A Beginners Guide

[Guest Paul V]

My advice would be to dig three books and one DVD.

First, Loren Coleman's 'Bigfoot: America's Great Ape' - this is probably seen as an odd choice, but I think it is a great book for someone who is just getting into the subject.

Second, if you are still interested, John Green's book - Sasquatch, The Apes Among Us

Third - the DVD 'Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science', which I still think is one of the better documentaries on the subject. (Dr. Meldrum's book of the same name is pretty good too)

Fourth - Greg Long's - The Making of Bigfoot - It always makes sense to see things from the arch-skeptical point of view.

And don't just read this forum - there is a wealth of information out there - forums like this aren't always the best place for information. Visit the various websites - someone posted a link to Stan Courtney's Squatchmarks, which is an incredible resource.

Do not forget to read all this with a skeptical hat on - 'believing' in bigfoot is not good. Do visit the JREF forum - whilst they are a little grumpy at times, there are some good arguments there for the non-existence of bigfoot - there is every possibility that bigfoot does not exist and that the sightings are the figment of people's imagination. Sure, there are sightings by multiple witnesses, thats true, but when the statues of the Virgin Mary moved in Ireland in the summer of 1985, there were often hundreds of witnesses - it doesn't mean that they saw what they think they saw.

As Ray Crowe used to say - "Keep your Skepticals on"

[Guest]

LOL, do you have a source to back that up? If what you are saying is true, then we would see and hear about a lot more sightings there

Hi Alex -

Apologies - I was being tricksy with the laws of statistics. What I was getting at is that the chances of seeing a bigfoot in the UK is 0.00%. The chances of seeing a bigfoot in North America is, I think even most ardent believers would agree, almost zero. Call it 0.01%. So my point was, it doesn't matter which woods on which continent you stumble through, you are overwhelmingly NOT going to trip over a relict hominoid.

ludo

[Guest]

So my point was, it doesn't matter which woods on which continent you stumble through, you are overwhelmingly NOT going to trip over a relict hominoid.

Right. It always puzzles me when bigfooters encourage others to get out in the field to learn more about bigfoot. Judging from the dearth of physical evidence bigfoot field researchers have produced for their quarry down through the decades, "the field" is seemingly the last place to go to get any useful information. It is, however, a great place to go to to convince yourself that all manner of experiences (hearing something unfamiliar, smelling something odd, finding a pile of branches) are somehow bigfoot-related.

I would never discourage someone from spending more time outdoors, but before you do, invest some effort in learning about the real animals that actually live in these places. Once you know those pretty well, you'll be less apt to find bigfoot evidence behind every tree.

[Guest sepoy]

Some very good reads have been mentioned. I might add Robert Alley's, "Raincoast Sasquatch," Grover Krantz's, "Bigfoot Sasquatch: Evidence," and Neil Brownes and Stuart Keely , "Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking." I will also stress Saskeptic's last sentence:

I would never discourage someone from spending more time outdoors, but before you do, invest some effort in learning about the real animals that actually live in these places. Once you know those pretty well, you'll be less apt to find bigfoot evidence behind every tree.

You can pick up some very good field guides at most book bookstores. Observing local fauna on a field trip can be very enriching.

[Guest]

You can pick up some very good field guides at most book bookstores. Observing local fauna on a field trip can be very enriching.

Of note, I found a neat little field guide in a giftshop in the Rocky Mountain National Park a few years ago that had great illustrations and text descriptions of common wildlife and plants in the area. It also had a bigfoot illustrated with a similar description of likely habitat and habits!

[Guest Paul V]

Apologies - I was being tricksy with the laws of statistics. What I was getting at is that the chances of seeing a bigfoot in the UK is 0.00%.

Hmm, interesting suggestion. I'd argue that the chances of seeing a 'bigfoot' in the UK are greater than that and definately a positive percentage.

My reasoning being that it depends on what defines a 'bigfoot' sighting - since we don't know whether or not they exist, we have to assume that many 'bigfoot' sightings in North America are figments of peoples imagination. If that is the case, then surely people in somewhere like the UK are just as likley to encounter the same figments of imagination as those a few thousand miles away?

Of course, I only know of half a dozen 'bigfoot' sightings in the UK, and have only been able to speak to four people who claim to have seen them (one other managed to debunk himself by retelling his story on a UFO website when I cast doubt on his story, only this time there were 'greys' involved, not bigfoot), and I'm convinced that none of them are real creatures - neither flesh and blood or paranormal apparitions, just hoaxes or mind tricks.

Which makes me wonder about all these 'bigfoot' reports in the US. Of course, we haven't had bears in Britain since the 10th century.....

[Guest Ambermae]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, you've all been very helpful. Hopefully some people new to the board can read some on these tips and get an idea of where to start also.

Great work so far guys,

Thanks

[PBeaton]

John Bindernagel: http://www.bigfootbiologist.org/

A real treat to hear a seasoned wildlife biologist discuss this incredible undiscovered animal.

BCCryptid,

Just got a email from John not long back, his second book is off to publishers this fall I believe. Tonight on MonsterQuest, it the Vancouver Island squatch program, lookin' forward ta it.

Pat...

[Guest]

The old and revised Stan Courtney's Squatchmarks still sets the standard for most comprehensive one-stop bookmark database. It's got some broken links but what database wouldn't with that many entries?

http://www.stancourt...hmarks-revised/

http://www.stancourtney.com/squatchmarks.html

Also, Bobbie Short's http://www.bigfootencounters.com links to a number of scientific papers considered "must reading" for those that think there is no data behind the research.

Thanks there's good stuff here.

[Guest]

Yep, sage advice proffered by bipedalist. Especially the suggestion to visit the Bobbie Short site.

[bipedalist]

New update Stan Courtney's squatchmarks: http://www.stancourtney.com/squatchmarks.html

Seems the old link earlier in the thread was dead.

Bumping an old thread for those looking that are new to the BFF.

[Guest]

I have different suggestions for you:

"Bigfoot Observer's Field Manual" by Robert W. Morgan. One of the best - and shortest - books on how to find bigfoot - do a search here and you'll see folks here agree it's worth the $20 or so.

Read reports from various sites, such as BFRO, Oregonbigfoot, Bigfoot Encounters, plus a basic google search for a bigfoot research organization - see if there is anything happening in your area. You said you were British, are you in Great Britain? If so, you'll do only reading, because there aren't any there... though you have a good many other interesting things. If you are elsewhere, look around online for local stuff.

Do also a search for "bigfoot hoaxers" so you'll have an idea of who to AVOID when you read and study. Names of Biscardi, Dyer, and Standing come to mind.

Enjoy and welcome. I started learning about this all in August. How I fell down the rabbit hole is here: http://bigfootforums...foot-in-oregon/

Edited February 14, 2013 by madison5716

[Guest DWA]

Here's what I'd read:

Both of John Bindernagel’s books, and Jeff Meldrum’s, and J.Robert Alley’s “Raincoast Sasquatch,†and Meldrum’s ichnotaxonomy paper, and every report on both bfro.net and texasbigfoot.com, at a minimum, are Sasquatch 001. You should read some Grover Krantz, too. And John Green’s database (although many reports from that are written up by Bindernagel).

This is the list - yes, I just cut and paste it - that, thinking about what you've read, really qualifies you to participate knowledgeably in the discussion. (Yes, science is hard. Trust me. I'm not a scientist, that's how I know.) Amazon-ing the names will get you all of it.

I would start with Meldrum's. And be reading from those two report databases as I go. Then I'd go to Bindernagel. "The Discovery of the Sasquatch" (2010) is one of the best books about scientific practice you will read.

Alley's "Raincoast Sasquatch," along with a lot of information about a specific geographic area, also has some excellent thinking about the topic in general. Highly recommended.

[Trogluddite]

Bumped f/the benefit of new members, although I'm not sure the recommendation that new members ocassionally read the JREF would be made today.   

[Xion Comrade]

Podcasts are your best friend, MNBRT, Bigfoot Outlaw Radio, The AARF show with Robert Morgan, Nite Callers, there are several others but that is just off the top of my head.