Cliff Barackman 07/18 by sharonlee0827 | Blog Talk Radio

Cliff Barackman 07/18 by sharonlee0827 | Blog Talk Radio

First Stop Salt Fork State Park

It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down, I had the radio on, I was drivin’….It really was! Runnin’ Down a Dream was the song that filled my head Friday night as I headed down to Salt Fork State park for my first installment of Squatching U.S.A. I was doing double duty as I was going to meet John Hickenbottom, the new naturalist at SFSP, and I was going to do some “squatching” with Alan from the Fathom Frontiers, and meet Todd and Cindy as well. I arrived around 7:30 p.m. and checked in with Sue at the Camp office. We chatted briefly and I headed to the primitive camp area known as Bigfoot Ridge. I was fortunate enough to be the only person camping on that lot this beautiful Friday evening. I had to really hustle to get my tent set up and get changed into some comfy hiking clothes if I was going to meet John by 8:30 p.m. I arrived back at the Campground headquarters and met John. I introduced myself and he thanked me for the “kind” article I had written about him on a previous blog entry. The crowd of eager night hikers was growing larger with many young children and their parents. I believe he had between 20-23 people in attendance! The kids were amped up and John began his presentation at the pavilion, giving us some insight to what we were hoping to accomplish on this evening. We headed down the Shadbush Trail and John pointed out different bird species and also identified some bird calls. He educated us on the local flora and fauna and included historical and cultural references. The hike ended almost 2 hours later and I needed to get back to my tent and get a jacket as the temperature had dropped quite considerably! I finally connected with Todd, Cindy, Alan and his nephew Chris. We made our introductions as the men geared up. I have to tell you they have some very impressive equipment! Alan was sporting his brand new Viopro camera and Chris was carrying a parabolic dish that was the size of a small satellite! Of course there were FLIRS and night vision goggles; I carried my water and my audio recorder.I had major Toy envy. :( We headed out with Todd in the lead, to a very overgrown trail. The grass was so high that I actually got poked in the eye by it! We tramped and trodded and bushwhacked our way through the jungles of Ohio until Todd called a halt. We just weren’t getting anywhere at this rate. As we stood there, Alan shined his flashlight across the field and I noticed that the grass seemed shorter just a few feet to our right. Cindy agreed and she decided to check it out to see if we were not actually on the trail. As she took two steps, she disappeared! Now this might seem mysterious to you, but it was hilarious to me! Apparently, the reason why the grass appeared shorter was because the ground was lower! Cindy crawled out of the ditch, never once dropping her flashlight and we had a great laugh. She is such a ninja! We headed back to the vehicles and we sat and listened and talked for a few hours. There were many interesting sounds and Todd did spot something large on the FLIR but we decided it was a warm tree trunk. By now it was after 1:30 a.m. and it was pretty darned cold! We said our goodbyes and made plans to meet again and I headed back to the campground to start my fire. I had just gotten the fire started and was settled into my camp chair when this thug of a raccoon boldly walked from the treeline and right through my camp! I told him to scram and he gave me a disdainful look and went about his business. All was quiet except for the usual nighttime forest sounds. About an hour later as I was beginning to drift off to sleep, I heard something large walking through the woods to my right. With each step it took, it would make this “huffing” sound. I remained quite still until I couldn’t hear it anymore. I popped out of my chair and grabbed the recorder which was on, and I made a note to see if the sound was captured. (I have 4 hours of audio to listen to still) a few minutes later I heard some raccoons fighting so I am not sure if the huffing was from a deer, an angry raccoon or a Bigfoot! I ended up crawling into my tent at 4 a.m. but left the recorder running. I hadn’t eaten anything all night so there wasn’t any food smells but that didn’t stop a critter from climbing up on the picnic table and sniffing into my recorder. (I heard that listening to the end of the audio). I awoke at 6:30 a.m. freezing my butt off. I wrapped myself up again and fell asleep until 8:30. I wasn’t sure if Jen was going to show up to go kayaking and I was so bone tired and freezing that I really didn’t care. I decided to pack up and head home. I dropped off some Bigfoot paraphernalia at Alan’s cabin then hit the road. As they say, an uneventful night in the woods sure beats work! Here is the video I made featuring John Hickenbottom and his wonderful night hike presentation! Enjoy!

Squatching U.S.A.

I want to thank all of you who supported me and encouraged me to continue with my project.

The emails of support from all over the world! The pledges from $5 to $500 were so meaningful!
Although we fell just short of the goal, I far surpassed my expectations!

With that being said, I am not giving up! I will continue with the project, on a less grand scale of course. Instead of a continuous road trip, I will visit various locations every weekend.

I am going to begin in Ohio at Salt Fork and include the new state park naturalist John Hickenbottom and his night hike program.

The Fathom Frontiers of Ohio have also expressed an interest in sharing their research and were very supportive of the project.

So with that being said, if you would like to be included please let me know and I will try to work you and your research into the project.

If you would still like to contribute to the project, you can use the donate button at the side of the page here-------------->
or send to my PayPal account:sharonlee@thebigfootfieldreporter.com

(I only added that because several of you have asked)

So, stay tuned for on the road updates from project Squatching U.S.A.!

Bigfoot at Salt Fork

Salt Fork State Park has hired a new naturalist, John Hickenbottom.

A recent graduate from Hocking College, John majored in Natural Historical Interpretation. He felt like he needed to beef up his degree with more science so he took every "ology" course he could! Geology, biology, you name it, he took it!

John was first affiliated with Salt Fork in 2007 when he was hired as the assistant to naturalist and former Miss Southeastern Ohio, Ashleigh Lemon.
Together, they managed the Salt Fork Nature Center, located at the main beach.

He had the advantage of growing up with Salt Fork State Park as his playground, hunting, trapping, hiking and exploring. And now has the good fortune to be able to share his enthusiasm and educate others about the many facets of the wilderness.

Now John is putting together a Three part series on Bigfoot at Salt Fork.

His main goal is to educate people on understanding nature and recognizing the nighttime wildlife by having several nighttime hikes.

Along with the public education, which is going to focus on the historical and cultural events surrounding Bigfoot and the local wildlife, John is going to utilize his training as a wildlife naturalist to conduct actual research to determine what is going on in the forests of Salt Fork.

He is going to set up a controlled study site from a wildlife management perspective.
He is an admitted skeptic and will approach the subject by studying the natural environment and how and why things occur.

I will report more on this in the weeks to come, but for now I encourage you to join us for the series which will begin the first weekend in July.

More details will be provided as they become available! You know where to find me!

In Fayette County, Yet Again!

For the past several years, Fayette County has been a hot bed of Bigfoot activity! I believe there are over 20 reports that have been submitted to the PBS in the past 2 years alone.

On June 2, 2012 Eric Altman and several other members of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society were investigating a "hot area" for suspected Bigfoot activity.

The homeowner had been finding tree breaks, and on more than one occasion, other family members have seen something large, lurking, watching them from the treeline.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. that evening, they captured something on audio that seemed to be responding to the whoops. Listen to the audio HERE. Eric shared the findings the next day on his Facebook page and upon hearing the audio, and because I was dying to get into the woods again, I loaded up the Squatchmobile and drove the 4 hours to my destination.

I had asked the homeowner if it was ok for me to pitch my tent on his property and he gladly agreed!
I arrived around 6:30 p.m., we made introductions and he played his audio for me. Very interesting! I was wondering if I would regret my decision to camp out solo.

He then took me on a hike of the property and showed me where they had found several tree twists w/breaks and some odd formations. It was growing dark so we headed back.

Several teenage boys were present as well as 2 steer, goats, sheep and dogs. The property was absolutely breathtaking. Approximately 100 yards from the house, past a small patch of forest, was a pond stocked with blue gill, bass and several Koi. We decided the best place to pitch my tent would be next to the boathouse. I had help from one of the boys then we sat and waited for others to arrive.
Ron G and his girlfriend Kristen were the first to arrive, followed my Dave and Cindy Dragosin.
As soon as Eric arrived, a plan was devised for our evening ops.

2 way radios were dispersed and we split up into 5 groups in various locations.

The cool mountain air was beginning to settle in on us. There was electricity in the air. The enthusiasm and excitement of the teenage boys made us chuckle. They were having their first researching adventure!
Several whoops were made and the radios would come alive with chatter as the boys nervously claimed they were seeing "big things".

The researchers employed Tarzan whoops as well as Bobo whoops. Eric played several audio clips, the creepiest one being the crying baby, in an effort to stir up some Bigfoot curiosity.

As the hours passed, the night became more and more quiet. Too quiet. The spring peepers that were so obnoxiously vocal in the audio recording were dead silent. Nary a barred owl or night bird called.

A strange, loud wind began to blow the leaves in the trees making it impossible to hear anything. The wind finally subsided and a soft, cold drizzling rain peppered us off and on for about a half hour.

Around 1:00 a.m. we decided to reconvene at the boathouse. Soon researchers packed their gear and left, one by one, leaving me all to myself.

Two of the boys came back and started a fire and we sat out talking until 3 a.m. We said goodnight and I crawled into my tent and passed out almost immediately! It had been a very long day!

Unfortunately, nothing happened for the rest of the evening and I broke camp and made my 4 hour drive back home.

Some of the guys are headed back out tonight and I hope they have better luck than I did!

Visit the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/315713529678/

Next $100 Donation!

Tammy Murray who has been selling her beautiful glass art pendants is offering this pendant

to the next donor of $100 or more to The Bigfoot Field Reporter Kickstarter Project: Squatching USA

Pledges of $50 or more will receive the official Squatching USA t-shirt. Logo designed by Rictor Riolo


You can view Tammy's glass work on her Facebook page

You can view Rictor's art work on his Facebook page

We have only 6 days left to reach the goal! Thank you for your consideration!

If the goal is not met, I will go forward on a smaller scale and you can donate by using the PayPal donate button on this page. :)

Tyler has a Dream

Tyler Bounds has a dream: To go hiking with BACKPACKER's very own Gear Pro/Chick, Kristin Hostetter. But rather than just let his dream rattle around in his head forever, he's gone and built a Facebook fan page. Here's a summation of his mission:

Kristin Hostetter, the Gear Chick at Backpacker Magazine, is my dream hiking partner. She knows how to set up a tent, boil water, and bandage a blister. Plus, she is very easy on the eyes...She would be the Ultimate tentmate and trailbuddy.

I have been a subscriber to Backpacker Magazine for many years, and have always had a "thing" for Ms. Hostetter and her insights. For a gearhead like me, she is the golden gear goddess...

Well, Tyler, the BACKPACKing gods have heard your prayers, and they've decided to answer them. But we're not just giving a prize this great away. We help those who help themselves, so it's his task to raise as many fans of his cause as he can. Here's the breakdown:

1,000 fans: Tyler gets to be an official gear tester
2,000 fans: Tyler gets a free tent and pack
3,000 fans: Tyler gets the trip with Kristin

BACKPACKER readers, you can help him reach his goal with a single click. Go to Tyler's Facebook page and be his fan—you'll help make his dream come true.

(The sackfuls of fan mail we get every month tell us that Tyler's not alone in his ardor for our beloved Gear Chick. But for all the whiners out there saying, "hey—no fair! That's my dream!", Tyler's the first to actually take the initiative and actually do something about it. So there.)

—Ted Alvarez

http://www.backpacker.com/helphikewithkristinhostetter/blogs/1752

Only 10 days left!!!!!! HELP ME!

I have over 700 readers!!!! If you all just donated $5 I would make my goal!!!!!
It is cheaper than a night out at the movies and I provide you with just as much entertainment! (Thanks for that advice Ken!)

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1688594173/squatching-usa?ref=activity

500...An Epic Post On a Glorious Blog By a Spectacular Blogger

So, here I was doing my blog, promoting others, editing, fixing grammatical errors adding pictures when I look up and notice that I am at 499 posts.
Whoa.
Stop the presses! Here I am ready to squeeze off another one like a teenage boy watching Tomb Raider.
What was I thinking? I have been promoting Mike Rugg and his fundraiser. I was discussing bear anatomy compared to humans. I was about to give myself a promotion for my Squatching U.S.A. project..but is it worth #500?

What the heck could I possibly blog about for my 500th post?

I had to stop and reflect upon The Bigfoot Field Reporter.

I began this blog and my mission in 2009 under the direction and support of Craig Woolheater. He took me under his wing and introduced me to many notables in the Bigfoot world. But it didn't begin there.

I began as a sole individual. The BFRO sucked me in with their fantastic database. In 2006 I began reading every report. I was blown away. Here I am thinking Bigfoot was a Pacific Northwest phenomenon...then I find out there was a sighting in the 80's fifteen minutes from my driveway!!!! I began snooping around. Before long I had my own personal experience and wanted to share it with someone. I had been a regular on the KY Research project vigil and had befriended Todd aka Grtpumpkin. He told me I should join the MABRC. I did and I shared my story with them and before long I was joining members on expeditions. I met my number one research partner, Bob Durdella. I went to West Virginia with Rick Skeen. I went to Honobia, OK with DW Lee and Randy Harrington. I went to Billy Creek and Salt Fork with Todd and others. I was traveling across the United States on my own dime. I loved it.
I began a new radio show for the MABRC with Drey Blevins. I interviewed Scott Nelson, Doug Haijeck and Thom Powell. I co-hosted another radio show with Don Keating. I was meeting people and having a blast. Eric Altman has invited me on many of the PBS outings.

I have met so many people and have been so many places that it all becomes a jumbled blur.
Why do I do this?
My mission, my initial goal, was to unite researchers across the United States. To share information. I think I have done that. I have met and hung out with and squatched with and have sung with so many researchers. I feel so blessed.

In 2009, I went on a tour of the west coast for my birthday. We spent 2 days at Bluff Creek with Steven Streufert and Bobo. We were guests of Autumn Williams and her mother Sally on our way to Beachfoot to celebrate Peter Byrne's birthday. I met Cliff Barackman and Steve Inness, Robert Michael Pyle, Bob Gimlin, Tom Yamarone. Too many people to name.

It has been a lot of fun and I want to do more with it.

I would like to have my project funded so I can have an epic summer of story telling! We shall see! Thanks for reading!

COMPARISON OF BLACK BEAR PAWS TO HUMAN HANDS AND FEET

This tutorial written by Margaret “Cookie” Elizabeth Sims of the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon is a training tool used as an identification guide for Wildlife Law Enforcement.

This comparison shows the differences between a Black Bear paw and human hands and feet.

'Partial wildlife remains found out of context cause much concern over the possibility that the unidentified remains may be of human origin. Wildlife forensic scientists are often asked to identify unearthed bones found near human activity areas, such as new home construction, excavation sites, etc.
There have even been cases involving skinned bear paws that had been deliberately placed in public areas to startle those who mistaken them as human hands.
Gilbert (1993) suggests that paw bones discarded at taxidermy “dump” sites could also be confused with human remains. Because bear paws and human hands and feet are similar in overall size and shape, morphological examination of the skeletal elements are
required to enable forensic scientists to identify partial remains in cases where the skin and/or
claws are absent.'

Read entire report and view images here
http://www.lab.fws.gov/idnotes/IDG11_BearHumanFeet.pdf

This is relevant to Bigfoot research to know the anatomy and physiology of a bear paw since it has been used in the past by a certain hoaxer to try and pass it off as a Bigfoot hand.

We learn and grow from so many sources!

Ohio Bigfoot Lecture

Longtime Ohio Bigfoot Investigator Marc DeWerth of Columbia Station, Ohio will be speaking on Bigfoot in Ohio this Saturday, June 2nd from 7 to 10 PM for the Aurora Park District in northeast Ohio. the address for the event is 129 West Pioneer Trail (Walker Building), Aurora, OH 44202. The cost is $3 per person and reservations are suggested and can be made at 330-562-4333

Marc’s talk will focus on the abundance of sightings in northeast Ohio, the best places to go Bigfooting in Ohio, and he will recount his own alleged personal sighting from 1997. The lecture will be followed by a night hike where Marc will demonstrate proper call blasting techniques. Marc is currently the President of the Ohio Bigfoot Organization and was the host of the Ohio Bigfoot Conference 2012 that took place on April 29th in Cambridge, Ohio. He has nearly 20 years of experience investigating Ohio Bigfoot reports and has personally investigated over 150 alleged Bigfoot reports working with the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, the Eastern Ohio Bigfoot Investigation Center, and the Ohio Bigfoot Organization. www.ohiobigfootconference.com

This event will be fun for the entire family!

Squatching U.S.A.

This is it! Dream big or stay home...ok, I changed the saying a bit, but I have had this dream to conduct bigfoot research across the United States and I am ready to make this dream a reality!

I have worked at Cleveland State University 12 years for the benefit of having my 3 love of my life daughters attend for free. I have lived my entire life for them and now that they are grown, I want to live my life for me!

On July 1st I am going to load up my Jeep with camping gear and clothes, my laptop and cell phone and I am going to begin a cross country journey to research Bigfoot, but mostly to document me meeting all of the Bigfoot enthusiasts I have met through Facebook.

I need about $5000.00 to begin the journey.

An outline of my proposed journey is located on my webpage here.

http://bigfootlives.blogspot.com/2012/05/squatching-usa.html

Approximately 6,900 miles total round trip.



BACK THIS PROJECT!

Scientists seek big genes of bigfoot

The Lausanne Museum of Zoology in Switzerland together with prestigious Oxford University said Tuesday, May 22, that they will together use DNA testing to examine organic remains that some claim belong to the beast.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/05/22/scientists-use-dna-tests-in-hunt-for-bigfoot/?intcmp=features#ixzz1vcYG9rIe

The Bigfoot Discovery Museum

Mike Rugg of The Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton, California will be presenting his first fundraiser of the season, Sasquatch & the Supernatural on Sunday June 2, 2012 at 5497 Highway 9, Felton, California.

His guest speakers are Jeffery Gonzalez of Sanger Paranormal Society and author/writer, photographer, paranormal investigator, Aubrey Graves.

There will be a delicious BBQ and a raffle will be held to raise funds for the museum.
If you didn't know, Mike doesn't even charge an admission fee to his museum!
He has been a steadfast archivist of the history of Bigfoot in California and has poured his blood, sweat, tears and soul into his legendary establishment!

If you wish to donate items for the raffle, please contact Mike @ harrybiped@yahoo.com

I encourage you to donate to the museum. Mike does have a PayPal account now! Click HERE to donate!

Black Cow

Last night I received an email from a gentleman who lives in Northeast Ohio. He described to me an eyewitness account which was told to him while he and his wife were out conducting Bigfoot field research.

~"My wife became a fifth grade science teacher and recently published a book called "BLACK COW". Odd name for a book involving bigfoot unless you know why. We were investigating in Columbiana County during our time with AARF and met a farmer. We asked him if we could walk his property to take nature pics and assured him that we had no weapons. He was a great guy and we talked to him for 45 minutes or so. I looked at my wife and she gave me the 'go ahead' look and told the farmer our real reason we wanted to walk the area.

He became very serious and asked if we were the "Law" or from the "State". We emphatically said no and again explained we were investigating sightings from others in the area and that his farms location was kinda in the middle. He took his hat off (I know its cliche') and said with more of a sigh than anything else... "There's others." Our expressions of WTF? must have given us away. He told us this story.

" A few years back I woke up at night because all the animals were going nuts. I looked outside and saw a shadow of a man go behind my barn where the mercury light was. I called the sheriff and told them I had a prowler breaking into my barn and was going out on him. They said to stay inside, but I didn't. I grabbed my gun and went outside. Very quiet. I snuck down to the back of the barn where it was dark and come around the corner and there he was. He was big! Right in front of me. Looking down at me. All covered in hair and big! I backed up and ran to the house. "

I had to ask the obvious. "You had a gun. You ran?"

I think that pissed him off a bit. He continued.

"Hell yes I ran. You would have too! That thing was big. It didn't mean me harm though. He just looked at me. When I got back to the house, I looked out the window and saw him walk away into the corn. Never ran. Just walked away. The sheriff showed up about twenty minutes later and I was still a bit shaken. They asked what was going on and I told them that they wouldn't believe it. I started to tell them what I saw and as I did, that sheriff started walking away to his car like he was not believing me. I kept following him telling him I knew what I saw and That I wasn't crazy. He opened his car door and grabbed the radio and told me to hold on. That's when he said it. Craziest thing ever. He said " All units be advised we have a BLACK COW on the loose again". I started to tell him I know the difference between a cow and what I saw. He assured me he knew that and told me to stay inside tonight."

I interjected that BLACK COW was a code used for Bigfoot. He just nodded.
I have written to all of the county agencies around me and they have all denied any reports or investigations of bigfoot or knowledge of any codes to refer to it. ~

Black Cow

Alec Dewalt thinks he is done spending time in the woods of northern Ohio when his summer job ends. But after a strange car crash, a unique girl enters his life and Alec is thrown into a mystery that makes him question his father's job, his grandfather's death and the woods around him.
Native American folklore and government secrets combine when Alec explores the strange events that unfold right in his own backyard.
Ultimately, Alec must decide the fate of ancient secrets that may change everything...

1 Customer review
5.0 out of 5 stars Black Cow is an enjoyable read., April 30, 2012
By
Kat -
This review is from: Black Cow (Paperback)
I found BLACK COW to be a refreshing and enjoyable reading experience. Various books have been written about UFO's, aliens, and vampires. However BLACK COW addresses a more realistic phenomenon in an interesting manner. I whole heartedly recommend the book to young readers as well as readers who are young at heart.

It Was the Best of Evidence;It Was the Worst of Evidence

Tonight I asked a few questions to Melissa Hovey. We were casually chatting and I asked if I could use our conversation. There will be no arguments or debate surrounding the telling of this event. We aren't going to discuss the authenticity of "The Photo".

Melissa Hovey is a well known Sasquatch researcher. Melissa now resides in the state Ohio after leaving Dallas to be with her fiancee, Wayne Larsen. She is President of the American Bigfoot Society (ABS) an organization comprised of researchers, 'from across the country and around the world, who all share the common goal of documenting what has been described as an Upright Bipedal North American Primate.' She is also a former member of the TBRC so you know this woman has had her field training.

Melissa is a very blunt person who doesn't mince words. And as you can imagine, she has gained both fans and enemies alike. Her background as a Paralegal assists her in getting down to the nitty gritty, sinking her teeth in and not letting go until she is satisfied with her results. To me, she has always been the Pit Bull of women in Sasquatch research.

Because we have such different styles, (and because I can be obnoxious at times) we have not been the closest of friends. Not enemies, but not BFF's either. However, she does find me amusing...(that can be bad?)
Sharon Lee what made you want to believe this witness?

Melissa Hovey I never said I do. But, he has given me no reason to believe he is a hoaxer. This is a strange situation. I have always very good at reading people - this guy is either telling the truth or he just does not care to push this hoax further or faster.. I just don't know what's in his head. So, its hard to believe him, but its also hard to call him a liar when he has not been caught in a lie. I called him a liar once.. LOL. Didn't go as planned. He simply said, "Well, that's okay. I understand why you don't believe me." Paraphrasing there. This is the most difficult situation - to include my professional interviews - I have ever dealt with.

Sharon Lee Did you feel that the photo was just "too" perfect?

Melissa Hovey Initially - and now.. Yes. Who wouldn't, I mean, look at it. But, then I say to myself ----- is it possible someone was able to snap a clear photo? Isn't that what we all want? But, then my head goes back to -- it's just too clear. It can't be real. I don't care...

Melissa Hovey You know Sharon -- it was the "is this real or not" conversations that pretty much made up our minds to publish the photo.

Sharon Lee what did you think would come of you posting the photo?

Melissa Hovey Honestly, I thought within a day or two someone would produce an image that matched - and it would be discovered that this was a photo of a movie costume. Seriously. That's what all the members of the ABS BOD thought would happen. Then, a week went by, then two, then three....

Sharon Lee has the witness contacted you since you published the photo?

Melissa Hovey Yes he has. Multiple times. No, he has not released any new information with the exception of the game cam/ 35mm clarification.

Sharon Lee did he apologize for the maelstrom? Has he invited you to the location? Is the witness watching all of this unfold on Facebook?

Melissa Hovey No, but I don't think he is paying attention. He has never really cared what anyone thought of the photo. He didn't send it to me for the reaction of anyone but experts. What questions would you like Melissa to answer? Post them here and I will do my best to get them posted.

Squatching USA

I am organizing a 3 month tour to film a documentary about my travels related to Bigfoot Research and FaceBook. I hope to begin July 1 in Ohio and end in Jefferson, Texas for Cryptopalooza in October. I would like to get a list of people, fellow researchers and Facebook friends who would be willing to share your research areas or homes with me as part of the journey. The sooner I can get names and locations, I can map out the course. I will be blogging and updating my travels daily and hopefully will have much success and good times! If you are willing to assist me in this project please email me at: sharonlee@thebigfootfieldreporter.com Thank you!
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SQUATCHING U.S.A.

Original Glass Artwork

Tammy Murray who made quite the splash at the Oklahoma Finding Bigfoot Town Hall Meeting has revealed to the Bigfoot world her creative talents in the art of glass blowing.

Below is one of her hand crafted creations that was given to me as a gift. It is extremely unique and quite the conversation piece!

Her beautiful pendants sell at around the $30 range. All are hand crafted originals and come in a variety of colors. Contact Tammy directly for questions and ordering at: murrayfarms@cox.net

Australia Loves Bobo!

Our Finding Bigfoot friends have landed safely in Australia and are off to hunt the elusive Yowie! Thanks to the artistic talents of Rictor Riolo, Bobo fans AROUND THE WORLD can wear the only BOBO approved Gone Squatchin trucker hats, t-shirts and coffee mugs! Get yours today mate!

Order by clicking here

Order your mug here

Order women's t-shirt here All this and more at:http://www.cafepress.com/thebigfootfieldreporter

At What Cost Freedom? In My Opinion... ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED IS PUBLIC RECORD AND HAS NOT VIOLATED ANYONE'S RIGHTS!!!! I am one blogger in a world where blogging has become a mainstay in social networking and information sharing. What a sad state of affairs we are in now where the Freedom of Speech act cannot protect our readers from freely expressing their opinions. "The ACLU's vision of an uncensored Internet was clearly shared by the U.S. Supreme Court when it declared, in Reno v. ACLU, the Internet to be a free speech zone, deserving at least as much First Amendment protection as that afforded to books, newspapers and magazines. The government, the court said, can no more restrict a person's access to words or images on the Internet than it could be allowed to snatch a book out of a reader's hands in the library, or cover over a statue of a nude in a museum." I understand that this refers to government censorship, but if it doesn't end there then where does it end? "Internet defamation of character, also referred to as cyber defamation, is pretty much what you would expect it to be. It is a false statement made against a person, product or company. Its intent is malicious; that is, it is made with deliberate intent to harm you, or your company’s, reputation. Currently, most internet defamation is in written form, although we are fast approaching the day when oral blogs will become just as easy to post as written ones." Most internet defamation of character comes in the form of blogs. In the US, most courts consider blogs to be nothing more than vehicles for opinion sharing. As opinions are not facts, disparaging remarks that appear in blogs are tough to prove as defamatory. No proof, no recourse. Another unique feature of internet defamation is that finding the source of an offending blog can be problematic. Anyone with internet access can open an infinite number of email accounts and blog away anonymously. At what point does hurting someone's feelings become slander? For a link to the full complaint please see this article on Cryptomundo The unfortunate circumstance is that real money will have to be paid out to attorneys and court costs to defend a (in my opinion) frivolous lawsuit. When will it happen to us? Do we have to begin censoring our very own readers and depriving them of the right to express their opinions or to comment freely? I don't want to have to shut down my blog with others to follow suit because they do not have the resources, time or money, to deal with this type of (in my opinion) foolishness. Do we and our readers have to end every sentence or comment with "in my opinion"? We need to make a stand, NOW. We cannot invite this type of vampire into our homes to suck the life and creativity and freedom from our very own thoughts and opinions!!! The upside to being the defendant of a frivolous lawsuit is that Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allows a federal court to sanction an attorney who has filed a frivolous lawsuit. Thus, filing a frivolous lawsuit might be more than just expensive—it might be considered unethical. Now a message from Craig Woolheater and Loren Coleman of Cryptomundo: Cryptomundo and Loren Coleman have been sued for defamation by a member of the site = Both Cryptomundo and Loren believe the case is baseless. The Plaintiff has demanded that he be given ownership of the website to settle the case. This is simply not acceptable. We don't think that seeing Cryptomundo disappear is something that Cryptomundians would like to experience. As you can imagine, defending this lawsuit will be an expensive proposition. As such, we are asking that you donate to our legal defense fund if you wish to assist us in this matter. Please use the donate via Paypal button on the site. One hundred percent (100%) of your donation, no matter the amount, will help Cryptomundo fight this baseless lawsuit. To be as transparent as possible, we want to make it clear that we have not set up a legal defense trust or non-profit. As such, your donations will not be tax deductible. They will be counted as income for the site and the corporation will be responsible for any taxes due. A separate bank account and Paypal has been set up for this fund. Please visit Cryptomundo for information on how to donate to the Legal Defense Fund. Sharonlee- The Bigfoot Field Reporter

Let it be noted publicly that on 5/1/12, I, Sharon Lee Lomurno, author of the blog The Bigfoot Field Reporter is responding in compliance to a CEASE AND DESIST order issued by the attorney Adam Russo on behalf of his client John L Johnsen. I have removed the post titled, "At What Cost Freedom, In My Opinion" and am issuing a public apology to JOHN L JOHNSEN for my participation in sharing an article that John L Johnsen feels had contained defamatory statements. THAT IS ALL. Thank you and have a good day.

CRYPTOPALOOZA! 2012

What is Cryptopalooza???? Only the first cryptid conference of it's kind! Cryptopalooza has been a long time in the making, but it’s finally a reality. Over the years friends Michael Esordi, founder of Believe It Tour, and Craig Woolheater, founder of Cryptomundo, have tossed around ideas about the conference experience and how to make it even better for people. Out of those discussions the idea began to form of starting something new and unique. Michael hit on the name Cryptopalooza and things started to pick up steam when the city of Jefferson, Texas contacted Craig about doing an event in their city. With the growing number of Bigfoot and cryptozoolgy conferences spreading across the country, it’s obvious there’s an interest in these topics and a need for events to bring people together. Craig and Michael are joining forces with Sharon Lee, The Bigfoot Field Reporter, and Diana Smith, of Believe It Tour, to bring you a unique weekend experience called Cryptopalooza that you won’t want to miss. Join us October 19-20, 2012, for a weekend of music, movies, speakers, cryptids, and fun! Join us on Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/cryptopalooza For event updates and ticket sales visit our website at: http://cryptopalooza.com/

Mohawk Valley Fine Arts Presents -Legend of the Berlin Bigfoot

Mohawk Valley Fine Arts is the personal Art Gallery & Studio of Artist Joseph E.Donnelly.

As a unique "art center," it exhibits Donnelly's original oil paintings, highlighting the Native History & Culture of Ohio.

Survey

This brief survey was created to get a snapshot of how people interested in Bigfoot feel about the way research is handled in the cryptozoology field. Opinions on what it means, if it's going in the right direction, and similar questions. It is open to anyone, at any level of interest. The responses will help me with a portion of what I will be presenting at the Ohio Bigfoot Conference later this month.

The survey is anonymous and only takes a few minutes to complete. Just follow this link to share your opinions: SURVEY

Predicting the Distribution of Sasquatch in Western North America

This well researched article was written tongue-in-cheek for the Journal of Biogeography by three gentleman: J.D. Lozier from the University of Illinois, Department of Entomology, Pete Aniello from ESRI Professional Database Services and M.J. Hickerson from the Biology Department at Queens College City University of New York in Flushing, New York.

In the report the authors compare the distribution of Bigfoot sightings with an ENM (ecological niche model) for the black bear, Ursus Americanus, and suggest that "many sightings of this cryptozoid may be cases of mistaken identity".

The authors were not writing an article on how to document the presence of Sasquatch, but to educate researchers on how to utilize and process information in a database to rule out causes for error or misinformation.

"Although it is possible that Sasquatch and Ursus Americanus share such remarkably similar bio-climatic requirements, we nonetheless suspect that many Bigfoot sightings are, in fact, of black bears".

You can read the entire article as a pdf here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02152.x/pdf

Acknowledgment goes to Rebekah Sisk for sharing this article with me.

Tracking the Sasquatch

Barbara Wasson Butler, using the name Barbara Wasson, was an insightful Bigfool investigator. She lived in Bend, Oregon, and investigated cases throughout the Pacific Northwest. Wasson received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California-Berkeley in 1948, and her master's in psychology from Washington University, St. Louis, in 1962. She spent her professional career in clinical work in Missouri and Oregon. For years she maintained a private practice as a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists, but in her spare time, she pursued Bigfoot passionately. Wasson's initial book was the first to detail her thoughts on the researchers as well as the cryptids being researched. She was known for her pointed criticism of some fellow members of the Bigfoot community, whose disagreements prevented, in Wasson's judgment, the sort of teamwork essential to productive investigative efforts. Because of her clinical training and telling remarks, her book serves as one of the few examples of an attempt to analyze the field psychologically. She died on October 9, 1998, after a five-month battle with pancreatic cancer. - ---

Read her story here @ bigfootencounters.com

She also wrote Sasquatch Apparitions which highlights the lives and personalities of several prominent Bigfoot researchers.

Reader Request

Hello there, my name is Rustie Ackland and I live in Oakridge, Or which is 45 miles east of Eugene, Oregon. I am interested in making contact with some local Bigfoot hunters to come to Oakridge for a couple of our events.

We have a Tree Planting Festival in May that I would invite them to be in the parade and then we have a Keg/Cask in Aug that we like to have vendor booths at.

Also I think Oakridge would be a perfect location for a Bigfoot festival or event of some kind. I hope that you can help me out by giving me some contacts.

If you would like to get in contact with Rustie, please send me an email at: sharonlee@thebigfootfieldreporter.com

Thanks!

Finding Bigfoot Town Hall Meeting-Yukon, Oklahoma

Hello all you SQUATCHERS in the Southern Oklahoma area!
The Finding Bigfoot cast and crew will be filming the infamous TOWN HALL MEETING tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day at 6:30 p.m.

Filming will begin at 7p.m. and be prepared to sit and behave until about 9 p.m.

The meeting is being held at the Clydesdale Barn at:

12701 West Wilshire
Yukon, OK 73099
On Google Maps it looks like a big field but they will be there! I guarantee it!

Too bad you didn't purchase your Bobo gear for him to autograph! lol...

Have fun!

Also, for those of you on Facebook, Bobo's OFFICIAL fan page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/jamesbobofay/?notif_t=group_r2j

Just for Fun

Creature Weekend News-Ohio

I found out this evening that Bob Gimlim will NOT be in attendance at Creature Weekend at Salt Fork.....If you were planning on spending your vacation days to go to this event for the sole purpose of meeting Bob, then save your $$.

EXTINCT? 2nd Episode

Ro Sahibi has released his second webisode of Extinct? With a little help from Adam Davies, Ro discusses other homo sapiens from the jungles of Indonesia.

Ro is doing an awesome job educating a new generation of future anthropologists, primatologists and Bigfoot Researchers too!

She's Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Join me tonight on Blogtalk radio for the return of The Bigfoot Field Reporter radio show! 8 pm eastern standard time.

My guest tonight will be the Squatchdetective, Steve Kulls.

Listen in, call in, tune in as we discuss his newly released book titled 50 Large.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfootfieldreporter/2012/03/06/steve-kulls-50-large

50 Large by Steve Kulls

The book 50 Large has finally been released after years of extensive research by Steve Kulls.

Read the real story of the "Georgia Body Hoax", and how a small internet prank became an international event. Go inside Steve Kulls' six year investigation of Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. and their CEO Tom Biscardi, and the subsequent three year investigation into the body hoax.

Purchase your copy for $19.99 by clicking this link

Sasquatch Skeleton?

(photo property of David Claerr)

Blog author David Claerr has written an essay on the comparison of a Sasquatch skeletal anatomy in comparison to a human.

How could he possibly have knowledge of what the characteristics are of a Sasquatch skeleton? Apparently, David has had access to collected evidence that is not readily available to the public, AND he has viewed the skeletal remains of an 8 foot tall being. He has also utilized video and photographic evidence for his experiment.

Please read his essay here.
David has also done a preliminary analysis of the alleged trail cam photo which has been causing quite a stir these past few weeks.
Bigfoot Back: The Upper Torso of a Sasquatch

There's a New Kid in Town

Ro Sahebi is a young filmaker/producer who is turning his interest from music videos to mysterious monsters.

Ro runs a blog titled "The Bigfoot Report" (no relation to yours truly) although he claims to enjoy my blog and has much respect for me.

Ro does conduct research on this subject and has contacted Dr. Jeff Meldrum for clarification and information. His next webseries will feature the Orang Pendek and he will be consulting with Adam Davies who is well informed in this area.

The webseries is meant to be fun and is directed toward younger viewers. There's an hour long documentary in the works for MAVTV and PunchTV. He is listed on IMDB for
the movie Contour and a television show called Road Sweet Road in 2011.

Have a look at his first webisode entitled, "Extinct?" The Yeti

Paulides Book is Not About DNA....

Hundred of hikers and campers go missing each year. Some may want to disappear, but what about the others?

I have often stated that we do NOT know if Bigfoots are "gentle giants". For all we know, a lone hiker might fall prey to a lame, or older Bigfoot.

Paulides new book is titled Missing 411

Dave Paulides received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of San Francisco, and, has a professional background that includes twenty years in law enforcement and senior executive positions in the technology sector. In 2004 he formed North America Bigfoot Search (www.nabigfootsearch.com) where his investigative and analytical experience were invaluable in researching Bigfoot/Sasquatch sightings, encounters and behavior. He spent two years living among the Hoopa tribal members, listening to and recording their Bigfoot stories. The Hoopa Project is his first book, based upon his experiences in the Bluff Creek area of Northern California. David's second book, Tribal Bigfoot is a quantum step forward in Bigfoot research and allows for a common sense understanding of this elusive biped. These two books have been called the new standard for crypto research.
The Hoopa Project- 2008
Tribal Bigfoot- 2009
Missing 411 is available for purchase on David's website http://www.nabigfootsearch.com/catalog/item/6180213/9227229.htm and you can even request an author signature.

Call for Scientific Papers and Manuscripts

Dr. Karl Shuker is proud to announce The Journal of Cryptozoology which is a new, peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to mysterious animals.
Dr Karl Shuker is one of the best known cryptozoologists in the world.
Author of such seminal works as Mystery Cats of the World (1989), The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (1993; greatly expanded in 2012 as The Encyclopaedia of New and Rediscovered Animals), In Search of Prehistoric Survivors (1995), and more recently Extraordinary Animals Revisited (2007), Dr Shuker's Casebook (2008), Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals on Stamps: A Worldwide Catalogue (2008), and Karl Shuker's Alien Zoo: From the Pages of Fortean Times (2010).

A formal call for papers for publication in the journal's inaugural volume has been announced. The journal is scheduled for publication later this year. Guidelines concerning requirements for the submission and presentation of manuscripts of papers to the Journal of Cryptozoology must be adhered to by contributors.

All submissions must be original manuscripts not previously published elsewhere or submitted elsewhere simultaneously with submission to this journal. All submissions will be sent to two members of the journal's peer review panel for their opinions concerning content, clarity, and relevance to cryptozoology. Their comments will then be studied by the editor whose decision is final concerning whether or not the manuscript is published, subject if necessary to amendments by the author(s) if suggested by the reviewers. The copyright of all published papers belongs to this journal.

Please read more on his blog regarding the requirements for submitting original work. ShukerNature

Oregon Footprints Discovered and Cast

The credit for this amazing find goes to Toby Johnson. I truly appreciate how he was willing to share this evidence with other researchers, and not keep it all to himself! I have always found the Oregon researchers t be very open and honest in my dealings with them. Thom Powell was kind enough to share the photos (bottom of page) with me and the following report comes from Guy Edwards' web site.

South of Eugene, over 120 footprint tracks were found in a clay-mixed substrate that was a perfect material to capture and record footprints. We believe the tracks were made as recently as Saturday February 11th, although the first few prints were not discovered until Sunday the 12th.

Quick run down of events.

(SUN Feb 12th) Max is a retired man who once worked in the auto industry and now spends his retirement restoring cars, he happened to be looking for cars in the London, Oregon when he is approached by a man walking his dog.
(SUN Feb 12th) The man walking his dog mentions to Max there are three Bigfoot prints near the tree line. Max checks it out and is surprised to see the three good tracks
(MON Feb 13th) Max can't sleep, has to go back to site to take pictures.
(TUE Feb 14th) Max remembers Toby Johnson's Sasquatch-mobile, it had been decorated with large Bigfoot stickers resembling footprints. He had also recalled reading an newspaper article of the first Oregon Sasquatch Symposium Toby had held in 2010 at Lane Community College in Eugene. The Sasquatch-mobile is now owned by Toby's ex-wife, sans stickers, but Max, the car aficionado that he is, recognizes the vehicle non-the-less. So when Max went to share the Bigfoot prints he contacted Toby's ex-wife first. Max gives his contact info to Toby's Ex
(TUE Feb 14th) Toby calls Max and Max sends the pics of the three prints via phone.
(WED Feb 14th 8:00pm ~ THURS Feb 15th 7:00am) Toby goes to the site with his friend, an avid hunter and a local. Since Toby's friend wishes to remain anonymous, we will call him Tracker. Both Toby and Tracker see the original three and few others that were not photographed, these other tracks were in heavy vegetation.
(THURS Feb 15th afternoon) Toby goes home and Tracker goes home. Toby tries to return to site later in afternoon, due to obligations he can not stay long, as he leaves Tracker returns. Tracker is with his daughter's boyfriend, and continues to follow the tracks on his own time. Tracker follows the tracks out of the vegetation into a clay-like substrate and realizes there are at least a hundred prints. He calls Toby.
(THURS Feb 15th 3pm-ish) Toby calls Cliff Barackman, co-host of Finding Bigfoot and a self-described "track/cast-nerd". Cliff drives 2 hours to investigate the scene.
(FRI Feb 16th 6pm) I am able to get a ride with Thom Powell, we meet Beth Heikkenin and Toby Johnson and see the tracks ourselves.
(SAT Feb 17th 6am) Our original count was around 118 sequential prints. Cliff Barackman was able to count 122, we will confirm if his count are the sequential set or total prints in the area. We made two set of measurements recording step length stride length.

Step length is the distance between the point of initial contact of one foot and the point of initial contact of the opposite foot. In normal gait, right and left step lengths are similar.

Stride length is the distance between successive points of initial contact of the same foot. Right and left stride lengths are normally equal.

Below is a rough illustrated diagram of the general path and the measurements we took. Knowing how difficult it is to get exact measurements, I added a third column titled Calculated Stride Length to compare against the Measured Stride Lengths. The numbers in the calculated column are based on the recorded step length. The numbers I am interested in are the average and means.

The mean is the usual average,

so in Series A: Step Length average is 47.29:

(45 + 48 + 46 + 45 + 46 + 54+ 47) ÷7 = 47.29

The median is the middle value, so I'll have to rewrite the list in order

so in Series A: Step Length median is 46:

45, 45, 46, 46, 47, 48, 54

As you can see in the two sets, Series A and Series B, there average numbers and the means for the step and stride are relatively close.

All the other tracks are still mud covered until they cure (2 weeks). These two were broken during transport so I cleaned them before I could repair them.

Letters From The Big Man

I can't wait till I get my copy!


This just in:
Mike Feltnerposted toThe Bigfoot Field Reporter
Mike Feltner.. From Ohio, Just got back From Columbus Ohio, And Me and My 16 year old, Saw the Screening of Letters From the Big Man!! And Christopher Munch Was there and did a Q And A After the Movie was Over.. It was Like a Bigfoot Confrence!! Ok The Movie Review, Well Lets See... It Was the Greatest Sasquatch Film To Date!!!! The Star was This Girl Name Sarah an artist and government hydrologist, sets out on a post-fire stream survey in a remote part of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness of southwestern Oregon... And She Is Being Watch By a Sasquatch!! I Know it dont Sound to Exciting. But it is!! Before She Sees Him.. He Does Whoops... Wood Knocks... And Etc.. Dont want to Give it All the Way, This by far is the Best Bigfoot/Sasquatch Movie out there.. Bar None.. Not even Boggy Creek Comes Close.. This Blows it out of the Sky!! By the Way.. I Send out for Newsletter knowing when it First Hits DVD!!! So i will let every one Know,When it comes out It it still playing one more nite,At,Wexner Center for the Arts
1871 North High Street, Columbus, OH Mike Feltner Researcher Cincinnati!!

Trail Cam Photo

Here is the photo that Melissa Hovey has held onto for 4 years. Tell me what you think!

Chester Moore

Chester Moore is a proud follower of Jesus Christ, father and husband.

He and his wife Lisa own Moore Outdoors, home to Flounder Revolution (R) and F.L.E.X. Fishing (TM). He is Executive Editor of Texas Fish & Game magazine.

Listen to "Moore Outdoors" Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on AM 560 KLVI and klvi.com.

Lyle Blackburn

Lyle Blackburn

Lyle Blackburn is a frequent contributor and
cryptozoology advisor to Rue Morgue
magazine, one of the leading horror media
publications in print today. Lyle's Monstro
Bizarro blog is featured on Rue Morgue's
website and his "Monstro Bizarro Presents"
news column appears monthly in the
magazine. He has also contributed to
websites such as Cryptomundo.com
Growing up in Texas, Lyle has always been
fascinated with sighting reports of real‐life
"monsters," especially those in the South.
He has studied the phenomenon in legend,
fact and film, and is the author of The Beast
of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke
Monster available from Anomalist Books.
Lyle is also the founder and frontman for the rock band, Ghoultown. Since 1998,
Ghoultown has released eight albums, toured extensively in both the U.S. and
Europe, appeared on several horror movie soundtracks, and was recently featured on
the syndicated television show, Elvira's Movie Macabre.
For more information, visit Lyle’s website at: www.monstrobizarro.com

Books by Lyle Blackburn --The Beast of Boggy Creek


Lyle Blackburn • www.monstrobizarro.com • lyle@monstrobizarro.com

Ken Gerhard

Ken Gerhard is an accomplished cryptozoologist and field researcher for The Centre for Fortean Zoology and Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization, as well as a fellow of the Pangea Institute and also a consultant for various paranormal groups. He has investigated reports of monsters and mysterious animals around the world including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabras, winged creatures and even werewolves. In addition to appearing in three episodes of the television series Monster Quest (History Channel), Ken is featured in the History Channel special The Real Wolfman, as well as Legend Hunters (Travel Channel/A&E), Paranatural (National Geographic), Ultimate Encounters (truTV) and Weird or What? with William Shatner (History Television). His credits include appearances on Coast to Coast AM, Eyewitness News and Ireland’s Newstalk, as well as being featured in major books, DVDs and in articles by the Associated Press, Houston Chronicle and Tampa Tribune. Ken is author of the book Big Bird: Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters as well as the co-author of Monsters of Texas (with Nick Redfern) and has contributed to trade publications including Fate Magazine, Animals and Men, The Journal of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club and Bigfoot Times. He currently lectures and exhibits at various conferences and events across the United States. Born on Friday the 13th of October, Ken has traveled to twenty-six different countries and has visited forty-four of the states. An avid adventurer, he has camped along the Amazon, explored the Galapagos, hiked the Australian Outback and has visited many ancient and mysterious sites, from Machu Pichu to Stonehenge

The Ohio Bigfoot Conference

A message from Marc DeWerth regarding the Ohio Bigfoot Conference 2012:
This years Ohio Bigfoot Conference features four world class speakers including for the first time ever east of the Mississippi River, the one and only Mr. Peter Byrne , Dr. John Bindernagel from British Columbia, a speaker to be named shortly, and a "very special" secret speaker with over 30 years experience in the field that wishes to remain anonymous that you don't want to miss.

As always, there will be VIP reserved seating made available for purchase to ensure the best seats in the house. They will be made available on a first pay first come basis for $35 per seat, $50 for a couple, and $25 per additional seat. The cost for the VIP seats will include an official 2012 Conference DVD, and an entry for a very special VIP only Raffle prize. Paypal will be available within a few business days so check the web site frequently to reserve your seating.

General admission to the event will be $10 for adults, and $4 for children age 12 and under.

Vendor tables will be made available for $125 per 8' table, additional tables will cost $50 each. The Vendor space will be open from 12 noon until 7 PM. Please contact me at madbigfoot@aol.com to secure your vendor table. I look forward to an awesome event.

If you would like to be a Conference Sponsor for 2012, please contact me ASAP for complete details. If you or your group would like to sponsor a speaker please let me know what benefits you would receive.

To conclude, The Ohio Bigfoot Organization and I are looking forward to seeing all our friends new and old at the Ohio Bigfoot Conference 2012. If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you very much!

Happy Squatching,

Marc A. DeWerth

Ohio Bigfoot Organization
madbigfoot@aol.com
440-212-0896

Spring Conferences

2012 Cross Timber Creature Conference-April 14th

April 29th- Ohio Bigfoot Conference 2012

May 6th-2012 Chautauqua Bigfoot Expo

May 18-21 Creature Weekend 2012

Georgia Sighting Report-New!

Our friend Jeffery R. Thomas went from researcher to witness at warp speed yesterday.

His cousin was joining him for his very first outing and hit the Patterson/Gimlin lottery! Read the report below:

Sighting Events of February 18, 2012

We were planning on scouting a piece of private property that has had several sighting reports over the years. It just so happened that our newest member to the CSRA CSRA (and my cousin) Jamie Bass was going to be able to go out with us for the first time. During the week Dave and I had heard there were a couple of other people interested in the phenomenon of Bigfoot that worked at University Hospital. A message was sent to one on Facebook (and he has yet to reply) and another was sent person to person to the latter. After watching the weather on Friday to see if we were going to have to cancel due to storms, Dave received a call from Sandy who expressed interest in going with us the very next day if we would allow it. We told him that he would be more than welcome. Dave had also coincidentally received a call from Jack Hovatter (see report) the same Friday evening wherein he expressed interest in going out with us if we were granted access to the certain area. As it turns out the property owner backed out for the 3rd week in a row for reasons that seemed a little fishy yet again. So we had been scanning back up sites and decided that we would revisit a private location we had free range to explore in southeast Georgia (exact location undisclosed). We had done an overnight there before back in June of 2011 on the night of the Super Moon (see exped recap).



Dave and I had done a few day trips there during different times of the year and had found some really great markers, plenty of food supply for the big guy, but unfortunately too much foliage to trek to the tip of the peninsula of the property (apprx 100 acres surrounded on three sides by the Savannah River in an Omega shape). So Dave, Jamie, Sandy, and I (Jack did not make this trip) made it down south before the storms were to set in to hike around, see what we could see, and get to know one another better (and what better way to get to really know someone than to take a good hike). After some initial trouble with the key to the gate closing the property off we made it in. We looked at an old pointing marker we strongly believe was a warning sign of an active deer stand nearby and noticed it had changed slightly due to river flooding and what could have been rebuilding of the marker with a different log. We then went deeper into the peninsula to an open field where oats are planted with a deer stand at the back end of the field. This would be the starting point to hike to the tip of the peninsula as the majority of the property is fairly untouched woods save for an old campsite we found that prospectors had left trash and things (illegal prospecting for Native American artifacts). As we started in we found some old markers that have been in place for some time and we very close to the previously stated camp site (see pic). We trekked farther into the property and found the river where there were some really good hiding places formed by natural dormant kudzu. The bank of the river was sandy and we could see some coyote prints that had been left the night before as they looked very fresh. I should also note that on the way to this river bank we found hundreds of piles of hog scat in the drier/higher areas that rarely see the natural residual flooding of the river. Several areas also had a residual smell of hog that was very dank and barnyard like in it's nature. Dave and I had come across six black hogs in the same spots on a previous daytime exped (all black and very big). Upon looking at our portable Magellan GPS we noted that we had not in fact made it to the tip of the peninsula, but merely to the right side of the Omega shape. So we set a direction to get there and Dave led the way. Dave (in his oh so true fashion) made an exerted effort to lead the way wherein he ultimately (as usually happens every time which is why we carry walkie talkies) left us all behind. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Jamie and Sandy stayed behind me. When Dave finally noticed we were nowhere in site he made a single wood knock with his walking stick (a 3 foot wooden post used for post hole diggers). His knock is light and very distinct and can be easily tracked as far as direction is concerned. I attempted to knock back instead of yelling, but my walking stick is too skinny to be heard from a distance. I gave my other walkie talkie to Jamie this time in case we got separated so Dave did not have a radio at all to be reached. I simply led the way towards his knock and within a few minutes he knocked again to display his location. After some time had passed we finally made it to where we could see we were once again close to the river. The woods had gotten VERY thick by this point and hiking was slow going due to river can bamboo, small trees, dormant kudzu, and vines which supplied adequate places to hide. We got to an area where we found some scat we thought was hog, but it was almost human sized. We had found some other scat earlier we could not identify as well (more on that later). Then I came upon an area where a tree top had fallen that was ladened with some dormant brown vines (lots of these in other areas as well). There was also a natural barrier of thick foliage in a semi circular shape that this tree top brown cover was situated in. The next few moments happened in split seconds. I looked up and thought I saw Dave apprx 60 feet in front of us, but it was weird because he had wood knocked just seconds before and it was from a different location. Dave was wearing a black BFRO shirt and has black hair, so it was a natural assumption for me to think it was him on first glance. I spoke out loud, "Is that Dave?" It was almost immediately after the words had escaped my lips that another wood knock from Dave came from the same location as before that was apprx 300 yards to our left. Thats when I exclaimed, "That's NOT Dave, what the hell is that!?!?" Then immediately tried to double time it towards the black figure which began to 'walk' away from us. Jamie exclaimed directly behind me seeing the same figure, "What the hell IS that?" I continued to hear it walk (and I stress walk) very silently away from us making nowhere near as much noise as we made and quite effortlessly through the thick foliage. Sandy who was last in line of our single file was folded over head down trying to get through the canes that were impeding our progress when Jamie and I saw what we did. So he did not see the figure, but noted that he heard it as we did. Then we noted the smell when we reached the area where it had been. The smell was not like the hog smell we had experienced earlier and had a very ammonia/urine like stench. I turned and asked if the other two smell it and it had already reached Jamie where he shook his head yes. Sandy exclaimed "Whoa!" when the smell finally reached him. The other two agreed that is was very urine-like. I attempted to monkey climb a skinny tree to get a bird's eye view of the woods below thinking I would be able to see it from above better than at ground level. My attempt was unsuccessful as this is not as easy as it seemed in my head. We continued to hear it walking away from us in shorts spurts and not one continuous stroll. The three of us just stood there dumbfounded not knowing how to proceed as it was obvious we were not going to be able to catch up to it. Dave finally found us approaching us from the same direction as the figure had previously walked. We then informed him of what had just happened. He had been heading in a different direction and noted that he heard what he thought was us approaching from behind. He did not turn to look because like us previously thinking what we saw was initially him, he just assumed it was us. We he did finally hear us in the distance he turned and headed for where we were. His separating from us was a blessing in disguise because it turns out we flanked it into a corner it could not escape from. It simply waited to walk away from whomever got to it first, which just so happened to be us. It this walked directly between My group and Dave to find a hiding location to spy on us from. Once together we all noticed how the area was perfect for hiding as it has natural camo all along the front and a steep banked river guarding the rear. We then found a bamboo twist in the immediate area (see pic). It was close to this that we found more of the unusual scat. It was perfectly round and almost golf ball sized and only about 4-5 in quantity. I took my knife and cut one open to find it was somewhat ungulate in nature consisting mostly of what look like undigested grass. Not saying this belonged to the big guy, it was just in that area and we had seen some before. It was completely unlike the hog scat that had found which was dog sized but human shaped (if that makes sense). Dave had taken a few steps forward and stopped to listen while we walked towards him where he noted something was in front of us walking in synch with us (paralleling). I thought I had heard this as well. We went back to the area where we saw the figure initially to try and figure the size. It was then we knew it could not be Dave we saw, because the shape appeared above a branch we measured to be apprx 6 feet in height. It would have made the figure at least 7 feet tall. Jamie and I agreed that the figure was solid black and neither of us saw a face, arms, hands or legs. I suppose we saw it from the back as it was headed away from us immediately after we saw it. I briefly saw it walking away but it was indistinct and extremely quick. Upon going back to the area we also noted that the smell had resided unlike where the hogs had bedded down earlier. There was no lingering residual odor. Jamie and I decided it could not have been a hog because it was too tall off the ground. It could not have been a black bear because not only are they extremely rare in this area, but do not reach those heights even when standing on their hind legs. Southern black bear are large dog sized and not the round behemoths you see in the North Georgia mountains and the Appalachians. Also a hog, bear, deer, or even an armadillo would have made much more noise trying to get away from us and would have RUN (not the casual walk we experienced). Now, naturally our cameras were in our pockets, so none of this made tape. The foliage was so thick we needed the hand not occupying the walking stick to make our way through it. Interestingly enough, we all took pics of the bamboo twist, but Jamie and I noticed that OUR cameras (and only our cameras) had drained batteries just moments later when we all tried to take a pic of a large cypress tree once we made it back to the gate. Jamie had just taken his camera of the charger that morning and mine usually keeps a three our record time with constant use. I had heard of electronics failing on other researchers before and am not trying to tie anything paranormal to this event, but this IS what happened. Our trip out was uneventful and we would have done an overnight, but impending weather chased us away. Because of the dry leaf litter and terrain there were no tracks to be seen, and for some reason which I can't explain now, we all left the area fairly quickly. Looking back we should have combed that area for clues, but we all just left. And I can't explain why. It is my conclusion being a researcher in the phenomenon of Sasquatch/Bigfoot that Jamie and I very briefly saw a black Sasquatch that Dave and I believe exists on the property. My mission in this field has always been to have an experience and sighting for myself wherein I would most likely quit the study/hobby as there could be nothing more to add for myself. However, after sleeping on the occurrences that transpired I feel that the sighting wasn't 'perfect' enough for me to justify quitting.