Bigfoot - Being Investigated

I sent my story to BFRO (BigFoot Research Org.) a few weeks ago. I turns out that because I sent it right before the holidays, it is just now being looked at by investigators. As there is no guarantee the story will ever be published on their site, and it's been almost a month since submitted, I've decided to give all who are interested here the first look.
Please note that this took place in the same area as the most recent photos of Bigfoot, in NW Pennsylvania, McKean County. (not as some have said, Elk County)
It was those pictures that prompted me to write my report. Here it is:

My encounter happened at the end of summer in 1973, or 1974. It was late August/early September, as it was the time the blackberries were ripening.

I was 15 or 16 years old, and had a dirt bike that I rode on the many lease roads in the hills surrounding Bradford. The bike had an expansion chamber, which is an extremely loud exhaust system. I generally rode it every day on the hill behind our house in Bradford, so I knew all the roads and trails. We had also hiked this area extensively when my friends and I were kids, sometimes camping for the night. On one occasion when we were about 9 or 10, we were chased home by a frightening screeching in the late morning from the top of this hill. (Just two of us) We didn’t know what the noise was, only that we had to run from it. I only mention this as it was very close to the same area as where I had my encounter, and in my mind, the same animal.

The day of the encounter, I had ridden up to the road at the ridgeline of the hill, and about a mile and a half towards the hospital area. I didn’t turn that way and instead went straight, towards the pipeline, which is a cleared area that runs straight up and down the mountain. I stopped there for a second, and turned back around about ¼ mile to a group of blackberry bushes. I shut off the bike and started picking the berries, until the bees got to me, and I took my handful of berries and walked away.

I walked back to the pipeline, stopping right before the clearing, hoping to catch some sort of animal crossing the clearing. I had been a hunter since I was very young, which is the custom in the area, and was very good at walking quietly in the woods. As I looked down the hill from the top of the clearing, I could see what looked like a bear, digging into the log that had been placed across the pipeline to keep people from using the cleared area as a road. I reasoned that he heard the noise of my bike going away, so he figured I was out of the area. The stink of the 2-cycle engine also probably masked the smell of me, as well.

I was young enough to think I should get a closer look, so I got myself to a point about 50 yards away and uphill from the animal, and about 25 yards from the ridgeline road. I stood there and ate the berries and watched what I thought was the butt of the bear visible above the log. Remember; the log was about 50 yards down a steep hill, and the log was about 3 feet tall, and crossing the pipeline. The bear would have to be very large for me to see as much as I did, which was a good foot or more above the log, and he was on the other side of it.

He seemed to be digging for bugs or something in the log. After a few minutes of me standing still watching him, he suddenly realized I was there. He stopped, tried to remain still for a minute, and all the time I still thought I was watching a bear.

Then he stood up. This was no bear. It was the most surreal moment in my life, either then or now, and I’m 52 years old. He was tall, at least 7 feet, as his knees were just barely covered by the log. He had hair like that of a black bear’s fur that time of year, basically the same color and length, which obscured a lot of the features of his face.

continued below:

continued:

We both stood there frozen for a minute, staring at each other. My thought was to get out of there, but the only movement I could muster was to drop the few berries I had left. I started dropping berries, and he just turned and “walked” to the far side of the pipeline and into the woods, down a trail just to his side of the log.

I say “walked”, because it was so smooth and graceful across that terrain, that I was completely overwhelmed. As I said, I thought I was pretty good at getting around in this terrain, and I am. The movement he used was so economical and efficient that I still see it in my mind and marvel. There was very little or no “bobbing” up and down; his arms swung, but not wildly, like you would expect with an ape. The arm swing wasn’t like a tight-rope walker either, as I may have needed to do, to walk across the area he walked. It was just smooth, amazing.

I stood for a few seconds after he disappeared, then decided to get myself out of there. I ran back to my bike and headed the other way as fast as I could. Then I started thinking I should go see where he went. I turned around and headed back and down that pipeline to the tree. I got the bike to the trail he used, which is a trail that immediately takes you from light to deep shade, and stays perpetually muddy. I have tried that trail a few other times (with the same friend who was chased with me, years earlier) and have only been able to go a few yards before I had to get off the bike and push. I started to get bogged down, so I got back out as quick as I could.

I don’t know what I was thinking, I guess I thought the noise would keep him away, but when I hit the mud I remembered that I couldn’t take that trail. It was always creepy dark back there, too. I wouldn’t have gone back there if it weren’t to prove to myself that I didn’t have to run away.

I never looked for tracks. This is something else that’s very strange. I was a hunter, I looked for tracks everywhere. The muddy trail was probably covered with them. This has always bothered me. I can only think that my mind was so sure that no one would ever believe me, that proof was the farthest thing from my mind. The whole experience was so alien that I never told anyone for about 25 years. Back then, all the Bigfoot sightings were in Washington/Oregon/California. No one would have believed me.

Maybe I also didn’t want anyone to find him. I felt extremely special to have had this experience, and I didn’t want to betray that or the Bigfoot. Anyone from Bradford will now be able to figure out where this happened from my story, and that bothers me. I don’t think they should be chased. They seem to be a very “human” animal, and maybe too vulnerable to our world and weapons.

I’m posting this after having read the other “Bradford” sighting, and seeing the Elk County photos. I did quite a bit of hunting in Elk County, and it’s very easy for me to believe that those photos show a real, Bigfoot animal. As to the 1963 Bradford sighting, the “Barbour” Street location is very close to my sighting, and I will leave it at that.

Hello Dogdish. Im not trying to rain on your parade here but didnt isnt bigfoot a hoax?

Example

Example

Example

You know just saying that maybe it wasnt bigfoot that you saw. Ive seen some pretty grizzly looking mountain men.

MessOnThefED!

What a great experience! Do your parents still live in the same place? Have you ever thought to go back and look for it, or for any prints? I hope your sighting gets investigated. Maybe someone will go look in that area and find some evidence. That would be great.

Thanks for sharing your incredible experience with us.

reply to post by MessOnTheFED!


I am pretty sure that Bigfoot, as a whole, is not a hoax. It is a cryptid comprised of too many different encounters in too many different locations for the entire thing to be labeled as a "hoax."

Thank you for adding your sighting to our collection here on ATS, Dogdish.

reply to post by MessOnTheFED!


Nah, no hoax.
The time of day, time of year, proximity and ease of access to town all point away from that. Plus, I knew personally the few hermits in those woods.
I haven't checked your links yet, but I will, Thanks.

edit: Just came back from the links. My opinion, in order: First is about a con man getting caught jerking people around. I'd have to put him on the same level as the crop circle hoaxers. Second really seems like he DOES want to rain on someone's parade. Third is "scientific community", as told by Wikipedia.
I don't think any of these will convince me that my experience wasn't real.

[edit on 9-12-2009 by Dogdish]

reply to post by virraszto


Thanks for the kind words.
My mother and sister have both moved near Syracuse, NY, step sisters live very nearby in Eldred and Olean, step brother is back there, but didn't grow up with me, and didn't have the love of the woods that I had. Regardless, I've never told my family about it.
My family were pioneers in this area, and my grandfather bulldozed a lot of the roads through the woods I rode while he was working for the local refinery. (Kendall) I'll get back up there myself someday.

reply to post by Dogdish


Golly what a good sighting and convincing narrative.
I'm from South Africa, but I've been following the "manimal" ape stories with great interest.
I saw a newish program on National Geographic recently. It started about human migrations in prehistory and I dozed off. When I awoke the presenter was in some Indonesian island village. They spoke of the Orang Pandek. They were allegedly very real, and even lived with the villagers at times. They were short, hairy men with some speech, and the females tended to throw long breasts over their shoulders when they ran. The villagers claimed that their ancestors killed all the Orang-Pandek for two reasons:
- they destroyed crops
- they kidnapped people
It appears similar to the treatment hunter-gatherers get in general.
Next the program lost me a bit, because it went into dwarf-like fossils of Floris Man. Although Eastern "ape-men" were short, they were not as tiny as Floris Man.
It was just weird to see such a confession on a scientific program, and when I see it again I'll make sure to recall the title.
We may indeed not be the only species of man (Homo Erectus or Sapiens) on the planet after all!

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
reply to post by MessOnTheFED!

 

I am pretty sure that Bigfoot, as a whole, is not a hoax. It is a cryptid comprised of too many different encounters in too many different locations for the entire thing to be labeled as a "hoax."

Thank you for adding your sighting to our collection here on ATS, Dogdish.

Thank you for saying so!

By the way, back when it happened, there weren't that many locations reported, outside of those I mentioned in the OP. That just made it even stranger.

reply to post by halfoldman


I watched that show, or another about the Orang Pandek. It was a while ago, so I don't remember a lot of it, but it's interesting to see that there's this type of creature on nearly every continent.
I don't like to hear that they killed them, because sometimes I think it may not even be possible. As real as they are, they are also very other-worldly, to my mind. As I said, it was a very surreal experience.

reply to post by Dogdish

One of my initial threads when I joined ATS a coupla weeks ago was "Bigfoot, almas - a threat to creationism?" This supposed that any such finds are deliberately confiscated and hidden. The last posts were a Native American view (although there are varying views). Here it was also claimed that the Bigfoot is not wholly material, instead: he is both real and "spirit brother".
Well, the Eastern peoples consider the almas and Orang Pandek to have been very real. It's always a narrative in the past, and it is doubtful that they still survive today.
I think there is evidence, but because it challenges our unique place in biology (and hence the main religions) it is hidden.
Another Nat Geo program showed that the alleged half-breed almas skull from Russia is not Neanderthal - but it is very, very unusual.
Perhaps a more observant ATS member could post the findings and links?

reply to post by Dogdish


You mention the orang pendek and similar cryptids on other continents.

I can forward you to a list of cryptids here: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Take a look at the bigfoot section, it will point you to some other bipedal primate cryptids. Happy reading! There is also an entry for almas, and a few others.

reply to post by halfoldman


I'm sorry I missed your thread! I really like your premise, and the Native American view is the one I think holds the most truth, or at least the most information.
I'll go and find your thread, and reply there. Thanks for the 'heads up'.

[edit on 9-12-2009 by Dogdish]

reply to post by Dogdish


You should find my thread at: "Bigfoot, almas a threat to creationism" www.abovetopsecret.com...

Thanks for sharing your sighting with us dogdish.

I to am from Pa.Central Pa. to be exact.While we don't have as many sightings as they do out west,bigfoot sightings do occur around our neck of the woods.

And yes ,I do believe that such a creature does exist and should be left alone.

Thanks again for the fascinating post dogdish!

exactly what is ` being investigated ` here ?

reply to post by Dogdish


Wow Dogdish what a well told account ... and what an amazing experience to have had.

I can understand you keeping it to yourself for so long ... something that special is rare.

What surprised me is that I tend to be quite sceptical about things I have never experienced for myself ... but I had no doubt about the reality of your account when I read it.

Thanks for sharing.

Woody

Awesome recollection Dogdish. I too, am a believer in the legend of Bigfoot. Granted, footprints are now a "thing of the past" and now people are quick to usher in the reliability of DNA evidence; my issue with DNA is this: What if..... lol... the Bigfoot DNA matches very closely to or mirrors human DNA to the point of irreconizability? How would researchers react to that?

reply to post by MessOnTheFED!


Not so sure I'd use such a strong term as "hoax". Many of the sightings are, surely, misidentifying of common animals. Others can not be so easily explained away...

My own sighting isn't so easily explained away. It's on ATS here somewhere...I'll dig up the link here shortly.

Cool story, Dogdish. Thanks for sharing...

Here's the link to my story, if any are interested...

My bigfoot sighting.

[edit on 12/30/2009 by seagull]

reply to post by Dogdish


Just to bump this thread again,

I sent a report to BFRO awhile back and it was published. (Wetzel County, WV)

So, good luck to you dogdish. Hopefully you keep us updated.