Why do so many people believe in Bigfoot?

I suspect that most people who believe in these “commonly referred to as mythological” creatures, do so for a myriad of reasons. In my opinion, the reasons for believing in them far outnumber and outweigh other folk's reasons for not believing in them.

Here are a few reasons why I, and a rapidly growing number of people, believe Bigfoot exists….

…Footprints 

Footprints are an excellent and dependable bit of evidence for the presence of any walking animal. In fact, footprints are considered by all mainstream scientific authorities as an effective and accurate means of determining population in a given area. However, since mainstream science doesn't want to even entertain the possibility that Bigfoot exists, they've disqualified footprints as evidence of their existence. 

Every day across the USA and Canada, Sasquatch footprints are found by both those looking for them, and by random hikers and outdoorsy people enjoying nature. Now when I say they are finding footprints, I'm not talking about mere outlines of big barefoot feet placed one after another on a path somewhere. I'm saying that dynamically placed, anatomically accurate, scientifically and mechanically actual footprints are being left behind by living breathing walking bipedal creatures. They indicate a flexible foot of a creature that weighs sometimes up to 600-800 lbs. The toes are in a different position in every subsequent print, they demonstrate accurate bone structure required for a creature of that size, and they present with dermal pressure ridges. People know about these things now, but 60 yrs ago when the first tracks were cast, nobody, not even many anthropologists, had any in depth technical knowledge of what tiny details are important when considered as evidence for a previously unknown hominid. 

Microscopic details found on prints cast 50 and 60 years ago have numerous exact same aspects as prints found today on the opposite end of the country. These facts lead me to believe that most footprints found are not the product of a hoax. For a hoax to be perpetuated in this area, literally hundreds of extremely knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen who all really desire to create an ongoing flawless hoax, would have to all be in cahoots with similarly skilled craftsmen and scientists across the country over the past 60 yrs. In my opinion, the odds of that being likely are pretty close to zero.

…Eyewitnesses 

Any police officer or psychologist will tell you that the skills of accurate observation in the common person are questionable at best. This is especially the case when the witness is under physical or emotional duress. Ask an armed robbery victim what color shirt the criminal was wearing, and they are likely to tell you something totally different than what another witness says. This fact is used as the main reason mainstream science tends to disregard all Bigfoot sightings as mistaken identity. Whether it was a bear, another person, or a tree stump, they feel that even those who had up close face to face encounters with these huge terrifying creatures were incorrect when they identify what they saw 10 feet away as an 8ft hairy manlike apelike beast who growled and bared their teeth at them. It had to be a bear or a clump of branches that did all that then turned and walked away into the woods behind them. 

Well, I don't buy it. While I have no doubt that mistaken identity occurs every day, I truly do not believe that every witness account is incorrect. Maybe one or two out of ten, but I believe that the vast majority of those who say they saw one of these creatures, saw one of these creatures. The fact that many eyewitnesses have spent a lifetime exploring nature, whether hunting or fishing or hiking or camping, and have encountered the myriad of different flora and fauna out there on numerous occasions, is proof enough in my book that they are educated enough on what all is out there in their favorite patch of woods to know that what they saw 30 feet away digging for grubs in a rotten log, then stood up and growled and stomped off into a thorny plum thicket was not a stump or a bear or a guy in a hoodie. 

Witnesses in new york state report very similar creature details as witnesses in tennessee. Witnesses in mississippi report very similar creature looks and behavior as witnesses in east texas. In literally every state in the union these creatures are continuously spotted, except of course, in Hawaii. If indeed all Bigfoot sightings were the product of a hoax or mistaken identity, why do we not see Bigfoot sightings in Hawaii? Are people in Hawaii less prone to pulling pranks on others, and do those who live in Hawaii somehow magically transform into uber accurate observers? Who knows? It does give you food for thought tho.

…There is room for them to exist

Even tho these creatures can and often do inhabit areas close to where Humans live or visit, their most favored domain is most likely where they can be alone, unbothered by pesky Humans and their boom sticks and chain saws. Most people aren't aware that there are still ranges of wilderness scattered throughout the USA and Canada that either have never been visited by Humans, or are only visited by Humans every few dozen years. Steep cliffs, thick thorny fields of overgrown brush, swampy marshy, snakey wetlands, high rocky mountaintops, thick forests that go on and on for hundreds of square miles, are all places that Humans tend to avoid, and THAT, in my opinion, is the key to this species remaining hidden and unresearched, compared to other typically hidden animals. 

Regardless of how many scientists claim that any given area could not support these creatures food-wise, their vastly varied suspected diet would enable most areas to support one or more individuals over the course of the 4 seasons. While a particular spot may not be fertile enough grounds for the entire year, an adjacent valley or mountainside may provide more than enough plant and animal life to give ample sustenance. When discussing bigfoot migration possibilities, most researchers I've seen offer an opinion feel that while the creature most likely doesn't migrate long distances from season to season, their probable permanent home range of 30-100 miles offers plenty of variation in plant and animal life, as well as Human supplied snacks, to sustain a small group of wandering creatures.

By Human supplied snacks, I'm referring to pet and livestock feed, pets and livestock themselves, food discarded in garbage, back yard gardens and farming acreages. There are numerous stories out there that document the skilled scavenging techniques these creatures exhibit around homes and other Human settlements. That’s not even mentioning the scads of folks purposefully feeding these animals in habituation sites across our nation.

The three broad reasons I've listed above are just a sample of why I believe these creatures exist. I'm betting that if I laid out all the reasons I believe in Bigfoot, it would result in 8 or 10 more paragraphs.

While I have no idea if the majority of bigfoot believers out there will completely agree with my reasons for believing Bigfoot exists, I suspect that their lists of reasons wouldn't be too awfully different. Its certainly an interesting subject with a vast variety of opinions on every aspect of its existence. For every opinion out there on some detail, there is going to be a differing opinion opposing it. Until we either capture or kill one and make it available for mainstream study, it will continue to be the hugely debatable topic we find it to be today.

Some Things You May Not Know About Bigfoot

1) For most oblivious folks, it's a big hoot to make fun of the crazies who actually believe that a bipedal man/ape creature roams the backwoods across the USA. However, every day more and more video, audio, and footprint evidence, as well as respectable eyewitness accounts, are being made public. The time is rapidly approaching when the laughing disbelievers will be shown to be blatant fools who owe someone an apology. 

 With advances in affordable consumer technology showing up in backpacks everywhere, (such as HD image and HD video capable phones in everybody's hands, and high quality audio recorders and low cost night vision and infrared devices now becoming affordable by the common person) more and more people are chancing public scorn by getting out in the woods and capturing real footage of these creatures. As this occurs, it's starting to look like they may very well be a lot more numerous and wide spread than previously thought. 

While more evidence piles up, those who have had encounters but kept quiet over the years to avoid public ridicule, are starting to feel more comfortable talking about their experiences. They are coming forward, both in official sighting reports and in interviews on one of the numerous bigfoot themed Internet podcasts available almost daily for anyone to listen to. Many of these folks clearly state that they kept quiet for months or years because speaking up may have resulted in the loss of a job or business or friendships or reputation in their community. To a police officer, or ER doctor, or business owner, a damaged reputation could instantly result in the financial ruin of them and their families. 

Although many are emphatic about remaining anonymous, at least they are talking about it now, and that's a huge deal to researchers. The fact that many reputable eyewitnesses are not wanting to be identified, adds creedance to the validity of their reports. In other words they have nothing to gain (and much to lose) by making up a creature sighting report. 

It's always been the opinion of researchers that only around one in ten encounters are actually reported or even talked about. The scads of people coming out of the woodwork these days to tell their stories suggest that this number may be fairly accurate. So when skeptics say...if they were real more people would see them...they may be getting precisely what they've asked for. 

2) Contrary to popular belief, Sasquatch don't only reside in the deep dark woods way out in the sticks where few Humans visit. It's becoming common knowledge that while the Pacific Northwest may be considered the home base for Bigdootdom, they are witnessed in pretty much every US state but Hawaii. 

Any state or national park, any wildlife preserve, any hunting grounds or farmland or ranch, riverbottom or creek bed or orchard, and any acre + stand of woods can hide a sasquatch. They literally can be.....anywhere. 

I find the Hawaii thing curious. I believe it was a video by Michael Merchant a few months back regarding this phenomenon that got me to agreeing.... If we are to trust in the judgement of professionally skeptical scientists and subscribe to their opinion that most bigfoot image and video evidence is hoaxed, why aren't we seeing hoaxed fake evidence perpetrated in Hawaii? Do people in Hawaii lack a sense of humor? Do people in Hawaii tend to avoid pulling pranks on the general public? I find it odd that pranksters and hoaxers are rampant all across the continental USA, but seem to be absent in Hawaii. Weird eh? 

One other side note to the presence of bigfoot all across the USA that I suspect most people don't know....is that any smallish clump of woods or creek bed may be the home of one or more of these creatures. They have been witnessed peeking in windows and leaving footprints around homes in well pooulated suburbs and neighborhoods in many states. 

You may think, that's impossible, because there's not enough food available so close to man. Well, they love pet food and livestock food, and are able to snatch things out of back porch freezers and pantries as soon as you go back in the house. Ever wonder why your bird feeder keeps going empty faster than you think it should? Recently I heard a story about a brazen squatch who reportedly opened screened kitchen doors on a regular basis and helped himself to an occasional loaf of bread or plate of leftovers. (The muddy 17 inch footprints on the kitchen floor was a dead give away) That's not even mentioning missing pets that forever disappear, and don't forget about trashcans and dumpsters that often have a lot of discarded cooked and uncooked food tossed inside them. A bite or two of a burger you were too full to finish, along with the dozen leftover fries in that McDonald's bag may not seem like much nutritional value to you, but to a 3 foot juvenile sasquatch making the rounds at 3am, it's a tasty treat. 

These intelligent animals are expert opportunists, and have even been suspected of grabbing a bag of groceries out of open car doors and trunks as mom carries the groceries in the house in 2 or 3 trips. They are lightning fast and amazing at hiding in plain sight, so none of these possible sources of a well rounded diet can be ignored. 

3) Like with any subject, there are many schools of thought within the world of bigfoot regarding its nature of reality. As more and more people become open to the possibility that bigfoot exists, there are two differing opinions developing out of the melee. 

Group one views sasquatch as a flesh and blood animal that eats and sleeps and poops and walks the Earth the same way the rest of us do. They study the subject based upon the theory that bigfoot is born and lives and dies like all other animals. These folks consider themselves to be realists, who tend to avoid letting romantic spiritually influenced notions of how some see bigfoot to be, to interfere with their search for the actual physical creature we all know and love. 

Group two people subscribe to a varied menagerie of beliefs that most often lean toward viewing sasquatch as either a fully, or partially rendered supernatural creature that is infused with a whole slew of magical or otherwise scientifically questionable aspects and abilities. These abilities vary from them being able to communicate via telepathy or what is commonly called "mind speak" with receptive Humans, to possessing the ability to appear or disappear at will. The latter is believed possible by the creature either emitting some type of cloaking/invisibility energy, or by totally moving about between multiple metaphysical realities by way of mere thought, or by utilizing energy portals that seem to materialize in areas where sasquatch like to roam during their sporadic adventures on Earth. 

Some members of group two theorize that bigfoot and ufo's are connected, and some even feel that Bigfoot is most likely a hybrid creature created by alien beings for either entertainment value, or for some other devious reason that mere Humans can't begin to fathom. 

Group one members, for the most part, believe that while, as with pretty much every other wild animal, most bigfoot are very likely generally peaceful animals that just want to be left alone, they respect the piles of evidence out there that these creatures have a more deadly and bloody side that can and has and occasionally does result in Human injuries and deaths. 

On the other side of this coin, group two members tend to embrace the theory that bigfoot is a species of peaceful intelligent Human that loves us and protects us and enjoys the peanut butter and apples that group two habituaters are known to leave out in "gifting" areas. They do this for a myriad of reasons ranging from wanting to establish a friendship with the creatures, to feeling like they have a special spiritual responsibility to augment their natural food sources with yummy treats to demonstrate affection and kinship with them. 

Group one members tend to question the ethical and moral wisdom in feeding these wild animals, but the group two members who do it continue on with the practice regardless of negative possible results. Evidently they strongly feel that the perceived benefits gained by habituating these creatures to receiving food from Humans far outweighs any potential harm such an activity my cause. 

The multi-faceted world of bigfoot is littered with unusual quirks and beliefs. The three things I discussed above are but the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Regardless of where you stand on the above topics, I hope you feel a little more knowledgeable about the subject than you did before visiting this page. It's a fascinating subject that is likely to go on surprising and amazing all of us for some time to come. Just remember, learning and developing an understanding about anything is usually best approached like a sponge. I know very little about this topic, but I enjoy sharing what little I do uncover with the hopes that it inspires others to want to learn more about this wonderfully fascinating creature we call Bigfoot.

Could Bigfoot be a Gorilla that is native to North America?

While Bigfoot is believed to be a member of the great ape lineage of animals, and some aspects of their appearance and behavior mirrors gorillas, it is believed that the creature is a unique hominid relative of both great apes (like gorillas) and Humans, rather than a member of an already classified species of ape. Somewhere in the middle, in other words. Bigfoot DNA and hair analysis results, when compared to other apes and Humans, typically comes back as “Unidentified Ape Species”. This is the main reason we can definitely say that Bigfoot is not one of the already identified species of great ape on our planet (including Homo Sapiens). If it was, the DNA would prove it.

How about some differences first: Gorillas ambulate on 4 limbs. Yes, they can wobble around on their hind feet for short distances, but they don’t usually do it for long, or for any great distances. Bigfoot on the other hand, is predominantly bipedal, but occasionally is viewed on all fours like a gorilla, typically when moving at great speed. Gorillas can roar and grunt, but Bigfoot can talk and growl and whistle and very accurately mimic other animals, and yes, they can sometimes convincingly mimic Human speech also. Gorillas are herbivores. Bigfoot is an omnivore. It is theorized that for most of the year they rely mostly on plant nutrition, but in leaner times of the year they have no problem hunting and killing and eating animals such as deer and rabbits and wild pig.

How did they get to North America? Some people believe that it’s cut and dried that there could never, and has never been an ape species in North America, but a few researchers and scientists feel that Bigfoot, like mankind and other species of animals, migrated to North America via the asia/alaskan land bridge tens of thousands of years ago. They are here, and they managed somehow to get here, and they aren’t typically reported to have wings, so most likely they got here the same way our Human ancestors did, on foot.

Even though we’ve established that Bigfoot are not Gorillas, they share some unique traits. One, being the sagittal crest present in many specimens of gorilla. Although not all bigfoot reports describe an animal with a sagittal (sloping back forehead and coned skull) crest, it is a commonly reported head shape. Likewise, the often reported hooded nose demonstrates that Bigfoot also has genetic ties to Humankind. These types of comparisons are part of the reason why some people believe Bigfoot is a type of bipedal ape, while others are adamant that it is more closely related to Humans.

Other similarities between Bigfoot and Gorillas are:

It is believed that the family groups of both species, are usually made up of a dominant, or Alpha male, who has sole authority to mate with females in the group, as well as 3 to 5 breeding age females, and 2–4 lower stature males who are either related, or too young to challenge the Alpha for breeding rights. It is believed that Alphas of both species, change over time, as bigger and stronger males overtake the current Alpha and assume the leadership role of the family group.

Another similarity believed to exist is the way both species tend to avoid physical combat whenever a member of the group feels threatened. Instead, both gorillas and bigfoot prefer to put on loud displays of strength and screaming, often tearing down trees and thrashing about loudly and wildly to convince their opponent that they are very strong and powerful. They both often bluff charge, running toward the enemy, taking out trees and bushes as they rampage toward the foe, but stopping short of making contact in hopes of ending the conflict with intimidation before it comes to blows. It is believed that both species are smart enough to realize that an actual physical fight puts both animals at risk of injury or death, which, as a result, would jeopardize the overall well being and security of the entire group. While either species will attack a Human if it feels its family is in imminent danger, in almost every recorded instance, the Human leaves the situation unhurt. It is believed that Bigfoot creatures know that Humans are nowhere near as powerful as they are, but oft-reported Bigfoot behavior strongly suggests that they recognize firearms as a huge threat to their safety. The fact that they rarely physically attack Humans possibly indicates that they assume that any Human may be armed and dangerous.

Both species are recognized to be in possession of immense strength. Gorillas and bigfoot, pound for pound, are thought to be six to ten times more powerful than an equally sized Human.

There ya have it. Now we know the similarities (and a couple of differences) between Bigfoot and Gorillas, and how we know they are not the same species.

When will Bigfoot finally be found?

Bigfoot has been found, and is continuously found again almost daily across the USA. Over the last 150 yrs there have been numerous reports of sightings and various types of interactions in every state but Hawaii. The fact that pretty much every person in the country knows about Bigfoot is an indication that the creature has been found. A better question might be: Why is Bigfoot still considered to be a mythical creature even though there are daily sightings and mountains of evidence that demonstrate that they exist? Hrmm, I wonder.

In rural areas across our nation, some farmers and ranchers encounter these creatures on their property anywhere from a random once or twice a year thing, on up to some experiencing encounters or evidence on a nearly daily basis. However, if you ask them about it, they will chuckle and say they've never seen any evidence of the creatures in the decades they've been ranching/farming there. These people are good, honest, hard working pillars of society, but on this topic, they refuse to tell the truth, even to their own spouses and family members. Why do you think this is?

I think the answer is three-fold. Reason one is the obvious one, they want to avoid being laughed at by their fellow ranchers and farmers and neighbors. They prefer to pretend that nothing is going on, because apparently deluding oneself is a more palatable choice for these people than dealing with the truth of the matter. Even though those same neighbors are also having bigfoot issues on their property, grown men will succumb to peer pressure and razz anyone who is stupid enough to talk about their infestation. It's common knowledge that if a property has these visitors, their neighbors are being visited as well. Bigfoot is an equal opportunity pain in the ass.

Reason two might be because all their lives they've been told that these creatures don't exist. To admit to anyone, especially to them selves that these creatures do indeed walk and talk and roam their property at will, contrary to popular belief, would result in them having to take action to deal with them. It's just much easier to ignore the missing sweet feed, and the braided horse manes, and the footprints, and the wood knocks and monkey sounds they hear from down around the creek, than it is to face the fact that sasquatch is a living breathing animal that is creeping around their property at night. Bigfoot being primarily nocturnal helps them to carry on the charade year after year. But when the grandkids come running into the house asking you about the monkey man that was throwing dirt clods at them by the pond, the situation becomes a bit more precarious.

What I believe to be reason three is a bit sticky. Most rural ranchers and farmers and citizens in general, tend to be church going folks. Even if they hate going, they attend regularly to keep up appearances to preserve the respect of their peers that they've built up over their adult life. As with the UFO issue, admitting that sasquatch exists can very well bring along with it religious complications. Hard core xtians usually prefer to believe the bible stories that Humans are the kings of our domain, and that the boogie man is the seed of the devil. Some think that if they accept that bigfoot exists, it must mean that Satan has taken a liking to their homestead, and their family too by association. If bigfoot is there, it must be because they haven't been praying hard enough, or they've been cussing too much etc etc.

It's disappointing that some people are so shallow and gullible to believe such nonsense, but I honestly think that this is a major factor in rural folks not reporting sightings and evidence they encounter on a regular or semi regular basis. Admitting that bigfoot is a real animal that lives alongside of these God fearing people, would require a pretty deep rewiring of their belief system, as well as their psyche.

That's just one example of the problem as I see it. There are many others, but I suspect you get my point, whether you agree with it or not. Until the government stops playing games regarding admitting this species exists, honest people will continue to lie to others about their experiences. Once they let us off the hook though, I predict that a flood of reports will come to light, and we will shockingly realize that this creature is way more prevalent than anyone currently realizes. What a crazy time that will be.