New Bigfoot sighting, video and footprints in Idaho!

[The Bat]

In the immortal words of Hamlet:

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

[MIB41]

I always find this discussion interesting. But ultimately I base my conclusion on statistics and nothing more. Here's a database of reported sightings from around the world. Even Australia has one!

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...RgWtjA&cad=rja

But here's my point. Even if you could take each and every one of these reports as coming from educated, honest, and completely reputable people (which you can't), there is not a shred of statistical probability that what one person sees in Australia is going to match what another sees in Indiana, Kentucky, or Prince Edward Island. Take that same concept then and apply it over the past 400 years and the probability plummets. Perception is based so much on educational, philosophical, and social beliefs. So how can what an Indian culture see centuries ago match up with what a person sees today? What would that Indian say if he saw the space shuttle flying through the skies? Would you agree with his prognosis of what he saw? Probably not. So why argue the point that sightings have occurred for centuries as proof of anything? What if a person is attacked by a shark in Australia? Does it mean it was a Great White because they inhabit those waters? No. If spectators say they saw a big fin and thus conclude it was a Great White, does that make them right? Nope. Scientists have to examine the bite and teeth markings to offer a scientific suggestion.

So there's just one example of a human being being attacked in broad daylight, yet no one can positively identify what did it. Do you see people screaming THIS attack PROVES that Great Whites are responsible for every attack in Australia? Better yet... the world? No you don't. So how is it that every time a person from any corner of the world "sees" something 'big and hairy', it's Big Foot? Maybe they shouldn't be taken seriously? Oh... they should only be taken seriously in certain locations? See how the "science" of Big Foot collapses on itself? So I guess my point is "Big Foot" sightings are part of every culture. Society likes to romance the idea of a creature living amongst us that is too stupid to stay hidden, but is smart enough to not get it's picture taken from a reasonable distance to identify it. Roll that thought around in your head for a while. It's the bogeyman with hairy armpits and a serious foot disorder which he leaves as his calling card.

So does my conclusion mean I believe we have identified every creature on this planet? Of course not. But I don't believe those remaining stand seven feet tall and walk through North America being advertised on bumper stickers and internet sites. For those who believe, that's cool. It's a fun concept to embrace. But it doesn't negate what is apparent from looking at the raw data. What that first Indian saw and what the people on this board believe they saw likely have nothing in common. But more importantly it doesn't mean that either party saw what they thought they saw. If you put Rob Zombie on a dark hillside and someone saw him from a distance, they might not be able to identify him as Rob Zombie...or as a human.

[piecemaker]

Quote:One point the believers seem to always bring up is the anatomy of the creature in the film, especially the breasts. Patterson's creature is supposedly female because of the huge, pendulous breasts. QUOTE Torgospizza.

I just want to say that i have never seen a Bigfoot,BUT i do believe they exist.There may not be scientific proof or proof beyond a shadow of a doubt right now,but i dont need that.I have seen enough"circumstanstial" evidence over the years and even heard first hand accounts of sightings to convince me.
Torgospizza,how do you explain this:

Or this:
[LIST]
Or this pendulous female gorilla:

[torgospizza]

I think that some people get a little bit of an intellectual superiority trip in not believing, in turn forgetting they may be coming off a bit condescending.
I for one would really enjoy hearing the story of your personal "bigfoot" sighting though, torgospizza.

Right here, Funky. I think you might be right about some people getting "an intellectual superiority trip" (I'm quoting you because that's really the best way to put it, I'll confess) by being skeptics in general. I've gotten that from others and dished it out, myself. Personally, I think these threads are great and everyone here has put some thought into their views. This thread, however, is quite a bit different from (f.ex.) Facebook, where people often post info that is patently untrue and seem to enjoy perpetuating outright falsehood when the truth is actually much better news. Recently, there was a political news site I frequent that was posting misleading headlines, and although I shared their political view, it troubled me they were coming off at worst as a propaganda machine and at least like inept amateurs. I would read through the comment section and it dawned on me no one was actually reading the article (which said something very different than the headline) or doing any research into the subject, but just believing whatever confirmed their previously held beliefs. I would post links to accurate articles and try to explain what was actually going on, and it was a wasted effort. No one cared the least about the facts, but maintaining ignorance that reinforced their view of the subject. Maybe I sound like a jerk, but I definitely felt superior to those guys, because they were willfully ignorant. It also kind of stung, because these guys were my ideological brethren, and they were shameful in their lack of scrutiny and acumen. This is totally different situation. Mainly because a lot of thought is going into this by all parties posting. There are some sharp cookies in here.

Sorry if this is rambling and goes off course, man--I'm tired as heck, on top of my usual thick-wittedness.

[Funkyterrance]

Funky, I don't think anyone here thinks anyone else is stupid if they believe. I believe in things some other members would definitely think is stupid, but I don't expect them to think I'm a drooling simpleton because we differ in one particular area and I would approach them the same. People believe in all sorts of things, it's just how we are.

Also, as a person that's had a "bigfoot sighting" but really doesn't believe in bigfoot, I'm not going to mock anyone else for thinking they saw whatever they saw. The only difference is they're believing their eyes, and I'm not. I think pareidolia or some such effect just jumped into action and tried to explain to my mind what it was I saw. I could be wrong; it's possible it was a bigfoot and I'm a fool to question it. I'll probably never know for certain.

I guess what I'm saying is that although I am firmly convinced Patterson was a fraud, there are a lot of honest people that think they saw something similar to what was portrayed in his film. Whether they are correct or not doesn't make me question their integrity in the least, though.

EDIT: I'll add this real fast. If these creatures are real, no one would be happier than me. I'd probably never step foot into the woods without a firearm again, but I'd cheer for their sheer craftiness in eluding us for so long.

I think that some people get a little bit of an intellectual superiority trip in not believing, in turn forgetting they may be coming off a bit condescending.
I for one would really enjoy hearing the story of your personal "bigfoot" sighting though, torgospizza.

[ODBJBG]

I used to be obsessed with Bigfoot. Drew him all the time. Had a bunch of books and stuff. Was pretty fun stuff when I was a youngster.

I live in the city now, so... I don't give it much thought.

Though all my old drawings of Bigfoot have disappeared. Coincidence? You decide!

[Brazoo]

EDIT: I'll add this real fast. If these creatures are real, no one would be happier than me. I'd probably never step foot into the woods without a firearm again, but I'd cheer for their sheer craftiness in eluding us for so long.

Yeah man - I would be so stoked if a Big Foot was found, it's not even funny!

[emeraldknight47]

If, indeed, there actually IS a Bigfoot or Sasquatch out there somewhere (or a society of them, for that matter), I would feel very, very sorry for whichever one actually got captured by humankind. Odds are, it would live out the rest of it's days in a lab somewhere being poked and prodded by scientific types or exploited by the media.

If they are out there somewhere (and I, for one, believe they are) hopefully they are intelligent enough to steer clear of the species known as "human."

[torgospizza]

I don't think its cool to call someone stupid or talk down to them if they do happen to believe they exist.

Funky, I don't think anyone here thinks anyone else is stupid if they believe. I believe in things some other members would definitely think is stupid, but I don't expect them to think I'm a drooling simpleton because we differ in one particular area and I would approach them the same. People believe in all sorts of things, it's just how we are.

Also, as a person that's had a "bigfoot sighting" but really doesn't believe in bigfoot, I'm not going to mock anyone else for thinking they saw whatever they saw. The only difference is they're believing their eyes, and I'm not. I think pareidolia or some such effect just jumped into action and tried to explain to my mind what it was I saw. I could be wrong; it's possible it was a bigfoot and I'm a fool to question it. I'll probably never know for certain.

I guess what I'm saying is that although I am firmly convinced Patterson was a fraud, there are a lot of honest people that think they saw something similar to what was portrayed in his film. Whether they are correct or not doesn't make me question their integrity in the least, though.

EDIT: I'll add this real fast. If these creatures are real, no one would be happier than me. I'd probably never step foot into the woods without a firearm again, but I'd cheer for their sheer craftiness in eluding us for so long.

[Brazoo]

I'm not gonna keep arguing about this...no evidence outside of a dead body will appease skeptics that's for sure

But it's not skeptics - it's science. All other animals have been scientifically classified with physical evidence of some kind - so that's also just what's needed here too.

Why it's so difficult for people to accept this is simply an animal that hasn't been officially discovered yet is beyond me. Nobody believed in Gorillas either until 1902...that's pretty recent as far as history goes.

This applies to mountain gorillas specifically. Yeah, remoteness will hinder finding something you're looking for. In this case, to Europeans that was an extremely remote and uncharted region of the world. In the case of Big Foot we're sometimes talking about sitings in frequented camp grounds and hunting areas - so that ratio is just way to uneven for my liking.

New species of large animals are being found all the time, and since there are millions of acres of unexplored forest here in the U.S., to assume we know everything that's living in them is just ridiculous.

It's not that they can't exist - it's not impossible - it's just less probable based on the evidence.

Finding new larger animals is pretty rare - from what I know. Most of the species being found are very small, and as you get bigger you get further and further into remote regions on continents with jungles on them - which we don't have. Also, there aren't any other known primates native to North America, which would make finding giant apes here very unusual.

Northeast Ohio where I live is crawling with bears, but in 40 years I've never seen one. Does that mean bears don't exist?

But this exactly explains what I'm saying. Before science we'd go on our observations to understand the world - and science is about understanding things beyond personal observation.

There is simply NO WAY that EVERYBODY who has ever seen a supposed Bigfoot was mistaken, had a faulty memory, was lying, or the victim of a hoax. It's impossible. The odds are greater of you being hit by lightning and winning the lottery in the same day.

It would also mean that EVERY footprint that has ever been found was either misidentified or hoaxed. That too, is impossible.
That's my final take on the subject...don't wanna argue anymore.

Sorry - I actually didn't read the last line until I responded to the other stuff. Again, I really don't want you to take my responses as an attack - but I understand this is very personal for you. Nothing I wrote was meant to judge your intelligence in any way.

[Funkyterrance]

I am on the fence regarding the subject. It certainly seems possible that Bigfoot exists. I am just the sort of person who needs definitive proof. However, we are talking about something that is supposed to live in the wilderness and if it is uncommon and intelligent it would most likely be pretty hard to track.
I don't think its cool to call someone stupid or talk down to them if they do happen to believe they exist.

[Werewolf]

I can't verify the source of this, but a quick google search of "bear mange" produced this image from a bigfoot forum:

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss121/hkristofer/_46671897_bear_afp1.jpg

Sick bears like that are also the source for a lot of modern werewolf sightings. People not familiar with wolves are not realizing the "werewolf" they describe (large, stocky, muscular, long arms down to the side, etc.) decribes an upright bear and not a wolf. A wolf standing upright would be thin, on their tip toes with their arms held up and tucked in by their chest like a dancing circus poodle.

[shellhead]

Here's a cool shot we got of the skunk ape here in Florida.
...............................



OK, it's really me...I play gorillas in movies and we shot this messed up pic for fun on one of our location shoots.

[johnmiic]

Man, I promised myself I would not get into an argument about this so let me be really diplomatic. enyawd72, I am glad you decided to share your sighting with us. I live in NY and there sightings upstate, (generally the areas considered to be north of the city and the counties of the Bronx, Yonkers & New Rochelle for example), and I often wondered what it would be like not just to sight one of these things but to make eye-contact. To come face to face with one of these would probably be a life-exchanging experience. The thought of seeing one up close would change how you see the world because with so many people saying it's impossible, after you actually see one, you have to think; it exists so what else is not impossible? I hope you contacted the BFRO and filed a sighting report. They also have a pretty good forum for discussion. Check it out.

I have had to come to grips with the situation. Any argument either side makes can be countered. I've read a lot of good arguments for Bigfoot and some not so good arguments against, (I think there's enough evidence to say it's for real but that's not good enough for a lot of other people). Is Bigfoot real? Are the footprints real? is the Patterson film real? Was Patterson dishonest? It won't be settled here on a toy board. A Bigfoot will have to be captured and a body, living or dead, will have to be produced to settle it. So the debate will continue.

And, damn! If I saw that I wouldn't think Bigfoot. I'd be thinking Chuppacabbra!

I can't verify the source of this, but a quick google search of "bear mange" produced this image from a bigfoot forum:

[noelani72]

In this day and age of weekend-warrior prop makers creating neat stuff in their own garages ... I find it really hard to believe there is some illusive creature running around the country. Sersly. With all the journalism and cameras in everyone's hands today...

Some of you have seen my Red Skull costume - the guy who made my silicone mask is working on this costume as we speak:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48cZSU6Fzqo

I have ALWAYS imagined having something like that and lurking in the shadows right off the highway. Could you imagine what would go through someone's mind if their headlights caught something like that for a brief second!?!?
Good thing I don't have a suit like that; I'd hate to be the cause of a car wreck.

I like theories and myths of this type...I love magic and the lure of the illusion.

If Bigfoot ever gets caught, I hope it's in my lifetime.