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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.

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.

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.

Probably the appraised auction value like with antiques because of all the fossils we have here we call members, speaking for myself in the antiquarian sense too

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.

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

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

Computer guy here. High scale, petabytes scale, and higher. Tens of thousands of servers and hundreds of thousands of "containers" scale. And of course loads of old and recent machine learning and AI experience. It's a tool. It's fed poorly, limited information from limited sources, sources that are biased towards certain answers and limited in many ways. I am curious as to what it would regurgitate if it were trained in all US government archives, like one had access to a trove of secret documents. For example, I use an SDK or software agent to deliver log files and metrics to time series databases, that SDK and agent have libraries written for it. When asked how to plumb up certain technologies with the SDK, some AIs will make up answers out of whole cloth, faking a reply. For me it's not a huge deal because the libraries are protected by many layers but for other tools a bad actor could write that fake library and use it for compromising systems. Unreliable. But teach it to only reply with proven libraries with digital signatures signed by some author and your answers improve. I suspect that if we ever let it in to truly hidden archives, the secrets it would out would far sooner start WW3 than expose a cover-up of cryptids, but that's the only way something like this would be revealed by AI. We would have to plumb the archives of a dozen agencies to get access to the mundane reports from the field and even then have to piece it together ourselves. Archives that won't be made public anytime soon. The current language models are trained on mundane stuff, unfortunately. But, someday, you'll stumble into some university archives only accessible via secret username and password, and pass that login information and URL to an LLM and feed and prompt it, here's a URL and the login ID is Joe, password is password123, digest all you can find and summarize the reports mentioning Bigfoot, Sasquatch and any other similar species... And only then will it start to get fun. The question is who lets one in first and who writes the first prompt to expose it.

Odds Bigfoot exists? For those gamblers out there, I thought this might be interesting. I am not a gambler, so I don't know what -225 or +150 really mean. When people tell us what they think, they may speak of pure passion but not on fact. Example might be "The Jets are winning the Superbowl" But when we bet it more telling what we really think will happen. When money is on the line it clarifies and makes our opinion more honest. Thus, the guy who says the Jets will win the Superbowl are more likely to say, "The Chiefs or Eagles will win it" if betting is on the line. For what is worth I stumbled across this....... Does Bigfoot really exist, or is it all an urban legend? Is there any chance of the mystical creature ever being found? We are examining the latest betting odds that Bigfoot exists and making some wacky predictions on whether Sasquatch will be discovered. Online bookmakers have released intriguing Bigfoot prop bets on the prospect of finding the elusive creature, so let’s dive in below to see different perspectives! Odds That Bigfoot Exists: What the Bookies Think The following Bigfoot betting odds are courtesy of BetUS: PROP BET ODDS Bigfoot to Be Found in the US -225 Bigfoot to Be Found in Canada +150 Bigfoot to Be Found in 2025 +30000 The best entertainment betting sites have released a number of betting markets on the discovery of Bigfoot. Currently, BetUS has three prop bets available, which give bettors an opportunity to cash in on Sasquatch’s whereabouts! According to the latest odds of finding Bigfoot, the species is most likely to be found in the United States. With a price of -225, there is a 69.2% implied probability of Bigfoot being found on US land. Despite Canada having a large landmass, the odds of Bigfoot existing in Canada isn’t as high at +150. In other words, BetUS has tabbed Canada as having a 40% implied chance of finding Bigfoot. In addition to having a larger landmass, Canada has 9% of the world’s forests (362 million hectares), while the US has 8% (304 million hectares) coverage. If Bigfoot exists, the creatures are more likely to be hanging out in the forest, far away from human civilization. Although the North American Bigfoot Center is in Boring, OR, the best value is on Bigfoot being found in Canada’s Pacific Northwest! It’s highly unlikely the creature would be setting up its home near any national center dedicated to itself. With this in mind, if you are interested in betting on this unique Bigfoot prop bet, I recommend Canada at +150. As an aside, at +30000 odds, there is just a 0.3% implied probability of Bigfoot being discovered in 2025. While a lot of crazy events have been happening around the world, I’m not optimistic about humans finding Bigfoot in 2025. You can find the most up-to-date odds of Bigfoot being real at BetUS by navigating to Sportsbook > Novelty > Mysteries > Big Foot.

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?

Kitakaze says “Yes but Roger Patterson was a known charlatan and didn’t return his rented Kodak camera on time”. Me: What in the heck does that have to do with the PGF?

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

The Mat-Su Miners beat the Anchorage Bucs last night 11-9 in Anchorage. It was a great game! It doesn't. The light came on for me a few years ago, and I can't go back. IF sasquatches exist, elements of government knows it. Regarding the UFO analogies: I have significant problems accepting alien life visiting Earth. I do not discount it completely, but almost. But one of the most interesting UFO stories to me is the Bob Lazar story. I don't know what to think of him.................so I don't. I wait. Alien visitors present significant scientific problems to explain. Not so Sasquatches. We know Sasquatch type creatures have existed in the past. The only problem is a lack off fossil evidence over the past dozen or so thousand years, and the fact that nobody is producing a body today. Both problems have very reasonable explanations. Regarding government laissez-faire approach to sasquatchery: I understand, and I agree with them. My Dad said this to me after he brought the Argosy magazine home in 1967 featuring the PG filming event: The best thing for these creatures is for them to be left alone. And ignorance of them (or promoting them as a myth) on the part of the public is the biggest part of that approach.

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

well in the 90s the sport of fly fishing saw a huge swell of interest after the movie 'A River Runs Through It' came out. Many casual observers were not long term committed to it though. I suspect the same thing has happened with FB. It comes and goes. Only the long timers, adventurers, researchers, and theorists hang on for the long haul.

This is especially true today. Video is too easily created deceptively. You simply can't believe what you see on video.

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.

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.

Thanks. The Garmin plan was too expensive and too inflexible for my liking, so I went w/Zoleo. The advantage that I can see is that I can basically suspend service for awhile w/out paying outrageous fees. Knock on wood that I don't need it.

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 )

Appreciate it, man.

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.

Hello all! Would anyone like a ticket to the Metaline Falls Bigfoot Festival? I've decided that it's just too far for me to drive. Message me. K

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.

How so? I am wrong that the Bigfoot community and this forum can sometimes be pretty negative? I am also wrong that the forum seems to be unable for the most part to attract and retain new contributing members? I am wrong that those two statements might be connected? it’s an odd response to my post, but have at it. If you are more comfortable in the archives and don’t want a thriving online community with new productive members, so be it. In that case, start a new thread about how can we chase off even more people so there can be even less annoyances on the forum. I won’t post an opinion in that particular thread. You are a patron, so you have financially invested in this forum. If you want to take it in a certain direction, go ahead. Hell, if you want to take it down to ten people who all contribute to its upkeep and ban everyone else, go ahead. Cow thermal? A level researchers? Monetization? I thought that the thread was a discussion about the decrease in activity on the forum. Not an apparent airing of grievances. My opinion stands. Sometimes people are in the community so long that they become overwhelmingly bitter about the subject. That bitterness is not really welcoming to new people and their involvement. From what my buddy tells me, the Ham Radio community faces something similar, although from what he says it’s actually getting better slowly. if I am misunderstanding what you are saying and am misrepresenting what you say, then I apologize. But, there were no “grains of sophistry” in my comment. How so? I am wrong that the Bigfoot community and this forum can sometimes be pretty negative? I am also wrong that the forum seems to be unable for the most part to attract and retain new contributing members? I am wrong that those two statements might be connected? it’s an odd response to my post, but have at it. If you are more comfortable in the archives and don’t want a thriving online community with new productive members, so be it. In that case, start a new thread about how can we chase off even more people so there can be even less annoyances on the forum. I won’t post an opinion in that particular thread. You are a patron, so you have financially invested in this forum. If you want to take it in a certain direction, go ahead. Hell, if you want to take it down to ten people who all contribute to its upkeep and ban everyone else, go ahead. Cow thermal? A level researchers? Monetization? I thought that the thread was a discussion about the decrease in activity on the forum. Not an apparent airing of grievances. My opinion stands. Sometimes people are in the community so long that they become overwhelmingly bitter about the subject. That bitterness is not really welcoming to new people and their involvement. From what my buddy tells me, the Ham Radio community faces something similar, although from what he says it’s actually getting better slowly. if I am misunderstanding what you are saying and am misrepresenting what you say, then I apologize. But, there were no “grains of sophistry” in my comment. How so? I am wrong that the Bigfoot community and this forum can sometimes be pretty negative? I am also wrong that the forum seems to be unable for the most part to attract and retain new contributing members? I am wrong that those two statements might be connected? it’s an odd response to my post, but have at it. If you are more comfortable in the archives and don’t want a thriving online community with new productive members, so be it. In that case, start a new thread about how can we chase off even more people so there can be even less annoyances on the forum. I won’t post an opinion in that particular thread. You are a patron, so you have financially invested in this forum. If you want to take it in a certain direction, go ahead. Hell, if you want to take it down to ten people who all contribute to its upkeep and ban everyone else, go ahead. Cow thermal? A level researchers? Monetization? I thought that the thread was a discussion about the decrease in activity on the forum. Not an apparent airing of grievances. My opinion stands. Sometimes people are in the community so long that they become overwhelmingly bitter about the subject. That bitterness is not really welcoming to new people and their involvement. From what my buddy tells me, the Ham Radio community faces something similar, although from what he says it’s actually getting better slowly. if I am misunderstanding what you are saying and am misrepresenting what you say, then I apologize. But, there were no “grains of sophistry” in my comment.

When I drew this, I drew it from memory. Then today, I thought why didn't I google it so I could see the area. So I wrote in the drawing that the tree twists went in a line on the north east of the road, when in reality it was along the south east, running up the road to the north and I figured a half mile, however, on the map, it is around a 1/4 mile.

I feel like this person(s) has 10 more sock puppet accounts loaded in his gun.

Any audio, video or photos posted here are stolen by internet keyboard warriors. Posting is a choice. Keep in mind that this forum is an internet message board, not a research site. I think that newbies visit expecting instant answers. There are a lot of smart people on the BFF and there is no expectation to post daily, weekly, monthly or longer. Just keep checking back. There will always be haters. Trolls self destruct on the BFF, some sooner, some later.

I was a pretty prolific member for a while. I still check in semi-regularly, but don’t feel the desire to post much anymore. For me, it’s the overwhelming negativity on a topic that is supposed to be enjoyable. The overall Bigfoot community is growing larger every day, but it’s also becoming more fragmented every day as well. Even this thread, which is about why is the forum dying, is filled with complaints about pretty much everything under the Sasquatch sun. TV shows, YouTube, rehashed topics, etc. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, but there is a constant complaining that permeates the Bigfoot community that often turns into outright hostility when what are relatively minor differences arise. People who believe or have an interest in Bigfoot should have a great deal in common, but instead those minor differences of opinion cause a lot of discord. Don’t like Mountain Monsters or Expedition Bigfoot? Don’t watch it. However, shows like that plant a seed of interest in a new generation, insuring that there is a fresh crop of enthusiasts who will hopefully carry on the search. TV executives don’t really make shows geared towards real life Bigfoot researchers. Maybe just be glad that the subject has enough mainstream acceptance to make its way onto television in any form? Tired of a topic that (for you) has been beaten to death? Scroll past it. Are you a flesh and blood proponent irritated by the Woo? Are you a Woo supporter who hates the Apers? Well, at the end of the day you both have more on common with one another than you would have with a skeptic. Not to mention that we are dealing with almost zero proven facts about the phenomenon, so you both have a good chance at being somewhat correct. A lot of the members here want a more active forum, with more active participants. You can’t have that with multiple filters put into place. Anyway, I would like to see the forum become more active again. But, to do that you need new members who stick around. They need to enjoy the place to do that. Maybe start there?

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.

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!🥂