How many members do we have that have actually seen one?

[SWWASAS]

Well they obviously know I carry but since I have yet to draw the weapon during an encounter, they probably surmise that I am not inclined to use it.    It is likely one behind you, that you do not know is there, that would get you anyway.    Certainly the biggest weapon I carry (357) could kill them but I honestly do not think it would stop a charge and the BF would reach me before it went down unless I got off a very lucky shot.   So I will just go with the odds so far,   hope I never need to draw it,  and hope they give me some credit for restraint.     But facing certain death,   I would think nothing about taking one out with me.      There may be an insane one out there or one bent on revenge for some reason.    They certainly are likely to have mental issues just like humans do and are not immune to rabies.        And since I normally carry a couple of thousand dollars of electronic and camera gear with me,   I am more worried about some human trying to take it way from me than some rogue BF.      

[wiiawiwb]

I don't kill anything and would only use it if I perceived it was a life-or-death situation. Live and let live.

 

I can only imagine the furor an enraged sasquatch could bring to bear.  

[hiflier]

I guess we don't have a definitive answer to this then: "How many members do we have that have actually seen one?"

[MIB]

True.   It pays to remember, however, that individuals vary a lot in what triggers stress, how strong the input has to be to initiate a stress response, and how they handle it.   Some people seem to have been born mid meltdown, others seem to lack nerves entirely.    So far as larger bullets ... maybe, maybe not.  I see a lot of people who can't handle recoil and it gets into their head before the shot is fired.    I would say "balance": use the biggest thing you handle well.  

 

MIB

[Pdub]

I’m in the not sure camp. Early August of 2007 I was camping in a remote part of BWCA (Northern MN). I had been out fishing all morning and my wife, father-in-law and uncle-in-law decided to go out fishing about 2pm. I’d already spent 4 hours fishing from a canoe and preferred early morning or late evening fishing. I didn’t understand their desire to fish during the slowest time of day. I chose to stay and hang in camp and catch up on some reading. It was warm, mostly sunny with a slight breeze. I was sitting in a camp chair in the shade. After an hour or so I noticed that all the usual north woods sounds had gone silent. There’s usually numerous birds, chipmunks, squirrels, insects making the symphony of sounds I find so calming up in the BWCA. After a few more more minutes I got an overpowering feeling of being watched. The hair in my arms and back of my neck started standing up. I’m not normally a panicky type of person so at first I was thinking bear or moose so I started making some noise to scare off whatever was around. The sensation kept getting more intense and I was starting to panic. I had an intense feeling of imminent danger. I ran to my tackle box and grabbed my filet knife and my wilderness knife, took my chair and placed it as far back from the wood line as possible. I ended up sitting at the edge of the lake with a knife in each hand for about an hour until my family came back. More background on this particular campsite, it sits on a thin peninsula and from the point where I was sitting I could see back into the bay next to he west of the site. This lake had been burned in a very large wild fire the previous year and by some miracle  the fire had stopped just even with start of the peninsula. The rest of the lake to the west peninsula was almost entirely burned. While I was sitting at the edge of the lak, watching for the danger I was sure was coming, I noticed what looked like a lone thin blackish pine tree about 150 yards away in an area with all the other trees burned. A few minutes later I looked back and that tree was gone. The normal wilderness sounds returned with my family and they thought I was acting crazy when they found me sitting and holding 2 knives. They dropped the matter and I was able to go back to the normal rhythm of my day. The next morning when we got up to start the day my father-in-law mentioned how it was odd that when nature called at 3am as soon as he stepped out of his tent he heard a very loud tree knock.  No further incidents happened the rest of the trip. Sadly I have to report the fishing was not up to the usual high standards of this previously prestige lake prior to the fire. 

[Twist]

Interesting story Pdub.  Thanks for sharing.  May I ask what your interest in BF was prior to this event?  Did this initiate your interest in the subject?

[Patterson-Gimlin]

Thanks for sharing Pdub. A very interesting story. 

[norseman]

16 hours ago, Pdub said:

I’m in the not sure camp. Early August of 2007 I was camping in a remote part of BWCA (Northern MN). I had been out fishing all morning and my wife, father-in-law and uncle-in-law decided to go out fishing about 2pm. I’d already spent 4 hours fishing from a canoe and preferred early morning or late evening fishing. I didn’t understand their desire to fish during the slowest time of day. I chose to stay and hang in camp and catch up on some reading. It was warm, mostly sunny with a slight breeze. I was sitting in a camp chair in the shade. After an hour or so I noticed that all the usual north woods sounds had gone silent. There’s usually numerous birds, chipmunks, squirrels, insects making the symphony of sounds I find so calming up in the BWCA. After a few more more minutes I got an overpowering feeling of being watched. The hair in my arms and back of my neck started standing up. I’m not normally a panicky type of person so at first I was thinking bear or moose so I started making some noise to scare off whatever was around. The sensation kept getting more intense and I was starting to panic. I had an intense feeling of imminent danger. I ran to my tackle box and grabbed my filet knife and my wilderness knife, took my chair and placed it as far back from the wood line as possible. I ended up sitting at the edge of the lake with a knife in each hand for about an hour until my family came back. More background on this particular campsite, it sits on a thin peninsula and from the point where I was sitting I could see back into the bay next to he west of the site. This lake had been burned in a very large wild fire the previous year and by some miracle  the fire had stopped just even with start of the peninsula. The rest of the lake to the west peninsula was almost entirely burned. While I was sitting at the edge of the lak, watching for the danger I was sure was coming, I noticed what looked like a lone thin blackish pine tree about 150 yards away in an area with all the other trees burned. A few minutes later I looked back and that tree was gone. The normal wilderness sounds returned with my family and they thought I was acting crazy when they found me sitting and holding 2 knives. They dropped the matter and I was able to go back to the normal rhythm of my day. The next morning when we got up to start the day my father-in-law mentioned how it was odd that when nature called at 3am as soon as he stepped out of his tent he heard a very loud tree knock.  No further incidents happened the rest of the trip. Sadly I have to report the fishing was not up to the usual high standards of this previously prestige lake prior to the fire. 

 

Did you go explore the area where the figure was seen? A recent burn should have burned away a lot of pine duff, good for registering tracks.

[SWWASAS]

On 1/7/2018 at 5:06 PM, MIB said:

True.   It pays to remember, however, that individuals vary a lot in what triggers stress, how strong the input has to be to initiate a stress response, and how they handle it.   Some people seem to have been born mid meltdown, others seem to lack nerves entirely.    So far as larger bullets ... maybe, maybe not.  I see a lot of people who can't handle recoil and it gets into their head before the shot is fired.    I would say "balance": use the biggest thing you handle well.  

 

MIB

 

 

My first BF encounter was full of bumbles.    Turned on my digital recorder then pushed the record button again turning it off record.   The BF sounded like a T rex coming through the woods right for me.   I stood right in the middle of a trail and it either saw me or smelled me before i saw it.  I was wearing a bright pink shirt.   I should have ducked behind a tree.  I had plenty of time.   I  finally got the recorder recording but after all the sound had stopped.   Only thing I recorded was me breathing like I had just run 300 yards.  Yes I was excited and more scared than I thought i was at the time.    I would expect any shooting I would have done would have been pretty wild.   But the sound of that BF crashing through the woods pretty much told me that a 357 was not nearly enough gun for a BF so I did not get it out. 

 

I thought I was pretty cool in the woods after that and other encounters until that cougar jumped right in front of me 15 or 20 yards away.        Forgot to turn on the gopro camera,  semi forgot the gun until it started to walk off, then even though it had walked off out of sight afraid it would chase me on my mountain bike.  I kept turning around and looking back as I went the opposite direction.  I should at least have drawn the weapon until the cougar decided what it was going to do.   It stood and stared at me for about 10 to 15 seconds then just turned and walked of like it had no concerns about me.   It did not even look back.

 

So I seem to botch the first of each type of experience.    I do not know how recent things have to be either.   In aviation you practice emergencies once a year so you do not mess up when you get the real thing.    Perhaps those that carry should do drills to practice what they would do with a charging bear or BF?  The recorder thing is best handled by pack mounting the recorder and leave it recording the entire time you are in the field.   No fumbling.    The Gopro did not have the battery life to leave it running. 

[bipedalist]

I prepared for my first sighting.  I know, gotta be fake. 

 

The research leading up to it told me, it "could" happen.  

 

At the time I had spent about 18 months of my life,  9 or months direct field experience many times on a daily basis trying to connect the dots. 

 

I thought I had a bonafide set of evidence and a 50/50 chance of making it happen.

 

Still fear and doubt entered into the equation, and I could not "do" or rather set into action, that which I had planned for 3 or more months the week I would have preferred.. 

 

Still, I proceeded, despite the fear response and the urge to run, I had too much invested into the outcome to tuck tail.   That is just me, in my set of circumstances. 

 

Each researcher has to set their own ultimate goal and their own equation for risk and their own parameters for an unknown response once the opportunity presents itself. 

 

In retrosepct, I could not have done what I did as a much younger man.  At the time,  I pulled the scenario leading to the opportunity of a lifetime I had little to lose, or so I thought.

 

It worked for me. 

 

Still, it did not make engaging in the expeirence any less stressful.  I had a huge problem sticking to my plan, and gluing myself to the viewing platform.  To this very day

I still ask myself why me and why that night

 

It is an individual decision when you are that close; and, few people are aware they have the set-up where "it could happen" on any given night.   Hard work and research does pay-off if you are after the individual experienece and not necessarily the body and the glory. 

Edited January 30, 2018 by bipedalist

[wiiawiwb]

3 hours ago, SWWASAS said:

My first BF encounter was full of bumbles.    Turned on my digital recorder then pushed the record button again turning it off record.   The BF sounded like a T rex coming through the woods right for me.   I stood right in the middle of a trail and it either saw me or smelled me before i saw it.  I was wearing a bright pink shirt.   I should have ducked behind a tree.  I had plenty of time.   I  finally got the recorder recording but after all the sound had stopped.   Only thing I recorded was me breathing like I had just run 300 yards.  Yes I was excited and more scared than I thought i was at the time.    I would expect any shooting I would have done would have been pretty wild.   But the sound of that BF crashing through the woods pretty much told me that a 357 was not nearly enough gun for a BF so I did not get it out. 

 

 

 

I am always reminded of the King King movies where the blonde-captured offering, lashed to poles, listens as something comes thrashing and crashing through the jungle toward her. In one sense, at least in theory, you have time to prepare yourself mentally and ready your weapon if the situation demands it. On the other hand, all that time provides the opportunity for a fertile imagination to start playing games with you. No doubt your scenario was very intimidating and human nature is far more often flight than fight, especially when you're opponent has incalculable mass, strength, and speed on its size.

 

I always carry my 454 Casull when I go out and I'm sure in your situation I'd be lamenting not having a 45-70 with me because loaded for bear just isn't good enough.

[SWWASAS]

WIIAWIWB:   "i  am always reminded of the King King movies where the blonde-captured offering, lashed to poles, listens as something comes thrashing and crashing through the jungle toward her. In one sense, at least in theory, you have time to prepare yourself mentally and ready your weapon if the situation demands it. On the other hand, all that time provides the opportunity for a fertile imagination to start playing games with you. No doubt your scenario was very intimidating and human nature is far more often flight than fight, especially when you're opponent has incalculable mass, strength, and speed on it"

 

You mean like this?  I will not name the forum member that suggested we do this to attract BF.  Quite frankly I think the idea has some merit.    The problem being getting the volunteer.  Getting drugged and tied up is the fun part, if you are into that stuff,   but having heard BF crashing and thrashing through the woods coming towards you,    the rest takes courage.   

Edited January 30, 2018 by SWWASAS

[Pdub]

I had minor interest in Bigfoot prior to this incident but never put a lot of thought into it. I had seen some TV shows and read a book or two on the subject as a kid. I had never had this sort of feeling of panic before so I did a lot of thinking about this after we went home. It actually took me a few weeks to start to put this experience into the maybe it wasn’t just a bear or moose category. I had seen moose in this area but no personal bear sightings/problems. I started to do some internet research and that was when I first read about wood knocking. That morning when my father-in-law mentioned the wood knock, he mentioned it sounded really close. At the time the only explanation we could come up with was probably a beaver (they are abundant in the area).  I guess that’s my long winded way of saying that this experience started me down the rabbit hole. 

 

Unfortunately I did not go check the area for prints as it really didn’t occur to me at the time that it was anything other than a bear or moose. At the time I did think this was a very strange experience with the whole tree that was there one minute and gone the next. It would have been really easy to paddle over and take a look but what can I say, hindsight and all. 

[wiiawiwb]

SWWASAS....let me know when you put a good-looking blonde like Fay Ray out in the woods and I'll gladly put a monkey suit on and come crashing through the woods.  Can any of the naysayers get that alleged monkey suit dry cleaned any ready to go on a moment's notice?

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by wiiawiwb

[SWWASAS]

Well if Patty is considered hot in bigfoot circles,   then maybe we do not have to have such a good looking blonde.     After all,   conjecture is that Patty was lactating,  and it takes some monkeying around to get in that condition.   Ohh I know, some male BF could have had too many fermented berries!

 

   Good point on the suit.    Wish I had one to give the PGF skeptics some new stuff to talk about.   But back to the Fay Ray thing.    wearing a Patty suit might get you carried off.   So it might not be a good idea to wear one.  Just had a thought about that related to the Fay Ray factor..    We have all sorts of conjecture as to where Patty was headed and why she went right past Roger and Bob.    Maybe she was worried about what was following her?