Not Enough Wilderness In Midwest To Support Bigfoot?

[Guest DWA]

 

I'm more doubtful of those claiming occasional, infrequent, yet multiple sightings. That they're sooooo put out when a modicum of proof is asked tells me much. Doubts can't help but come into the picture.

 

Not adding any more skeptical commentary to the bird sighting - I wasn't there - I don't necessarily discount reports when the sighter has had more than one encounter.  If the animal is real, it stands to reason that somebody - I'd expect very few and reports support that - have gotten lucky more than once, particularly if work or recreation puts them in position far more often than most of us.

 

These reports apppear of two kinds:  a road crossing witnessed twice in a short period in about the same place at the same time of day  (understandable; animals are creatures of habit just like us) and multiple encounters in the area surrounding a home on the margin of a lot of habitat (not unreasonable either).

 

As to two experiences widely separated in time and space:  the end of my first paragraph explains those.

 

I have a real hard time finding ways to discount reports of an animal we don't know enough about to do it.

[salubrious]

This would be quite true if they never eat. What exactly would a bigfoot eat in an open meadow or a cornfield? The question is not where a bigfoot could park its butt; it's where a bigfoot would have habitat. This means water (which is not available on the Great Plains), food, and some way to survive in cold weather. For example, Idaho is certainly remote enough to have bigfoot wandering around but it's also cold in the winter. How would bigfoot survive?

 

Do bigfoot hibernate like black bear? Do bigfoot put on a lot of insulating fat? Do bigfoot gather up some kind of food that can last during the winter? Or do bigfoot migrate?

BF has been seen in Canada in March at high elevation. They don't hibernate. The idea that there is no water on the Great Plains is laughable. There is a *lot* of water.

 

I'm afraid I'm not understanding your question. A dog with a good nose which tends to be either a true bloodhound (not the ruined AKC variety) or the same breeds used for raccoons (english, blue tick, red bone, walker, black and tan, and maybe even mountain cur) are easily capable of tracking bear and mountain lion. Why has one never, ever, ever, ever been able to track a bigfoot? You either have to conclude that bigfoot are using foot deodorant or that the tracks are not made by a bigfoot.

BF has been tracked. One trackway in northern Minnesota was over 3 miles long.

 

 

Aren't there enormous assumptions being made throughout this thread, in which folks imagine bigfoot could live on the treeless prairie of Nebraska?

The assumption is that BF exists. That's the big assumption. If it does, and it is as adaptable as it appears (some of us have seen them) then living in Nebraska and staying out of sight is no worries.

 

There is what the native americans called the thunder bird. I am sure you have heard about this.There have been other sightings of huge black colored birds. Did you see it close enough to see the shape of the beak ?  Now this is something I would much rather have seen.

The Thunderbird is also known as the Wakiyan Oyate (Thunder Being Nation) in Lakota. As I understand it they are not seen just flying around as they are supposed to be a spiritual being.

 

It flew away at more than a quarter mile distance. It was the size of a Piper Cub. Logically, I know it can't exist, and I do not expect anyone to take my sighting for more than it is, an unverified account. I have no photo, I have no record. It was witnessed with two other youngsters. We were ten or eleven.

 

I wish those that take umbrage that others may doubt their account, or try to supply logical explanations, as DWA did, would not take things personally. I am merely a dude on a computer, relating sighting a creature that cannot exist. Had I not seen it, I'd be like DWA, supplying hypothesis for the impossible sighting. That I take your own sighting, sheri, with a grain of salt, I hope you do not resent me for that. I wasn't there, I didn't see what you saw.

 

I'm more doubtful of those claiming occasional, infrequent, yet multiple sightings. That they're sooooo put out when a modicum of proof is asked tells me much. Doubts can't help but come into the picture.

There were supposed to be reports of such a bird when settlers first arrived in the New World. I read about it decades ago. They were called Roc, after the mythical creature. Apparently a very large Raven in appearance, with a range/territory of 600 square miles. It was thought that there were about 200 of them nation-wide when Columbus landed. I wish I could remember where I read all that. It wasn't in a book of fairy tales. 

[Guest Coonbo]

I agree with Dr. Meldrum. A lifelong NE resident, there are no large, bipedal, hairy residents in Nebraska. Passing through? Going where, from where? The western 2/3 of the state is population sparse, but there is no suitable habitat where the creature could remain, to live out its days and nights.

 

During the westward migration of the mid-19th century, Nebraska was a treeless prairie. Vast areas remain so, the trees in the state largely human-planted. There are huge acreages of irrigated corn, but after October or November, those are picked clean. Even in Nebraska, a large ape-like creature would stand out like the proverbial sore thumb.

 

The only areas with suitable tree cover are along rivers and streams. Nebraska does have more miles of river than any other state, but the tree-covered river stands do not extend far from the river banks. The most dense vegetation and tree-cover occurs along the Missouri river banks, but the area is also among the most densely populated part of the state.

 

Would love to add sasquatch/bigfoot to the state's residents, but it just ain't so

 

As usual, I'm late getting on this thread, and this may have already been pointed out (and I apologize if it has), but If you check BFRO's sighting database there are 14 reports from Nebraska.  From my experience in the field in at least 32 states, with vastly diverse types of habitat, ranging from desert to virtual rainforest, mountains to coastal plains, I firmly believe that there are at least some BF residing permanently in Nebraska, and quite a few in the Midwest.  I've never researched in NE, but have driven through it quite a few times, and not just on the Interstates.  I will say that most of them are probably living in Chadron St. Pk/Nebraska National Forest area or riparian habitat in other parts of the state, even though that habitat may not extend far from the river or stream.

 

I've researched in several areas in southern Iowa, and all the sign and calls/knocks I've personally encountered have been in riparian habitat or nearby.  But I want to stress that there has been a LOT of it. 

 

There have been at least a couple of BFRO outings in the Sacramento Mountains in and around the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in New Mexico in the past decade, but I was researching extensively in that area in the late 1980's, as well as in the Tularosa Basin west of there.  We found and encountered BF in the very small amount of riparian habitat in that area, but also in desert areas where you had to look hard to find any water source, in spite of finding very little of what conventional wisdom would deem "suitable" habitat for a mammal the size of BF. 

 

In the early 1980's, I also researched in the Mogollon Rim area of Arizona, in habitat somewhat similar to New Mexico, and found BF there as well.  Also, in the early '80's I researched in the area south of Williams, AZ and southwest of Flagstaff.  I had no personal encounters, but talked to several eyewitnesses and found a small amount of possible sign, and this was supposedly better habitat than the Mogollon Rim areas.

 

In addition, there is a known BF population in the Edwards Air Force Base area of California, and that area is so dry, bleak and lacking in habitat that it would appear that nothing could survive there. 

 

I don't doubt that it would be very rare and unusual to find any population of BF living permanently an area of open prairie or grasslands like western NE or eastern ND or eastern CO/WY/MT.  I am more surprised when I find areas without BF than areas with BF.   I can't understand why there aren't any BF here in the Kirksville, MO/Chariton River Valley of northern MO.  There is LOTS of good habitat here.  But, 40 miles up the Chariton from here, there are boogers, but the habitat, to me, doesn't appear as good as here.

 

And I agree with what Branco posted, also.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Coonbo

[hiflier]

Hello Coonbo,

Thanks for giving an account of your travels and experience. The Forum does benefit greatly when someone from the field brings in new information as you have done.

[Incorrigible1]

I will say that most of them are probably living in Chadron St. Pk/Nebraska National Forest area or riparian habitat in other parts of the state, even though that habitat may not extend far from the river or stream.

 

Dunno if you realize 65% of the Nebraska National Forest is hand planted.

 

Bigfoot in Nebraska is so much wishful thinking. I, too, wish it were so.

[hiflier]

Hello Incorrigible1,

There is little to see WRT reports in the JWG database. Only five to be exact. And they are all just as anecdotal as any other state. Might there be anything specific in the way of questions you might have? Other than "do they exist" that is LOL. The reports do contain some info that, while not proving their presence in Nebraska, would let you and others know that folks have CLAIMED to see them there. Granted the reports themselves are not chocked full of details but the first of the five chronologically begins in 1959.

There are dates and sources and I can look them up for a couple of the newspaper accounts if you wish

Edited October 29, 2013 by hiflier

[Incorrigible1]

Claimed sightings do nor a real creature make.

 

My family is far-flung within the state. I've been here all my life. I keep my ear to the wind. I was aware of mountain lion sightings and existence long before any minor official, begrudging state recognition. I worked a retail gun counter for most of my adult life, I dealt with those serious hunters and was a serious hunter, personally. Still am. I've managed a gun/archery department of a major Nebraska sporting goods store. A friend witnessed a wolverine in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and I believe him.

 

Hell, I'd dearly love there were undiscovered, upright, hairy primates (or whatever) in the great state of Nebraska. That something is infinitesimally remotely possible doesn't mean it's necessarily so. Sorry to those with hopes or imagination that assure me there are bigfoot in my state. You know, my state borders Missouri, so as a shout out to Missourians, let me exclaim "Show me."

Edited October 29, 2013 by Incorrigible1

[Guest LarryP]

Dunno if you realize 65% of the Nebraska National Forest is hand planted.

 

Bigfoot in Nebraska is so much wishful thinking. I, too, wish it were so.

 

Nothing more to say about Wakiyan Oyate?

[Guest DWA]

I'm in no rush.  Wolverines in the Black Hills?  I'm doubting that.

 

Bigfoot in Nebraska?  Well, the reports say there are, or were, and I don't know enough about those people to call them liars.

 

I do know this, though:  If you saw a sasquatch, you didn't.

 

Most effective camouflage in nature.

[Incorrigible1]

Hey, the SD wolverine is a report. You can't doubt it.......

[hiflier]

Hello Incorrigible1,

I'm not out to convince you, especially with your background and experience. Just wanted to know if you would want some stats is all. Check out the Omaha World-Herald archives for your self if you wish for Dec. 24, 1959. And also for June 20, 1986. No harm there.

[Guest DWA]

Hey, the SD wolverine is a report. You can't doubt it.......

...and so it is with any.

 

Doubt it, no.

 

Consider it proof:  no.

 

Set aside judgment pending further information:

 

What any good skeptic does.

[Trogluddite]

Well, 

 

Finding Bigfoot is answering the question for us - they're tracking bigfoot through Kansas!

[Sunflower]

Lots and lots of deer in Kansas, just ask the body shops around the state.  Deer will actually get close to town and one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen was in the morning on Thanksgiving a couple years ago on a Kansas highway just outside of El Dorado. 

 

Hairy guys are very smart and would never give up their hiding spot in such sparse woods as found in Kansas. 

[Guest]

Using 4x4 mode (quadrapedal) more in tall agro crop areas (corn,sorghum,sunflowers)  when between wooded stream and river corridors works.