This sums it up!

Good morning and Happy Monday to you all! I wanted to post this comment that I received this morning on my Google Plus from Mike Brookreson. Mike does an excellent job of painting the picture of the reality on the ground for us and what we are dealing with. Mike reinforces my belief that we absolutely are the "bait". You don't need to walk 20 miles hootin and hollerin to have that experience. Another great point that Mike makes is trusting your instincts! That "fight or flight" battle that your mind, body, and soul go through when encountered with what it perceives as a life or death situation. It really is important that you harness that battle, and try to make a rational decision on your next course of action. My hunting background has taught me NOT to run when in the presence of a predatory animal. I think this is common sense but I truly had to fight this flight response the other night. The whole time I packed up camp I knew it was watching and I acted as I was totally unaware of it's presence. But in truth I wanted to run and leave everything there..lol

I will end with this, I will concede the night to them. They have EVERY advantage day or night but during the day I at least have a chance to asses the situation and react accordingly. At night you are at their mercy! And like Mike said, they aren't trying to be our friends. We are stimuli to them plain and simple. With that in mind I'm not sure if  I'll do anymore night ops...at least until I can get some night optics. Being able to feel and hear these encounters is one thing but I need to be able to document it too. Like I told Mike months ago it's all stories if  I can't document it! Happy Squatchin...

Mike Brookreson

1:02 AM

 

Reply

 

Dude. What you did is completely natural. It is even more brave that you made a log of breaking camp. Listen. I have only been doing this at the ranch less than 3
years out. When I first started it was all adrenaline. Let me promise you I have been remote outward bound. Dropped off in a helicopter with nothing but a Kevlar canoe and Some bear spray and two weeks worth of supplies to navigate along Boundary water swamp trails in Canada. I was only 18. No gun whatsoever. My father thought it would be a unique experience for me. It was. But even timber wolves did not frighten me. And they howled by our camp every night. It was not until I became more "educated" with what's really out there that I experienced true fear. . Then it was my mind that taught the lesson to me. There is nothing wrong with showing them the respect they deserve by yielding the woods to them. In fact it engenders more trust for future trips. But you've got to listen to that inner voice, always, and I can't stress that enough. The people who truly " go missing " in the woods, well all I can say is that I feel that many of them did not hear or listen to their own primordial alarm system. I wish I was with you brother. I have had a well known researcher scream at me in the night for sprinting off alone after some strange sounds in the thick brush with no light because I was afraid to scare them off by activating it. Nowadays I pay the most strict attention to my inner voice which tells me when to break camp or "enough already" with the woods. When you get into a regular pattern of feeding it can become even more dangerous. Because then they show up expecting food and when it doesn't arrive or they don't like what you've brought they have ways of letting you know real quick. I don't feed regularly anymore because they would throw shit at me and startle the hell out of me. Lately, a huge part of me wants to go back in time and plead with myself to stop ignoring the ways of the woods that I learned as a child that I later abandoned when I discovered this new phenomenon. I remember Les Stroud setting up his break camp in an ambush predator area in Survivorman-Bigfooot, because Todd S had told him it increased the likelihood of an In Camp encounter. And he was true. It does. But once we know they exist and that they are already investigating us, well then it isn't that necessary to take those risks. The true bait. As spooky as it sounds, in areas that aren't often "squatched" .....is people. The sights and sounds and smells of people, especially women and children lead them right to you. They have no other stimuli in the forest besides themselves and their food which pique their curiosity. And that in and of itself can be a very sobering thought. All I can say is you did the right thing. Follow your instinct every time. There will come a point where you won't be afraid. And even then be careful. Our neighbors they certainly are. But trying to be our friends is not at all what concerns or interests them. When the time is right you and I can talk about some ways to bring them to an area in your absence that they don't discuss on TV. Until then just let me say what a cool encounter you had and how well you handled it. If everyone else were as smart as you both researcher and subject would be a lot better for it. 

Night investigation

Hello friends!

 A little update on the Squatchin investigations. I went out Friday evening by myself for my first night investigation of the season. I packed in and made camp just before dark in the area of the power line. The same spot that I heard the loud crash last week and had the one playing cat and mouse with us a few years ago. It truly was a nice and comfy set up in a small clearing in the middle of some thick forest. I could see the openness of the power line about a hundred yards away from where I was at, but the woods were really dark well before the sun went down.

It took me about an hour to get set up and I made a lot of racket breaking sticks and such for the fire. This was by design because the reality was I was advertising my presence and location to the local Squatch. The whole time I was preparing the site it seemed every bird in the woods were talking around me. In the back of my mind I thought to myself about eye witness accounts stating how eerily quite the woods were during their encounter. I would use the noisy birds as an early warning system to alert me to the presence of an inquisitive Squatch.

I put the finishing touches on my base of operations and sat down when suddenly the woods went absolutely silent. I tried to write it off as the birds going to bed but there was still a half hour left of light. Then a a stick break behind me....then another....a few minutes later...and another as something circled the perimeter of my zone.The light of my fire gave me a ring of light approximately 20 yards circle of lighted visibility around me.. I could see shapes and such another 20 yards past this without the light from the fire. Whatever it was, walked just on the outside of this last zone of sight. I got that "feeling" of fight or flight that you only get when they are around. I fought it off and tinkered with my phone trying to pretend that I wasn't bothered by the feeling.

About ten to fifteen minutes passed and the feeling was gone. I no longer heard anything and the hair on my neck took it's normal position of laying down instead of up. I threw some wood on the fire and browsed the internet on my phone and waited...for what I wasn't totally sure. An hour or so went past pretty uneventfully when suddenly  BOOM! That dang electric feeling and the hair on my neck was fully erect again. I could occasionally hear a twig snap on the outer perimeter of my zone. Something was checking me out....again!

This time it didn't go away and I was feeling very uncomfortable. I am at a severe disadvantage without FLIR or similar night vision capabilities. With that in mind maybe they know or can see the IR light emanating from such devices. That might be one of the reasons they have come so close to me and others in this area. Whatever the reason, it was here and checking my location out. It was a half hour or so and I could still feel it's presence. On one hand my mind is saying chill out and enjoy the experience, and the other hand is saying dude there is an 8' tall something watching you right now.....RUN!!

I decided to calmly pack up and head out. I properly extinguished my fire, and returned my area as close to normal as possible.  During this process I could hear some small sticks snap as whatever it was evidently tried to get a better view of what I was doing. I doubt if a bear or deer would be that inquisitive. I remained calm and cleaned up in a matter of factly manner and slowly vacated the woods.

I felt that I got the experience that I was looking for. Until your in their presence you have no idea what I am talking about. I know I sound kinda wimpy but I can assure you I have spike camped alone in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado and have hunted alone in Kansas and Pennsylvania. I have spent a ton of time in the dark woods and mountains and never was spooked or had a similar feelings like I do when they are close.They project a fear onto you and I have said this before it's almost paralyzing. It's a battle within myself that I have to overcome. Other researchers go alone all the time and don't have any issues and I eventually will too. Happy Squatchin....

Stick pilings and nests

Stick pilings or nests as some suggest are a pretty interesting phenomena in the world of Bigfooting. Some are a simple pile of sticks and others are very intricately made and very detailed mega structures that would make Frank Lloyd Write proud. Some of these structures have an opening underneath to crawl in and hide and others are the traditional nest style where you lay on top. The one I found last week appeared to be the start of the crawl underneath type of nest. The photos below show how much time and effort goes into the making of these things.

A few weeks ago I told you about my buddy and fellow Bigfoot researcher from the great State of Texas, Mike Brookreson and how he and I were comparing field notes and getting some pretty similar data. He just sent me a video of a huge mega stick structure/nest that I want to share with you all. Of course in true Texas style its incredibly "bigger" than the one I found! Enjoy...

Close contact with a Squatch??-First video!

Finally got the video to upload to You Tube! I think I just had to free up some memory. This video was made maybe 20-30 minutes before I had the suspected close encounter! Its nothing great but at least you can actually see the woods and get a mental picture of where I was. I'm itchin to get back out there!

NOTE: I threw a penalty flag on myself for overusing the term "Stopped dead in my tracks"

Tree formations....again!

I know I said I was done taking pictures of tree "formations" but I found a couple really cool ones the other night. One involved five different trees!! I seriously do not think that the wind could of created them but you guys look at them and tell me what you think.

Its so hard to get the detail to show up in pictures but the bent trees are all living trees and held in that position by another tree or branch.Sometimes the hold down tree is a dead tree that doesn't even belong in that spot. The top photo is a great illustration of that fact and was physically impossible of happening naturally. The second and third picture involves five different trees. In the picture it looks like that one limb is cut but it wasn't...it was a clean break! It's highly unlikely for five trees to be manipulated in that manner by natural occurrences.

I would love to hear from you guys! Are these "formations" a natural phenomena? Is this common in all woods? I haven't noticed it in other woods but it could be. As always lemme know your thoughts!

Close Contact!!

Howdy all! I've been getting hate mail from readers irate over the lack of new posts on the blog, so I figured I better get my butt into the woods so I would have something to write about. Seriously though, I'm trying my best to get material to share with you all. It's tough with three very active boys who are involved in a ton of activities. But I am doing my best!!

With that said, I did get into the woods late Monday evening. I went back to my original area and steered clear of the area with all of the Black Bear sign. Not only to avoid running into the Bear but I also wanted to check my gifting site and the bait station with the hanging peanut butter jar. I stopped at the gifting site first and was disappointed that nothing had visited it. The last time I was at this spot is when I heard that loud crash and then found what appeared to be the makings of a shelter. I started on my way towards the bait station. I have to admit I wasn't doing my customary stealth walk. I was a little perturbed that nothing stopped at the gifting site. Frustrated, I make my way the 1/4 -1/2 mile to the bait station and find that it also hasn't had any signs of interest from the local Squatch.

So by this time I am just in a crappy frame of mind. As I plunder through thick vegetation, steep terrain, and never ending nats trying to fly into my eye balls, I start to question this whole Bigfoot thing. Is it all just a made up fantasy of mine and countless others, with over active imaginations?? Why am I wasting my time, effort, and resources on something that evidently is not real???Maybe the previous close encounters of years past were just my mind playing tricks on me?!?!All of the suspected Sasquatch sign just innocent natural occurrences! I decide the best course of action is to get the heck outa dodge...I'm going home!

I head in the direction of my truck which is still a pretty good hike away. Half way there I find a nice spot off the trail with two fallen trees and I decide to stop, rest, and have a drink. I also wanted to calm my mind and just enjoy being in the woods. I also looked up the Native American word for friend, "kola" and decided to say it randomly into the woods as I walked. Honestly I needed this down time and it was very good for my mind and spirit. After a half hour or so I packed up and continued my hike towards my truck.

I arrive at the infamous power line. If your familiar with the blog, you know that the power line has played a huge part in my Squatching adventures. There has been a ton of activity in the area of the power line. By the time I reach this point the wind had picked up. I crossed the power line and just entered the opposing wood line when I heard an extremely loud crash in the wood lot to the right, that instantly stopped me in my tracks. It was a violent sound and not one of a tree or limb falling from a natural occurrence.This was also the same woodlot that my buddy and I played "Hide and Seek" with the Big Guy two years ago. But the wind buffered some of the sound to a point that I couldn't tell exact local, and I couldn't positively rule out the wind wasn't the culprit. So after listening for a few minutes and hearing nothing else, I proceed down the trail.

I go a little ways down the trail and through the wind I hear extremely heavy foot falls to my right....please make note that all of this sound is taking place on the right side of the trail. I stop, look,and listen.....nothing! I start walking again and the sound happens again....extremely loud and its stops me dead in my tracks. Whatever it was definitely had my attention and I was now on high alert!

I have been getting some requests from a few readers asking  me to video some of my trips to the woods so I figured this might be the perfect opportunity to do just that. I turned around and headed back to the power line to tell the story on video for you guys. I made the short video and nothing out of the normal happened so I turned the camera off. It was getting closer to dark so I decided to wait until total darkness before leaving. I walked off trail to the "right" several yards since that is where all of the sounds were emanating from.

After a few minutes I was shook by a loud crash behind me, which would of been to the left of the trail as I was walking out. My body felt like it was electrified and I immediately started my retreat to the truck. I stopped myself and decided to "man up" and figure this out. I walked back down the trail towards where the loud crashing sound came from. I stopped and looked into the woods and couldn't see anything. It was getting darker by the minute. I had my walking stick so I decided to hit it on a big rock on the ground three times. After the third strike I had something really big and bipedal in nature start walking away from me at an extremely close range. As is the norm in this field it was just too thick to see it. The maker of the foot falls did not try to mask it's sound and I could hear the brush being moved away as it negotiated through the heavy vegetation.Oh yeh the area where it was walking was the gifting site area I might add. I immediately got my camera out and tried to video in the low light but to no avail!

The picture I am painting in my mind of what happened is this. The first loud crash I heard was the "Watcher" alerting the rest of the group to my presence. The proceeding "paralleling" was either it or another making sure I was leaving the woods, or at least monitoring my movements. Later on when I got off trail they gave me a warning with a loud crash.  It seems to me when they let you know an approximate location of where they are, it's to lead you away from another one or misdirect you away from the group. It worked because all of my attention was with the one that was walking.

One thing that I took away from this experience is that I don't think I want to research alone anymore. When you hear how loud they are when they walk and when they throw stuff it shakes you up. I like to think of myself as a mans man and I really have no fear but when your in their presence you can't help but feel vulnerable!

I love this job!!

Have you ever heard the saying, "when you do what you love to do, you never have to work a day in your life"?? Ok, ok, this isn't my job. It's my hobby but I do love it! One of the perks of this hobby is meeting great people who have the same crazy interests and hobby as you. Let's face it, the people that KNOW Bigfoot is real is as rare as Bigfoot its self. So we tend to flock to like minded individuals and some awesome friendships are created from this commonality.

Mike Brookreson is a fellow researcher from Texas that I have become great friends with. He is my Bigfoot confidant, and my go to guy when in need of advice. He's the only Bigfoot researcher that I can shoot a message from the field and get instant advice. We have been comparing notes for a several months now and it's shocking the similarities between the Texas Squatch and the Pa Squatch. In the upcoming months I will be detailing a lot more about that.

For now I want to give you guys an introductory look into the great work Mike has been putting in down there in the great State of Texas. They say EVERYTHING is bigger in the Texas, why not a BIGfoot!

Neck Deep in Bear!

Hello all! Here are some pictures from my Squatchin adventure last night. Nothing remarkable and no crazy feelings other than am I going to come face to face with the Black Bear that is leaving all this sign around. I couldn't get away from his sign, it was literally everywhere!

I went to a different area of operation last night. It's the same woods as the gifting site but just a mile or so away. I hate to do this all the time but if you read my blog post http://squatchinluver.blogspot.com/2014/04/why-do-bigfoot-make-loud-howls-and-for.html It is the area where the Big Fella came from when he answered my wood knocks. It is steep and rugged terrain as evidenced by the Bear sign. A Bear isn't going to be making bedding sites in an area of high human traffic!! All though I didn't have any Squatch activity I did see some possible old sign. There were some tree breaks that looked like they were made by a Squatch. I also found some weeks old tracks that looked  fishy but they were made in less than perfect soil and I couldn't differentiate from Bear tracks.

The last two pics are slide marks from someone or something that came down the steep bank. As you can see they were made by a flat footed creature...human or Squatch. I must apologize also for the blurriness in some of the pics. I was on edge with the Bear sign and I rushed a lot of these. The fourth from the bottom is the possible old Squatch track. There are toes marks I promise. It was getting dark and my I phone has it's limitations.

June 4, 2014 Notes

Hey all it's the prodigal son of Squatch world! Remember me?? Some of you know that I have been extremely busy with my oldest sons graduation party which was last weekend and his ceremony this Friday. In a addition to that we are preparing for his college departure and smaller household size by MOVING! Ugghhhhh!! With all that fun recently I did manage to sneak out into the woods yesterday.  If your familiar with this blog you would know that I wasn't in too big of a rush to get into the woods until after June 1 anyway. But if not read this and you'll understand http://squatchinluver.blogspot.com/2014/03/theory-of-migration.html

My first mission into the woods in early spring I found this rock. It looks pretty ordinary but what is odd about it is the two other rocks on top of it. The larger of the two is balancing on the other. I have a hard time believing that this was just happen stance. Also this isn't in an area where people would frequent so I don't "think" humans did it. The big factor for me thinking it might be Squatch related is all the stick structures in the vicinity of this rock. When I came upon it and started surveying the area it almost looked like an area where they would hang out and do whatever it is they do during the day.

These are some of the odd stick thingys I find. There are a ton more but I already posted a bunch in earlier blogs and quite frankly I'm not taking hundreds of pics of the same phenomena. The pic directly above is a grape vine strand maybe 2' long that was draped over a limb and had these little strands resting on a small piece of protruding bark. Grape vines are hard to break and I don't even have a clue how it could happen naturally.

As you can see on the rock picture above, there is a decent sized void under the bigger rock caused by the smaller rock being wedged under the one end. I tucked a piece of gum....still inside foil wrapper....way up under the larger rock. I also made an arrow out of sticks pointing in the direction of the gum. I'm going to include a before and after picture of this arrow but the before picture was taken yesterday.I made a replica just for illustration purposes.

The picture on the right is the before, less the rocks which I just added yesterday and the picture on the left is what I found when I arrived yesterday.I probably checked this five or six times up until mid April and there was no change. Oh I forgot to mention the gum is GONE! The above grape vine was a new addition to this site and was a few feet away from this rock. So is it safe to assume they are back??

I had a bait station in another area with a full jar of peanut butter hanging high in a tree. I also had a trail camera facing the peanut butter but got zero in the way of Squatch pics.....not shocked about that one! I have had that set up for probably two months with nothing messing with the PB. I pulled the camera yesterday to see if this might get them to take it. I will check next week. See the jar hanging in the background? I had this camera on the ground against a huge rock with moss covering it to make as inconspicuous as possible. The jar is probably 10' off the ground.

This is the creek bottom below the power line that I posted in previous posts. Just across the creek and up the other side is the "Black Timber" as I like to call it. I resembles the black timber of Colorado but probably not as vast. I sat for probably a half hour or so and I heard heavy footfalls at one point but the rushing creek water made it impossible to pin point direction. I started to get the "Spidey Sense" for a little bit and I couldn't shake that feeling that something was behind me. I eventually got up and walked the creek banks looking for tracks. I crossed the creek and walked through the black timber in the direction of where I thought the footfalls went. After walking a bit I lost that " feeling" and hiked out of the bottom. Below is a look at the black timber. It stays pretty cool on this north facing slope and I would imagine the Squatch use it for that reason This is also the spot that we heard a schrill scream one night.

 I also found this huge rock with a nice dirt bowl shaped spot behind it. Someone could hang out there and not be seen in any direction but also still observe the small creek below.

Great things man!

Folks as I mentioned a week or so ago, I will be starting my Squatchin adventures soon. I'm hoping and praying that the Squatch are there and haven't relocated. Word of their existence and location has been trickling out and more and more people are starting to "hang" around the area. I'm not sure how the Squatch will handle more human intrusion but I guess it will be great for research in general if I figure it out, even if it's at my own loss. So stay tuned for some of my own work coming up real soon. I'm getting tired of posting recycled junk!!

I also teased you all about a mystery guest researcher who will be contributing to the blog. That is still in the works I assure you. We are still in the contract negotiations and working out the millions that I will be paying him. Yes I am totally joking!!! Most of us have lives outside of the Squatch world and we can't be on the computer 24/7. Myself and this gentleman are corresponding via email and he is excited to share his research, and his experiences with all of us. What is so neat about doing Bigfoot research is sharing information and stories with other researchers. It's through this sharing of information that you can put pieces of the puzzle together and start to see the bigger picture! Myself and this gentleman have been doing that and we are having a WOW moment at  how similar our experiences are. He has been doing this a lot longer than I and all I can say is we are in for a treat with the work he's going to share with us. So I hope you all stay tuned because the next few weeks should be exciting! Happy Squatchin....

Countin the days!!

If you read my "Theory of migration" piece http://squatchinluver.blogspot.com/2014/03/theory-of-migration.html you would of read that the activity in my area doesn't pick up until early June. I also detail why I feel that early June is the start of the Squatchin season here in Western Pa...at least my part of Western Pa. So needless to say I'm itchin for some time in the woods. I feel like a ball player sitting on the sidelines watching his teammates play the game. Truth be told this sucks. But I'm being patient, biding my time. I know in a few short weeks I'm gonna be neck deep in Squatch...I hope. So please be patient with the blog right now. I know I'm recycling old material and posting other researchers stuff but in due time I hope to have some great evidence to share with you all.

With all that said I don't want to count my chickens before they are hatched. But I think we are going to have a superstar in the world of Bigfoot research as a blog contributor! I'm super stoked that he's considering coming aboard. He's been getting some super close activity on his property and has taken several great pics and video. I cannot disclose who he is just yet but I'm hoping in the coming weeks we will have our first submission from this gentleman. You will know when the time comes!

Track way Follow up!

The possible Bigfoot track way that I investigated last week has created such a roller coaster of emotions for myself. It started as thinking immediately they were human, to thinking they might be Squatch, to professionals saying they were human, to finally different professionals saying they were Squatch. I still don't know what to think. Short of Dr. Meldrum looking at my cast and telling me one way or another, I don't think I will ever know for sure!

I went back to the scene yesterday with my oldest son to show him, and to look one final time for any other potential evidence.  We started at the original starting point of the first investigation but quickly made our way to the spot where I ended. I probably shouldn't have gone because what was once a pretty open and shut case was now wide open again. I'm posting a picture of a track that I found. It was on the same trail as all of the others but where it differs is it shows what I believe to be toe nail marks. These aren't the type and shape of toe nails that you are picturing in your head. Please just look at picture below!

 This track was found in a really muddy area and the terrain changed to a slight upgrade and it's almost like these toe nails were used to gain traction. It was the only track like it and the next step was back to the same shape as all of the others that I saw.  I don't know what to think about it. It just created more questions than answers as far as I am concerned.

Since this was where I ended my original investigation, I wanted to follow the trail to see where these tracks would lead me. I was astounded when they veered off the well beaten trail to enter a little rise into the woods. I could see where the ground was matted down pretty heavily and several scuff marks where something slid stepping up the rise. I gently brushed some leaves out of the matted down earth and found what looked like toe marks and the impression of foot prints. They were not evident enough to warrant taking pictures but in my opinion they were there. Since I was not dressed appropriately for off trail hiking, I couldn't follow my suspected quarry through the brush. I backed out to the trail and continued down for several yards to make sure I didn't miss them continue down the trail but that was not the case.

One other thing to note, I did see some suspicious tree breaks and tree formations where I feel the tracks entered the woods. They were not fresh but very suspicious in nature. In hindsight I probably should of documented these but my son and I were getting dangerously close to being late for Easter dinner at my in laws. I would definitely rather face a mean Squatch than a po'd wife..lol

Ooops I almost forgot. I did find two other partial tracks on a whole different trail. They were both very discrete in nature. I took a picture of the one that looks like the "print maker" stepped on a piece of rigid plastic debris and embedded it into the ground. Happy Squatchin.....

Why do Bigfoot make loud howls and for God's sake why do they stink???

From the beginning, Bigfoot witnesses have been recounting the gawd awful smell associated with their sightings. "Skunky", "wet dog", are two of the more common descriptions of that stinky smell. I myself have smelled it only once and I best describe it as a skunk like, but not full blown skunk. I know vague but it's more of a potpourri of Skunk, and many other noxious smelling things. Many researchers who spend any time in the field and have had close contact with Bigfoot know the smell quite well.

The night I had my nostrils introduced to this smell was exciting but also quite unsettling. Myself, two other "researchers", and two non believers had worked our way to a ridge top in a section of woods that we previously had some great Squatch activity days before. It was roughly 1 am in the morning and I started with making three woods knocks and immediately had three returned from the opposite ridge. The other ridge was several hundred yards across the creek valley from us. This area is steep and treacherous during the day time and most likely impassable at night. So the odds of the return wood knocker being human is 100% impossible! I again knock three times and again got three in return. By this time the skeptics are begging me to escort them off the ridge and out of the woods. I urge them to wait and we sit quietly in the pitch black, our ears trained in the direction of the return wood knocks. After several minutes we hear rocks in the creek bottom clack like something walked over them. Not overly loud but loud enough that we could hear them plainly at 150 yards or so. A minute or so later a bird who was happily sleeping in his perch was startled awake by something passing beneath him and started chirping loudly. I can hear my skeptic friends whimpering in the darkness. A twig snap, a tree branch rustled and this guy is getting closer and closer. He was very methodical in his approach. I'm not sure of the distance but when he got into that magical range I inhaled that deep pungent skunk like odor and I got the fear of God put into me. I immediately ushered the crowd down the trail. It was a very controlled exit and we were not screaming like a bunch of girls or anything (no offense to any girls). But the flight instinct definitely won the battle that night.

Anyone who has ever hunted Elk knows how vocal they get during the rut or mating time in September and October when they are searching for a mate. They use their bugle to announce to the world that they are dominant and they should bread. They also use shallow mud pits called wallows to roll around in and get nice and smelly. They intentionally urinate on their legs and under belly to enhance the smell. This smell in addition to their loud bugles is an open advertisement to the local ladies that they are the king of the mountain. I believe Bigfoot like Elk use loud vocalizations and that smelly, skunky, musky smell to attract a mate. The fact is there isn't as large a population of Bigfoot as there are Elk, Deer ,or Bear for that matter. They need to be able to cover a lot of ground and be able to attract a mate as efficiently as possible and their stinky smell and loud calls help them do it.

The loud vocalization should not be confused with the normal every day contact calls that they make to communicate with each other regularly. Whistles, chirps, barks, etc are examples of contact calls. They are not trying to advertise their location to the whole mountain but maybe a family member on another hill or outside the general location. The breading calls are the long, constant howls, or moans. The Ohio Howls are a perfect example of what I believe are breeding location howls. http://youtu.be/TPCcLddBekY

How do they get "the smell"?? I think they have glands much like gorillas that secrete a smell when they are excited or aggressive which both could be the case during breeding season. They not only need to walk long distances to find love but they also need to find a female that doesn't share the same blood line.These long walks only enhances their chances of running into another young male from another family group looking for love also. So that same smell could be a warning to potential rivals to stay away or else. And let's face it I don't think Sasquatch take too many showers. They are very hairy, they get wet, they sweat, they urinate and defecate outdoors so they are gonna smell a little ripe from time to time. They might even urinate on themselves intentionally like the bull Elk do during the rut. So the smell might be a combination of several different odors that quite possibly could be specific to the species.

But for whatever the reason or how they get it, Bigfoot have been associated with smelliness since the first reports of their existence. I hope in the upcoming years we can learn more about their lives and more about their biological make up so we can insure a happy coexistence between us and them. Long live the Squatch!

Happy Squatchin.....

Theory of Migration

Do Bigfoot migrate?? I guess if anyone knew for sure they would be well on their way to solving the mystery of Bigfoot. There are many folk on either side of the fence on the migration question. I myself can only make an educated guess (hypothesize) on the Bigfoot that inhabit the area that I investigate. Let me explain.

Over the past several years I have been making note of my own personal experiences as well other peoples accounts and specifically detailing the dates of these experiences. A definitive pattern has emerged from these observations. Any suspected Sasquatch activity, which ranged from wood knocks, tree breaks, screams, whistles, rock clacking, etc historically started somewhere in the month of June. What is interesting is this activity, from my own personal accounts and backed up by second hand reports, started slow in June, intensified in July-August and tapered the end of August to early September. So we have a classic bell curve of activity. Is it safe to assume that the reason for this bell curve of activity is caused by the Squatch just entering the area in June and vacating August-September??

My theory is this is most certainly the case! But why do the Squatch come and go?? Why at these times?? I'm guessing that the main reason they vacate the area in early Fall is because this is the start of hunting season in Pennsylvania. The beginning of September is the Dove season opener. Dove hunters typically don't hunt the deep forests where Squatch hang out but they do hunt the fringes and power line cuts that wind through Squatch territory. This increase in human activity coupled with the gun fire associated with Dove hunting, could quite possibly be the trigger for a mass exodus of Squatch from the area. One other factor to take into account is the natural thinning out of good cover in the Fall and Winter months. Here in Pa the woods open up quite a bit and areas that were once thick with vegetation are now as open as football fields. Squatch like most shy creatures need ample amounts of security cover and will travel great lengths to find it. I'm thinking it is this combination of more hunting, less cover that is the answer for their departure.

But where do the Squatch go? There is a farm approximately 15 miles from my research area that has a very documented history of Bigfoot sightings and activity. This property is chalk full of the winter security cover that not only the Bigfoot crave but also one of their major sources of protein, the Whitetailed Deer crave. But most importantly it has a no hunting or no tress passing policy. Can you say Squatch sanctuary!?! I think the Squatch head to this property to hole up for the winter, most likely meeting up with other Squatch family units from surrounding areas. There are many areas all over the state that this scenario can be duplicated. Enough to protect the breeding population of Pa Bigfoot.

By Spring the Bigfoot have probably had enough of each other and they start dispersing. But it cannot be too early because Pennsylvania has a turkey hunting season that runs till......JUNE 1!!Noticing a pattern here? There are probably many reasons where a family group of Squatch choose to hang out for the summer. A good water source, steep terrain, thick security cover, and natural caves are all important factors I believe to be desirable to a Squatch family unit. I think they will tolerate some human intrusion at this time of year because they are able to hide and evade better now than in the Winter months.

So in closing I guess the Bigfoot in my area do technically migrate. I would have to think that if you closed this particular property down to all travel and all hunting that the Squatch just might stay in the area over winter. There are ample amounts of food and cover (caves) to hold them over till Spring. But until that happens I will never know for sure. Happy hunting....

Report your sightings!

If you or someone you know has had a Bigfoot sighting or has had some type of strange activity that you suspect might be Bigfoot related, and you live in Western Pa I would be very interested to hear your story. All names and locations will be kept totally confidential!!! Please contact myself at squatchinluver@gmail.com

The beginning.....A Squatcher is born

Hello my name is Scott aka Squatchinluver. I'm just going to come clean and admit this right off the bat.....I was scared to death of Bigfoot when I was a kid!! Every time Patty, of Patterson/Gimlin fame would come on the TV, I would make a hasty retreat to the safety of my bedroom. My Dad and younger brother always thought this was hilarious. They would intentionally try to find Bigfoot shows without my knowledge and watch my reaction. Love my family.... But when other kids were having nightmares of the boogyman, scary clowns, or vampires, I was having nightmares of Bigfoot. I had my Dad up in the middle of the night so many times insisting Bigfoot was in my closet. So I guess I got the last laugh on my old man!

As I got older and matured (puberty) I started embracing the subject of Bigfoot. I read everything I could on the subject. I was no longer petrified of Bigfoot but more intrigued. One of the first books I read was "The Boy Who Saw Bigfoot" by Marian T. Place. I absolutely loved the book and I can still feel the same feelings I felt reading it as a young boy. After that book it was anything and everything I could get my hands on. You can imagine my excitement when the 6 Million Dollar Man episode came on featuring the Big Fella. I also enjoyed Harry and The Henderson's and it was comforting thinking that Bigfoot could actually be a nice, passive being. I also enjoyed "In Search Of" with Leonard Nimoy and the countless documentary type shows on Patty. What self respecting Bigfooter wouldn't have "The Legend Of Boggy Creek" on their list of favorites?!?!

With High School, College, and starting a family my passion for all things Squatch had to be tempered. There were duties and responsibilities that I had to attend to that realistically were more important. That didn't mean I couldn't still read an occasional book or catch a show on Tv but my mind and heart had to be in other aspects of life. I love my family and they are my whole world and it's so fitting that they indirectly would play a part in my future Squatching life.

My whole Squatch education was books, T.V , shows, etc, as mentioned earlier. I didn't have the luxury of the internet when I was growing up. So my whole mind set in relation to Bigfoot was that they live in the Pacific Northwest....period! Never in a million years could I ever imagine they could be in other States let alone in my state of Pennsylvania! Never did I read a book or watch a TV show that was based in Ohio or Pennsylvania or New York. It was always Washington State, Northern California, or Oregon. So that was my mind set until three years ago.

I have three sons. Anyone with kids know how this routine works. You become "friends" with the parents of the kids that your kids are either A) friends with or B) playing sports with at the time. The sports one is tricky if they play several different sports in a year like mine. We could have the football team parents over one night and the next night it's the wrestling parents. Anyway, we were invited to one of the friends parents house one night for some corn hole (corn toss) and drinks. The host begins to tell me about two of his buddies who had an encounter with Bigfoot. To say I was floored would be a drastic understatement! My mind was racing a million miles a minute. But Bigfoot doesn't live in Pa! I want him to...but the books never said he does! But if he does I can go look for him! You can see my thinking...lol I had to meet these guys and get to the bottom of this.

After several weeks of trying I finally meet these two guys. One guy is an ex military type seemed genuinely like a nice guy and the other was a cop from a local city. They tell me their story and if my jaw wasn't on the ground I would be shocked! They had not only one but TWO Squatch full blown screaming less than 100 yards away from them. They said the sound was incredibly loud and shrill like, with a touch of primate. One would scream to the front left and the other would respond to the front right of the men. This went on for a minute or so and then silence. The last thing they heard was a loud thump.  Both men are experienced outdoorsman and they have never heard screams like that before or since. After waiting a half hour or so they had to go investigate. This was not an easy task and they had to climb a shear hill side to get to the area of the screams. First thing they found was a big stump that had been picked up and placed approximately 10ft from where it was originally. The second thing they saw almost sent them to their knees......an 18" track!

Needless to say they were a little shook up so they vacated the area immediately. Several days had passed and after having time to ponder the events they went back with casting materials. The track after several days had deteriorated a little and was not as perfect as it could of been had it been cast on the day it was left. But they had a Bigfoot track cast. After several more days they felt comfortable enough to share their story with a friend. This friend had a connection in the film business who contacted Matt Moneymaker, the president of the BFRO or Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Matt is a heavy hitter in the field of Squatch and he boarded a plane for Pennsylvania. He spent around 5 days setting camera traps and looking for sign. He gave the men a lot of useful tips and tactics for looking for Bigfoot. Matt shared with them that there are Bigfoot for a fact and they are in a lot more places than just the Pacific Northwest. And with this new found information a Squatcher was born...