is published I will post the link the RHI here.

You posted: That is opinion, not fact. I stated my experience. You can accept it or not, but you cannot claim your opinion as fact. But I consider it arrogant that you would publlcly post that I'm seeing things that are not actually there and is all in my head. That does not say that they disregard potential existence like what you claimed. There's nothing in the statement that demonstrates that they're discouraging the possibility that it exists like what you claimed. But that statement, too, is factual: It is not opinion. The U.S. Forest Service: 1) Does not confirm Bigfoot's existence 2) They maintain open spaces and wildlife habitat therein 3) And those lands could potentially include habitat for such a creature should it exist Isn't that true?

I love this forum... I wander in once or twice a month and check stuff... With the help of this Forum chat in 2012 I met my wife... ( The problem is not the forum but the lag of news... Even when you go to presentations on bigfoot events you will not hear anything really ground breaking... Since years they all telling the same stories over and over again...just my opinion )

I agree that it's your opinion, but what i said isn't my opinion. It's facts. Their statement said what I stated, not what you claimed it said.

Hello- My name is Bobby, currently living outside of Dallas, TX. Born and raised here in TX and i have also travelled to a majority of the lower 48 states, whether it be for work or pleasure. my entire adult life i havent had much interest in cryptids or Sasquatch/bigfoot until a few months ago.. I had a sighting in 2009 when I was driving back to school in Huntsville, TX. It was a sunday night around 10pm, i was driving south down I-45 just passed Madisonville. Both sides of the Highway are covered in thick pine trees once you get to the edge of the Sam Houston National park. I was cruising around 65mph on the right lane when i seen a very large bi-pedal creature, walk across the 2 lane highway in 2 steps. I estimate he was around 7-8 feet tall and covered in black hair except his face. He was holding what looked like a racoon in his left hand as he was walking from west to east, I was travelling south. the entire sighting lasted about 5 seconds. I was 21 years old when this happened, I am 39 now. I havent shared this moment or incident with a single person, not even my wife.. this was something i just tucked away in my mind. I didnt sleep at all that night and just kept telling myself i was seeing a deer.

What is their position of the US Forrest Service...? The short answer is this: They support things that are proven like wolves and bears. Things that are unproven are just unproven. They can't be expected to have an official position on the subject or any subject that remains unproven. For instance, I doubt they have an official position on ESP or ghosts. I say 'unproven' because that is the general consensus of science. It seems- due to the discovery of Lucy and others- science has moved from 'Bigfoot can't exist' to 'Bigfoot might exist but so far is unproven'. If I went hunting and shot Bigfoot those government forces (US Forrest and so on) would go where the facts take them. 'They' would say Bigfoot exists as soon as they saw the body. They might be a local sheriff, some DNR guy, some US Forrest guy in a fire spotting tower, and 100 reporters who happen upon the story. Someone in government making an April fool's joke about bigfoot doesn't change any position. I really don't think NORAD is trying to support or harm Christmas based on the Santa Tracker on Christmas eve. There are some on the BFF and elsewhere who see the Government as some evil all powerful conspiracy about Bigfoot and about anything else they can image. If you ask those type of people, they will attribute things to the government that take you down quite a bunny trail. This even assumes something and big as the government made up of many layers and employees are all going to move in unison under one group think direction. Not likely. Don't believe me? See how fast they are to down vote me for posting this post. Even during the moon landing times, we had different factions who argued about the very mode we would take to even get to the moon. That is a simple unified goal fully funded and yet the various opinions and growing pains were evident. Those who say the government knows all about Bigfoot being out there and, here is the key, they are keeping it hidden are ones who NEED to have this be the case. They require a certain view of Government who probably that has even more deeper intentions even beyond Bigfoot. Sorry, I can't see it that way at least as it relates to Bigfoot. The answer is Government, or the US Forrest Service probably have people who work in it that believe in Bigfoot and some that don't. Beyond that, they are concerned about Budgets, hunting season, litterbugs and Yogi bear stealing picnic baskets.

In my profession as a barber, I have talked to many FS workers. They see my collection of Bigfoot stuff at my work station and after a few visits, they tend to broach the subject with me. Most of them work in different departments and don't know each other, but they all agree on one thing: Bigfoot exists. They know the creatures are out there, they know where they are likely to be depending on times of the year, they play it off as a "legend" to curtail economic and regulatory fallout, and some have seen them and would be happy to NOT see them again. As I understand it, witnessing one is nearly a FS rite of passage in the Estacada, Oregon area. I was told that pre-dawn hours and dusk offered a good chance on Cascade Lakes Hwy. And I was told that there was a general "ignore them" rule. You don't bother them, they won't bother you, nobody has to explain or report anything.

AI cant be held accountable for its words or actions, and it lacks real world experience. I did, however, think it was interesting that it basically said BiGFo0Tery is still around because its somewhat profitable.

Ive watched your videos with you and your wife doing research together. Quite frankly with a Discovery camera crew? You guys are every bit as good as any other TV show out there. And maybe thats the secret to the BFF? It needs a media front to funnel people back to the forum. And same goes for the WV crew and Lane County crew. Also a shout out to everyone that posts in the Field Trip section. Looking at pictures and video of beautiful mountains and forests and possibly evidence is always a highlight for me personally.

This caught my attention, since my topic post w/ graph showed an observable downward trend. Looking back on my data, code, and graph, I discovered I had mistook the date field as the submission date, when in fact what the Kaggle author called 'timestamp' is actually the reported sighting date. I should have caught this. The submission date is not available in the dataset I had used. The trends that AI pulled from Reddit are based on what the Redditor called an updated dataset relative to the one I used. This updated version has a submission date and a messy sighting year field (e.g., 2022, 2014-ish, 2001-2002, 1987 and 1994, 2011, etc.). The updated version also cuts off at 2021. There are other differences between the datasets, but here's what I found in terms of AI's response: Yes, there was a spike in 2012, though these were largely Class B sightings. My guess is that this comes from heightened awareness from Finding Bigfoot, which premiered in 2011. The downward trend resumed its course after the spike in 2012. Yes, there was an upward trend but it reversed around 2005. Here's my updated graph with correct labeling (LEFT) and a graph I created from the 'updated' data linked by the Redditor (RIGHT). Note that i had fewer records to graph (on the left), as I removed any records missing a date/year value (due to the witness unable to recall the encounter date). The graph on the right, since it's using the actual submission date (rather than the encounter date), had far fewer missing values (roughly 1000 more records to graph). BFRO launched in mid-late 1990s, and this is reflected in the near-zero submissions prior to then (righthand graph).

I have been watching forums die a slow death for years. I.e. The old jet boating forum Mean chicken is gone. Along with it all of its extensive knowledge. The younger crowd doesn’t do forums for some reason. They stick with social media. And then cry about censorship, etc. I just don’t get it. I find forums like these much easier to navigate and interact with.

After days of heavy rain, we finally got a nice sunny weekend, so my son Steve and I headed out for the high country. I wanted to go to a waterfall that I'd never seen before, about 4 hours from home. We set off at 11am after fueling up the Hummer and drove about 2 hours up the Fraser Canyon to Boston Bar, where we turned off Hwy 1 onto the Nahatlatch River FSR, and continued for another40 km to Grizzly Falls. The road had been severely washed out in our 2021 "atmospheric river" floods and landslides, but has since been made passable, though still a bit sketchy in places. Along the way we passed through a very large stretch of the valley that was burned out 2 years ago, but eventually got past that into the forest again, with nice views of the Nahatlatch River and lake, finally reaching the falls we were seeking. The sight and the sound made the bouncing on the potholed road worth while, and we had lunch in the cool windblown spray from the cascade. We saw no large animals along the 80 km run up and down the logging road, but did see some grouse and a beautiful red tailed hawk in flight right beside us for about 30 seconds.

Dear BFF Members, I want to take a moment to share some personal news with all of you. As many of you know, managing the forum and ensuring its continued growth and vibrancy has been a true labor of love for me. However, as my schedule and commitments have changed, I find that I no longer have the time and energy that this community truly deserves. It is with both a sense of pride and gratitude that I announce I am stepping aside as director of the Bigfoot Forums. But fear not, as I’m excited to introduce the new director who will be taking the reins – Norseman! Norseman has been an active and thoughtful member of this community for a long time. He brings a wealth of knowledge, a deep passion for Bigfoot, and a strong commitment to maintaining the welcoming and respectful atmosphere that has made this forum a special place for all of us. I am confident that under his leadership, the Bigfoot Forums will continue to thrive and grow, providing a platform for all of us to share our stories, theories, and experiences. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for making this community what it is today. It has been an honor to serve as your director, and I look forward to continuing to be a part of this journey, just in a different capacity. Please join me in welcoming Norseman to his new role. I know you’ll all offer him the same support and camaraderie that you’ve always shown me. Warm regards, Gigantor Outgoing Director, Bigfoot Forums

Thank you for everything you have done Gigantor! 👏🏻 I have a lot to learn, but this place holds a special place in my heart and I will do my best to keep its legacy going! Incorrigible has taken over the SC chair position from me. Thank you! 👏🏻 Cheers to the BFF!🥂