Bigfoot spotted around Chotard Lake

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.



Recently it seems Mississippi has become a hot spot for Bigfoot sightings. I recently done some video work for Brian Sons of Onyx Knights Paranormal Cryptids group, on a video that he recorded of some possible bigfoot in Mississippi and on some sounds recording from the same area. (Video Here).

 Just a few days ago video News report surfaced about a possible Bigfoot visiting an old school play ground in Mississippi. This news report also showed a track casting made by one of the locals.

All these reports coming from Mississippi is helping others come forward with their sighting. A couple days ago I was contacted by Don, who wanted to finally tell of his sighting from many years ago. 

What follow is Don's sighting.

- Start Report - 

Don said - 
"I was watching a local news program here in Madison, Ms. & they mentioned someone had an experience with the Bigfoot.  So, I told my wife I would contact someone & tell
them what I saw, which I had never done.
Back in the 1960’s & 70’s I bass fished all the Ms. river lakes. One morning I was fishing to northwest end on Lake Chotard, & heard a muffled crash back in the willows.  I looked up
immediately & saw this large black or dark creature,  much taller than a grown man,  hurrying away from me with his head turned looking at me.  This has been a long time ago & I never told
anyone what I saw until much later.  What I saw is firmly indelible in my head. I never did go back to Chotard, as much as I liked to fish there.

Now, this has been quite a few years ago, but I’ve told you just about everything,   But I will try to add to some of the questions you’ve asked me. (Tom - I had emailed and ask some questions about the creature).

This sighting was, the best of my memory, was about mid morning morning on  calm, early summer morning, no wind & I was fishing  alone, as I commonly did.  I hunt & fish a lot so I
have a pretty good idea the size of things in the woods, I wood say the thing was 7’ tall or more, it was about 80 to 100 yds. from me.  There was no smell other the the smell of willows blooming in the swamp. But one thing that stood out, it had a big head. 
It must have stepped on a limb that snapped causing me to look up, but that was the only sound it made (It’s pretty wet back in the swamp).
This sighting date is not going to be very accurate, but I would guess it was in the 60’s right after I got out of the army."

- End Report -

Thanks for the report Don and thanks for coming forward and telling what you saw.

I have included a general map of the area at the top of the page.

According to theses reports, It appears Bigfoot has been calling Mississippi home for a long time now. This sighting may be many years old, but it is still important in showing a history of sightings in this area.

I encourage others to come forward and report your sightings, it does not matter if it happen years ago. It still needs to be documented. There is a link at the top of the page to report sightings.

Thanks
~Tom~






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Tree break

This post/report from TCC Team Member Jason Morse.  Jason is a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, trained in wilderness survival tactics, a 26 year martial artist, DJ, EMT and amateur writer. Jason conducts bigfoot field research, witness interviews and more for The Crypto Crew.


  Tree knocks and stick structures... Bigfoot or not?
By Jason Morse

  Many researchers frequently go out into the woods looking for various evidence of the possibility of a Bigfoot being nearby, or for one that's passed through the area. Lately, some of the common pieces of “evidence” presented are stick structures and audio or video depicting what sounds like a tree being struck by a limb or other piece of a tree.
I want to touch on a couple things that could open the serious researcher's mind.

  I was speaking to a good friend and great researcher, Bruce Barraclough, founder of NEAR (North Eastern Anomalous Research) and he made mention of a few very interesting things. The following will touch on these topics.

  Let's start with the tree knocking....

  I will now pose a question to all the researchers out there. How many of you have been walking through the woods and decide to attempt to elicit a response from a possible Bigfoot by grabbing a stick from the ground and whacking a nearby tree? Most of have at one point or another, I know I have. Now, my point.... When one finds a  limb, stick, etc on the ground, it's usually due to wind breaking a branch, deteriorating of the tree, causing it to break off and fall, and each time I've found one and decided to try a tree knock, I've got one, perhaps two good knocks before the item that I'm using is reduced to toothpicks. Now, I'm not a really small guy, I've been in concrete construction for 20+ years, am over 6 feet tall, and have a relatively decent amount of strength, and I get one , or if I've found a more sturdy stick, two good knocks from it. Now put that same branch, limb, or portion of tree into the hands of a creature that's  over 7 feet tall, weighing 400+ lbs with three or more times the strength of a normal man. I don't think I need to explain what happens. I've talked to other researchers that have decided that picking up a stick and smacking a tree is pointless, because it can only provide a couple knocks, so they go out armed with the handle of an axe or sledgehammer. So how can a creature the size of a Sasquatch accomplish numerous knocks with rotted wood? Simple. Both Bruce and myself have talked about this, and we're in complete agreement that if anything, the knocks are being accomplished by using a rock against a tree or other rock. Rock “clacking” has been reported many times, and I'm tempted to believe that a stone is the only implement that could be used to accomplish this. NOW, next time Bill D. Researcher goes out into the woods, go ahead and find a fallen stick and give it a try, then use a rock. The sound is different, and the rock against a tree causes the sound to travel further, and rock against rock emits a sound that can be heard even further away.

  In the fall and spring, when the mornings are brisk, and the afternoon warms up, the fibers in the tree expand and contract, often causing “snapping” noises, and it's my thought that this is often (not necessarily always) misidentified as a tree knock. Furthermore, in certain areas, finding an adequate sized rock in dense woods isn't the easiest thing to locate.

  So there's some food for thought about tree knocks. Now let's talk about stick structures and tree twists.

  I was contacted by a novice researcher a while back, saying he'd located an amazing stick structure, and I had to check it out, so I met him at the location about an hour's drive from my home, we then trekked out about 2 hours into the woods off trail at a nearby state park. We crested a knoll, and there it was, the mother of all stick structures. Intricately crafted, it had a large horizontal support with smaller branches leaning at a 45 degree angle from the larger tree trunk to the ground, and even smaller branches were weaved in and out of those. I was exited, thinking that there had to be some kind of evidence inside this thing, such as hair, prey remains, etc. So I wasted no time carefully poking my head inside, and looked around inside the 3 foot wide by 7 foot long by 3 foot tall structure, only to be disappointed to find the remains of a small fireplace. Hiker, hardcore camper, or survivalist. Darn. After touching on this subject with Bruce, I started talking with folks from varied walks of life.

  I grew up in Downeast Maine, about 30 miles northeast of Bar Harbor, and most of my friends, family, and others that lived in the area were avid hunters, so I spoke to some of them about this.

  The most interesting guy I talked to, I'll call him Jack, said that he used to go out hunting for a couple days at a time frequently, and at night, he'd often make a rudimentary shelter if the weather got bad, or just to take a nap in. When I mentioned tree twists, he said that he would be walking through the woods, and he'd grab a small limb and give it a  twist and break it in the direction he came from. (He was leaving markers to easily find his way home) He had picked up this technique from his father who'd been shown it by his father. There's 3 generations of tree twists and stick structures in one family in one small area. When multiplied by other old school hunters, trappers, fisherman, campers, or avid outdoors-men, that adds up to a lot of structures and twists.

  Then I talked to a local hunter who's son was in the Boy Scouts of America....

  His son had just received a  badge in camping and survival. He was accompanied by the troop and troop leader on an overnight trek. The troop was instructed to make a shelter to stay out of the wind and weather, then to find his way out. That old hunter''s trick must have proved to be very useful, the troop would break off small branches to show the route they took, and markers were fashioned to show the way back as well.

  Hmm, hunters, outdoors-men, now Boy Scouts... Wait, I'm not done yet.

  I have an acquaintance that has had a difficult time with his life. He's been homeless for reasons that aren't important in this topic. What is important is that he said he'd go to the public library and read about old military tricks to survive in the wild. Yup, you guessed it, branch breaks to find his way, and learned to make structures out of branches, old tarps, whatever was available.

  In closing, the mind HAS to be open to all possibilities when doing Bigfoot research, look at all angles. What could this or that have been, what could have built this or that, and what was that noise coming from?  These should be the first things thought about when you find a couple trees leaning against each other. I'm not in the least saying that a Bigfoot wouldn't do any of these things, one very well might, however, EVERY broken branch, leaning tree, and structure don't mean it's necessarily a Sasquatch.

  Very special thanks to Bruce Barraclough from NEAR for getting me thinking about this, and giving me some info about it. Be safe and smart in the woods, folks. The truth IS out there!
~JM~






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Is Bigfoot Inter-Dimensional?

This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!



Inter-Dimensional Bigfoot???
Before You Laugh, Read This
By Dorraine Fisher
Some people watching sasquatches on a regular basis might think they seem like magical beings. But if sasquatches are watching us,  what do you think they might think about us? Do you think they might be thinking we have magical powers? This opens up a whole new train of thought about what “magic” really is. Maybe it’s just something that the other side of the thought process simply doesn’t understand or have an explanation for.

There are lots of weird claims being made about bigfoot these days.  And it would be easy to simply blow them all off as ramblings and delusions. But we’re smarter than that.  And I think, in the interest of being fair to the subject and doing justice to the research as a whole, we need to examine these claims that are being made all too often.  We can only come to definitive conclusions about the existence of anything only after we’ve ruled certain things out.  So here goes.

We’re hearing more and more lately about bigfoot’s supposed ability to travel between dimensions or time travel.  Are they crazy ideas?  Well maybe. But the problem is, I can’t find a way to completely rule them out, and here’s why.

For years, I’ve listened to stories of bigfoot encounters.  Some seemed mostly normal, or as normal as a bigfoot sighting can possibly be.  But others border on the side of “just plain weird.”  There are so many strange stories of strange things that can’t be explained away by normal means.  And there are so many things about them that keep them from being placed in any conventional animal category.  Every time we think we have it figured out, more strange theories pop up.  So, why all this weirdness?

All too often, I’ve heard of researchers coming across a bigfoot foot print;  meaning one. One print on a trail where there should be more prints all the way down the line.  But no more are found. Why does this happen?  Did the creature just stray off the path and simply leave no more prints? There’s not always evidence to suggest that, but it’s possible. Though more often than not, it just seems the foot prints stop abruptly.

And what about all those claims that the creature, “just seemed to vanish into thin air.”  First it was there…and then suddenly it wasn’t.   There are more and more claims like this every day.  And there might be a simple explanation. But in light of the evidence the way we see it, can we really rule out other, stranger possibilities?

I mean, let’s examine this carefully.  Anyone who’s taken the time to do good research and take a long hard look at the evidence they find, has come to the conclusion, at least in part, that these creatures just might be unique in the animal world; that there’s something really different about them.  It’s not that big of a stretch to think this if you’re really digging deep.  If you think about it, humans are unique in the animal world too.  How many creatures out there have evolved in the way we have? How many animals have evolved the same skill set we have? By that standard, humans might be the weirdest, most “magical” creatures of all.  So why is it so hard to imagine that sasquatches might be completely unique too?

And with all that in mind, can we even wrap our minds around the crazy idea of a bigfoot that time travels, travels between dimensions, or skips back and forth between parallel universes?
The problem is, there’s no easy way to prove something like this about sasquatches one way or the other. At least not until they themselves can explain it to us.  But what’s interesting is that the laws of physics as they are understood right now, do not rule out the possibility of this.  So does that mean we can assume that it is actually possible? In my book, anything that can’t be proven to be impossible, now becomes possible.  Physics is finding more every day that ANYTHING is possible.  To say something’s impossible in this day and age has become ludicrous.  Especially if you play close attention to what’s going on in theoretical physics.

In the following video, theoretical physicist, Dr. Michio Kaku explains how time travel is possible.  See what you think.    ********DF
   





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Still Frame from EKBR video

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years of experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and a poet.



I ran across this very recent video of a possible Bigfoot near a deer feeder. It was posted by Eastern Kentucky BigFoot Research (EKBR) and shows some type of creature moving about on the tree line. I contacted EKBR and ask if I could attempt to enhance the video and they said yes, so a big thanks to them. Here is the enhanced version of the video.

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What is it?

This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!



Once in a while we find a video of something that's just plain weird.   And although we don't know if it's real or not, it causes us to take a second look. Check out this video from the UK of what appears, at first glance and at full speed, a skinny dog running across the road. But if we slow it down and zoom in a bit, it appears to be a strange humanoid creature running across on all fours...and at a pretty fast rate of speed. What do you think this is?  Something real or some type of effects?



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This is a guest post by Shawn O'Steen. Shawn is currently finishing degrees in Theology and Psychology. Prior to this, he studied Anthropology and Fish & Wildlife Science at Oregon State. He has also studied Civil Engineering, Cartography, GIS, & Geomatics. Shawn resides in Souther Mississippi with his wife and 3 children.


 
Much has been written, and many hypotheses posited about the potential origins of the legendary Sasquatch of North America.  These guesses have ranged from aliens (Ruehl, 2012) to Biblical giants (Morehead, 2013), ancient giant apes that escaped extinction (Krantz, 1999), a separate branch on the same evolutionary tree that humans are said to have come from (Morehead, 2014), or perhaps a surviving relict population of some already discovered ancestral fossil hominin.  In fact, the Russian Almas in the Caucasus Mountains has been long suggested to be a relict population of Neanderthals (Shackley, 1986).
I have written this post in response to another blog post suggesting that Bigfoot in the Eastern U. S. are also Neanderthals (Drinnon, 2014), and are likely not directly related to the much larger Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest.  Some of the reasoning behind this hypothesis is that Eastern Bigfoot seem to average less in height (around 7 feet tall) than their Western counterparts (around 8 feet tall for adult males), are much less bulky, and seem to have a flatter, more human-like face.  This information was gathered from a vast number of sightings reports from all across the country, after which the differences were noticed (bfro.com, gcbro.com).

Above sketch by Scott Marlowe from the site floridaskunkape.com. Scott is very knowledgeable and has written many excellent books on a variety of cryptozoological subjects.

I will demonstrate clearly why Bigfoot or Sasquatch-like creatures on the North American continent are definitely not Neanderthals by comparing the morphology of Neanderthals with Sasquatch reports as well as with modern humans, and then I will review what we know about the DNA of all 3 so far to further demonstrate the fallacy of this hypothesis.

First, I’ll describe, per the average sighting report (again, see bfro.com and gcbro.com), the average adult male Eastern Bigfoot:

1) He is 7 feet tall
2) He is 300-350 lbs. minimum (Shaq O’Neil is 7 feet tall and just over 300 lbs., and he doesn’t look overly massive unless he is standing next to an average sized person)
3) He has a 15-16” foot
4) He appears to have no neck
5) He is very massive with wide shoulders
6) He does not have an overly sized head for his body
7) He demonstrates no ability to make or use fire or tools, and demonstrates no culture that has not been observed in living non-human primates.

Now, I’ll describe the average adult modern American male:

1) He is 5’ 9.5” tall
2) He is 180 lbs.
3) He has an 11” foot
4) He has an obvious neck
5) He is delicately built compared to all other apes and ancestral hominins
6) His head is not overly large for his body, compared to other primates (Center for Disease Control, 2012)


Lastly, I’ll describe the average Neanderthal male, according to data gathered in 2010 from all the measurable remains available:

1) He is 5’6” tall, shorter than modern man and much, much shorter than a Bigfoot (H., 1998).
2) He is 160 lbs., much less than the average modern human, and less than half that of what a healthy Sasquatch is estimated to be (Churchill & Froehle, 2009).
3) He has a 9” foot
4) He has an obvious neck
5) He is massively built with very thick bones, short legs that are naturally bowed, arms that are longer than his legs but which are still short, wide shoulders, and wide hips, all making his body look very short, thick, and blocky.
6) His head is huge compared to his body.  He does not have a sagittal crest, but he has massive jaws, a thick brow ridge, a huge nose, and most obviously a massive occipital bun (back part of the skull) that extends rearward giving him a cranial capacity far greater than our own (O'Neil, 2011)
7) He is very adept at fire and tool creation and use, and has a culture demonstrating religion and art.
8) He carries a variant of the MC1R gene that is not present in humans, and which produces red hair and fair skin that is very sensitive to sunlight (Rincon, 2007).

The photo on the above left demonstrates how much larger the average modern adult male human is than the average adult Neanderthal, while the photo on the right demonstrates how much larger the skull of the Neanderthal is than that of the modern human. Photos are from Mathilda's Anthropology Blog.

The above photos, all taken from Wikipedia Commons, demonstrate the great difference in size and shape between the skulls of Neanderthals and modern humans. Keep in mind that the skulls in the bottom photo are not presented at the same angle. Note the significant prognathism in the Neanderthal skull, along with the very large occupital bun. The top right picture shows a very good comparison between the size and shape of the two species.

Now I’ll cover the DNA evidence.  Regardless of what you think about Dr. Ketchum’s study, there is no doubt that all the viable samples returned human mtDNA (Ketchum, 2013).  As a reminder, mtDNA is only passed down by the mother, so in order to have human mtDNA (other than through contamination) you MUST have a human female in your ancestry.  Many other samples that were tested prior to and after her study have returned results with human mtDNA as well.  We know that she also tested NuDNA, but that doesn’t figure in to this post.

NuDNA testing is expensive, and until the past few years it was ridiculously expensive, so all the DNA tests done on Neanderthal remains only tested mtDNA.  Based on those results, it was thought that we were not related to Neanderthals at all, because Neanderthal mtDNA contained NO DNA in common with us (later NuDNA showed non-Africans likely possess 1-4% of our genes in common with them, [Green, 2010]).  If you couple the fact that alleged Bigfoot mtDNA is nearly identical to human mtDNA, and Neanderthal mtDNA is nothing like human mtDNA, then there is virtually no chance that Eastern Bigfoot are relict Neanderthals.

That, my friends, is as close as we can get to the Null Hypothesis in regard to relict Neanderthals and Bigfoot within reasonable parameters (Zimmer, 2014).

~Shawn


References
Center for Disease Control. (2012). Anthropometric Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2007-2010. Waashington, D. C.: U. S. Government Printing Office.
Churchill, S. E., & Froehle, A. W. (2009). Energetic Competition Between Neandertals and Anatomically Modern Humans. The Paleoanthropology Society, 96-116.
Drinnon, D. (2014, April 28). Eastern Bigfoot/Neanderthal Skull Comparison. Retrieved from Frontiers of Anthropology: http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com.tr/2014/04/eastern-bigfoot-neanderthal-skull.html
H., H. (1998). Body Height, Body Mass and Surface Area of the Neanderthals. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9850627
Ketchum, M. (2013). Novel North American Hominins, Next Generation Sequencing of Three Whole Genomes and Associated Studies. DeNovo Journal of Science.
Krantz, G. S. (1999). Bigfoot Sasquatch evidence. Surrey, B. C.: Hancock House Publishers, Ltd.
Morehead, R. (2013, June 3). The Nephilim Theory. Retrieved from The Bigfoot Recordings: http://www.bigfootsounds.com/the-nephilim-theory/
Morehead, R. (2014, June 22). Bigfoot Evolution and Creation Hypothesis. Retrieved from The Bigfoot Recordings: http://www.bigfootsounds.com/bigfoot-evolution-creation-hypothesis/
Rincon, P. (2007, October 25). Neanderthals 'were flame-haired'. Retrieved from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7062415.stm
Ruehl, F. P. (2012, June 7). Is Bigfoot Possibly an Alien Entity? Retrieved from Huffington Post Weird: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-franklin-ruehl-phd/is-bigfoot-possibly-an-alien_b_1578844.html
Shackley, M. (1986). Still Living? Yeti, Sasquatch, and the Neanderthal Enigma. New York: W W Norton & Co., Inc.
Zimmer, C. (2014, August 7). Why We Can't Rule Out Bigfoot. Retrieved from Nautilus: http://nautil.us/issue/16/nothingness/why-we-cant-rule-out-bigfoot
 O'Neil, D. D. (2011, November 9). Evolution of Modern Humans: Neanderthals. Retrieved November 16, 2011, from EVOLUTION OF MODERN HUMANS: A Survey of the Biological and Cultural Evolution: http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo2/mod_homo_2.htm
Richard E. Green, e. a. (2010, May 6). A Draft Sequencing of the Neanderthal Genome. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology: http://www.eva.mpg.de/neandertal/press/presskit-neandertal/pdf/Science_Green.pdf






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"No less than 27 Bigfoot in this photo"

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.


We have all seen them, you know the ones I'm talking about, the pictures of some beautiful dense mountain scenery. Then the next picture of the same exact picture will have 27 yellow circles on it and a caption that reads "no less than 27 Bigfoot in this photo".  Really?

Oh yes, most of the people who post photos like this are serious, but for the typical observer there is just simply nothing in the photographs that could be a Bigfoot. Some of the photos do contain tree stumps and dark shadows, but that don't equal Bigfoot.

It makes me wonder how long this type of thing has been going on. Have others over the years seen Bigfoot in every photo of foliage?

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What is this figure?

This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!











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El paso, Co - Thunderbird Sighting

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.



I got in another possible Thunderbird report, it has never been reported until now.  The wingspan of the bird in this report is larger than any reports I have read. Could it have been a Thunderbird or something else?

- Start Report - 

Name: Christine ******

Email Address:  Withheld but on file

State: Colorado

County: El paso

Date of Sighting: 2006

Time of Day: 4am

Nearest Town: COLORADO SPRINGS (less than half mile from national forest)

Length of Sighting: 1min

How many Witnesses: 1

Any Photos/Videos: no

Describe sighting in detail:

I Stepped out onto the front porch suddenly & started something above me on the roof.  I Heard a loud clawing or scratching above but before I had a chance to look,  there was a great flapping sound like a large flag in the wind.
A percussion type force filled my ears & actually knocked me backwards into the door. Looking up I saw in silhouette from the moon light of a huge winged thing. (40ft wingspan easy)It  lifted away from the roof & as it flew off it made an unearthly sounding screech, almost like a croak.
I would greatly appreciate hearing from a cryptozoologist regarding this, this is my first time speaking about this at all & I've done a lot of research: given other known "bird related" elements (carcass damage,  eyeshine & hemophagocytosis) I think there is a connection between this thing and the reported cattle mutilations. Thank you

(Note: I did send Christine an email and some info about this possibly being a Thunderbird.) 


- End Report -

UPDATE -  The following is a follow up conversation I had with Christine. She has obviously researched the cattle mutilations to some degree.
Christine said:
"Thank you for your response. Despite consistent historical accounts by many native American tribes about the Thunderbirds, you are correct, it is not accepted as 'real'.  This is exactly why I never reported it. About 2 years ago I tried researching it but at the time all the websites were dominated by cattle mutilation reports. That's when it dawned on me that if the Thunderbird was real, what did it eat? Further reading confirmed a connection; photographs of cows draped in treetops and over fences along with carcass damage consistent with raptor predation follow the 37th parallel across the country. If you cross reference that with the map you sent me of sightings, it is consistent with the central-Mississippi flyway bird migratory pattern. I don't know what part of the country you are in but here in Colorado the cattle mutilations have become a serious issue for ranchers; one rancher was forced out of the trade after losing 23 head of cattle, in las animas county. There is a $2,500 reward & it has been the subject of 2 federal investigations. I don't think anyone will take me seriously though, the other theories of UFO, cult or government conspiracy are much more "exciting" to everyone else. but to me the confirmation of a Thunderbird type species would be amazing."


Thanks again for this extra information.

- End Update-


This does sound like a Thunderbird but the wingspan is lager than any reports that I have read. A bird this large would not have any problem attacking cattle and this could explain some of the cattle mutilations in the area.

Thanks to Christine for sending us the report. If anyone in this area has had a similar sighting or has had a cattle mutilation problem and you don't know for sure what it was , then please let us know.



Thanks
~Tom~  





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Out Fox a Fox?

This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!


  Want To Gain More Knowledge About Bigfoot?
Maybe You’re Doing It All Wrong
By Dorraine Fisher
    Every once in a while, I go back and watch really old documentaries about bigfoot. Some might think it’s humorous or simply a waste of time, but there’s a really good reason I do it. It helps me realize that progress is being made in the field. No matter how many people are still laughing or turning up their noses at the subject, I know great strides have been made. It points me in the direction to go from here, because there’s still a lot left to learn.

But there is so much debate and so many roadblocks get thrown up on our way. How do we rise above all that and really expand our ability to gain knowledge on the subject?

Well, the answer is somewhat complicated, and at the same time, as plain as the nose on your face. Every time we’ve made assumptions about these creatures or listened to science when it developed hypotheses, they’ve been turned on their ear…or at least educated suggestions have caused reasonable doubt. So, as strange as it may sound, when we’re trying to solve all the little mysteries of Bigfoot, maybe we need to just automatically turn our attention to the opposite side of the spectrum. Flip it on its underbelly and examine it from the other side.

The first original hypothesis is that they are some kind of great ape. It made sense, right? That’s what they look like. It seems logical.  But the judgment made by science was to assume that they should fit into a category that matched the behavior and appearance of other great apes. But now most of us are slowly beginning to realize they don’t quite fit into this category since they don’t always behave like gorillas, and they seem much more advanced. If they are indeed a great ape, they need a whole new category for classification; one that defies the old rules.  So if they don’t fit into that great ape category, are they a great ape or not?  Do we give them a new category, or do we try to slip them into one of the conventional ones?

It was originally believed that sasquatches require wilderness in which to live and the enormous food source that wilderness has to offer. But the pin points on the sightings map are getting closer together and venturing out into non-wilderness areas more and more. The term “suburban bigfoot” is starting to creep into our consciousness as more sightings are closer to home.  Once again, our hairy friends made liars out of us.

And now the new idea is that they may be some kind of human. Okay, fine. Let’s work on that. Hundreds of sightings suggest a human-like appearance. It seems logical that some kind of offshoot of our species survived in its original “wild” state alongside us for all these thousands of years, undetected. It could happen. It would explain their seemingly high intelligence level.  But what criteria do we use to decide something is “human?”

For years, it appeared that science rejected this theory anyway, to some degree. Possibly because so many thinkers have a problem with calling something human if it’s not at least nearly as sophisticated as we are; meaning a similar intelligence level, progress level, and level of basic ability and technical ability.  Chimps are our known closest living relatives, but they are not considered human since they haven’t built civilizations or super computers, or they simply can’t put pegs in holes as fast as a human.  Is that what defines something as human? Or is it simply DNA structure? And who decides?

So this begs the question: do we need to rethink everything? Probably, because here’s the thing: If bigfoot has taught us anything, it’s that some things just can’t be lumped into the normal categories. Sometimes we have to be able to think beyond what’s acceptable and normal and…classifiable.

We humans have this burning need to categorize, classify, lump into groups, organize into files, and buy furniture with drawers just so we can wrap our minds around certain things. Just so we can make sense of things that wouldn’t otherwise make sense.  Why? Because that’s how our brains process things. That’s how we were designed.  We can’t help it, right? Well, not so fast. Because the most amazing thing about the brain is that you can use your own mind to conquer the limitations of your own mind.  Just knowing you NEED to think differently can open up a whole new world of thought. We can all go places we’ve never gone before…right inside the confines of our own heads.  If you understand what puts limitations on your thinking, it suddenly won’t be limiting any more.  And that’s because the human mind is capable of so much more than we think.  And each and every one of us has that capability. And that’s the mind you need when you’re trying to sort out the details about cryptids.

People who believe in bigfoot, the paranormal, the mysterious, are one step ahead of the rest. If you’ve seen strange things that you couldn’t explain or if you’ve had things happen to you that defied reason, you have a distinct advantage.  Your brain has learned something very important.  Your imagination has the ability to stretch beyond the norm.  You’ve had to sort that out in your mind and find a way to make peace with it and come to understand that there are things out there that you may never fully understand.  And when you can do that, you’ve made a huge leap towards actually coming to understand, not only that, but a lot of other things too.  And that’s an amazing advance in human brain evolution, right inside your own head.
 
So, what if we’re all not weird after all? What if we’re just psychologically advanced?  That might seem funny, but is it really? Sure, it’s a lot of fun to talk about Bigfoot,  but there’s a lot we can derive from it besides fun. It’s an exercise in being able to begin to comprehend something that was once thought to be beyond comprehension.

The world of bigfoot research is strange in many ways. But it’s an opportunity to learn to step outside the comfort zone of our cozy little conventional thought box and imagine that things might be different than what we think. Because with bigfoot, that’s very probable.
**********DF

   
       





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Dan Baker working in the field

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.


In our 17th interview in the series, I get to interview Sculptor and Bigfoot Researcher Dan Baker.
Dan has also recently form a fast growing Facebook group called American Primate Exploration or just simply A.P.E., So make sure to check it out.
I hope you enjoy this interview.


- Start Interview -

TM: How long have you been researching/studying Bigfoot?

DB: Studying Bigfoot in general for 20+ years. Actively involved in field research for 4 years. .

TM: What got you interested in Bigfoot, Was there a particular event that got you started? 

DB: I was 12 years old in 1967 when Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin made the world famous film and I was hooked from that time on. I had the opportunity to tell Bob Gimlin that very same thing and his reply was "I'm sorry". Lol .

TM: During your research/studying of Bigfoot, have you ever encountered aggressive behavior or felt in danger from a Bigfoot?(details please)

DB: Once while out in the field, some of our team members were growled at, and on another occasion, a large rock was thrown and hit a guardrail on a road about 250 yards away from us. We never really felt in any kind of serious danger.

TM: It seems Skeptics are always ready to attack Bigfoot research, How do you deal with it?

DB: My answer to skeptics is that "Absence of proof is not proof of absence". I have grown a much thicker skin than I once had, and I continue to move ahead.

TM: Would you like to see Bigfoot accepted and/or proven to the general public?

DB: I would like to see more acceptance of Bigfoot, but not at the expense of the creature's well being. I believe that educating the public is the first step, but it should be done in a way that it includes the participation of the people in the learn process. I.E. question and answer periods etc.

TM: What is your favorite time of year to research/study Bigfoot, When do you have your most success?

DB: My favorite time of year for research is the fall. It seems as though there is more movement during this time of year around the harvest.

TM: Do you have a favorite Bigfoot story or report?

DB: My favorite story is of my sighting that Dorraine Fisher interviewed me about. (Found HERE)

TM: What would you be doing if you wasn't researching/studying Bigfoot?

DB: I would most likely be studying anthropology and paleontology if I weren't doing Bigfoot research.

Thanks for doing the interview and good luck with all that you do.


Dan with the legendary Bob Gimlin from the famous Patterson-Gimlin bigfoot footage. The footage shot that day in 1967 was of a female Bigfoot and the footage is still being debated and reviewed all these years later. 






 



Sculpture of  "Monster Man Dan" now doubles as a logo for 
A.P.E.








- End Interview -


Dan is a fine sculptor, researcher and person, we recommend you check out his facebook group.

I hope to do more interviews in the coming weeks.

Thanks
~Tom~







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Ouija Boards

This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!


  The Power Of Ouija Boards – Real Or Fake?
Real or Not, I Love This Stuff!
By Dorraine Fisher

Hmmm.
Check out this video. The man claims to have poltergeist activity when he summons it from his Ouija board.
I’ve always been really curious about Ouija boards, but I’ve never had any strange personal experiences with them. It does seem really easy for kids to pull pranks on each other with these things. They’ve been doing it since 1891.

But who knows?

After the Spiritualist Movement of that time that took place during and shortly after the American Civil War in 1865 and beyond, Americans had lost so many of their loved ones to the war, that séances and attempts to talk to the dead became a popular pastime in America. First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, was known to have held regular séances at the White House. It was quite an accepted practice for many years. But the so-called mediums used more “complicated” equipment devoid of the Ouija board we know,  or preferred to summon spirits while in a trance. And, incidentally, many of them were exposed as frauds.

And the country settled down a bit, but the movement wouldn’t die completely.

In 1886, The New York Daily Tribune announced a new “talking board” with the alphabet, numbers, yes, no, good evening, and good night, along with the raised pointer. It looked more like the Ouija board we know today, but it wasn’t quite there yet.

And in 1891, The Kennard Novelty Company was manufacturing and selling talking Ouija boards as toys to children and adults alike.  Later, a man named William Fuld, who worked for Kennard, took over the board’s manufacturing, and created his own style of board finally called the Ouija, which he explained was the combining of the French and German words for yes. And the name has stuck ever since. Later the manufacture of the boards was taken over by Parker Brothers and eventually, Hasbro, that holds the patent to this day which is still Fuld’s design.

The Ouija’s so-called “power” was said to be based on a phenomena first described by a scientist named Benjamin Carpenter who wrote a scientific paper on the subject and theorized that muscular movement can often happen independent of conscious thought.

Maybe he was right, but we may never know.  And since then, people have made all kinds of claims about the power these boards hold. And there have also been a lot of pranks going on with them too.

So check out this video and see what you think. Real or fake?


****DF






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Was this paranormal activity caught on camera?

This Post By TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher. Dorraine is a Professional Writer, a nature, wildlife and Bigfoot enthusiast who has written for many magazines. Dorraine conducts research, special interviews and more for The Crypto Crew. Get Dorraine's book The Book Of Blackthorne!



I haven't posted a ghost video for a long time and this one, real or not, was kind of interesting.

Dogs have a strong sixth sense for lots of things, including paranormal things.This dog kept seeing something outside the window, so the owner ran a video camera to find out if he could capture something. But that didn't turn out to be the interesting part. The movement outside the window could easily be a person or animal, but watch the blinds move as the dog is looking out the window.

What do you think? Real or fake? ********DF





[source: Rather freaky ]


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