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Justin Smeja Incident?


Wooly Booger

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14 hours ago, Arvedis said:

Let's say it is a matter of poaching.  Smeja and his pal spotted and dropped a bear. Then decided what?  They only wanted certain parts of it?  They couldn't fit it into the pickup and did not have a tarp? Maybe figured it was too dicey with a bear carcass hanging out of the tailgate to get spotted by a random authority so they left it there?  These are experienced hunters and at least would have a reason to do what they did. Incompetent?  Possibly but why would Smeja return to civilization and say anything about what he did if he realized he made a mistake and could get fined if caught?  These are folks with lower end finances. Why would they bring trouble onto themselves if all they had to do was say nothing and hope no one saw them up there and remembered their plate #?

 

It was only because Smeja decided to poke around online, he found folks who were interested in his story. Only because he was coaxed into it, he returned to the scene and could not explain why the BF bodies were not there (little one and big one). I believe the area was snowed in at that time but his dog found something buried in ice that could not be dug up. We know today that was a bear carcass which they carved off a steak for testing. At the time, they did not know it was bear.  And I do not believe Meldrum went up there with him. Derek Randles was there and he is no fool. He would know if Smeja was being untruthful and had he been able to get a good look at what was under the ice, he would have been able to recognize a bear carcass, disproving Smeja's entire story. That didn't happen.


Why would a low income poacher target black bears but not remove the whole body and then concoct some cover story for his poaching operation?

 

https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/11/bear-gall-bladder-uses.html

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38 minutes ago, norseman said:

Why would a low income poacher target black bears but not remove the whole body and then concoct some cover story for his poaching operation?

 

A few factors.   Per the interviews, both men were drinking.   There are hints that "The Driver" was already on a suspended license for DUI.   Both were somehow very concerned about passing through a F&G checkpoint on the way home .. as if they knew it was there.   I don't know that it was ever settled whether they had even a bear tag or not, nor whether they were in season or a couple days out of season.   I didn't get the idea they were the brightest bulbs in the pack.    Remember, too, that Justin never took bigfoot seriously, through all of his interviews he referred to shooting "a monster."   I don't know that he ever considered the money angle 'til later.   

 

As a side note, do you remember what Justin said he shot them with?  .25-'06.   In all of the reenactments, the ejected/fired case has a belt.   Technical details, but still .. made me laugh a bit.  

 

I didn't truly understand who Justin was 'til he said he'd only brought 2 cartridges.    Right there he labeled himself.   I know peeps like that.   All the other pieces fell cleanly into place.   The video from inside his house of the conversation with Ketchum sealed it.   I'm relatively confident he did exactly what he said he did .. and he doesn't have a bit of evidence to back it up with.

 

MIB

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I'm not sure Smeja and friend would be in the gallbladder biz. That seems more likely for a different kind of hunter. 

 

If it was just a big monster that was shot and ran away, that's fairly easy to consider as a possibility. The part that stumps everyone is the presence of 2 juveniles. Everyone who studies BF knows they would never reveal themselves the way Smeja described. But, his physical descriptions seemed right on. So what could he have seen and what did he actually do? The 2nd witness seems to have been thinking ahead at least and did not pull a trigger during the entire sequence. 

Edited by Arvedis
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14 minutes ago, MIB said:

 

A few factors.   Per the interviews, both men were drinking.   There are hints that "The Driver" was already on a suspended license for DUI.   Both were somehow very concerned about passing through a F&G checkpoint on the way home .. as if they knew it was there.   I don't know that it was ever settled whether they had even a bear tag or not, nor whether they were in season or a couple days out of season.   I didn't get the idea they were the brightest bulbs in the pack.    Remember, too, that Justin never took bigfoot seriously, through all of his interviews he referred to shooting "a monster."   I don't know that he ever considered the money angle 'til later.   

 

As a side note, do you remember what Justin said he shot them with?  .25-'06.   In all of the reenactments, the ejected/fired case has a belt.   Technical details, but still .. made me laugh a bit.  

 

I didn't truly understand who Justin was 'til he said he'd only brought 2 cartridges.    Right there he labeled himself.   I know peeps like that.   All the other pieces fell cleanly into place.   The video from inside his house of the conversation with Ketchum sealed it.   I'm relatively confident he did exactly what he said he did .. and he doesn't have a bit of evidence to back it up with.

 

MIB


Which if true? Just makes me sick to my stomach..... A waste of life, opportunity, discovery and resources.

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21 minutes ago, norseman said:


Which if true? Just makes me sick to my stomach..... A waste of life, opportunity, discovery and resources.

If the remains can be excavated, the discovery can still be made. 

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3 minutes ago, Wooly Booger said:

If the remains can be excavated, the discovery can still be made. 


Very true. If indeed there is anything to find.

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One thing that gives me pause however is how on earth did Smeja not know that he could cash in if he brought in the remains of a Bigfoot? Unless he was living under a rock his entire life he had to have heard of the Bigfoot phenomenon. 

 

I just find it hard to believe that anyone could be so careless as to not bring the remains of part of it to civilization. That's the only thing about this that doesn't make sense. Even if he had been out poaching, there wouldn't be a penalty for killing an animal that isn't supposed to exist. 

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16 minutes ago, OldMort said:

Smeja was arrested for poaching again in 2017.

 

Perhaps he's just an idiot.

 

Reality TV Bigfoot hunter, Justin Smeja, faces hunting charges in Sierra County | TheUnion.com

That certainly appears to be the case. Whether he was out poaching black bear or actually shot and killed a Bigfoot but neglected to harvest the specimen. 

 

I'm planning to watch his documentary Dead Bigfoot: A True Story tomorrow night. It has been quite a few years since I've seen it. Not sure how much practical research information can be sifted from it however. 

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1 hour ago, MIB said:

 

A few factors.   Per the interviews, both men were drinking.   There are hints that "The Driver" was already on a suspended license for DUI.   Both were somehow very concerned about passing through a F&G checkpoint on the way home .. as if they knew it was there.   I don't know that it was ever settled whether they had even a bear tag or not, nor whether they were in season or a couple days out of season.   I didn't get the idea they were the brightest bulbs in the pack.    Remember, too, that Justin never took bigfoot seriously, through all of his interviews he referred to shooting "a monster."   I don't know that he ever considered the money angle 'til later.   

 

As a side note, do you remember what Justin said he shot them with?  .25-'06.   In all of the reenactments, the ejected/fired case has a belt.   Technical details, but still .. made me laugh a bit.  

 

I didn't truly understand who Justin was 'til he said he'd only brought 2 cartridges.    Right there he labeled himself.   I know peeps like that.   All the other pieces fell cleanly into place.   The video from inside his house of the conversation with Ketchum sealed it.   I'm relatively confident he did exactly what he said he did .. and he doesn't have a bit of evidence to back it up with.

 

MIB

If you wouldn’t mind expanding upon this...


Only carrying two cartridges?  And how does his living conditions confirm that label?  
 

 

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What I saw matches what I grew up around.   I'm going to leave it at that .. you know, discretion.

 

MIB

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And here is the thread when the news broke.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, gigantor said:

And here is the thread when the news broke.

 

 

 

 

If that is the location, it's a long dog leg from Sac area where they were coming from. They must have had a specific reason to go to that area.

 

 

23 minutes ago, gigantor said:

 

 

That thread reminds me of the era when Tom Biscardi was actually talked about, before it was widely accepted he had nothing authentic to say.

 

Edited by Arvedis
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Geez, I've passed thru that area from Susanville to Reno dozens of times. I'll have to keep my eyes open whenever the next time will be!

Edited by Madison5716
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