North American Bigfoot

Finding Bigfoot - Virginia Field Notes

2012-02-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

Even before going to Virginia, I knew the state had a lot of excellent bigfoothabitat. Between the various onlinedatabases, there are over 70 reported bigfoot sightings on record. It is my guess that less than one percent ofsightings ever get reported to anyone, so that means there is probably quite abit of activity in the area. I wanted tocheck it out for myself, firsthand.

The evidence that brought us to Virginia was a videoobtained by a man named Chuck Newton. The video is called, “The Beast of Gum Hill” because of a nearbytopographical landmark. It shows Chuckriding an ATV up a river bed when a dark, upright figure walks across the rivera ways ahead of him. Chuck stops his ATVand points at it while looking back at the camera. In an authentically startled voice, Eric, thevideographer, asks, “What was that?!” The two men immediately turned around and rode out of the area,according to the witness.

The original "Best of Gum Hill" video. Note that the word "wood booger"
is in the YouTube title. Read on to find why this is interesting.

While our recreation indicated that the figure was smallerthan Bobo, it is interesting to note that we could clearly see that Bobo waswearing clothing as he clumsily strode across the creek. His “Gone ‘Squatchin’” hat was alsoobvious. The figure in the film wasuniformly colored from head to foot, with no visible skin on the hands norface. Interestingly, Chuck told us thateven though he couldn’t tell if it was hairy or not, he does remember that thefigure was uniformly colored from head to toe.

On the ATV ride out to the site, we rode right by a deer hunter who was clothed in a camouflaged-colored gillie suit. It is at least possible that Chuck ran across a hunter who walked across the knee-deep creek. However, as I noted in the episode, I think it's strange human behavior to not acknowledge the ATV riders with a friendly wave or a "hello." That just isn't what I find humans do out in the woods. Generally speaking, I find that people make some sort of contact, even if it's just a nod, because out in the wilds, one never knows who might save someone's life. I've stumbled across people in all sorts of dire circumstances while I was out bigfooting. Helping change tires, or even helping to drag cars out of snowdrifts isn't exactly rare in the back woods. It's always a good idea to at least wave to strangers out there. This figure did not even look at Chuck and his friend.

Chuck shared with us a story told to him by his friend’sgrandfather about the Gum Hill area. Growing up, Chuck’s friend had been repeatedly warned by his grandfatherto not walk the woods at night, or the “wood booger” would get him. Had this old man seen something himself, orwas it just a persistent rumor about the area? Either way, it was an excellent location for a night investigation.

Prepping the ATV's for the ride in.

The first night investigation was a bit frustrating, thoughinteresting at the same time. Early on,Ranae and I heard something moving below us only to find that it was a crewmember who had hiked up the trail to make a campsite for Matt’s soloinvestigation. Ranae and I then moved agood distance away to the pass between two valleys, both to avoid hearing anyof the crew, as well as to investigate an obvious travel route and choke pointbetween two river systems. While at thehigh ground, we again heard something large moving around below us. This was no crew member, though we neverfound out what exactly it was.

Another high point of the Virginia expedition was visitingwith Debbie and Kirsten. Kirsten saw abigfoot while retrieving the mail on her property one morning, but this was notthe only thing that has happened on their homestead. There have been multiple sightings, includingat least two daylight observations of the creatures. Their home has often been hit by projectilesfrom the woods, or seemingly been slapped by open hands from the outside. On one occasion, a pile of rocks appearedwith a “gift” laid on top (a rotten old Nerf football).

The rock pile (more than a year old) and the football
that was left on it, possibly by a bigfoot.

Just as in the case of the Bridges is Florida, Debbie andKirsten’s home was recently built (in 2007, I believe) and as long as they havelived there, bigfoots have been making their presence known. The humans are again the intruders on bigfootterritory, which probably accounts for the rocks being thrown at theirhouse. Interestingly, the rocks aren’tthrown as much anymore compared to when they first moved in. Also of note is that both Debbie and Kirsten haveseen the sasquatches on the property, but Debbie’s husband (Kirsten’s father) has not.

One witness at the town hall meeting presented a sightingreport with several very interesting details, and I was chosen to look into it withthe help of Ranae. A man named Anthonysaw a bigfoot from below and the other side of a waterfall.

Abram Falls, near Gum Hill, was the locationof the sighting, but not of our recreation. Abram Falls is on private land. The area is frequented by teenagers during the summer, and like manyteenagers, they party and go swimming at the swimming hole. One person had recently fallen from above thewaterfall and either got seriously hurt or died in the fall. We could not get a permit to film at thelocation because of some sort of litigation (I’m thankfully left out of thepre-production part of the show, and details such as these are not known tome). The recreation site was found by aproducer with the help of Anthony himself so as to best approximate thelocation. I was shown photographs ofAbram Falls, and I have to say that they did an excellent job choosing anappropriate spot. The resemblance wasuncanny.

Besides the amazing athleticism shown by the bigfoot(clearing such a distance in three bounding leaps), there were a couple otherinteresting details from Anthony’s account that did not make the final edit ofthe show. Above the falls, he found a tiered area where it seemed that wild,edible plants had been encouraged to grow, or perhaps even purposefully planted. One tier had ginseng, the second had berries,and a third level had touch-me-nots. Allthree of these plants are edible at various times throughout the year, and eachtier seemed to contain the specified plant almostexclusively.

Though there is no clear connection between this area and the sasquatch that was observed nearby. Perhaps there is no connection at all, and it’sall coincidence. However, could it be that sasquatches have some level of awareness of agriculture? I do not know, but itis an intriguing avenue of thought to travel down. After all, sasquatches are undoubtedly ourclosest genetic relative, so perhaps it’s not too big a logical leap to thinkthat some bigfoot somewhere might have figured out how to transplant wild herbs tospecific locations for ease of gathering. For now, I'll just be aware of this detail and look for patterns in the coming years that might support this possibility.

(It should be noted that since this detail has come out, I have contacted two trusted long-term witnesses and asked if any such behavior has ever been noted on their properties. No behavior like this had been. However, in one case the local sasquatches had cleared away brush from where they were routinely fed, but for an unknown reason, and certainly not for agricultural use.)

The site of Anthony's sighting recreation.

Another intriguing aspect to Anthony’s encounter was notmentioned in the show. Anthony found anumber of deer carcasses at the base of the falls, twisted and broken from anobvious fall from the cliffs above. Several of these carcasses had their hind legs ripped, not cut, from the torso, and also had the shoulder stripsremoved. Could it be that thesasquatches in the area had run panicked deer off the dangerous waterfall totheir deaths, much like Plains Indians did with the buffalo?

I heard another report of this behavior fromone of the long-term witnesses mentioned above. The long-term witness' auntwas smoking a cigarette on the porch at midnight and saw three orfour large, upright figures chasing deer in the woods in the direction of thecliff that leads down to the creek behind their house. In the morning, the woman told the propertyowner that her neighbors were weird because they were hunting deer without guns, trying to chase deer offof the cliff, running at full speed at night without lights on in the woods. Weird neighbors, indeed! Big, weird, hairy neighbors!

The last night investigations was at High Knob, a hill witha history of bigfoot encounters. Infact, the place where we parked the cars for base camp was the very site of a bigfootencounter from several years ago. Whilewe were out fooling around with iridescent powder and UV flashlights, somestealthy visitors came by base camp and made their presence known.

The crew and various producers spend their night investigationtime reading, watching movies on their computers, or just hanging out, all thewhile monitoring their radios in case the away teams (us in the woods) need something like freshbatteries, or first aid. On thisoccasion, base camp was visited by unseen guests who threw several large rocksat the U-Haul truck that was rented to haul gear. The rocks hit the “cube truck” with suchforce that the producers actually stopped their movies and came out of thetruck to look around. Several of the PA’s("production assistants," who are essentially there to do whatever is needed)heard these unseen stalkers in the woods, but thought it was the producer (whowas in the cube truck) messing with them. None of these people thought much about the possibility that bigfoots might be the culprits. Hopefully, on next season's shows we can monitor base camp a bit better to gather some interesting data from there!

It just goes to show, you can’t really out-bigfoot abigfoot. They’re better at this than we ever will be.

Other cool things that didn’t make the cut happened on theshoot as well. This was the episode whenbigfoot-production-assistant, and friend of the sasquatch, Tyler Bounds hit amysterious figure on the road one night. While Tyler’s story is detailed by Tyler himself elsewhere, here is myside of the story.

I was asleep, and at 2:24 in the morning myphone rang. Seeing it was Tyler Bounds, I knew it wasimportant, so I picked up. Tyler, in apanicked voice, told me that he had either just hit a person or a bigfoot withhis car. He was speeding up through fogbanks to get on the freeway at the base of High Knob when he looked up too lateand collided with a tall, upright figure standing on the left hand side of theroad. Whatever he hit was far tallerthan his car (later measured to be five feet, five inches tall) and seeminglyjust standing there. Tyler stopped hiscar, got out, and ran back to where he hit the figure, but found nobody. He called out to the darkness saying he wasjust there to help. He told me that atthat point he was thinking he hit somebody’s grandfather who had dementia or something. Nobody answered, so Tyler freaked out alittle harder and continued to call out while searching the area. Nothing was found.

The dent on the front quarter panel

from whatever-it-was that Tyler hit.

A close up of the rear view mirror (that was pushed in).

Note the dirty marks that seem to indicate hair.

The next day, Tyler returned to the spot to search the areain daylight. No dead bodies were found in thebrush, so the adjacent meadows were also scoured. There was a deer herd nearby, and it ispossible that Tyler hit a deer.

I have towonder what Tyler collided with, though. He is no camping newbie, and when I spoke to him that night in the weehours, it was clear that at that point he thought he probably hit a person. He was absolutely sober that night, and had his head about him. At the time, I even suggested to him that itcould have been a deer, and he admitted that it was a possibility. He just said that it looked like a man at the time.

Bobo and I made a fuss about this possibility with theproducers. They eventually let us swabthe car for DNA, and they filmed us doing so. It is part of our contract that any evidence gathered belongs to the powers-that-be,so the sample is in the hands of Ping Pong Productions at the moment. I no longer have control over it, but I didmy part by gathering it. I don’t thinkthat any testing will be done on it. DNAtesting is quite expensive, especially when there is a possibility that itcould be a deer.

Another highlight of the Virginia expedition was what I didon our off-night. Bobo, and I, alongwith the sound technician went to the birth place of country music, the CarterFamily Fold. Every weekend for as longas anyone remembers (well, you know what I mean), the Carter Family Fold hasbeen having mountain music concerts for the locals. I was lucky enough to attend that night.

The band was smoking, the people were superfriendly (even coaxing Bobo into attending church the next day), and the venuewas perfect for some good old fashioned country music dancing and fun. It was not only a highlight of the trip, itwas a highlight of my life. It was not a concert, but a romp in a living museum on the earliest moments of American country music. I danced my butt off at the foot of the last stage Johnny Cash ever performed on. I hung out with June Carter's granddaughter. I partook in a small bit of history.

And I have bigfoot to thank for it.

More from behind the scenes:

Iridescent powder got all over my face.

The spirit of the Revolutionary War is still alive

in Virginia, but I'm not Tory!

One of the many signs at the Carter Family Fold.
Go there if you can, you won't regret it.

Bay Area Bigfoot Meeting

2012-02-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

This just came in from friend of the sasquatch, Tom Yamarone:

First Monthly Meeting of Bay Area Bigfoot Research Organization

Location: Round Table Pizza, 61 43rd Avenue, San Mateo, CA
(may actually be Belmont, CA)
Date/Time: Sunday, February 12, 2012 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

If you are interested in bigfoot, please join us as we discuss the bigfoot/sasquatch topic
with other enthusiasts. We’ll introduce ourselves, present an overview of the best
evidence and, if time allows, watch a short documentary. Dinner and drinks will be
available at the restaurant. We’ll have the private banquet room for our meeting.

Who are we? Bay Area Bigfoot Research was started by 3 individuals who have been
involved in bigfoot research for many years. There was a research group in the San
Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s and we wanted to create another Bay Area group that
would bring together like-minded people to learn more about this subject, discuss current
bigfoot research topics, solicit eyewitness accounts and organize group outings to the
Sierras and other areas in Northern California.

Agenda: Welcome and Introductions (Joyce Kearney, Jerry Hein & Tom Yamarone)

Joyce Kearney and Tom Yamarone

Jerry Hein

Discussion of our reasons for meeting each month. Also what we hope to accomplish with
these meetings. (for example, discuss recent “hot topics” in bigfoot research, solicit and discuss
bigfoot sighting reports, etc.)

Short Presentation: “A Review of the Most Compelling Evidence for the Existence of Bigfoot/
Sasquatch” (Tom Yamarone)

Tom will bring 3 or 4 bigfoot footprint casts, several books he would recommend as references
for research, photographs of some Native American stone heads, totems and masks and print outs
of archival newspaper articles. Joyce will bring a Native American mask that she has to share
with the group.

Afterwards, we’ll have a discussion of bigfoot evidence.

Break

Viewing of bigfoot documentary (will have several to choose from… 30 – 45 mins)

Discussion of ideas for future meetings.

Craig Flipy, Tom Yamarone,
Cliff Barackman, and Terry Smith

Finding Bigfoot - Ohio Video Debrief

2012-01-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

Filmed on the Olympic Peninsula and Interstate 5 Freeway, here is the video debrief of the most recent episode of Finding Bigfoot!

Finding Bigfoot - Ohio Field Notes

2012-01-29T23:10:00.000-08:00

Ohio was a natural choice for anepisode of Finding Bigfoot. There are hundreds of reportsfrom there, and I would guess that Ohio has more bigfoot researchersthere than anywhere outside of the Pacific Northwest. MattMoneymaker lived in Ohio while he attended law school in Akron duringthe 1990's, and knows that area well. I had done an expedition therea few years back near Beaver Creek State Park soon after an excellentvocalization was recorded there, and indeed I heard what I believewas a sasquatch at very close range one night on that trip. I knewit was just a matter of time until we did an expedition there.

The video we came to investigate wastaken by a man named Jeff Patterson at Salt Fork State Park. Jeffstarted calling himself the “Squatchmaster” at some point, andhas since posted many short films on his Youtube channel(http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSquatchmaster). The film shows a dark, upright figure walking through shallowsnow to a tree. It then grabs the tree and starts shaking it backand forth until the video clip ends. The footage clearly showseither a bigfoot or a human.

Jeff Patterson's bigfoot video from Salt Fork State Park.

Jeff's story starts before his videodoes. According to Jeff, he was sledding in Salt Fork State Parkwith several of his children. They parked at a parking lot and Jeffand his son, Chris went towards the woods to look around for bigfootfootprints. They had run across possible prints just a few weeksbefore in this same area, and they wanted to see if any more hadshown up.

They soon reportedly heard snappingnoises in the woods, and they both followed the noises. A sasquatchwas seen walking along the nearby trail, which is in a small ravineand runs through the area. They paralled it a short ways and lostsight of it, but could still hear it. Soon they saw it again adistance away as it walked out of the ditch and towards the tree. This is where the film starts, so you know the rest. After the filmends, Jeff doesn't know what the figure did because he was leavingthe area.

An interesting component of the videois that one can faintly hear speaking in the background. Jeff andChris both said they were the only ones there, but the noises canreadily be heard. Jeff and Chris said that they could hear twocreatures making noises to each other. When Chris was asked whatthey sounded like, he said the noises sounded like a sasquatch. Hmmm... a red flag had been raised.

We found the same tree that the figurewas shaking in the video, but it had been knocked down and broken bythe time we got there. Jeff remembered where he was standing whilehe filmed, and it was not difficult to find the exact camera positionby aligning the numerous trees and branches visible in the footage. This would later give insight into the height of the figure as well. We were also able to do our recreation using the same camera Jeffused for the original footage.

A photo from our recreation. Bobo is the blue blob in

the center of the photo.

Another red flag was raised while wewere interviewing Jeff and his son. Being a professional educator,and having taught fourth through sixth grades for more than a decade,I was very eager to speak to Chris about the encounter. Mostteachers are very good at determining when a student is telling thetruth or not, or even if they are leaving out important details. Ifigured that my experience would give me a pretty good handle on theauthenticity of Chris' version of the story.

When I asked Chris what the thinglooked like, he said that he saw a large, dark figure shaking a tree. When he was asked if he could see its face, Chris answered that hesaw a large, dark figure shaking a tree. When asked about if it wascovered in hair, he said that he saw a large, dark figure shaking atree. It was soon becoming pretty clear that Chris had probably beencoached on what to say.

Comparing our recreation video to theoriginal, it was obvious that whatever is in that clip is not verybig. It seems to be about six to ten inches shorter than Bobo. Looking very closely at the original video, there seem to be someframes that hint at the figure wearing clothing as well, though thisis less than sure.

Before we did our investigation, Ireceived some information that the Squatchmaster video had beenproven a hoax, so I did some online investigating into the work doneby others on this film. I ran across a very reliable reference to avideo where Jeff Patterson himself confessed that the video was ahoax, and that he did not believe that there were any bigfoots inSalt Fork State Park. At one point he said that he believes thefootprints found in Salt Fork were the result of other bigfootinvestigators trying to hoax him. The videos in which Jeff confessedthese things had since been removed from his Youtube channel. Looking again, I found that all of the Squatchmaster videos were onlya month or so old. It occurred to me that it had only been a monthor so since the producers had contacted him about using his video forthe show. I suspect that Jeff did a major house-cleaning on hisYoutube page at about this time for obvious reasons.

At the end of every video recreation,each team member has to tell the witness to his/her face what wethink of the video. Sometimes this gets a little uncomfortable,especially for Ranae when she tells them they're wrong or lying. Nowit was my turn to feel a bit awkward. Jeff and Chris had beennothing but kind to us, and were enjoying their time recreating thefilm.

Each team member took his or her turntelling Jeff that the film probably doesn't show a sasquatch. Myturn came up and I looked Jeff in the eye and told him that I didsome digging on the history of this film. “Since you are on recordyourself saying that the film doesn't show a sasquatch, why should Ithink it does?” were the words I used. Jeff agreed with me. Bobolater told me that Jeff looked like he was going to cry. I'm glad hedidn't. I felt a bit bad. Jeff and his son showed up to the townhall meeting the next night and waved at us when we walked by, so Iguess it didn't hurt his feelings too badly.

Typical Ohio bigfoot habitat.

That first night's investigation wasdone not far from Jeff's film site. Bobo and I teamed up togetherand hiked various horse trails through the woods for several hours. We heard strange calls on two occasions that night. The first timewas when Bobo and I crested a hill and he did a call. A short replycall came from our north west. Bobo immediately thought it was ahuman, and it might have been. In fact, at the time, I thought itwas too. Later, after looking at a map, I realized that it seemedrather unlikely that anyone was in that area. I do not know whatmade those sounds, honestly...

The second set of sounds came a whilelater after Bobo and I left the hill top and were hiking in a denselyforested canyon. This call came from our south, from the directionof the road. Again, we assumed it was a person doing the noises, butthe crew back at base camp later told us that almost no cars wereseen driving the roads that night, and they saw no people in the areaeither. It's possible that both of the evening's sounds were human,but I would give either one, but the first one in particular, a fairchance of being from something else...

The town hall meeting was excellent. There were over 170 people in attendance, and many of them werebigfooters. When we asked who had seen or heard a bigfoot, astaggering number of hands shot up. We took the time to listen toeach and every person's story, which took several hours. Aftermarking them all on a map, I finally got a chance to mingle and talkto some folks. I met many people that night, but a highlight for mewas to meet Don Keating. Don has been researching bigfoots in thatarea since the 1980's, and his name has been on my radar for a longtime. I was thrilled to meet him.

Cliff Barackman and Don Keating

The next day I went to speak to ChiefLittle Soldier of the Munsee/Delaware Indian Reservation. ChiefLittle Soldier told us about the two eyewitness sightings that he hadhad on the property over the last three years, as well as thenumerous strange sounds he had heard, and the footprints he findswhile walking the land. I investigated his most recent sighting fromMay of 2011, but a year or two before, he saw a smaller individualrunning through the trees just under the ridge line above him whilewalking the trails.

The sighting I investigated happenedwhile Chief Little Soldier was pounding in a trail maker. He lookedup the trail to see a creature walking across the trail and into theravine below. The creature brushed its head against a branch as itran downwards, and took the slope and cleared the river in six orseven steps. Using the branch as a marker, we figured out that thecreature stood at about 7 feet, 5 inches tall, give or take a bit.

The red arrow marks the branch that brushed
against the sasquatch's head. The gully it ran into
is behind and down from the tree.

Chief Little Soldier had been findingfootprints of three individuals in the area over the years. Oneindividual has feet of 17 inches in length, another of 15 inches, anda smaller one a little less than 10 inches. He believes that he most recently sawthe 15 inch individual.

Just a few days before, Chief Little Soldier found prints of the smallest individual on one of the trails nearby. While Chief Little Soldier was filming his recreation, I sneaked off to try to find the footprint. Using the directions Chief Little Soldier gave me, I soon located a very faint yet obvious footprint right on the same stretch of trail I was directed to. It had been several days, and rain had occurred, but the print was worthy of a photograph, no matter how poorly the picture turned out.

A small footprint from the Munsee/Delaware Indian Reservation.

Though I did not investigate hersighting, I would like to make a comment on Lorena's sighting reportof a sasquatch watching her children play in a playground. It was avery close range, daylight sighting with no chance of mistaking abear or deer for a bigfoot. She watched it for long enough toobserve some very interesting physical details. As it turns out,there is an eyewitness drawing of this bigfoot, as well as a shortdescription of the account on the BFRO website here.

After getting Bobo from the woods, allfour of us went to meet with Tim Stover. He encountered a bigfoot onOctober 6, 1992 while crossbow hunting in Salt Fork State Park. Timwas perched in a tree stand watching and listening when he caughtsight of a 7.5 to 8 feet tall, coyote-colored sasquatch coming up thehill towards his location. He saw it quite clearly and was only 38yards away. Interestingly, Tim remembered that he could see nowhites in its eyes at all.

Tim Stover and the gang from Finding Bigfoot

Because of the sheer number of peoplewho are interested in bigfoot in this part of Ohio, we decided toinvite the public out for another grid search, much like the one weheld in North Carolina during season one. The weather was not nearlyas nice that day as it was in North Carolina, but still a great manypeople came out to comb the forests with us. I spent much of thetime walking with families and interpreting things that were pointedout to me as possible bigfoot evidence.

I did not see anything that day that Iwould consider bigfoot data, which probably explains my absence fromthat particular clip of the show. However, we did come across astrange thing that defies explanation on my part. Over the course ofthe day, I saw two or three small branches that were sticking out ofthe ground, as if pushed in the mud. They were embedded about two orthree inches deep into the soft soil. No substrate nearby had beendisturbed. I am guessing that these 18 to 24 inch long branches hadfallen out of the trees and stuck into the ground that way, but itwas a puzzling thing to see. I still had a great time meeting thelocal people and talking about bigfoot with fellow bigfooters.

The last night investigation was heldon the fringes of the park away from any place humans might go, suchas a campground or picnic area. We started in a cemetery and headedout into open fields surrounded by ravines that lead down to thereservior. These ravines are heavily treed in and very brushy. Itwas kind of a long night, and my team only heard coyotes until Bobonotified us that something just hit the ground nearby where he andRanae were standing. He said it was possibly a rock, but he couldn'tbe sure. Matt and I went to their location to help solve themystery. Bobo and Ranae showed us where the sound came from, andtogether we all four slowly searched the area. One of us ran acrossa walnut fruit and suggested that this might have been the source ofthe sound. Sure enough, there was a walnut tree not far from ourlocation, and it was very possible that the fruit had just fallen outof the tree nearby and made the reported noise.

As a test, Matt tossed the walnut fruitinto the air. We wanted to hear the noise for ourselves, and wewanted Bobo and Ranae to compare the two sounds. The walnut fruitwent twenty or so feet into the air and fell directly on Ranaecausing an explosion of laughter. We know Matt didn't do it onpurpose, because he would have missed. It was too perfect, and agreat way to end the night. We solved the mystery of the sound, andwe got to witness a perfectly slapstick moment after a long night inthe woods.

This was my second trip to Ohio, and Ican't wait to get back out there to do some more bigfooting. Theentire eastern side of the state has excellent habitat for bigfoot,which is only part of the reason there are so many reports fromthere. The other part is the number of bigfooters looking into themystery from that area. By their good efforts, more information willcontinue to come from that region. Thank you, bigfooters in Ohio andneighboring states, for your work. Keep it up.

Enjoy some other pictures from my adventures in Ohio:

Cliff Barackman and Chief Little Soldier

In a clip that didn't make the show, I got to ride around in
this Amish buggy. It was very cool.

"Buggy Parking Please..."

A giant cookie from the hotel staff.
Thank you!

"Dangerous Cliff"

Hosak's Cave

Salt Fork State Park is indeed a very bigfooty spot.

Western Bigfoot Society Meeting

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

For you long-term bigfooters out there, you probably remember Ray Crowe and the Western Bigfoot Society. The WBS published a monthly newsletter called, "The Track Record," and the group held monthly meetings featuring various guest speakers for years and years until Ray experienced some health problems and dropped from the scene.

Ray Crowe and a friend.

As of a few months ago, Ray and the WBS have now returned to the scene in that the monthly meetings are now again being hosted. I am happy to say that at next weekend's meeting on February 4th, I will be the guest speaker.

The meeting will be at Pattie's Home Plate Cafe, which is located at 8501 N. Lombard, Portland, OR 97255. There will be a social hour from 6 pm until 7 pm, and I will start speaking at 7 o'clock. The cost is manageable, too: totally free.

It will be an informal affair, and there will be lots of time to just hang out and mingle. I hope to see you there.

Finding Bigfoot - Alberta, Canada - Video Debrief

2012-01-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

Craig Flipy and Cliff Barackman once again sit down to talk about the most recent episode of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot, but this time they are accompanied by Guy Edwards from Bigfoot Lunch Club. Enjoy!

Finding Bigfoot - Alberta, Canada Field Notes

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Looking at a map, it is clear thatCanada is a really big country, but it took visiting the easternslopes of the Canadian Rockies for its sheer vastness to really hithome with me. The terrain is so big, and vistas so grand, thatdescribing it as awe-inspiring falls short of the real experience.

While there is more than ample room formany sasquatches in the mountains outside of Calgary, Alberta, thereis not a great number of sightings on record. I think this can beattributed to not only the huge amounts of land for the bigfoots toinhabit, but also to the fairly small number of people.

Back in the 1970's,veteran bigfooter John Green noticed the correlation between rainfall bigfoot sightings. The eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockiesreceives significantly less precipitation than the mountains ofBritish Columbia to the west, and the number of sasquatch encountersreported drops in proportion. To find a bigfoot in this vastlandscape would be harder than usual, and it's never an easy task.

We came to the area toinvestigate a video obtained by Todd Standing. I heard about Toddseveral years ago as a man who had supposedly obtained several piecesof footage of sasquatches at a secret spot that he called “Sylvanic.” He then put the clips together into some sort of film and wasshowing it in small movie theaters around Canada. Not long after,his name popped up again as a man who was lobbying the Canadianparliament for official protection of sasquatches.

Todd Standing and Cliff Barackman

Having never really takenthe time to look closely at Todd's videos, I was pleased to be goingto meet him. I find that so much more information comes out whenspeaking to the actual videographer, and it was an opportunity tocome to an informed opinion on Todd's work for myself .

We met Todd on a rainy dayin an empty campground where several bigfoot encounters had happendedover the previous several years. He refused to take a jacket or useany rain gear, claiming it was not cold. He was soon shivering in awet, cotton shirt, maintaining his position that it was a nice day.

Todd is a very polite andwell-spoken man. I genuinely liked the guy, as well as his message regarding sasquatches: protect them, and let them be. Hehas taken great strides to increase the public's awareness ofbigfoots through his actions. While these actions are labeled asself-serving by his critics, the fact that attention was brought tosasquatches is undeniable.

Todd currently lives inCalgary, but he lived several hundred miles away when he obtained hisvideos at Sylvanic. He told us that he could not take us to theactual spot because it is a three-day hike back to this secludedvalley, and the last day would be spent belly crawling up a river bedin a specially designed gillie suit made by Todd himself. He went onto say that nobody wants to be back there because of the problemgrizzly bears that inhabit that area. He claimed that the rangerssay there is a 10% chance of being killed by a bear while in thearea, and it was too dangerous to go. It seemed to me that a bunch ofhurdles were put in the way of anyone wanting to see the location forthemselves. Todd did offer to take anyone there who wanted to go ata later time, but it would take a week or two for the trek.

Questioning Todd, I soonlearned that at this time he had five videos that had bigfoots inthem. The first video is apparently only a sound recording with noimages of sasquatches (I didn't get to hear the recording). We investigated video number two, with thecreature quickly bending over out of sight while above Todd on ahill. His third video shows what is either a bigfoot or a man insuit running on a hillside. This creature is the same brownishorange color as the creature in video number two. Video number fouris a close up of what appears to me to be a bigfoot puppet behindsome branches. Its dark eyes stare unblinking off to frame right,and there is very little movement visible. The skin appears verymuch like felt, and its fur lacks the flow pattern that one wouldexpect from a living creature. Video number five is a similar shot,but with a much more convincing bigfoot head. It slightly resemblesPatty from the Patterson/Gimlin film, but with a rounder face andmore dog-like nose. Over the last month or so, there seems to havebeen another still released showing this same head, but possibly fromanother film.

I asked Todd what was upwith video number four, the one that looked like a Muppet head. Hesaid that he does not know why it looked so bad. He suggested thatthe lighting might have made it appear that way.

We were to beinvestigating his second video, the one with a brief glimpse of acreature bending down facing away from the camera. The video is verybrief, but it seemed that it showed something bipedal and hairy. Anarm and even possible buttox muscles can be seen, or are at leastsuggested. We were to rely solely on Todd's measurements since we wereunable to go to the actual film site. This would be problematic forour reconstruction, as going to the actual film site is veryimportant for a sense of scale. Trusting someone's measurements when you're trying to find out if their film was hoaxed makes little sense anyways, but it's all we had to go on.

Todd claimed to have not even believedin bigfoots at the time he obtained his second video. It was hisfilm flip that convinced him they were real. This was very peculiar tome because he claimed to have made approximately a dozen trips to thelocation trying to film a bigfoot by the time he got his video. Hechose Sylvanic as likely bigfoot habitat, and he even developed anintricate theory of sasquatch social/family structure, all before hebelieved in bigfoots. I personally don't believe that griffonsexist, and I don't plan expeditions based on how they would live (ifthey were real) to see if I'm wrong...

Questioning Todd further, we found that he wasunaware of the elevation of the Sylvanic location. He said that henever paid attention. This, if true, would be a very dangerous thingto ignore, as we would soon find out during that night'sinvestigation (it snowed on us in August). How could Todd have chosena location, planned his hikes in (most likely using topographicmaps), visited a dozen times, and not noticed the elevation? Thisseems very unlikely.

When investigating a film, I sometimes think of the late Rene Dahinden and his comments on the Patterson/Gimlin Film. He said that what you need to know is in the film. Certainly, Rene would think that the context of a film is very important, too, but I like to examine films starting with what is actually seen. Good films stand on their own,and their context only serves to reinforce or put in doubt a clip's authenticity.

With so little to go on for video number two, I am left with notknowing what is in it. The film looks like either a bigfoot or a guyin a suit bending over. Since there is very little information to begleaned from the actual video, I have to rely on the context. Toddwas unable or unwilling to go to the actual spot, there were inconsistencies in his story surrounding the clip, and there's thatMuppet face staring, unblinking in film number four... These leaveme with serious doubts about what is shown in any of his videos.

Expressing my concerns to Todd, hecorrectly stated that video will never be enough for proof. Howtrue. Todd goes on to say that only a body will ever suffice. Asmuch as I hope this isn't the case, it could very well be the grizzlytruth at the end of the bigfoot mystery.

We did the first night investigation ina nearby valley. Ranae and Bobo headed up a trail while Matt and Iwalked up a road. It was raining, but as my team gained elevation,the precipitation quickly turned into a heavy snow. It was a dramaticchange from just a few days before when we were roasting in themosquito-filled swamps of Northern Minnesota. It was also a reminder of paying attention to your elevation. Ignoring such adetail could prove to have fatal consequences here in the CanadianRockies, even in the middle of August.

The night investigation was relativelyquiet. Our calls were magnificent, though. The rocky walls of thevalley threw our vocalizations for literally miles in both direction. We counted to see how long our echoes lasted after we stoppedcalling: eight seconds. It was very cool.

The Canadian Rockies are amazing in their size.

The next day, we were to meet withtribal representatives from the Stoney Nakota First Nations tribe. The elders were considering helping us in our quest, but they wantedto ask us some questions before they agreed. Bobo and I met Lennyand Peter (a different Peter than the one who blessed us on camera)for breakfast. After a short meeting, they realized that we were notthere with the intention to hurt sasquatches in any way. They shared that things arechanging, and the elders were interested in helping raiseconsciousness about sasquatches. Lenny and Peter soon were comfortable thatBobo and I had good hearts, and we shared some common goals andideas. They agreed to bless us in a smudge ceremony the followingday.

Lenny is a master tracker. He has hadseveral encounters with bigfoots on tribal lands over the years, andgave us much to think about. He reminded us that there is more tothis world than what can be observed with the five senses, and heshared his tribe's belief that sasquatches walk the line between twoworlds. He taught us about noticing the temperature differences atdifferent elevations within a valley, which dramatically affect thedirection of air currents at that level. He told us about the habitsof the deer, elk, and moose in the neighboring valleys. He remindedus to trust our feelings and intuitions. He was obviously a mastertracker, and probably part Jedi who is clearly strong in the Force.

Our town hall had a pretty good turnout, especially when considering the nasty weather that was hittingthe area. Many reports surfaced from the local area and as far awayas Edmonton. Lenny showed up to the meeting and addressed the crowdfor a few moments with his message as well.

The next day, Ranae and I met withTyler Huggins. Tyler saw a bigfoot while hiking with his brother anda dog. The sasquatch darted across the trail just 15 or 20 feet infront of his brother, while Tyler was a bit further back. Bothwitnesses got a clear view of the creature. The sasquatch ran down avery steep slope, hurdling logs and debris until it was out of sight. Tyler then observed a large tree being violently shaken, though hecould only see the top of the tree, not the creature doing theshaking. While Ranae kind of came a little close to replicating the running across the path,she would not even attempt to sprint down the hill, let alone hurdlethe debris in her path.

While the crew was filming the recreation of Tyler's sighting, I walked up the trail a few hundred yards and then off into the brush a ways. Sitting in undergrowth and enjoying the quiet, I started looking around. Just from where I was sitting, I saw no less than five types of edible plants, including raspberries and rose hips. When you consider that I am unfamiliar with the plants of this region, there are probably many others growing nearby that are nutritious. It is clear how so many large mammals can live in this area. There is abundant food, at least in this time of year.

Wild roses and their seed pods called rose hips

The next day, all four of us interviewed Lonni andDonna about their encounter. They were both attendees on a BFROexpedition that lasted several days. Several occurrences hinted atsasquatches being in the area, with the strongest evidence being therock that was thrown at the tent. The night of the rock throwing, agroup of women stayed in camp and talked with each other, laughingoften. I believe these sounds caught the attention of a localbigfoot and brought it in for a closer look.

Lonni shared photographs of anindistinct track way through the grass with us, and told us of hisencounter the night before with something that gave him a low growlthat he could “feel through his body.” While no visual sightingwas had, the context strongly suggests that a bigfoot came by to seewhat was going on.

Our last night investigation took placea short distance away from Lonni and Donna's encounter location. Wewere to be using a mechanical deer to try to draw any predators (orother animals) out into the open so we could film them. The deer looked greatuntil it was made to move by using a remote control. Its head wouldslowly twist right to left, and its tail would slowly flick up anddown. It strongly reminded me of the Washington episode from firstseason with that remote control goose cam. Like the goose cam, itwas clear that thetechnology for remote controlled deer is lacking. After a few wiggles solelyfor the sake of the camera, I let the deer just be still. I thoughtit might have a better chance to draw something out that way.

Cliff and a friend

While Ranae and I were in the huntingblind with the thermal camera, Bobo and Matt climed a nearby hill todo calls. We were hoping their calls would draw some attention tothe meadows below where Ranae and I were stationed. At one point,Matt claimed to have heard a bigfoot vocalization through theparabolic dish he was using. Bobo did not hear it at the time, andthe recording was faint and muddy.

Down below, Ranae and I heard a veryinteresting sound. It sounded like a clear, high pitched tone,almost like a bell tone, but clearly organic. We both agreed that itwas unlikely to be from a coyote, and neither of us knows whatmade the noise. It came from a good distance, and much further away than the coyotes we had been hearing off and on for several hours. The call was made twice, and not heard again.

The Canadian Rockies were a challengingplace to go bigfooting. The area is simply huge, and there are veryfew roads penetrating the higher elevations. Not a lot of sightingscome out of the area were were in, but then again, there aren't a tonof people there either. What people there are stay in the cities, or on the few roadsthat are available. Still, the witnesses we spoke to at the meeting,the lore and knowledge shared with us by the Stoney Nakota FirstNation Tribe, as well as the sightings we investigated leave littledoubt that bigfoots live in the area.

On our one day off, Ranae and I went to Lake Louise

in Banff National Park. It was staggeringly beautiful, but

packed to the gills with tourists...

Feel free to make your own caption for this one.

Share it with me by leaving a comment below.

Finding Bigfoot Returns to Ohio on January 21st

2012-01-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

The castand crew of Finding Bigfoot will be returning to Ohio to film aspecial episode highlighting the events of season two on Saturday, January 21. Much like“Behind the Legend,” the seventh episode in season one, the castwill premiere clips of upcoming episodes and field questions from alive audience. These clips will be not only highlights of what willbe seen in upcoming episodes, but also special behind-the-scenesclips that will not make the final edit in the regular episodes.

Theevent will take place at the scene of the jam-packed town hallmeeting from the upcoming Ohio episode, Deerassic Park. Thisfacility is almost literally at the door step of Salt Fork StatePark, well-known bigfooting hot spot in eastern Ohio.

Thefilming is open to the public, and totally free. If you areinterested in attending, please arrive by 11 am, as there is limitedseating available. Filming starts at noon, and is expected to lastseveral hours.

If you are able to come out, be sure to say hello to me and introduce yourself. Perhaps I'll see you there.

Finding Bigfoot - Minnesota Video Debrief

2012-01-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest installment of Craig Flipy's behind-the-scenes video debriefs with Cliff Barackman. Craig and Cliff talk about the recently aired Minnesota episode of Finding Bigfoot on Animal Planet.

Finding Bigfoot - Minnesota Field Notes

2012-01-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

Northern Minnesota is a rural area offorests, farmlands, and bogs. The human population is mostlyin small urban areas and farms that are separated by huge tracts of nearly impassable land. Many large animalsmake this area their home, including deer, moose, wolves, bear, andsasquatches.

It was Andy Pieper’s interesting recordings thatbrought us to this location. The spot he recorded them has had bigfoot activity on or near it for many years. Most of the sounds he recorded wereclearly canines, but one or two were more ambiguous. I think it’sat least possible that those vocalizations were from a bigfoot (though it’s equally possible that they were from a wolf).

Power lines near the recording location.

One of the highlights of this trip was driving those cool amphibious swamp vehicles manufactured byArgos. They have eight wheels, can float, and can drive over mostobstacles. At first I felt a little bad about plowing throughthickets of plants and trees, but an interesting feature of thesepeat bogs is that the trees and plants, once pushed down, pop back up. Utilizing these amazing vehicles, we were able toaccess islands of dry land deep in the peat bogs that few people evergo to. The one we spent the most time on was called “The Nursery”by the local bigfooters because of the small human-like footprintsfound there over the years that they believe are from juvenilesasquatches. These islands certainly would be excellent places foryoung bigfoots to hunt and hide without having to worry aboutmeddling humans.

An Argo vehicle.

The deer kill that Ranae and I foundwas the work of predators. It could have been from wolves, coyotes,or even a bigfoot, but we couldn’t tell. However, that wefound the scattered bones right inside the tree line was interesting. It would be strategic for a predator to ambush any prey animals as they entered the forest after crossing the marsh.

The night investigation yielded mixedresults. At one point Ranae and I heardloud plopping noises of something dropping into water. At the time, we were utterly unaware of the pond that was on the other side of the brush. We thought that there was no body of water other than shallow, marshy pits with reeds and grasses growing in them. After learning that the pond was there, I changed my hypothesis from rocks being thrown to a beaver slapping its tail on the surface of the water (as they often do when disturbed). Though it is likely that the noiseswere made by a beaver, Ranae insisted that she could hear something largewalking through the woods between where we were standing and wherethe noises came from. I did not hear those walking noises, but Ranaewas so insistent that I have to at least keep the possibility openthat those noises were from something else.

The town hall meeting was amazing. Thelittle building we used was packed with standing room only. We tookthe time to listen to each and every person who wanted to share theirstory with us. Even after the meeting, I had people come up to me totell me about their bigfoot encounter that they didn’t feel comfortable sharing infront of everyone. There are indeed a lot of bigfoot encounters inthis area, and there has been for decades.

The awesome people of Minnesota!

Bobo’s solo investigation would lastthree nights. I knew it would be a good one, even if the bigfootsweren’t around at that time of year. I’ve been bigfooting with Bobo on many nights over the last seven years we’ve been friends, and if there’s something I know about him, it’s that he hates bugs. There have beenseveral hot days in the woods when Bobo would not get out of the tentbecause of the horse flies. He would instead lie in the tent withthe screen door open and lure the horseflies inside. Once the flywas in the tent, he would quickly zip up the door and engage theinsect in mortal combat. “Only one of us can come out alive,” heclaimed. He dubbed the tent, “The Thunderdome,” and bug gut stainsstill adorn the inside walls to this day (it was my tent...). He even would go as far asmounting particularly large flies that he found to be worthy opponents on smallpieces of wood to decorate his trophy wall at home.

Jenna, the young jogger, saw a largebigfoot just a short distance from her home. Interestingly, therehas been other activity around their property. Once, a very large and dark figure wasseen walking about 200 yards away inside the wood line on the otherside of a field. An interesting fact that surfaced while spending time with Jenna is that her dog is named "Bobo."

Bobo the Dog

The sighting at the town hall meetingthat was told by Lorraine grabbed my attention. She saw a largebigfoot in broad daylight looking into an abandoned trailer only a mile or so away from where Jenna saw hers while jogging. Thattrailer was still there, so this was an excellent opportunity to getsome decent size estimates on this big guy that was so often seen inthe area.

Lorraine is a very sweet woman with ano-nonsense attitude with the charming habit of occasionally talkinglike a sailor. She told me that her sister didn’t believe that shesaw a bigfoot, so Lorraine told her sister that she “hopes it takesa sh** on her porch!" She said that would convince her. I adored her. She was so cute and so much fun to talk to.

Lorraine and Cliff, smiling together.

On April 9, 2010, Lorraine was driving down a rural road when she found two cars stopped in the road ahead of her. Thinking that apolice officer had pulled someone over, she slowed down. She saw a large dark figure next to an abandoned trailer off to her right only 90 yards away.

Including Lorraine, there were three carsstopped in the road that day with the occupants all looking at thebigfoot. Lorraine was in the third car back. The first car hadtwo young men wearing baseball caps in it, the second had a couplefrom the Pacific Northwest, and then Lorraine alone in the third car.

My field notes from Lorraine's encounter.

The bigfoot looked into the trailerwindow for a few moments, using its right hand to shield the glare on the window. It then started walking down the driveway towards where everyone was stopped on the road. The young men in the first car quicklydrove away in fear when they saw the creature coming their direction. The other two cars were treated to a close upview of the sasquatch as it passed only 29 yards from where Lorrainewas stopped. It crossed the road (24 feet wide) and went over a 46inch tall barbed wire fence without breaking stride in only three orfour steps. After clearing the fence it disappeared into the thickwoods and was not seen again.

The woods where the creature disappeared.

Lorraine spoke to the couple in the carin front of her after the event was over. They had a totally unobstructed view of thecreature from quite close. They noted that they saw thehair very well, and clearly saw that this creature was a male. Thecreature did not look at the witnesses as it passed.

Lorraine remembered seeing where its chin was compared to the window, as well as where thecrown of its head reached. The top of the creature’s head measured108 inches off the ground, which is nine feet. The chin was at about the 89 inchlevel, or seven foot five inches. That makes the head of thecreature 19 inches from chin to crown. (It's not just their feet that are big.)

The window that the sasquatch was looking into.

What the bigfoot saw through the window.

At one point in our investigation, aman drove by in a truck and asked what we were doing. We told himabout the bigfoot sighting, and he told us that that thisparticular sasquatch had been seen several times by people that heknows in the area. He even told us a nick name of thisparticular creature given to it by the locals: “Peek-a-Lou.” It seems that many of the local humans are awareof this creature and its affinity for looking into windows.

The next sighting we were to investigate happenedon public (and protected) land adjacent to the witness' property. Dale and Kristy’s wereout ATV riding and bird hunting with their children when they saw a large bigfoot get up andimmediately leave the area near the trail. The ATV's had come to a stop, and Dale seems to have stirred up the sasquatch from hiding as he walked through the thick forest in search of game birds. The creature retreated back up the road, which was away from where Dale had walked. They heard it crashing through the brush for a distance, before losing track of it.

Near where Dale and Kristy saw the creature.

Our last night investigation actuallytook place in two separate locations. The mobile call blasting part wasoverlooking a deep river gorge containing a state park. At onepoint, I heard a possible call back, but it was too distant todiscern if it was a bigfoot or some sort of canine. Down below in the ravine, Boboand Ranae had some bad luck. They found that humans were in the immediate area, thus increasing the likelihood of us hearing human noises instead of bigfoots if we continued. At that point, we quickly left thearea.

Luckily, Tyler Bounds had been outbigfooting with some local Minnesota bigfooters the night before andhad heard knocks. We moved the production team to this new locationand started the night over again. Over the next several hours weheard several things moving around in the forest, but I do not knowwhat they were. They could have just as easily been deer or racoons asbigfoots. Unfortunately, we never got a visual on whatever it was.

Minnesota definitely has sasquatchesliving there. I think we were just a bit too early in the year forthis spot. The hazelnuts that are in abundance when many sightingsoccur had not yet fruited. (There was a sighting only a couple weeksbefore, but perhaps this was a bigfoot scouting to see if the fruitswere available…) We certainly had our fair share of interestingwitnesses to speak to! And to me, the fact that the same bigfoot(“Peek-a-Lou”) has been seen so many times in that area is very interesting. Looking at the sightings of Peek-a-Lou might shed a little light on the habits, range, and needs of sasquatches in that area.

Bobo Gets Heckled on The Soup

2012-01-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Joel McHale puts his sights on Bobo in a recent episode of The Soup.

Look for the segment around the 1 minute mark. Enjoy!

Finding Bigfoot - Rhode Island Video Debrief

2012-01-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

Here's another behind-the-scenes video debrief of Finding Bigfoot's most recent episode. Craig Flipy talks to Cliff Barackman about his experiences filming the Rhode Island episode.

Finding Bigfoot - Rhode Island Field Notes

2012-01-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

When I first heard that we would be traveling to Rhode Island foran episode of Finding Bigfoot, I was surprised. There werevery few sighting reports from Rhode Island (click for the reports on the BFRO, as well as John Green's database) and I thought that perhaps our time could be better spentelsewhere. I soon saw the video evidence that we were toinvestigate, and I thought to myself that perhaps there was somethinggoing on there that needed looking into. After all, some of myfavorite bigfooting places have no sighting reports from them, andmaybe Rhode Island was one of these.

I had never been to the Ocean State, but I knew it was the secondmost densely populated state in the Union. I had a preconception ofRhode Island that it was largely urbanized, or cleared foragriculture. Could there be viable habitat for sasquatches there?

As it turns out, Rhode Island is covered in thick woods. In fact,59% of Rhode Island's land is forested, and even though it's a smallstate, that adds up to 393,000 acres of woods! Most of this land isthe result of cultivated farms being left fallow, and the surroundingforests reclaiming the pastures and crops. Evidence of thisagricultural past can be readily seen in the forests in the form ofstone walls that once were property borders between farms. One ofthese very walls can be seen in the video we were to investigate.

The "Big Rhodey" Footage

The footage we came to Rhode Island to look into was filmed byDina and Kris from the Beyond the Veil Paranormal InvestigationsGroup. While I do not consider bigfoots to be paranormal, many peoplegroup them into the “paranormal” category. I considerbigfoots to be perfectly normal mammals living in North Americanforests. Still, since they have not been “discovered” by theacademics yet, and considering all the strange stories that go alongwith sasquatch lore, I can see why paranormalists like to look at thebigfoot phenomenon. Besides, maybe I'm wrong, and bigfoots aresuper weird, paranormal things from dimensions beyond our own... Idoubt it, but I'm always open to being wrong.

The “Big Rhodey” video, as it is called, was obtained whileout shooting extra “B-roll” footage for a short documentary thatDina and Kris were shooting nearby on ghosts. It mostly shows astone wall being filmed from a moving car, but at one point aseemingly human-shaped dark figure appears briefly as the vehicledrives by it. It's slightly out of focus, and it is uncertainwhether the figure is moving or if it is just an illusion given bythe movement of the car.

We were led to the location by the two witnesses, and soon we set out to find exactly where thefigure was standing in the film. There were several trees of varioussizes in the frames in which the creature is shown, and comparing thelocations of trunks, stems and rocks in the walls gave us a verysmall area where the figure could have been standing. I am veryconfident that the location was determined to within a matter of afew feet, at most.

The "Big Rhodey" film site

There were many things to measure at the film site, though onlysome of it would be useful for determining the size of the figure. The stone wall is three feet tall, and the large tree to the rightside of the figure is 32 inches in diameter. The figure is standingbetween a large white oak tree (behind it), and a smaller pine tree(between the figure and the camera). It is 8.5 feet between thesetwo trees, giving a relatively small area in which to be standing. Such a small area would not give any major discrepancy in possiblesize, possibly an inch or two at most. The total distance from thecamera to the figure is less than 33 feet.

I do not know what is shown in that footage. Whatever it is, itwas not there the day we did our recreation, which indicates that itwas probably an animal. We found it to be a bit shorter than Bobo,and was standing upright, thus indicating that it was either abigfoot or a human. It's kind of a weird place for either of thosethings to be standing. It seems unlikely that it was a human, unlessthe witnesses were involved in a hoax of some sort. However, afterspending time with both Dina and Kris, I do not get the impressionthat they were trying to pull one over on us. I am left a bitbaffled.

My field notes from the film site

While the results of our recreationwere ambiguous, the area was thickly wooded, and was bordering anature preserve containing a no-hunting zone. It seemed a good spotto do a night investigation, so we set out that night to see if wemight get lucky and find a bigfoot (or have one find us). My teamheard nothing that night except a chorus of coyotes, but Bobo andMatt's team had better results. Bobo swears he heard a knock, whichwas encouraging. Later, their team also heard and recorded awhistle, but to me it sounded like some sort of bird. If any of youhappen to know the bird (if it even was a bird) that makes thatnoise, I'd love to hear from you by contacting me atNorthAmericanBigfoot@gmail.com.

I was tapped for the solo investigationfor the Rhode Island episode, and I was given a vehicle to help meget around to anywhere I needed to go in the state. After all, withso few reports, I needed to be as mobile as possible in order to getresults. Finding bigfoots is never easy, and in a place like RhodeIsland, it can be even more difficult. Over the next three days, mycompanion and friend of the 'squatch, Tyler Bounds and I would setout to the improbable: find a bigfoot in Rhode Island.

The first night came and went and nobigfoots were encountered, but the next day brought some interestinghints of possible activity in the northern part of the state. Usinga local contact, we discovered that there had been a possiblefootprint find only a few days previously, and literally the daybefore a different investigator had a close encounter with a large,unseen animal barreling through thick brush. These locations wereonly a dozen or so miles apart, so Tyler and I headed up north nearthe border of Connecticut.

The footprints were discovered in anarea with a prior history. The location had an extensive trailsystem that was mostly soft soil and sand, perfect for footprints. Previously in this area, 13 inch footprints had been discovered bylocal investigators, so I was encouraged that the prints found thatweek might have been from a bigfoot. I hiked a little less than twomiles back into this swampy woodland before finding the footprints. They were in a muddy patch of trail, very near power lines.

A barefoot human print found deep in a trail system.

After closely examining the area forseveral minutes, I eventually found three footprints, two lefts and aright. They had a stride of 45 inches, and a step of 19 inches(remember, step is from one foot to the other foot, while stride ismeasured from one foot to the same foot). Measuring the three printsgave lengths of 10.5 inches, 10 inches, and 10 inches, while the ballwidths were 3.5 inches, 2.75 inches, and 2.75 inches. Thesemeasurements put the size squarely within human limits, but smallbigfoot prints are sometimes found. Though I think this is a veryweird place for a person to be going around barefoot, I determinedthese prints to be human in origin, but not solely based on their size. Theprints had a clear, high arch, which is a uniquely humancharacteristic. Also, the fourth and fifth digits (“ring” toeand “little” toe) were curled under a bit, indicating a lifespent in shoes. Sasquatches (and humans that have never worn shoes)often show a wide splay to their toes, while wearing shoes trains thesmall digits to curl under a bit. Finally, there were domestic dogprints in this same immediate area. These were probably from thecanine companion of the barefooted hiker.

While examining the footprints, I wastreated to a loud vocalization of a barred owl from right overhead. I didn't hear the owl show up due to its ability to fly silently(owls' feathers have evolved to minimize in-flight sounds, thusenabling them to be better ambush predators), but I sure heard itwhen it screamed a mere 20 feet above my head. This is one of themany pleasures of bigfooting. Animal sounds and encounters are aspecial treat, whether they are from bigfoots or not.

The possible close encounter from theday before happened very near where Tyler and I were to camp thatnight, so we visited the spot during the day. The area was thicklywooded, and due to the recent storm that devastated much of theNortheast, many trees had been pushed over by the high winds. Still,we made our way back to a high spot and did some knocks and calls inthe waning light. No responses were heard at that time, nor thatnight.

Typical Rhode Island habitat

When I came out of the woods to meet upwith the rest of the team, we headed off to look into an encounterhad by bigfoot investigator and friend of the 'squatch, Nick Mione. The location turned out to be a spot where road workers in RhodeIsland dump road kill into a ravine. In many states, road kill issimply left on the side of the road for vultures and other scavengersto dispose of, but in Rhode Island they collect the deer and dumpthem in various spots. (I'm not even sure if this is legal, but it'strue.) Nick stumbled upon one of these spots and saw a bigfoot whilethere.

It is these kinds of locations wheredead things are dumped that are gold mines for bigfoot investigators. During the winter months, these sites are literally refrigeratorsfor any scavenger. The low temperatures and snow would keep the meatfrom spoiling for months at a time, and any bigfoot would just haveto drop by and pick up his deersicle, a tasty treat, I'm sure.

The location where Nick encountered abigfoot was a macabre scene. There were bones littering the forestfloor, and if I took the time to brush away the forest litter, it waseasy to find old bones decaying under the layer of leaves that hadaccumulated. A hillside had been reinforced with large stones, andbones could be seen poking out between the large rocks.

Our recreation indicated that thecreature was about 7.5 feet tall. Being a biologist, Nick tookmeasurements of the step length and found them to be six feet. That's a 12 foot stride, and is way outside of the stride length fora walking human. The creature went down a hillside and stood somedistance away behind a tree. Nick watched it for a short while untila loud “whoop” came from the opposite direction, causing him toleave the area.

For the last night investigation, wechose an area based on a cluster of reports obtained from the townhall meeting that just so happened to align with the location of theencounter a few days before between a local bigfoot investigator anda large, unseen animal. The area in question was off-limits after 5pm unless you were granted special permission to be there, as wewere. Using the idea that sasquatches follow deer herds, we putRanae in a gillie suit up in a tree stand with a thermal imager and aparabolic microphone. Bobo, Matt, and I were to make a lot of noiseand move through the woods, hopefully flushing all the animals in thegeneral direction of Ranae. Little did I know that we were going tobe carrying lit torches for visual effect (we make TV, after all).

When I was told about the torches, Ilaughed, asked who thought of that brilliant idea, and requested apitch fork to go with it. It turned out that one of the producersthought of it, and there were no pitch forks for this monster hunt. Knowing that I'd eventually catch a lot of heat for this, I left myego behind and tried to have as much fun with it as possible. Wewere, after all, only trying to drive any deer (or Frankensteinmonsters) towards Ranae so she could film them. I do have to admit,the producer was right. It looked pretty cool on screen.

A funny thing happened while we wereprepping for that scene. Bobo, Matt, and I all had our torches lit,and we were waiting for something or other on a road at the top of ahill before we descended into the forest. We were several miles backon closed access roads, and it was well after 11 pm when we heardmotors. Soon a gang of ATV riders came barreling around a corner atthe base of the hill. They stopped in their tracks, gazing up atthree men at the top of the hill holding lit torches, surrounded by adozen other people in a semicircle. I heard them nervously talkingto each other, not knowing what to do or think about the bizarresituation they had just stumbled across. After a few frantic momentsof conversation, they flipped a quick U-turn and headed off into thenight. I would have loved to see their facial expressions and heardtheir conversations. I'm pretty sure they had no clue what to thinkabout the spectacle they faced ahead of them.

In case you've never tried it, walkingthrough the woods wielding a lit torch is not an easy thing to do,especially if you're trying to not burn down the forest. We hadseveral fire extinguishers with us, but nobody wanted to have to usethem. We were also off-trail, and had to navigate some pretty steepterrain, all the while hollering and making a ruckus to drive thedeer towards the waiting skeptic.

Seeing this six-toed sign assured me that

we were getting close.

At one point, Matt and I heard a largesplash/plopping noise. We rushed off to investigate, and we found apond hidden in the woods perhaps 80 yards away. We both came to theconclusion that what we heard was most likely a beaver slapping itstail against the water. However, while we were investigating, Boboheard what he described as a rock hitting a tree, falling through thebranches, and hitting the ground. He was adamant that he heardexactly what he described, and I've learned to trust Bobo's hearing. Perhaps the crazy scheme with the torches worked.

Ranae never got a visual on anything inthe woods during her time up in the tree stand. (Even if she did,I'd wonder if she'd believe it anyway...) Bobo was positive that wehad a bigfoot near us, and he could very well be right. We were lessthan a mile away from where that encounter happened just a few daysbefore, and were smack dab in the middle of one of the best sightingclusters discovered at the town hall meeting.

Much to my surprise, I found RhodeIsland to be excellent habitat for our big furry friends. Themajority of the state is heavily wooded, and some areas are virtuallynever penetrated by anybody. While I believe that the localsasquatches probably just wander through the various areas, there area couple places that they might hang out in on a regular basis. Ifany of you live there, I would heavily recommend trying to get intothe Great Swamp for a few nights. I believe that this is one of theplaces in which bigfoots might just take up residence. The localsall laughed at me when I spoke about getting in there, claiming itwas nearly impossible. That sounds good to me... Let me know whatyou find by contacting me. Good luck, my East Coast friends!

This article, along with the rest of the season's field notes, will be archived on Cliff Barackman's official website.

Fox and Friends (of the Sasquatch)

2012-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

This past week, I was whisked away to New York City to do a media appearance on Fox News' morning show, Fox and Friends. Being Fox News, I got a brief heckling about how my last name resembles our President's first name, and then the interview started. The clip is below, so enjoy!

Finding Bigfoot - NY Episode Video Debrief

2012-01-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

This past New Years Eve, I invited a small number of bigfooters to my home in Portland, OR to preview the Season 2 premiere of Finding Bigfoot. Among the noteworthy crowd were various friends of the 'squatch, including Craig Flipy, Guy Edwards, Thom Powell, Will Robinson, and Randee Chase. Others that might have name recognition with you bigfooters were in attendance as well, but I'll leave that to the video.

After watching the New York episode, I let them ask me whatever question they chose, and the resulting video can be seen below. It was a great way to usher in 2012, and I hope you had as much fun on that night as I did. Happy New Year, everybody, and may it be a bigfooty one at that!

Finding Bigfoot - NY Field Notes

2012-01-01T23:05:00.000-08:00

When I heard that we were going to do an episode in New York, I immediately assumed we'd be up in the Adirondacks, probably near White Hall, NY. Much to my surprise, we were to be further to the south in the Catskill Mountains. There are fewer reports from this area, but that doesn't necessarily mean there are few sasquatches. It could be that the bigfoots that are living in the Catskills are a bit more wary than their northern cousins, or even that there are areas in the Catskills where fewer people go. After all, you need both a bigfoot and a human in order to have a bigfoot encounter. Either way, I loved the idea of breaking new ground and doing my first expedition in this part of the state.

Our first stop was to do a recreation of the famous New York Baby Footage, taken by Doug Pridgen back on May 23, 1997. The footage shows Doug and his buddies around a campfire goofing around, but in the background one can make out an upright, bipedal figure moving along the base of a tree. At one point, a small ape jumps off the shoulders of this figure and makes its way up into the branches of the tree and swings around in a very dexterous manner. Its movements are undeniably apish, and clearly outside the abilities of any human.

The New York Baby Footage from Steve Kulls' Youtube page.

Steve was the original investigator of the footage.

The footage was obtained on accident as Doug filmed his friends around a fire at a music festival on a parcel of private land. It was Friday night and Doug and his friends took a remote campsite on the other side of a large pond. As more concert-goers arrived, the campsites on the close side of the pond filled up, but only one other group was camped on the far side where Doug and his friends had set up camp, and they were the property owners. When the footage was obtained, the property owners were not in their camp, but were on the other side of the lake enjoying the concert.

Read the rest of my field notes on the NY episode of Finding Bigfoot at the Official Cliff Barackman website.

"Right This Minute" Interview

2011-12-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, I was interviewed by Right This Minute news about the upcoming season premiere of Finding Bigfoot. I was spoken to via computer, so I may look a bit funny in my movements, but considering they were in Arizona and I was in Oregon, it doesn't look too bad...

The interview can be seen by clicking here.

Bigfoot Eyewitness Interview in NY

2011-12-28T03:30:00.000-08:00

In this special clip released by Animal Planet, we meet Robert, a bigfoot witness from New York. Robert and I went to the Catskill Mountains to do a recreation of his frightening encounter. Robert is only one of several witnesses we met in New York that will be featured on the upcoming season 2 debut of Finding Bigfoot. Be sure to catch the premiere on Sunday night, January 1st at 10 pm on Animal Planet.

After each episode, you can look forward to my personal insights on that week's expedition by going to the official Cliff Barackman website and reading my behind-the-scenes commentaries. We film more than 100 hours of footage for each episode, and the editors cut that down to less than 44 minutes. Lots of cool, 'squatchy stuff gets left out of each episode, and my commentaries are the only place where you can read what happened behind the scenes. Check them out after each and every episode!

Finding Bigfoot - NY Town Hall Meeting

2011-12-27T03:21:00.000-08:00

In another Finding Bigfoot sneak peek video released by Animal Planet, see witnesses at the New York town hall meeting recount their tales of encountering sasquatches. Watch the clip below, but be sure to catch the entire episode when it debuts on January 1st at 10 pm on Animal Planet. Following each episode in season 2, I'll be posting short essays detailing my personal commentaries on each episode. These will give insight on the encounters, investigations, and other bigfooty things that happened behind the scenes.

Bringing a Baboon Bigfooting? Yep.

2011-12-26T03:13:00.000-08:00

Another highlight of the upcoming season 2 premiere of Finding Bigfoot was finally getting to take a live ape out to the woods bigfooting. It had been a dream of Bobo's for as long as I've known him, and it was great to see him live his dream.

Below is a sneak peek of Finding Bigfoot's New York expedition. Be sure to catch the entire episode on Sunday, January 1st at 10 pm on Animal Planet. Check back on my official website for my behind-the-scenes commentaries to accompany each and every episode.

Finding Bigfoot - The Game!

2011-12-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

I've always said that if you want to see a bigfoot, you've gotta be a bigfoot. Well, now you finally have your chance. Animal Planet has produced a free online game where you get to be the bigfoot. Run through the woods and elude the Finding Bigfoot team members while you pick up food items, throw rocks, and avoid collisions with traffic. You lose when you are finally discovered, just like the real species!

Play it now by clicking this link. My high score is pretty bad so far, so be sure to do better than I did.

Sneak Peek at Season 2's New York Expedition

2011-12-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

Just in time for 'Squatchmas, Animal Planet has posted a series of sneak peek clips for season 2 of Finding Bigfoot. Be sure to check out the full episode when it premieres on January 1st! Also catch my behind the scenes commentaries that will follow each and every episode on the official Cliff Barackman website.

Finding Bigfoot Season 2 Press Release

2011-12-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Animal Planet marketing team is ramping things up for Season 2 of Finding Bigfoot. A new press release has a lot of information that folks have been asking for, and now I can finally talk about. Included in this press release are photographs, vocalizations by the various team members, Finding Bigfoot biographical information, video teasers, and even a partial episode guide. Take a few minutes and browse the goods that the fine people at Animal Planet have put out there for you by clicking this link.

Remember, Season 2 of Finding Bigfoot premieres on New Year's Day, January 1st on Animal Planet at 10 pm. Please check your local listings because of time zone issues. The first episode will feature our investigation into the New York Baby Footage. The New York expedition was fantastic, and very 'squatchy. There will be a few surprises in the show, too.

And, of course, you can continue to look forward to my commentaries and interviews after the shows. These give even more insight into the bigfooting side of things. Remember, Finding Bigfoot is a TV show designed for entertainment, but there's real bigfooting going on, too. The after-episode commentaries are where you can read about stuff that never made the 44 minutes of air time, but is interesting and important for bigfooters. We shoot more than 100 hours of footage that eventually gets cut down to a measly 44 minutes. Lots of stuff happens that never sees the TV screen...

You can read the commentaries from past episodes on my official Cliff Barackman website.

AWOLNATION and the Yeti

2011-12-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Below is a pretty great song with an appropriately great video to go along with it. Boosting the video's greatness is a cameo appearance by a yeti, although it is a particularly flesh-hungry one. Enjoy!

Orangutan Physiology and Possible Parallels

2011-12-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

This article details a recent study of orangutans in Borneo, and the dietary implications of being dependent on ripening fruits. Sasquatches obviously utilize the bounty of ripening berries and other forest fruits in their diet, most of which are ripening right before the onset of winter, the toughest time for survival. Like bears, it makes sense that sasquatches would put on as much weight as possible during this time for the lean winter months ahead. But how do they deal with the lack of food throughout the winter?

Of course, orangutans are pretty much solely herbivores, while sasquatches are clearly omnivores. Still, when one considers the close biological relationship between orangutans, humans, and sasquatches, it makes sense to see how the other great apes make their livings in the world. While bigfoots are efficient predators and would clearly have it easier than herbivorous orangutans as far as getting protein in their diet, perhaps there's something to learn, or some insight to be gleaned, from this article.

Orangutans in Borneo will eat just about any fruit in the

forest. But during hard times when fruit is not

bountiful, they find other sources of protein: leaves,

bark and their own body-fat reserves and muscle.

CREDIT: © Tim Laman

How Orangutans Survive Potential Starvation
Joseph Castro, Livescience Staff Writer

Orangutans in Borneo can survive potential starvation by using their body fat and muscles as energy until a bounty of food is available, researchers find, adding that the results may someday shed light on the eating habits of our earliest ancestors.

The findings may also speak to various low-carb, high-protein diets, because essentially weight comes down to caloric intake for these orangutans as it does us, the researchers say.

In Borneo, an island in Southeast Asia, forests go through periods of high fruit yield, where around 80 percent or more of the plants will produce fruit all at once. Following these "masting" periods, the forests endure stretches of sparse fruit availability that can last anywhere from two to eight years. To survive in this unpredictable environment, orangutans put on fat by gorging on fruits when they're available, and then live off of these reserves until the next masting year.

Researchers have now learned that the orangutans start to metabolize their own muscles for protein after these fat reserves are gone.

Read the rest of the article on www.livescience.com here.

Afterbirth of a Legend - Part 2 - Solo at Bluff Creek

2011-12-11T10:53:00.001-08:00

This is the second installment of my irregularly scheduled behind the scenes debrief. I do these articles after every episode, though this one has been tough to do since I've been on the road for four months filming the second season of Finding Bigfoot. Still, for you patient folks, here it is. Enjoy.

After our first night investigation,Bobo, Ranae, and Matt went back to Willow Creek, leaving me out in the wilds. With me was Craig Flipy, who would be filming my“solo” adventure. I was thankful to have Craig there because heand I work together on a very regular basis. We film ourafter-episode video debriefs, and have made a number of shortwebisodes about our forays into the wild. I was also given fournights in the woods to make some good bigfoot TV, as opposed to thethree nights originally proposed. A new feature for season two ofFinding Bigfoot is that one of us spends some time with only abigfooty cameraman to try to get a close approach by a bigfoot. Thefact that I was given an extra night was good news, as was the fact that I got to do it in Bluff Creek, an area I'm intimately familiar with.

Craig Flipy

The first night was spent on the oldBluff Creek Road that parallels the creek right above Louse Camp. There have been two sightings on that short section of road over thelast three years. Bedding down in the middle of the path seemed likea good way to have a bigfoot stumble over you, so I went for it. I only got quail on my game camera that night. It was still nice tosleep out under the stars.

During my solo investigation, there arelots of scenes of me walking through beautiful meadows. These arelocated at Laird Meadow, half way up the slope from Louse Camp toOnion Mountain. Laird Meadow is actually a broken chain of meadowsthat extend on both sides of the road for nearly a mile. Separatingthese meadow oases are woods, with dense, shrubby undergrowth. LairdMeadow is the site of some interesting footprints found back inOctober 20 of 1963. A Forest Service timber cruiser named Pat Gravesran across Roger Patterson on October 21, 1963 and told him aboutsome nearby prints that he saw the day before on a logging landing (Roger wrote in his book that the prints were found in 1964, but the original casts had the date etched into their backsides, and clearly stated 1963). I go to Laird whenever I can. There are some excellent meadows fortracking, and there is certainly a ton of food and animals in thearea to make it worthy of a look when I'm in the neighborhood.

Excellent tracking substrate in Laird Meadow

I set some cameras in the transitionzone, where the meadow meets the wood line. There was an obviousgame trail, and I thought that this was a decent place to try tocatch a mountain lion or bigfoot on camera. A predator could easilyscan the meadows from the safety of the woods from this trail. Whenplacing cameras for bigfoots, always look for the strategic terrain. While it's certain there were a lot of deer in the area, I didn't getany pictures of my targeted quarry.

The next night was spent near Dry Lake. I got word of a sighting that occurred nearby only the week before. The night was spent making calls and throwing rocks off a ridge lineand going for short night walks. No responses were heard beforeeventually retiring for the night.

The next day was spent on a hike to theconfluence of Bluff Creek and Bigfoot Creek. Back in 1994, I found atrail of 14.5 inch footprints and a tree break where the road comesdown to the floodplain of Bluff Creek. From this location, a halfmile walk downstream brings you to where the small brook of BigfootCreek flows into a deep turquoise pool in Bluff Creek. A Yurok mantold me that the creek is named Bigfoot Creek because that's wherethe bigfoots came to fish salmon. Looking at the deep pool at theconfluence, I can see why that would be true. A pool of this sizewould certainly be an obvious holding ground for migrating salmonresting as they moved upstream.

This is the tree that I found broken in 1994.

It has grown a bit since then, but I'm pointing

at the location of the break.

We changed locations again that night,moving camp to one of my favorite places to bigfoot. I call thisarea the "Water Spot" because it's a marshland off the beaten pathwhere I've had some of my closest bigfoot encounters. I knew that ifthere was food there, I'd have a good chance that bigfoots might bearound, too.

I did a scouting trip around the marsh. There weren't a ton of deer around, though there were a couple. Atone point, I found clear footprints of a black bear. It was walkingon fallen logs and through grass at the marsh's edge. Another 200yards ahead, I found the prints of a bear cub. A mother bear and cubcan be bad news, but it's just something that you take in stride whenyou're camping in areas with abundant amounts of food for wildlife. Bigfoots and bears both go to the same places, deal with it.

A clear black bear print from the marsh.

A black bear cub print found nearby.

That night, Craig cooked salmon on theopen fire using cedar planks. The smell of cooking fish sweptdownwind. Darkness fell and we went for a night walk, but our callsand knocks elicited no response. Back at camp, we observed a bearforage in the swamp by watching it in the thermal imager.

I did a couple tree knocks by hitting alog against a fallen tree. What doesn't come through very well ontelevision was the response I got. From the southwest came a largeboom, wood on wood, echoing from the valley below. It was distant,but unmistakeable: a huge response to my knock. They were there.

Later in the night, right across theswamp from me, two heat signatures could be seen in the thermalimager. One was bigger than the other, and they were seeminglyquadrupeds. It soon because apparent that I was seeing the motherbear and cub I tracked earlier in the day. They were busy feeding onpond lilies. I made it a point to keep track of them. I figuredthey already knew I was there, and it would be best to know wherethey are at all times, especially since we cooked salmon on the openfire for dinner that night.

At one point, the mother bear stoppedfeeding and watched to the south. It then rushed out of the waterand onto the hillside while making low grunting noises and stompingthrough the brush. The cub followed a few moments later.

Puzzled, I kept scanning the hillsidecatching occasional glimpses of the bears as they appeared inopenings between the trees. When they had nearly crested the hill, Ifound out why they had so immediately left the area. Branch breakingand brush crashing started from the south. Something very large andnoisy was entering the area and not trying to hide its presence. Thekeen senses of the mother bear alerted it a full minute beforewhatever it was got to the area, and she fled with her cub.

There are two possibilities as to whatthis intruder could be: a big male bear, or a bigfoot. I sat still,listening and scanning across the swamp for a glimpse of theintruder. After the brief, but violent crashing noises announcingits approach, I heard nothing else from that side of the water. Isaw no signs of whatever it was. A thorough search of the area thenext day yielded no prints or sign.

Enjoy some other pictures from my solo adventure in Bluff Creek:

In the woods adjacent to Laird Meadow

Laird Meadow

Where Bigfoot Creek flows into Bluff Creek.

Finding Bigfoot Season 2 - Official Announcement

2011-11-30T19:07:00.001-08:00

Straight from Animal Planet's media-mouth comes the official announcement of the debut of season 2 of Finding Bigfoot. Ironically, they announced the beginning of the series on the very same day that we finished filming the last of the episodes. Funny how thing work out sometimes.

Having been on the road filming the series for the last four months has been a grueling, yet infinitely rewarding experience. And, yes, we found bigfoots and collected data along the way.

The series will be an exciting and informative trip to the woods in some of the 'squatchiest places on the continent. There are new films and photographs investigated, new sounds recorded, interviews with witnesses who have never told their story publicly, and much more. It has been quite a trip, to say the very least.

The cast of Finding Bigfoot at an undisclosed location:
Matt Moneymaker, Cliff Barackman, Bobo, and Ranae Holland.

After each episode premieres, I will continue my post-episode commentaries, as well as my video interview debriefs with my trusty companion, Craig Flipy. (Yes, I know I've been lagging on part two of Afterbirth of a Legend, but I'm pretty busy with all this filming and stuff... I haven't forgotten, though.)

Here's the article. Thanks for watching.

FINDING BIGFOOT Returns on January 1, 2012
Second Season of Successful Sleuthing Series Gives Audience New But Disputable Proof of a Baby Bigfoot

(November 30, 2011) — For centuries, eyewitness accounts and colorful stories have fueled rumor that large, furry, human-like animals have roamed the forests in North America and other continents. These legendary creatures have come to be known as bigfoot or sasquatch. The folklore around Bigfoot has many doubters and many true believers, and passionate groups like the Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO)have formed to investigate stories, analyze evidence and strengthen their hypotheses of these elusive beings.

Over the course of 10 hour-long episodes, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot returns for a brand-new season on Sunday, January 1, 2012, at 10 PM (ET/PT) for further expeditions to investigate reports of the mysterious Bigfoot. From small towns in the South to remote areas of the mountain West and dense forest of the Northeast and into Canada, four passionate, driven researchers and adventurers embark on one single-minded mission — to find this beast.

BFRO members Matt Moneymaker and James "Bobo" Fay, professional educator Cliff Barackman and skeptical biologist Ranae Holland engage in the ultimate quest in search of proof that Bigfoot really does exist — and that he or she is alive and abundant in North America. By examining photos and videos of the creature, speaking to local witnesses, using new technology and luring the mysterious beast with the team's "squatch" calls, the group uncovers startling potential evidence of the legendary and highly intelligent enigma that has eluded capture for centuries and fascinated man for just as long.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Tales of Bigfoot in Kentucky

2011-11-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

This news article surfaced from the Richmond Register in Kentucky. It is a light-hearted overview of the Finding Bigfoot town hall meeting we held a few weeks ago in Renfro Valley, Kentucky. Enjoy!

Typical bigfoot habitat in Kentucky

Tales of Bigfoot in Kentucky
By Marie MitchellRegister Columnist

RICHMOND — In the past, if you wanted to see a tall, hairy, smelly, antisocial, two-legged creature you’d have to hang out in the Himalayas. That’s home to the Yeti or Abominable Snowman. They’ve been spotted around there for years. But remember, the air is rather thin in the mountains, which can play tricks on your brain.

Still, there’s reason to believe that some Yeti have left Nepal and made their way to North America, setting up housekeeping in secluded areas near mountains, swamps and forests. They’ve been reported in every state except Hawaii. That’s quite a trek. On foot. Even with size 20 feet.

Kentucky has had its share of sightings. People aren’t shy about admitting that they’ve seen a Sasquatch or Bigfoot in their neighborhoods, woods and rural areas. Even though Sasquatches are pretty good at hiding.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

More on the Russian Yeti Claims

2011-11-22T09:16:00.001-08:00

This article appeared today in the Huffington Post. As you might remember, a conference was held in Russia on the yeti, and a field trip was taken to a nearby cave where some hair and footprints were discovered. I think we were all hopeful about the findings, but caution should always be exercised when the word "proof" is thrown around in the media. Below is the latest information to come to light about the event.

Yeti Evidence Falls Flat: Scientist Says Local Officials Staged Siberian Snowman Hunt For Publicity

A group of international scientists made headlines last month after suggesting they were "95 percent" certain they'd found evidence that the elusive Yeti -- or fabled Siberian Snowman -- really exists.

But one scientist who was part of the big snowman hunt tells The Huffington Post that local Siberian officials staged the entire snowman scenario -- all for publicity.

"It was a very awkward feeling because here I was a guest and this was clearly orchestrated," said Idaho State University anthropologist and anatomist Jeffrey Meldrum.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

John Bavaro

2011-11-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

I recently caught wind of an interesting art show that was on display through October 7th in the Carnegie's Duveneck Gallery. I missed it, but that's part of the cost of being on the road for a living. If you caught this amazing showing, please post a comment.

When reading the below article, please keep sasquatches in the forefront of your mind (you probably do this anyways). I believe there are some particularly pertinent statements regarding the humanity of apes, and the apeness of humans, that can and probably should be applied to our furry bipedal friends.

Planet of the Apes
Artist John Bavaro reminds us we’re all primates

Could art be the missing link? Oxford, Ohio, native John Bavaro would probably say yes. His current exhibition in the Duveneck Gallery at the Carnegie Center Visual and Performing Arts Center in Covington uses both traditional and digital painting to examine the similarities between humans and non-human primates. The exhibition is a sort of homecoming for Bavaro, who left Cincinnati in 2001 for a faculty post at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania.

First, a quick zoology lesson. Primates include humans and various groups of apes and monkeys, including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, lemurs and others. Bavaro’s project runs the gamut with 73 painted portraits and 18 digital paintings done on his iPhone and printed in large format. The paintings encompass the entire gallery, hung side against side, salon-style. The effect is mesmerizing — it’s hard to tell where the humans leave off and the apes begin. Many of the humans gaze more distantly than their non-human primate counterparts, who grin, frown or stare soulfully. It’s exactly the point that Bavaro is trying to make. “There is as much ‘humanity’ in a great ape as there is wildness in a human being,” he writes in his statement for the show. “And there is a mystery in all of us that art can capture what science cannot.”

Click this link to read the rest of the article.

Good Advice from Ghost Hunting Theories

2011-11-19T08:05:00.001-08:00

Insightful, informative, and curvy blogger (and friend of the 'squatch), Autumn Forest from the excellent blog Ghost Hunting Theories has given some good advice to bigfooters everywhere. Please click this link to read what every bigfoot should know.

Finding Bigfoot: Our Extreme Animal Phobias

2011-11-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

Comicon Pro Wrestling Spotlight Interview

2011-11-12T17:43:00.001-08:00

In case you're wondering who my favorite wrestler of all time is, scroll forward to 4 minutes and 39 seconds. I bet you can guess, though...

Finding Bigfoot Commentary: Afterbirth of a Legend, Part 1 - The PG Film

2011-11-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Before the entire sevenepisodes of Finding Bigfoot were even aired, it was pretty clear thatwe were going to go onto season two. The ratings were really high,and the network was very excited about doing a bigfoot show. Theywere so excited that they decided to do a two-hour Halloween specialin addition to ten regular episodes that would be the second season.

When I heard that thetwo-hour special would be centered around Bluff Creek, CA, I wasthrilled. I have been bigfooting in and around Bluff Creek since1994, and I know that area very well. Not as well as Bobo, who hasbeen working that area even longer, but very well nonetheless.

The episode would have a newfeature that would continue into the rest of the season: one of theFinding Bigfoot team would spend a few nights out in the woods withjust a camera person. Not just any camera guy, either. A bigfooterwith a camcorder, doing the bigfoot thing as authentically aspossible. I was tapped to be the one who got to go solo in BluffCreek, and I am so thankful. For my camera man, I chose Craig Flipy,who luckily was available.

Craig Flipy

Obviously, any trip to BluffCreek would have to include a look at the Patterson/Gimlin Film. Ihave been going to the film site for well over a decade, and havebeen there more than a dozen times. However, I had never been therewith Bob Gimlin. He was there back in 2003 when the InternationalSasquatch Symposium happened, and they used his return visit as partof an episode of Mysterious Encounters, the first all-bigfoottelevision program.

Our trip was to be Bob'ssecond return to the film site since he obtained the film back in1967, but it was the first time he rode horseback to the site. Bob isa friend of mine, which is cool enough, but to go horseback riding tothe film site with the man himself was beyond cool. It is a dreamthat I would think every bigfooter would have, and this one wascoming true for me.

Bob and the Finding Bigfoot Cast

Recreating the film at theactual film site was challenging, but much less so due to the variousmaps made of the filming event by Ranae Dahinden, Grover Krantz, andBob Titmus. We knew the distances from the camera to the subject(“Patty”) for all of the key frames, as well as the general routeof travel.

The difficult part was thatthe film site is no longer a wide open sand bar as it once was. Thegreat flood of 1964 wiped the area clean and deposited a thick layerof silt and sand over the entire area. This sand bar is still there,but the forest has reclaimed it. The entire area is thickly woodedand impossible to see through. The creek has worn its way down tothe bedrock, but in 1967 it had not yet done so. Bob noted thatthere were no really big rocks in the creek at the film site in 1967. The biggest rocks were about softball size. He also noted that theberm between the creek and the top of the sand bar was only aboutthree feet tall, whereas now it is about six or seven feet. It wasclear that the creek has eroded the bar significantly.

Bobo's walkthrough had to bedone at a slightly different place than where Patty herself walkeddue to the changes in the location, but I think it still providedsome insight on some things. First of all, Bobo's gait does notresemble Patty's on anything more than a superficial level. Eventhough Bobo has done that walk literally thousands of times in his25+ years of bigfootiness, he could not duplicate it on the uneventerrain and wild environment he walked through. Also, Bob's commentsthat the creature seemed to walk slower, yet cleared far moredistance than Bobo was also very enlightening.

I was honored to play thepart of Roger Patterson while filming the recreation. We had thesame model camera that Roger used that day, and that alone was supercool. It is far larger and heavier than I expected. Heaving thatbulky think around while running across the sandbar really gave me adeeper appreciation of Roger and Bob's accomplishment that day.

Cliff Barackman holding the Kodak K-100 camera

More to come in the secondinstallment of the Afterbirth of a Legend... Check back soon.

A look at Cliff through the viewfinder of the Kodak K-100.

A Yeti Saves the Day

2011-11-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

Just because a yeti denies its own existence, doesn't mean they aren't real.

Bigfoot Hunters Cause a Stir in the Klamath-Trinity Region

2011-11-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

This article was published in the Two Rivers Tribune, a local paper in the general area of Willow Creek and the Hoopah Reservation in Northern California. Bobo and I were hanging out at a local restaurant when a Hoopah reporter started asking questions. I think it was this meeting when we learned that lots of marijuana growers had their rifle sights trained on the helicopters flying overhead that night. I guess the production company should have known better than to use helicopters at night in Humboldt County.

Cliff Barakman (left) and BoBo Fay (right) ate

at every Willow Creek restaurant during their 12-day

stay in the Klamath Trinity region searching for Bigfoot.

The film retrieved will become a 2-hour special on the

Discovery Channel’s Amimal Planet.

Photo by Allie Hostler, Two Rivers Tribune.

Animal Planet Tight Lipped About Upcoming Episode in Bigfoot ‘Mecca’
By Allie Hostler, Two Rivers Tribune

The helicopters hovering over Bald Hill in Hoopa last week had locals stirring. Rumors flew just as fast as the choppers. First it was a man hunt that was too high profile to be heard on the scanner. Then it was CAMP looking for marijuana grows with infrared technology. Then it was the government investigating a fallen meteorite.

Turns out it was the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) and a film crew from Animal Planet—but we didn’t hear that from them.

After searching high and low for the BRFO team last week a surprise encounter occurred at Raging Creek Pub and Eatery in Willow Creek. Over an Ahi Tuna salad and Steelhead Ale, local bigfoot enthusiast BoBo Fay tried not to spill the beans.

Read the rest by clicking here.

Finding Bigfoot: "Birth of a Legend" on Oct. 30th

2011-10-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

In early August, the cast and crew of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot went to Northern California to investigate the most famous bigfoot footage of all time, the Patterson/Gimlin Film. The two weeks in Northern California was extremely productive, and it was nothing less than historic to participate in such a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The episode we shot during that time will be airing on Sunday, October 30th on Animal Planet, and I assure you it is one episode that you won't want to miss. After the episode airs, you can look forward to my behind-the-scenes commentary (tentatively titled, the "Afterbirth of a Legend") that will shed even more light on the happenings at Bluff Creek. My video commentary of this episode will unfortunately have to wait a while... I am currently on the road filming the second season of Finding Bigfoot, so I'm afraid we all have to wait a bit until I get back home to film it.

I have seen a rough cut of the episode, and it is excellent. There was so much more that happened which didn't make the edit that you'll be almost more blown away by what they didn't include! (Keep in mind, we filmed around 200 hours of footage for this episode.) That's why it's good to have a bigfoot nerd like me on the cast to show you the stuff that I thought was cool that the editors didn't include. I'm looking forward to your comments on the episode.

Finding Bigfoot's Cast Reacts to Claims of Yeti "Proof"

2011-10-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief commentary from us folks at Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot about the recent claims of "proof" out of Russia.

Very little of what I said made the editor's cut on this brief clip. I went on to comment that I have a contact that works with the native tribes of Siberia, and that these tribes have stories of sasquatch-like creatures that live nearby, just like natives of North America have. I am absolutely sure that sasquatches (or a closely related) species lives in Russia. However, I'm not sure that having 95% proof is the same as having "irrefutable" proof.

I have heard that the conference was quite good, but the field trip that obtained this "proof" was a little uncomfortable for the participants. While I do not have many details of what transpired, I am happy to hear that the Russians take this branch of science quite seriously, and they have taken strides to elevate it to the mainstream.

Sasquatch Watches

2011-10-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Cliff Barackman receives his very own green Squatchwatch
from the lovely Yolie.

Just in time for Squatchmas, a line of bigfoot time pieces has come! Already endorsed by numerous bigfooters worldwide, the "Squatchwatch" will ensure that you're never late for some midnight bigfoot screams. Click this link to order yours!

The one and only Bob Gimlin and
his brown Squatchwatch.

Craig Woolheater of Cryptomundo sports a pink version.

James "Bobo" Fay contemplates his life before
owning a Squatchwatch.

Author, Loren Coleman, with his time piece.

Happy St. Patty's Day, 2011!

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that it has been forty-four years since Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin filmed a sasquatch at Bluff Creek, CA? To celebrate this numerically palindromic milestone, I invite you to join me at approximately 1:15 pm and give a loud "ba-whoop" to the furry gal herself, Patty!

If, like me, you find the above image to be unspeakably beautiful and meaningful, I want to encourage you to watch a very special upcoming episode of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot that will be centered around this unique footage. Join me and the rest of the cast on October 30th at 9 pm on Animal Planet as we descend into Bluff Creek to examine the most famous bigfoot encounter of all time. There will be several very special surprises and historic events that will be shown for the first time on television. You'll probably recognize a couple faces from the bigfoot community as well. Whether you're a bigfoot nerd or just a fan, you'll definitely want to check out this two-hour special.

Cliff Barackman and Bob Gimlin

And finally, in this once-a-year celebration of this very special day, I'd like to extend a smiley and warm birthday wish to Autumn Williams. Due to her quiet and close work with a wide array of long-term witnesses, and to her steadfast devotion to the well-being of the creatures themselves, I strongly feel that Autumn is probably the most important bigfooter today. Happy birthday, Autumn!

Comic Con NYC 2011

2011-10-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Comic Con NYC was a ridiculous singularity of weirdness that was simply maddening in its hustle and bustle. Animal Planet made an amazing booth to promote Finding Bigfoot, complete with a photo booth from which to email photos to friends, as well as a sound booth in which visitors could record their own bigfoot screams. A yeti was even wandering around the floor of the convention hall posing for photos. Animal Planet really outdid themselves.

My friend, Dawn, with the yeti.

The cast of Finding Bigfoot held a panel discussion on sasquatches on Friday night which was moderated by 30 Rock's Judah Freidlander. Judah is a bigfoot fan, and in his new book, How to Beat up Anybody, he features a chapter on how to beat up a bigfoot. He did clarify this at the panel discussion by saying that probably 99% of bigfoots are peaceful, passive creatures, and his chapter is primarily to defend oneself from that dangerous 1 %. After the panel discussion, Judah proved he could beat up anybody by punching Bobo in the face.

The "World Champion" lands a sucker punch.

Saturday at Comic Con was a zoo. I wandered around the crowded floor snapping photos with various friends of the 'squatch, and just tripping out on the chaos that surrounded me. On my walk back, I stumbled across the Occupy Wall Street protest, which had apparently moved to Times Square. I shouted rants about befriending bigfoots and the like, but only a few noticed. One woman seemed to be chanting about how the world was 'squatchy, but apparently she was saying the world was "watching"... I need to get my hearing checked.

Enjoy these photos from the event.

The cast and executive producers of Finding Bigfoot

Cliff Barackman and Judah Freidlander

Cliff and a friend of the 'squatch

Another friend of the 'squatch

The Finding Bigfoot panel discussion

Bleep bloop whistle whistle

Holy bigfoot buddies, Batman.

I'm not sure what this is, but it's friendly to the 'squatch.

Finding Bigfoot in NYC this Friday

2011-10-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

This Friday, October 14th, at 6:30, the cast (Bobo, Matt, Ranae, and I) and executive producer of Animal Plantet's Finding Bigfoot will be featured in a panel discussion about the show. The one-hour discussion will be held at the New York Comic Con, and rumor has it will be moderated by 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander. The first 100 people at the panel discussion will receive a limited edition Finding Bigfoot t-shirt (I don't even have one of those!). If you can come, please say hello to me!

The following is from the Comic Con website:

Finding Bigfoot

Date: Friday, October 14
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Fresh from the forests of North America, the cast and producer of Animal Planet's hit "Finding Bigfoot" satisfy Sasquatch curiosity, debunk swamp ape myth and transport the audience to the birthplace of Bigfoot. Join them for a world premiere sneak peak of the show's upcoming Halloween special that investigates the infamous Patterson-Gimlin footage and explores California's Redwood Forest -- the mecca of Bigfoot activity. The crew will discuss their Squatchin' experiences from the show and share years of Bigfoot knowledge and research. If you're lucky, you just may hear a Squatch call! The first 100 people to the panel will receive a limited edition Finding Bigfoot t-shirt.

Finding Cody

2011-10-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

On February 16, 2011, I did an investigation to a place near Bull Mountain, GA where I found some very interesting footprints. These prints were cast and documented as part of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot series. Photographs of these prints and the details surrounding their discovery are detailed on this page, as well as this page.

As the pages linked above clearly show, the source of these prints is still unclear. However, it never occurred to me that they could be from Cody Lundin from Discovery Channel's Dual Survival. Thank you, Lavinco from YouTube for clearing this up for me! Hilarious!

Send your fan art to me by clicking this link to CliffBarackman.com!

Crush on a Yeti

2011-10-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

She's got a crush on a yeti? Me too. In fact, I've had a long-lasting love affair for nearly 40 years.

Two-Hour Specials and Comicon Appearances for Finding Bigfoot

2011-09-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

Now that the official press release is out, I can finally tell you a little about what 's going on with Finding Bigfoot. On October 30, a special two-hour episode will air, and I strongly suspect you will love it. We visit Bluff Creek, CA and delve into the history of bigfoot in America. While I cannot spoil any secrets about what we do nor who we speak to, I can absolutely promise you that any bigfooter will want to see this episode. I know that filming it was nothing less than historic for several reasons, and I'm sure much of the great stuff will make the editing cut.

You can look forward to a written commentary about the episode (as soon as I see it... I'll be on

the road filming season 2 when it airs, so I'm not sure i'll see it right away...), as well as a video debrief with Craig Flipy when I return to Portland.

Additionally, the cast of Finding Bigfoot will partake in a panel discussion at the New York Comicon convention on October 14th. More on this, as well as the two-hour special as the dates grow closer.

Here's the press release from Animal Planet (with slight factual errors and all...):

ANIMAL PLANET’S FINDING BIGFOOT RETURNS TO THE WOODS TO INVESTIGATE SASQUATCH’S ORIGIN IN HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

This fall, the Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) team from Animal Planet's FINDING BIGFOOT trudges deep into California's Redwood forest to investigate one of the most infamous and disputed pieces of Bigfoot evidence ever - the Patterson-Gimlin footage. Premiering Sunday, October 30, at 9 PM (ET/PT), the two-hour special FINDING BIGFOOT: BIRTH OF A LEGEND takes viewers to the site where the notorious footage was captured to investigate the elusive beast's existence and settle the more than 50-year-old debate originated by the tape.

Outfitted with the latest technology, including night-vision and infrared cameras, the BFRO team also scours the Redwoods to uncover additional evidence of the presence of Sasquatch. With more Bigfoot signals discovered in the Redwoods than anywhere else in North America, each broken branch or peculiar noise could mean a Squatch is lurking nearby.

Prior to the debut of the special, the BFRO team will make an appearance at this year's New York Comic Con convention. On Friday, October 14, at 6:30 PM, the entire cast -- Bobo, Cliff, Matt and Ranae - will debunk Bigfoot myths with a special sneak preview of theBIRTH OF A LEGEND special. Following the sneak peek, the team will discuss its Squatchin' experiences from the show and share years of Bigfoot knowledge and research on a panel.

In FINDING BIGFOOT, a four-person team from the BFRO -- a leading scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery -- investigates Sasquatch sightings by interviewing locals, examining evidence and infiltrating the woodlands and forests in places where Bigfoot has been reported.

FINDING BIGFOOT is produced for Animal Planet by Ping Pong Productions. Keith Hoffman is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Brad Kuhlman and Casey Brumels are the executive producers for Ping Pong Productions.

Poking Fun at Finding Bigfoot

2011-09-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

Over at the blog Ghost Hunting Theories, paranormal investigator and friend of the 'squatch, Autumnforest, has posted a funny dialogue for a fictional episode of Finding Bigfoot. I giggled to myself several times while reading through the post because it hit a little closer to home more than Autumnforest probably realizes. The parody on our personalities seems a bit more accurate now that I've been on the road for nearly two months filming the second season of the show. Read on for a sample of the script, and click the link below for the rest.

Thank you, Autumnforest, for a good laugh at my expense!

RANAE: Man, I'm really glad to be here in my home state on what might be a really awesome hunt.

Matt: (Turning to Cliff) Did you hear something?

Cliff: You mean Ranae speaking?

Matt: (frowns) Ranae?

Cliff: (prompts) You know, the female on the team. (seeing Matt's blank stare, he adds) The skeptic.

Matt: (bristles) Oh, her.

Bobo: What do you want us to do, huh?

Ranae: If these people said that the creature was as tall as that row of branches down the hillside, perhaps we should have Bobo go down there and wander around and see if we can get a height on this thing.

Matt: (elbows her) I am the leader, here. (thinks) Bobo, let's have you go down the hillside and stand in for Bigfoot, hmm?

(BoBo stomps off down the hillside)

Cliff: Waaaaaaaaaeeeeewwwww! Woooooop! Woooooop! Waaaaaaeeeewwww!

Matt: No, Cliff, it's not time to do a Bigfoot call.

Cliff: (pouts and stomps his foot) I'm better at it in the shower. Or the car. Sometimes, I practice it in the grocery store. Well, back when they used to let me go there. Denny's and IHOP don't like me much either. I'm not welcome back at my grandma's house either. (frowns and shrugs) Come to think of it, my HOA isn't too happy. They came up with some rule on their books about Bigfoot calls.(mumbles)

For the rest of the roast, click this link.

Finding Bigfoot - "Bigfoot and Beer," Episode 7

2011-09-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

The filming of the seventh episode of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot television series was an unexpected surprise to us cast members. It was scheduled and executed in only a few weeks, and was a direct response to the excellent ratings the show earned throughout the month of June. Though "Episode 7" was more or less a review of the first season, there were several new clips that had never been seen before, and the cast was given the opportunity to directly answer questions about both the show and sasquatches in general to a live audience. Oh yeah, and there was beer.

The following is another installment of my video debriefs regarding each and every episode of Finding Bigfoot, helped out by my faithful companion, Craig Flipy.

Happy Birthday, Craig Flipy

2011-09-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

Videographer, and friend of the 'squatch, Craig Flipy celebrates his birthday today! Drop by his Facebook page, YouTube page, or even his website and wish him a happy day.

Craig examining a lot of crap.

Spider Man Meets the Yeti

2011-09-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Now I know. Forget tree knocks and howls, I have to bring ice cream out to the woods...

Cochrane Eagle Article

2011-09-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

Finding Bigfoot quest brings TV crew to area

September 7, 2011

By Jeremy Broadfield

The mythical Bigfoot may be living in the wilderness southwest of Cochrane and the hosts of Finding Bigfoot hope to find evidence to support this.

"You're seeing a perfectly normal animal that lives here in North America," said host Cliff Barackman at a town hall meeting taped at Easter Seals Camp Horizon Aug. 31.

Finding Bigfoot airs on Animal Planet.

Read the rest of the article by clicking this link.

Representative Bartlett Lobbies for Closest Human Relative

2011-09-10T03:54:00.000-07:00

Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-6-MD) has introduced bipartisan legislation to ban invasive experimentation on chimpanzees in the United States. Representative Bartlett says that it's time for Americans to "decide if the benefits to humans of research using chimpanzees outweigh the ethical, financial and scientific costs." He goes on to say that the evidence is mounting that they do not.

The reason I'm posting this on a blog about bigfoots is that chimpanzees are routinely experimented on because they are humans' closest relative. I think that we in the bigfoot community know of another, even closer relative. After bigfoots are recognized by the scientific establishment, what sort of inhumane treatment will they be subjected to? I feel that if we move now to protect the already recognized great apes, then after "discovery" sasquatches will receive the same (and hopefully greater) protections under the law.

Now is the time to move to start advocating for the protection for sasquatches (see my previous blog post, Conservation Before Discovery). I am not suggesting that you picket the White House Lawn with signs proclaiming we stop experimenting on sasquatches. We cannot afford to be seen as aluminum-foil-hat-wearing-nut-jobs. However, we can quietly support the protection of all ape species, as well as strongly advocate for aboriginal (human) people's rights. It is likely that sasquatches will fall smack in between these two groups, thus calling into play a unique mixture of laws that are already on the books.

Please read Representative Bartlett's editorial from the New York Times below.

Stop Using Chimps as Guinea Pigs

By ROSCOE G. BARTLETT

Published: August 10, 2011

BEFORE I was elected to Congress, I was a physiologist at the Navy’s School of Aviation Medicine. For our successful missions to transport men to the moon and return them safely to Earth, I invented a series of respiratory support devices, which we tested on primates, including Baker, a squirrel monkey. Before humans were rocketed into space, Baker was the first primate to survive a trip into space and back; Able, her counterpart on the flight, died from an allergic reaction to an anesthetic during a procedure shortly after the landing.

At the time, I believed such research was worth the pain inflicted on the animals. But in the years since, our understanding of its effect on primates, as well as alternatives to it, have made great strides, to the point where I no longer believe such experiments make sense — scientifically, financially or ethically. That’s why I have introduced bipartisan legislation to phase out invasive research on great apes in the United States.

Today is the start of a two-day public hearing convened by the Institute of Medicine, which is examining whether there is still a need for invasive chimpanzee research. Meanwhile, nine countries, as well as the European Union, already forbid or restrict invasive research on great apes. Americans have to decide if the benefits to humans of research using chimpanzees outweigh the ethical, financial and scientific costs.

The evidence is mounting that they do not. For one thing, many new techniques are cheaper, faster and more effective, including computer modeling and the testing of very small doses on human volunteers. In vitro methods now grow human cells and tissues for human biomedical studies, bypassing the need for whole animals.

Click this link to read the rest of the article.

Rictor-Riolo's Finding Bigfoot Art

2011-09-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am continually blown away by the creativity and talent of the people who contact me. Most recently, a friend of the 'squatch sent me a surprise piece of art depicting the cast of Finding Bigfoot. Matt is shown in the strongly-opinionated-proclamation pose he often assumes, Ranae in her slinky field gear never seen on camera, Bobo in his smiley overseeing stance, and me in an apparent action pose, all supervised by the ever-knowing glare of a sasquatch. In true comic book fashion, the cast of Finding Bigfoot has probably never looked better.

Special thanks to Rick for this monumental accomplishment of artistic talent. Please take some time to peruse his other galleries that can be seen in this gallery by clicking here. You can go straight to his website, www.rickriolo.com, by clicking that link.

For you folks who never outgrew coloring, here's a printable version to fill in. Break out your Crayolas!

Andy Finkle

2011-09-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Andy Finkle, crypto-artist extraordinaire and friend of the 'squatch, has honored me by painting my portrait. The piece, which you see below, shows me with my characteristic smile, adorning my beatnik shades and beanie. What a totally cool surprise, and a pleasure to see.

Andy has done a number of other second-tier celebrities, as well as portraits of various cryptids. He does portraits on commission too, and for a very reasonable price. Look at the rest of his work, or perhaps even commission Andy to do a portrait of someone you love, on www.AndyFinkle.com.

Oh yeah, he also sometimes goes on "bigfoot peace safaris." Me too!

Finding Bigfoot - GA Episode Video Debrief

2011-08-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

Before I left town to film the second season of Finding Bigfoot, I got together with my faithful companion, Craig Flipy, to film the long-overdue video debrief for the Georgia episode. In this video, Craig and I cover the Georgia Dash Cam Video, the footprint casts discovered and cast on the set, and other things featured in the episode. As always, I hope you enjoy two friends discussing the real goings-on behind the scenes of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot.

A Product for Women, not Sasquatches

2011-08-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

Am I repulsed, or strangely attracted? My inner turmoil continues.

The Cleverness of the Apes

2011-08-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Many people have the hugely erroneous view that the great apes are unintelligent beasts, acting solely out of instinct. This is an antiquated perspective that ignores the last 50 years of primate research. It is now known that the other non-human apes have language skills, commonly use tools for a variety of purposes, and are problem-solving, sentient beings. Humans are not as special as we'd like to believe, and we are not that different from our more hirsute cousins, sasquatches included.

Sasquatches, being most likely even more closely related to humans than the other apes, are therefore likely to share many (or most) of the same behaviors as both the other extant great apes and humans. It is that belief that brings me to point you towards the following excellent article. As with everything I write, please read the following with bigfoots in mind. In fact, do most things in your life with bigfoots in mind... I do.

The Cleverness of the Apes

In “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” experiments with genetic engineering lead to an incredibly intelligent species of ape. In reality, these non-human primates are in fact very smart and have better, faster memories than we do. Check out these pictures documenting milestones in great ape intelligence: Chimpanzees make and use tools, gorillas use sign language, bonobos understand spoken language and syntax, orangutans communicate by attaching meaning to arbitrary symbols and making logical, thoughtful choices, and more. — Global Animal

National Geographic, Christine Dell’Amore

An adult female lowland gorilla in the Republic of the Congo's
Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park uses a walking stick to
gauge the water's depth. The behavior, documented in a 2005
study in the journal PLoS Biology, was the first evidence that wild
gorillas use tools. Photo credit: Breuer, Ndoundou-Hockemba,
Fishlock et al, PLoS Biology

The supersmart chimpanzees of the new movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes may exist only on the silver screen — but in real life, great apes are still brainiacs of the animal kingdom.

The “notion is [tool use] requires higher intelligence, because it requires refashioning what nature has provided to achieve the user’s goal,” Anne Russon, an expert in ape intelligence at Canada’s York University, said via email.

Since the toolmaking discovery, scientists have discovered our closest cousins can use sign language, hunt with spears of their own making, and even beat college students in basic memory tests, among other skills.

Koko, a lowland gorilla born in 1971, is currently the most language-proficient nonhuman, according to the Gorilla Foundation, which teaches ASL to gorillas.

The gorilla has a vocabulary of more than a thousand signs, understands about 2,000 words of spoken English, and initiates most conversations with people, according to the foundation’s website.

Her IQ is between 70 and 95 on a human scale—100 is considered a “normal” human IQ.

“Great apes have [language] skills that are similar to small children,” Thomas Breuer, an ape researcher with the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Republic of the Congo, said by email.

Added York University’s Russon: “The great leap forward was using manual signs rather than vocal sounds for language—important because great apes don’t have the same control over sound creation as humans do.”

To read the rest of the article, click this link.

Trail Cam-O-Rama for Conservation

2011-08-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

A close up of a chimpanzee's face. It is

eerily human-like, especially in the eyes.

August 16, 2011

IMAGERY FROM THREE CONTINENTS, SEVEN COUNTRIES HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTED AREAS & COORDINATED APPROACH TO MAMMAL CONSERVATION AND DIVERSIty

Arlington, VA — The first global camera trap mammal study, announced today by a group of international scientists, has documented 105 species in nearly 52,000 images, from seven protected areas across the Americas, Africa and Asia. The photographs reveal an amazing variety of animals in their most candid moments — from a minute mouse to the enormous African elephant, plus gorillas, cougars, giant anteaters and — surprisingly — even tourists and poachers.

IN PHOTOS: See the images from the camera traps »

Analysis of the photographic data has helped scientists confirm a key conclusion that until now, was understood through uncoordinated local study: habitat loss and smaller reserves have a direct and detrimental impact on the diversity and survival of mammal populations. Impacts are seen in the form of less diversity of species and less variety of body sizes and diets (smaller animals and insectivores are the first to disappear), among others. This information replicated over time and space is crucial to understand the effects of global and regional threats on forest mammals and anticipate extinctions before it is too late.

The results of the study have been published in the article "Community structure and diversity of tropical mammals: data from a global camera trap network", in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The study was led by Dr. Jorge Ahumada, ecologist with the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network at Conservation International. Protected areas in Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Laos, Suriname, Tanzania and Uganda were researched, making this not only the first global camera trap mammal study, but also the largest camera trap study of any class of animals (not just mammals).

To read the rest of the article on Conservation.com, and to see more photos, click this link.

OregonBigfoot.com Gets a New Look

2011-08-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

A brand new look and feel to a well established website made its debut this week over at OregonBigfoot.com. You probably have seen the site from either Oregon Bigfoot's long-term history on the web, or perhaps by visiting it via my links to the right on this page. Either way, Autumn Williams has put in a lot of work to revamp her site for the modern era.

Besides being one of the longest running bigfoot websites still on line today, Oregon Bigfoot has distinguished itself by providing hundreds of sighting reports for the public to enjoy. The "members" section of her website boasts probably more photographs, videos, and sound recordings than any other site. That's not even mentioning her private, members forum that is a supportive, non-judgmental place for witnesses to come forth and discuss their observations without fear of ridicule.

For a different, passive approach to bigfooting, there is no better place to look than OregonBigfoot.com. Don't bother bringing your camoflauge pants, no-scent spray, and super cool game cameras. That's not the way they do things over there. If you're interested in long-term, passive interaction and supportive co-existence, then OregonBigfoot is a place you'll want to check out.

Finding Bigfoot, Lego-Style

2011-08-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

I love Legos, and now I love them even more...

It's stuff like this that helps me remember why I do this...

Bigfoot Art by Hunter (3rd Grade)

2011-07-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Hunter!

The Duplex - "Finding Bigfoot"

2011-07-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Who do you think "found" it?

Sasquotes - Bobo

2011-07-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

"Not every 'squatch is a rocket scientist."

- James "Bobo" Fay

Sound Recordings

2011-07-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Continuing the long, arduous process of transferring over content from my original NorthAmericanBigfoot.com website, I have now finished with the sound recordings section in the new, updated, and Cliffcentric CliffBarackman.com. The sound recording section has been updated with a new format, and the Horse Creek Howls from the Oregon episode of Finding Bigfoot have been added.

Visit the sound recording section of CliffBarackman.com to give a listen.

Detroit Lake, 2009

2011-07-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

A new footprint photograph has been added to my ever-growing footprint database. The print was found in October, 2009, and was photographed by a witness and his uncle while hunting for chanterelles at Detroit Lake.

To read the rest of the report, go to my footprint database at CliffBarackman.com.

Finding Bigfoot in the Oregonian

2011-07-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Living in Portland, OR, I was honored and thrilled to be interviewed by The Oregonian, arguably the most read paper in these parts. The interview seemed a lot more like a casual conversation than a question and answer session, and I'm pleased with the results. Please read on for more details, or see the original here.

A 12-year-old Alaskan hunter tells the "Finding Bigfoot" crew
that he saw an 8-foot bigfoot-like creature up close in a
forest clearing. The show uses this computer-generated bigfoot
as the boy describes his encounter.

'Finding Bigfoot' makes a big impact in its first season

or some viewers, Animal Planet's new series "Finding Bigfoot" is a comedy: Did you hear that guy perform a bigfoot howl?

For others, including the show's stars, it's a drama of serious investigations into reported bigfoot sightings in Oregon and across the country.

Animal Planet executives may not care how people react to the show as long as viewers tune in. And they are.

Over the show's six-episode first season, "Finding Bigfoot" has averaged 1.2 million viewers in its Sunday night premieres, making it among the top three series on the Discovery-owned cable network ("River Monsters" and"Whale Wars" are the other Animal Planet hits.)

Each episode features the four-member "Finding Bigfoot" team investigating images or video captured of the ape-like bigfoot , often followed by a night-time exploration using infrared cameras to detect heat signatures.

Occasionally, a computer-generated bigfoot is shown in re-created scenes.

Next week, Animal Planet will announce it has renewed "Finding Bigfoot" for a 10-episode second season to begin airing in early 2012. There are also plans for the network to air a two-hour special this fall around Halloween tentatively titled "The Squatchiest Place on Earth."

Asked why the network would devote a series to a creature that's yet to be proved exists, Animal Planet president and general manager Marjorie Kaplan deadpanned, "It doesn't exist?"

This weekend's season finale of "Finding Bigfoot" (10 p.m. Sunday) was filmed at Ike's Pizza in Leaberg, about 20 miles east of Eugene on Highway 126. The episode, called "Behind the Search," is a one-hour reunion special with the "Finding Bigfoot" team taking questions from an audience while recapping their six-episode first season, including an episode filmed in the Willamette National Forest.

The four-person team, led by Bigfoot Field Research Organization founder Matt Moneymaker, investigated a video shot by kayakers on the McKenzie River that appears to show a biped – a bigfoot? a human? – standing near some rocks on the shoreline. Moneymaker tends to see bigfoot everywhere, while field biologist Ranae Holland is the team's skeptic.

"It is true that we felt if we were going to do the show that we have a skeptical voice," Kaplan said. "She represents the viewer a lot of time," said Keith Hoffman, "Finding Bigfoot" executive producer for Animal Planet. "Viewers want to see people who don't just totally believe, although Ranae has told me she would like it to be true (that bigfoots exist)."

In the McKenzie River sequence, Holland quickly concludes the creature on the shore is not a sasquatch, but a human. Although it didn't make it into the final episode, Portlander Cliff Barackman, the show's level-headed educator (imagine the professor from "Gilligan's Island"), said he agreed with Holland; he had previously researched and debunked this reported sighting at his website, cliffbarackman.com.

Barackman taught sixth grade and music appreciation at Cascade Heights Public Charter School in Milwaukie, taking a six-week leave of absence earlier this year to film the first season of "Finding Bigfoot." He won't return to the school in the fall because of his commitment to the show's second season. He said students got a kick out of his interest in bigfoot.

"They absolutely loved it," he said. "Some would say, 'Mr. B., I don't think bigfoot's real,' and I'd say they are but you don't have to believe."

Barackman, 40, was friends with two of the other three "Finding Bigfoot" cast members before he was cast on the show and he's had his sights set on a TV gig for a while, previously appearing on A&E' s "Bob Saget's Strange Days" (for a sasquatch hunt episode) and on History's "MonsterQuest" (as a bigfoot expert).

Barackman said he always had an interest in monsters as a child and was a fan of the 1970s paranormal TV show "In Search Of. ..." At Cal State Long Beach, he spent time in the library between classes, pulling random books from shelves to read. Barackman said he stumbled upon a book of scientific, peer-reviewed papers about sasquatches, which ignited his interest in bigfoot. From there, he said, "It got worse and worse."

He moved to Oregon three years ago, in part for the easy access to the wilderness for bigfoot expeditions. "When I looked at the climate and the cultural climate – the eccentric, weirdo-centered culture – I thought I'd feel comfortable having the opportunity to do gigs playing guitar, meet interesting people and have access to squatchy places," Barackman said. "I go to bars and restaurants in Portland and I'm not bashful about bigfoot. I'll ask people, have you seen a sasquatch or know somebody who has? And in Portland it averages one out of five people say yes."

So, has he ever seen a bigfoot? Barackman said he's collected footprint samples, recorded vocalizations and been screamed at from 40 feet away, but his only possible sighting was through a thermal camera during a "Finding Bigfoot" shoot in North Carolina. He takes criticism of bigfoot believers in stride on the show and in conversation.

"They can be as wrong as they want," he said. "It doesn't matter to me at all. The reality of the species does not depend on their belief nor does it depend on mine."

-- Rob Owen

Finding Bigfoot - "Alaska's Bigfoot Island" Commentary

2011-07-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Alaska's Bigfoot Island – Cliff's Commentary

The Alaska shoot was interesting for several reasons. First of all, it was initially meant to a pilot episode for the series, and was the first to be shot. We started filming it in June of 2010, and were on scene for seven days. Enough footage was filmed to edit together a scratch version of what would later become a full episode of Finding Bigfoot. Animal Planet liked what they saw. They ordered a six-part series, and they wanted the Alaska shoot to be one of the episodes.

Cliff Barackman, Matt Moneymaker, Ranae Holland, Bobo,
and camera man Evan Stone on location filming Finding Bigfoot.

Fast forward to April 2011. Five full episodes of Finding Bigfoot had been filmed between February and the middle of March. The Alaska show would the the sixth. Around this time we were notified that we had to go back to Alaska to film again. So we did, and were up there during the second half of April, 2011.

Read the rest of Cliff's commentary, and more in general about Finding Bigfoot, at www.CliffBarackman.com.

Finding Bigfoot - "Alaska's Bigfoot Island" Video Debrief

2011-07-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Once again, I sit down with my trusty companion, Craig Flipy, to discuss the newest episode of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot television series... in a tree?

Finding Bigfoot - "Frozen Bigfoot" Video Debrief

2011-07-06T20:35:00.001-07:00

I've been in the woods for a week or so, but in my absence this video came out. Perhaps you've seen it by now, but just in case you missed it...

Finding Bigfoot - "Frozen Bigfoot" Commentary

2011-06-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Washington episode of Finding Bigfoot was filmed in the middle of March, 2011. It was the last of five episodes we filmed during February and March, so we were well polished and comfortable with the gig by that time. I believe it shows on screen.

The centerpiece of our investigations in southwest Washington was the Silver Star Mountain photographs. Avid hiker, and friend of the 'squatch, Randee Chase took three pictures of what might very well be a sasquatch sitting on the top of Silver Star Mountain, just east of Vancouver, WA. He didn't know what he photographed at the time, and honestly still doesn't. Randee and I have become friends over the last couple years, and I have had the opportunity to go to the top of Silver Star with him on at least three occasions. The more I look into his photographs, the more I am convinced that they indeed show a bigfoot. These same photos where the subject of my presentation at the 2010 Oregon Sasquatch Symposium, and that presentation can be seen on the DVDs. It should be noted that I have since taken more accurate measurements and have slightly reduced, but I still firmly hold that these photographs show a sasquatch.

The trip to Silver Star on the 1962 huey helicopter was one of the most spectacular experiences of my life. The helicopter had been restored to near-mint condition. I have to say “near-mint” because there were still bullet holes visible in the interior from its service in the Vietnam War. The top of Silver Star that day had epic seeing conditions, but a nasty wind that brought the temperatures down to below freezing with the wind chill factor. Though I had four or five layers of clothing on, they did little to shield my face from the biting cold. Having a second helicopter there to take heroic shots didn't help keep me warm, either. More than once, the second helicopter zoomed up to us and almost knocked us off our feet with its prop wash.

Go to CliffBarackman.com to read the rest of this commentary on Finding Bigfoot, "Frozen Bigfoot."

98 Rock Interview

2011-06-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited to do an early morning interview on 98 Rock radio in Baltimore, MD. I had to be on the air at 5 am (PST) in order to make the "drive time" slot on the east coast, but it was well worth it. The hosts were fun and encouraging, and they asked good questions that helped me do a little educating of the general public. Thank you, 98 Rock!

Listen to the interview below:

You can also go directly to the station's page by clicking this link.

Finding Bigfoot - Oregon Field Notes

2011-06-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Episode of Finding Bigfoot, entitled, “Fishing for Bigfoot in Oregon,” was one of my favorites to not only shoot, but to watch. As far as shooting it, I loved working back in the state in which I reside. We were dealing with my metaphorical backyard, and in several cases, were investigating things that I had already looked into.

The evidential centerpiece of the episode was the McKenzie River Footage. This footage came to my attention last August, and upon first glimpse seemed pretty compelling. It showed a dark bipedal figure seemingly standing from a sitting position next to the McKenzie River in central Oregon. In September of 2010, I visited the film site and did a fairly extensive on-site investigation. I left that investigation with the inclination to believe it was a human figure. When going over the casts' thoughts with Matt and Chris, the two witnesses, Bobo, Ranae, and I all came to that conclusion. Matt was less sure about that, and his opinion was mostly featured on the show, leaving the conclusions of the team ambiguous. You can read a previous North American Bigfoot blog post on my conclusions by clicking the previous link.

Read the rest of the commentary on CliffBarackman.com. Also included in the commentary is the original Molalla vocalization recorded on site during this Finding Bigfoot episode.

Finding Bigfoot - OR Episode Debrief

2011-06-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

Today I returned from speaking at this past weekend's Oregon Sasquatch Symposium and getting into the woods for a night or two. The break was well deserved and much needed.

I dropped by Craig Flipy's subterranean lair today to film an episode debrief on the most recent Finding Bigfoot. The promised write-up has been penned, and will be posted tomorrow on CliffBarackman.com. In addition to my weekly commentary, I will post the actual audio file of the Molalla River vocalizations. The recording is the real deal, and is quite interesting.

In the meantime, here is my newest video debrief. Enjoy!

OSS 2010 DVD

2011-06-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned, I am speaking at the second annual Oregon Sasquatch Symposium this coming weekend. The first OSS was a big hit, and I have recently become aware that the DVD of last year's event is now for sale.

Cliff Barackman addresses the crowd at the 2010 OSS.

Click this link to buy the DVD.

Below is a description of the DVD as taken from the OSS official website.

Tribal Relations Programs Manager Kathy Strain discusses early Native depictions of Hairy Man and how the stories have survived to present day.

Long-term witness Sali Sheppard-Wolford shares stories from her book, Valley of the Skookum.

Kalapuya Elder Esther Stutzman breaks the silence and shares tribal knowledgeabout Sasquatch... and a powerful message.

Ron Morehead presents the Sierra Sounds and discusses his experiences with
Sasquatch vocalizations at their camp in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

For the first time, Dave Rodriguez recounts his multiple sightings and gives a fascinating presentation on the role of snow on tree break evidence.

Cryptolinguist R. Scott Nelson discusses his studies of the Sierra Sounds, offering a detailed, unique look at purported Sasquatch vocalizations using live transcription software.
Nelson also presents his paper on a proposed Sasquatch Phonetic Alphabet.

Researcher Cliff Barackman gives a detailed presentation on the Silver Star
Mountain photographs, including measurements and comparison photos.

Present during the filming of the now famous 1967 Bluff Creek Sasquatch, Bob Gimlin relives that day and the events surrounding it as only he can.

DVD bonus footage includes: Audience Q&A session with OSS speakers, live music performances by Lenny Green, footage from the OSS 2010 kick-off party, and storytelling by Sandy Jensen.

Oregon Sasquatch Symposium 2011

2011-06-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the second annual Oregon Sasquatch Symposium. The organizer, Toby Johnson, has invited me to speak at the event for the second year in a row. I am scheduled for 9 o'clock on Saturday morning.

The event is kicking off on Wednesday night at Ike's Pizza. Several speakers will be on hand to hang out with, though my schedule is as of yet unclear. I hope you can make it down because the pizza will be hot, and the beer will be flowing.

June 15th
6 p.m. Ike’s Pizza Bigfoot Bash Kick-Off Party

June 17th
10 a.m. start for package 1 & 2: check-in at CWB Main Lodge
12 p.m. lunch
6 p.m. dinner with Peter Byrne and Jeff Boiler
7:30 p.m. Bigfoot Ball & Brew at Main Lodge

June 18th
MORNING
7:30-8:30 breakfast
9:00-10:00 Cliff Barackman
10:00-11:00 Dr. Matt Johnson
11:00-11:15 intermission
11:15-12:15 Ron Morehead
12:15- 2:00 lunch

AFTERNOON
2:00-3:00 Thom Powell
3:00-4:00 Beth Heikkinen
4:00-4:15 intermission
4:15-5:15 Henry Franzoni
EVENING
5:15-6:30 dinner
6:30-? Campfire Discussion led by Lee Trippet/Henry Franzoni & Thom Powell,Q&A

June 19th
MORNING
7:30-10:45 breakfast and camp break down

I hope you can make it. Click this link for ticket information.

Finding Bigfoot - Possible Sighting?

2011-06-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Finding Bigfoot episode we filmed in North Carolina was the first of six episodes we shot this past winter. We were in the area to investigate the thermal footage obtained by welfare fraud investigator, long-time bigfooter, and friend of the 'squatch, Mike Greene that I believe shows a sasquatch.

Though the focus of our visit was Greene's video, we did several night investigations in the Uwharrie National Forest. On one of these night investigations, we focused on an area where a group of witnesses possibly encountered several sasquatches a number of years ago. The camp was a several hour walk by trail, but only a 40 minute walk across country.

After navigating thick woods for around three-quarters of an hour, we arrived at the location. The camp was located in a shallow, bowl-shaped valley. The surrounding hills were covered in trees and bushes, and a small stream trickled nearby. It was an excellent place for sasquatches to potentially hang out. The valley had water, cover, lots of deer sign, was sheltered from the winds, and was very quiet so any bigfoots could hear what was going on in their area. These bigfoots could also navigate the surrounding high areas and observe the activities of any intruders.

To read the rest, click this link.

Finding Bigfoot - Florida Episode Debrief

2011-06-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

To give greater insight on the various episodes of Finding Bigfoot, I will be producing short interviews on a weekly basis to fill in some gaps on some of the interesting items left out of the final edit. Helping me along the way will be my faithful companion, Craig Flipy. I hope you enjoy the behind-the-scenes information.

Herbert Jim

2011-06-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Cliff Barackman and Herbert Jim

Native American storyteller and culture and language educator for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Herbert Jim, assisted during the filming of the Florida episode of Animal Planet's series Finding Bigfoot. He welcomed us to the reservation and shared his cultural beliefs and stories regarding sasquatches.

Left out of the final edit were several stories about sasquatches that he told us that night under the chickee hut. His culture, much like other Native cultures throughout North America, believe that bigfoots are a type of people that have kept their wild ways. They are the masters of the night, while humans are the masters of the day.

One of the stories Herbert Jim shared with us about sasquatches took place during one of the Seminole Wars. The Seminole Wars were a time in US history when the United States Government was basically trying to exterminate the Seminole Indians because they, along with the Creeks and other local tribes, were strongly resisting relocation onto reservations. The Seminoles chose to fight their oppressors and were chased into the unoccupied wilds of the Florida swamps by the US military. Herbert told us that while the Seminoles were being pursued southwards, the "hairy men" would fight the soldiers during the night, but disappear during the day and leave the fighting to the Seminoles until dusk again. According to Herbert's story, sasquatches literally fought alongside the indians as they were forced southward!

With native beliefs like this, one can see how the Seminoles would have a great deal of respect for sasquatches. Herbert Jim's message was one of "live and let live." I took this message to heart, and I hope that the American culture will embrace the ideals put forth by Herbert Jim as we draw closer to the final recognition of sasquatches as our amazing cousin on the primate family tree.

Watch the video below to hear a story by Herbert Jim about the Seminole Wars.

Finding Bigfoot - Florida Field Notes

2011-06-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

On last night's episode of Finding Bigfoot, the team and I headed to Florida. We investigated a property in the panhandle that has been reporting bigfoot encounters for nearly ten years. Bill and Carolyn Bridges were very open and gracious about having us on their property for the few days we were there. They fed us, made nightly campfires, and told us about the strange things that have been happening on and around their property for the last ten years. They were also very tolerant of us doing nighttime investigations on their property and in the adjacent forests.

Many weird things have happened on and around their property over the years. Some of these strange things could possibly be explained by a hungry bear, or at least it would appear so on the surface. Bears would definitely be capable of bending iron rods and making off with bird feeders, but I stop short of attributing them with the ability of wrapping rubber gaskets around tree stumps several times as we saw evidence of. Bears also could emit the growls that Carolyn heard outside her bedroom window that night, but the greasy handprint left on their glass window is clearly not that of a bear.

Being a footprint nerd, I was particularly taken by the handprint, and I managed to get a copy of the handprint film from one of the producers. In between shooting scenes, I took measurements of various parts of the screen door on which the handprint was left. When we were filming the scene about the handprint, I told the producers that I'd like to find out how big it was, and they gave me a little time to do so, but not much. In fact, the cameras were rolling on me as I did the measurements and the math. It was a high-pressure situation, considering the price of the high-definition digital tapes that those cameras use.

Now that I'm in a much more controlled and less-stressful environment, I wanted to go back and see if I could get some more accurate measurements. In the field, I used an actual ruler to measure the size of various things on the computer screen, but now I have the luxury to count pixels. I think that everyone would agree this should give more accurate results. The first step in finding the size of this handprint is to find some scale. Luckily, the door on which the print was left was still there, so I set about measuring as many things as I could. My notes from the field accompany this report. I then exported several frames from the video into photo editing software. In the first exported frame, I used the software's ruler tool to find that the door frame was 82.25 pixels wide. It measured 2.25 inches in real life. Using ratios to determine the approximate size of the handprint in real life, I found that the minimum measurements for the thumb length and the wrist width are 3.16 inches and 2.48 inches respectively.

Read the rest of my report on CliffBarackman.com.

"Cliff is an Earnest Nerd" - A Review of Finding Bigfoot

2011-06-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hilarious. I loved it, particularly the apt descriptions of us all.

Finding Bigfoot
By Scott Von Doviak June 5, 2011

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a Sasquatchologist. My childhood fascination with the mythical man-ape bordered on obsession. I had every bigfoot book and toy imaginable (including plastic Sasquatch snowshoes I used to make footprints in the neighbors’ yards), I saw every ridiculous bigfoot-umentary that played within a hundred miles of my hometown (and wrote a chapter about them in my book Hick Flicks), and when the bionic bigfoot guest-starred on The Six Million Dollar Man, I was in heaven. To this day, whenever I notice a bigfoot special is coming on Discovery or History or SyFy, I find myself hitting the record button on my DVR, almost subconsciously. It’s a sickness, I guess, but I can’t help myself.

Read the rest by clicking this link.

Tonight on Finding Bigfoot - A Handprint from Florida

2011-06-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight on Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot, join me and the team as we look into some very compelling data gathered in northern Florida from a property where the owners have been encountering sasquatches for ten years. We will then travel to the Everglades to visit with members of the Seminole Nation to learn about their ancient native beliefs regarding these hairy beings.

As always, check out CliffBarackman.com after the show airs for exclusive behind-the-scenes shots and information about the episode. This week, I'll closely examine the hand print featured in the above video.

Cliff Barackman gets Heckled on The Soup

2011-06-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning at work I received a text that Finding Bigfoot would be briefly featured on the E! Network's pop culture commentary show, The Soup. Talk about a mixed blessing! On the up side, I guess that means we're getting noticed. We did, after all, score a huge ratings victory for Animal Planet with over 1.3 million viewers. On the downside, well... We were likely to be ruthlessly heckled by one of the sharpest wits on television. Considering all that we said on the first episode of Finding Bigfoot, I figured they'd go after Moneymaker, but boy was I wrong. The Soup came after me with both barrels blazing.

While watching, my emotions went from "Oh crap, that's me," to "That could've been way worse." Though, I wish they included my last line of, "My neighbors hate it."

I thought it was hilarious. As far as practicing calls in the shower bothering the females in my life, I only date women who think that sort of thing is hot anyway. Everyone can tell I'm on a date for miles away.

Finding Bigfoot - "Swamp Ape"

2011-06-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

The second episode of the new Animal Planet series Finding Bigfoot will air at its regularly scheduled time of Sunday night at 10 pm e/p. This week, we will be travelling to Florida to investigate a property where the family living there has had sasquatch encounters for ten years, and to meet with members of the Seminole Indians to inquire about their native beliefs regarding sasquatches.

Be sure to check out this blog and CliffBarackman.com for information on what didn't make the editing cut, my opinions of the show, and special behind-the-scenes photographs.

Please remember to check your local listings so you don't miss the show!

Cliff in a swamp buggy.