Could you pull the trigger?

[CelticKevin]

A client asked me the other day if I would shoot a Bigfoot if I had the chance. Honestly, I don't think I would...or even could. "Why not?", he asked me. Well...

1. I think I would feel tremendously guilty at killing something so unique (even if there were hundreds more). I'd probably feel as if I just committed murder. And yes, a body would be proof. But I would have my eyes and experience as all the proof I needed for me. And probably I wasn't killing it for self defense and certainly not for food. And I don't think it would make a satisfying trophy in the den.
2. I can't imagine the backlash you would get from everyone from animal rights groups to law enforcement. You'd have to go into hiding to avoid the protestors and revenge seekers.
3. What if it wasn't the only one around? Can you imagine killing one only to discover its a female and its very pissed off mate is 20 feet behind you or you're deep in their territory and you need to make it out alive? 

4. Imagine trying to haul it out of the kill area anyway. Most aren't prepared to bring out a kill.  By the time you got back with help, it'd be cougar kibble or it's "tribe" would have hauled it off I would think.

5. No amount of fame (or infamy) or money would be worth the stigma and hassle I would think.

 

So...no for me. 

[Huntster]

I used to think I could and would. Not any more.......unless I felt that it was going to harm me.

[MIB]

Killing doesn't bother me if it accomplishes something I want to accomplish.    Dead bigfoot doesn't accomplish anything I value.   So, short of dealing with an immediate threat to my life, I don't imagine that I would, no.

 

MIB

 

[NorthWind]

I am not anti-kill when it comes to BF. And I could pull the trigger if I wanted to - I just don't want to. I know for certain I could pull it if I or Kerry (or almost anyone) were threatened. But I wouldn't do it just to bag a body. It's just not for me.

[Tango]

Only if I had fear of death or bodily harm for me and/or someone else.

 

Otherwise go and live in peace.

[norseman]

I would kill the first one with extreme prejudice. Nothing sporting either. I would shoot to kill, but if I only had a wounding shot to get a blood trail I would do that also. And I would stay on that trail until I either recovered it or it killed me. Or I would luck out and run it over repeatedly with my Peterbilt…

 

If I had to cut it up to get it out? I would have no qualms doing that either. Basically whatever it takes.

 

Why? Well. How many kids are gonna be riding their bikes and playing in National Parks and Forests this summer? People have a right to know. How many Dennis Martin cases have long gone cold? How many parents have waited and waited only to grow old with no answers? And not just kids, dads, mothers, uncles, etc. If there is something out there? People need to know the dangers. Instead of their elected officials laughing at or discounting their fears, concerns or worse, the loss of a loved one.

 

Its not a vendetta against the species. Once proven to science? They should be protected and people should be warned. Like UFO’s this won’t be the end of the world. People will move on with their lives. They may just not look at that dark forest the same way as they once did. But at least they can weigh the risks with as much knowledge as possible.
 

And I don’t care about my own recognition. I don’t care if anyone ever learns my name or not. And I don’t care about the hate mail either. As a hunter I get plenty of that anyhow. None of that matters. It’s just humans being humans. It’s not about knee jerk reactions or the love of something people barely understand. 
 

If DNA or a bone is found that confirms the species first? Hurray! Confirmation for me is priority #1. I really do not care how we get there. We all play to our strengths, but it’s about expediency…. Full stop. 
 

So anyone out there looking for proof? Kudos to you!

[Doug]

When I was younger, I would have shot one no problem. I wanted to see them proven to exist. Today, proving there existence is not something I want to do personally, especially if it is by killing one. For me,  proving their existence doesn't mean as much as it did when I was younger and wanting to prove that my encounters were with bigfoot and that I wasn't crazy.

 

[Doodler]

3 hours ago, norseman said:

Snip

 

Its not a vendetta against the species. Once proven to science? They should be protected and people should be warned. Like UFO’s this won’t be the end of the world. People will move on with their lives. They may just not look at that dark forest the same way as they once did. But at least they can weigh the risks with as much knowledge as possible.
 

Snip

 

 

As for aliens, if they exist yet, we as a species have a very short window to grab as much galactic territory as physics allows In as short a time as physics allows or we'll be bottled up on this one planet, or worse, disassembled in place for resources.

 

This is based on the "greedy aliens" theory, if only a tiny fraction of aliens are "greedy" as in expand to fill the void, then the entire universe will be filled with just the greedy ones in a few billion years as the millions of greedy species race out at half light speed to occupy the universe.

 

So not seeing aliens everywhere is great for us as a species, and the minute we figure out we aren't alone is when the war to reach as many star systems as possible starts. If we lose that war, we become a dead end, and ironically become like Bigfoot. Rare. Thought of as Mythological or worse, not at all. Headed for extinction as aliens gobble up the very stars in the sky.

 

Cheerful math, eh

 

 

[norseman]

13 minutes ago, Doodler said:

 

As for aliens, if they exist yet, we as a species have a very short window to grab as much galactic territory as physics allows In as short a time as physics allows or we'll be bottled up on this one planet, or worse, disassembled in place for resources.

 

This is based on the "greedy aliens" theory, if only a tiny fraction of aliens are "greedy" as in expand to fill the void, then the entire universe will be filled with just the greedy ones in a few billion years as the millions of greedy species race out at half light speed to occupy the universe.

 

So not seeing aliens everywhere is great for us as a species, and the minute we figure out we aren't alone is when the war to reach as many star systems as possible starts. If we lose that war, we become a dead end, and ironically become like Bigfoot. Rare. Thought of as Mythological or worse, not at all. Headed for extinction as aliens gobble up the very stars in the sky.

 

Cheerful math, eh

 

 

Let’s not discuss aliens here. We have a sub forum for that. Repost there and while gladly have a conversation 
 

https://bigfootforums.com/forum/177-unidentified-aerial-phenomena/

 

I only included them in my post because it’s often used as a parallel why the government would seek to hide this species (Bigfoot) from the public. And why we have no disclosure some 60 year onward.

[Madison5716]

i wouldn't do it unless it was blatantly, decisively, bodily threatening me or NorthWind or someone else with immediate violence. And if it was someone besides myself, I'd be as likely to hit them, as the sasquatch, so... ? But would I chop off a body part if I found one dead in the woods? Yep, and take pix as fast as possible and then run like hell. But no, I'm no hunter and I'd probably miss and make it angry. My weapon is for other life-threatening things in the woods and a very literal last resort in a life or death situation.

[Patterson-Gimlin]

Absolutely would shoot to kill.I would hack parts and certainly leave a good trail back to the location. 

 If the creatures exist, then more importantly for conservation than just simply for proof. 

 

As far as legal issues,my niece attorney will handle that .She is invested being a much more open to the creatures being real than yours truly. 

[Wooly Booger]

I would shoot to kill only if I felt that I were in imminent danger. There is no telling how rare these creatures are, and killing one to prove it exists could potentially expedite the process of extinction. There is also the possibility that the species is a type of human which would make killing one other than for defensive purposes, to be murder. There are other, non lethal means, of proving the species existence that should be explored first before we should even consider killing a type specimen. 
 

With that being said, just like any other wild animal or indigenous tribe, I do think these creatures are potentially dangerous. Which is evidenced by Native American legends and possibly more recent accounts of persons missing in North American wilderness areas. I am armed whenever I go into the woods. But I will not open fire unless I am in direct danger. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Wooly Booger

[Marty]

You can't prosecute someone that kills a mythical creature, and I would love to say I'd pull the trigger but nerves might get the best of me. I want to prove the species so we can push the message of conservation to the forefront. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Marty

[hiflier]

2 hours ago, Wooly Booger said:

There are other, non lethal means, of proving the species existence that should be explored first before we should even consider killing a type specimen.

 

I'll buy that. And in the spirit of discussion, there is a very logical argument for pursuing any and all other means available to us. And there ARE means available to us. Shall I lay out a valid point in that regard? The USFS's Forestry Science Laboratory in Corvalis Oregon: https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/research-labs/forestry-sciences-laboratory-corvallis

 

If any people or facility, short of the USF&W facility in Ashland, WA, would know it would be them. The USFS FSL in Corvalis has been in existence since 1962 and has nearly 70 scientists there in all disciplines, including vertebrate animal studies and with a full genetics lab.

 

People

About 69 scientists and support staff are located at the Corvallis Lab. Job titles include biologists, botanists, data services specialists, ecologists, foresters, hydrologists, geneticists, mathematical statisticians, plant physiologists, and wildlife biologists. The building is home to employees of neighboring Suislaw National Forest Supervisor's Office, plus employees from the U.S. Geological Survey's Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (link is external). Just a short walk to numerous Oregon State University (link is external) facilities, especially in the University’s College of Agricultural Sciences (link is external), the lab is literally embedded in Oregon’s forestry and agricultural research environment.

 

Teams

Corvallis lab scientists belong to research teams including Andres Gray’s Vegetation Monitoring Science & Application team, Wildlife Ecology team, Landscape Productivity team, Aquatic Ecology and Management team, Vegetation Monitoring & Remote Sensing team, Climate Landscape Interactions team, Landscape and Ecosystem Management team, Forest Landscape and Ecosystem Processes team, Disturbance and Restoration Ecology team, Insects, Pathogens, and Stressors team, and Fire and Environment Research Applications team.

 

So, one pursuit that would be short of shooting one would be to pop this question to someone in authority there: Does the Sasquatch exist or not? But I also need to mention that there has been one HUGE and burning question in my mind: Why hasn't our esteemed Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum done so in all of these years? And if he has, what was the answer he got? And if he got one, (and why wouldn't he) what hasn't he seen fir to tell us? Or is this just another game in which the community gets jerked around and remains stagnant in their own pursuit? It would be nice if anyone who responds to this does so in a realistic way that addresses this issue. And not just pull excuses out of a hat for why we are dealing with a chronic, and in my logical mind, bogus status quo.

 

14 minutes ago, Marty said:

I want to prove the species so we can push the message of conservation to the forefront. 

 

For the wildernesses that are left, and the flora and fauna that live there, not just the Sasquatch. But fighting for knowledge of the existence the Sasquatch, done the right way, will lead to the truth.

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by hiflier

[Marty]

I figured that was implied, the discovery of Sasquatch would without a doubt be beneficial to all species and environments it would live in. Which makes me wonder why more environmentalist groups aren't on board with Sasquatch 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Marty