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Old 02-12-2022, 07:39 AM
 
Location: East TN
11,128 posts, read 9,760,240 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rstevens62 View Post
Another thing about people 'misidentifying bears for a Bigfoot' that is rarely considered...


If it was truly a bear...its highly probable there would be many 'bear sightings' in the general area...NOT EVERYONE is going to 'misidentify'...some people will see the bear for what it is and report it...


If an area has lots of bigfoot sightings, but very few bear sightings...imo, that is probably a good indicator bigfoots are in the area...but if there are lots of bear sightings and few bigfoot sightings, that would indicate it probably is misidentification.



Its hard for bears to hide next to populated areas, they will be drawn to dumpsters, garbage cans, small pets, etc...and naturally, some people will see them doing this, and report it to officials, in other words, its pretty easy to determine if there are bears living near a populated area.


I live pretty far north, very close to Cincinnati, OH, occasionally in the spring, our southern most counties will get a few bear sightings, its not frequent, but it does happen from time to time, its usually one bear that came from the south, and they are drawn to garbage, people will report them going thru garbage cans or dumpsters.
Some bears are often nocturnal, and they can move quietly and be unseen. I live in a suburban style neighborhood in a wooded, rural area. We have lots of homes, but also lots of trees, and greenspaces. In this neighborhood of 4000 homes, bears have come in and raided people's birdfeeders, and outdoor pet food bowls. No one saw the bears. Out of 8000 residents, NO ONE saw the bears. No one got a photo. Only the damage and the paw prints proved that there was a bear, and it was live-trapped by the Wildlife Services and taken away. There was one fuzzy photo of something resembling a bear's head swimming in the lake from a distance of over 75 yards, so the head looked like something the size of a basketball at the far end of a football field, so that might have been a sighting, or it could've been a turtle, or a floating stump/log. It was only identified as a photo of the bear because we knew the bear had left paw prints locally. It's actually occurred more than once over the years in our neighborhood. It's very easy for them to exist unseen in populated areas, just as easily as some bears that travel by day and can readily be seen.

So one could say if a bear existed without good sightings, what about a Big Foot? Couldn't BF do the same? Well, the bear left his calling cards, he foraged for food damaging property, he left paw prints, and plenty of scat which was easily recognized. If we'd been unsure, we could've had the scat tested for DNA to verify, but the paw prints made that unnecessary. Why is there never any BF scat? Oh, he must be supernatural, so he doesn't eat and poop! Of course! We know that all life requires nourishment, and that mammals, even the ones we never see, poop on a fairly regular basis, and leave hair all over the place as they walk through the briars and sticks, so BF must be supernatural. Well if he's supernatural, why does he leave big fake-y looking footprints? You can't have it both ways. Either it's a big creature with a physical being that leaves prints, eats, and poops, or he's a supernatural, or alien thing, that can appear and disappear at will, requires no food, never poops, and would presumably leave no prints, like a ghost. So, which is it?

Last edited by TheShadow; 02-12-2022 at 07:52 AM..
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Old 02-12-2022, 10:50 AM
 
28,122 posts, read 12,597,947 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oklazona Bound View Post
I do get that people who live where bears are common know what they look like. I can't say why people claim to have seen Bigfoot at dumpsters but since there is no proof to back it up its just their claims. With proof I will believe it 100%. It would be great if it was true.

The biggest difference between the two is simple. Bears have been photographs millions of times, have been found dead, hit by cars and have been filmed confronting people. They are large animals that cannot easily hide even in the wilderness. We have their DNA and have raised them in captivity.

None of the above applies to Bigfoot. Even though the physical size of both is similar to the point where a bear could be mistake as Bigfoot. And they live in similar environs.
Yes, that is the million dollar question...WHY are these Bigfoot reports keep coming in...and many from areas where bears are common, heck, many reports come from people (that know bears very well), park rangers, life long hunters, campers, etc.


i dont have the answer to this, but i will say, if a person has lived in an area with bears, or is very familiar with bears...the chances they would misidentify one, (as something so completely different), is off the charts rare.


Besides that, there is usually no good reason to even claim to see a Bigfoot! 99% of people are going to automatically label you a wackadoodle, who is not credible. Most people do want attention, (but they want the POSITIVE kind, not negative). Now, if a person writing a book, or wanting to sell Bigfoot coffee mug claims to see one...well, that is for obvious reasons, however the majority of reports come from everyday people, (not writing books or attempting to sell things).


Reports from police officers and other 'professionals' really make me wonder, to claim such a thing in their profession is basically career suicide...but there are 100s of reports from police all over the country? IDK, its a mystery to me!
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Old 02-12-2022, 11:01 AM
 
28,122 posts, read 12,597,947 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheShadow View Post
Some bears are often nocturnal, and they can move quietly and be unseen. I live in a suburban style neighborhood in a wooded, rural area. We have lots of homes, but also lots of trees, and greenspaces. In this neighborhood of 4000 homes, bears have come in and raided people's birdfeeders, and outdoor pet food bowls. No one saw the bears. Out of 8000 residents, NO ONE saw the bears. No one got a photo. Only the damage and the paw prints proved that there was a bear, and it was live-trapped by the Wildlife Services and taken away. There was one fuzzy photo of something resembling a bear's head swimming in the lake from a distance of over 75 yards, so the head looked like something the size of a basketball at the far end of a football field, so that might have been a sighting, or it could've been a turtle, or a floating stump/log. It was only identified as a photo of the bear because we knew the bear had left paw prints locally. It's actually occurred more than once over the years in our neighborhood. It's very easy for them to exist unseen in populated areas, just as easily as some bears that travel by day and can readily be seen.

So one could say if a bear existed without good sightings, what about a Big Foot? Couldn't BF do the same? Well, the bear left his calling cards, he foraged for food damaging property, he left paw prints, and plenty of scat which was easily recognized. If we'd been unsure, we could've had the scat tested for DNA to verify, but the paw prints made that unnecessary. Why is there never any BF scat? Oh, he must be supernatural, so he doesn't eat and poop! Of course! We know that all life requires nourishment, and that mammals, even the ones we never see, poop on a fairly regular basis, and leave hair all over the place as they walk through the briars and sticks, so BF must be supernatural. Well if he's supernatural, why does he leave big fake-y looking footprints? You can't have it both ways. Either it's a big creature with a physical being that leaves prints, eats, and poops, or he's a supernatural, or alien thing, that can appear and disappear at will, requires no food, never poops, and would presumably leave no prints, like a ghost. So, which is it?
I dont know...I dont have the answers, Im like anyone else, that is interested in these topics. I think it may be something that is beyond our comprehension.


I read thru reports fairly often...there is 'something' going on...but its very rare...


I know some people use 'mental health' as a possibility, but the fact that sightings are rare, conflicts with that, if it was people seeking attention, or mental health...I think we would see A LOT more reports coming in.
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Old 02-12-2022, 11:13 AM
 
5,214 posts, read 3,014,614 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rstevens62 View Post
I dont know...I dont have the answers, Im like anyone else, that is interested in these topics. I think it may be something that is beyond our comprehension.


I read thru reports fairly often...there is 'something' going on...but its very rare...


I know some people use 'mental health' as a possibility, but the fact that sightings are rare, conflicts with that, if it was people seeking attention, or mental health...I think we would see A LOT more reports coming in.
Not everyone who is seeking attention or have mental health issues are going to use bigfoot for it.
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Old 02-12-2022, 07:19 PM
 
30,166 posts, read 11,795,579 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rstevens62 View Post
Yes, that is the million dollar question...WHY are these Bigfoot reports keep coming in...and many from areas where bears are common, heck, many reports come from people (that know bears very well), park rangers, life long hunters, campers, etc.


i dont have the answer to this, but i will say, if a person has lived in an area with bears, or is very familiar with bears...the chances they would misidentify one, (as something so completely different), is off the charts rare.


Besides that, there is usually no good reason to even claim to see a Bigfoot! 99% of people are going to automatically label you a wackadoodle, who is not credible. Most people do want attention, (but they want the POSITIVE kind, not negative). Now, if a person writing a book, or wanting to sell Bigfoot coffee mug claims to see one...well, that is for obvious reasons, however the majority of reports come from everyday people, (not writing books or attempting to sell things).


Reports from police officers and other 'professionals' really make me wonder, to claim such a thing in their profession is basically career suicide...but there are 100s of reports from police all over the country? IDK, its a mystery to me!
There are over 1 million police officers. A few hundred claiming they say Bigfoot is a very small percentage.

I don't have the answer. There are lots of people who confess to high profile crimes who had nothing to do with it. We have a big country. Over 300 million people. So there will be a small percentage of people who do very irrational things. Like confess to crimes or claim they say Bigfoot. And any number of different things.

For me like I keep saying we need evidence. Otherwise I don't take it serious. Anybody can say anything.
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Old 02-13-2022, 04:32 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,773 posts, read 18,140,967 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rstevens62 View Post
I dont know...I dont have the answers, Im like anyone else, that is interested in these topics. I think it may be something that is beyond our comprehension.


I read thru reports fairly often...there is 'something' going on...but its very rare...


I know some people use 'mental health' as a possibility, but the fact that sightings are rare, conflicts with that, if it was people seeking attention, or mental health...I think we would see A LOT more reports coming in.
The one answer you fail to recognize is that maybe they do not exist. You have no proof they are alive and we have no proof of 'other' possibilities - so what is left?

As far as your statement about mental illness, here are the facts: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/stat...mental-illness.

I quote: "Mental illnesses are common in the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (52.9 million in 2020)."

Of course, the one in five is a broad term like you love to use. Not all of that 19% are running around seeing things that are not there. Or where they all believed when they did make a claim.

It is similar to sorting out those believers that feel they can make money off their reports, paraphernalia, lectures, hits on their websites, or other means. But that group has a vested interest in you believing and others like you.
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Old 02-13-2022, 01:09 PM
 
19,718 posts, read 10,124,301 times
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Who knows what you will see? Conservation dept. says there are no mountain lions in our area. I live well inside a small city. Two years ago I watched one walk across my back yard. I did not say anything. Then there were numerous reports of others seeing it and pictures of tracks. Conservation still says they don't exist in this area.
We saw bears in my uncles corn field when I was a kid. Conservation dept. said there were none near here. I could take you to a place today where I know there are some. Conservation still says they don't exist near here.
When I was 12, I killed a cottonmouth water moccasin. Took it to the conservation office to be sure what it was. He said I was right, but it could not have come from here, they don't exist here.
Saw a sidewinder rattlesnake in a park two years ago. They are not on the list of local snakes.

So when someone says bigfoot doesn't exist, not sure I should believe them.
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Old 02-13-2022, 04:06 PM
 
30,166 posts, read 11,795,579 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Floorist View Post
Who knows what you will see? Conservation dept. says there are no mountain lions in our area. I live well inside a small city. Two years ago I watched one walk across my back yard. I did not say anything. Then there were numerous reports of others seeing it and pictures of tracks. Conservation still says they don't exist in this area.
We saw bears in my uncles corn field when I was a kid. Conservation dept. said there were none near here. I could take you to a place today where I know there are some. Conservation still says they don't exist near here.
When I was 12, I killed a cottonmouth water moccasin. Took it to the conservation office to be sure what it was. He said I was right, but it could not have come from here, they don't exist here.
Saw a sidewinder rattlesnake in a park two years ago. They are not on the list of local snakes.

So when someone says bigfoot doesn't exist, not sure I should believe them.
No one is saying Mountain Lions, Bears or certain snakes do not exist. But they were found in places they were not suppose to live. I know Armadillos have moved north of where they were known to live previously.

There has never been a confirmed Bigfoot sighting anywhere ever. Yes there are people who claim to have seen them. That is totally different than exact locations of known animals.
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Old 02-14-2022, 12:41 AM
 
28,122 posts, read 12,597,947 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fisheye View Post
The one answer you fail to recognize is that maybe they do not exist. You have no proof they are alive and we have no proof of 'other' possibilities - so what is left?

As far as your statement about mental illness, here are the facts: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/stat...mental-illness.

I quote: "Mental illnesses are common in the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (52.9 million in 2020)."

Of course, the one in five is a broad term like you love to use. Not all of that 19% are running around seeing things that are not there. Or where they all believed when they did make a claim.

It is similar to sorting out those believers that feel they can make money off their reports, paraphernalia, lectures, hits on their websites, or other means. But that group has a vested interest in you believing and others like you.
I agree with you on those who have some kind of 'ulterior motive, or vested interest' in such things, (that is one thing I factor in when I read reports, whether I believe them or not)...


If a guy that just started his own cryptid podcast, suddenly claims to see a bigfoot...clearly, its not a credible report, nor are those that come from people that are 'enthusiasts' to these topics, (like myself )...


But what of the reports from people, (who have something to loose by talking about this)? If a patrol cop suddenly comes out and tells everyone he saw a bigfoot while out hunting, how do you think most people would react to a cop saying that? lol, they would think he is nuts, on drugs or booze, and chances are, it would impact his job in some way.


You really have to look between the lines when reading cryptid reports, but a lot of times, there is not enough details given on the person, to make that determination unfortunately, but some times there is enough, and it does appear to be genuine incident...


Like that Judge executive that talked about seeing a Dogman up close when he was a teen...That is not a very good subject for him to be talking about publicly (at least for him and his career!), he stands to loose more than he will gain.
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Old 02-14-2022, 04:56 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,773 posts, read 18,140,967 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rstevens62 View Post
I agree with you on those who have some kind of 'ulterior motive, or vested interest' in such things, (that is one thing I factor in when I read reports, whether I believe them or not)...


If a guy that just started his own cryptid podcast, suddenly claims to see a bigfoot...clearly, its not a credible report, nor are those that come from people that are 'enthusiasts' to these topics, (like myself )...


But what of the reports from people, (who have something to loose by talking about this)? If a patrol cop suddenly comes out and tells everyone he saw a bigfoot while out hunting, how do you think most people would react to a cop saying that? lol, they would think he is nuts, on drugs or booze, and chances are, it would impact his job in some way.


You really have to look between the lines when reading cryptid reports, but a lot of times, there is not enough details given on the person, to make that determination unfortunately, but some times there is enough, and it does appear to be genuine incident...


Like that Judge executive that talked about seeing a Dogman up close when he was a teen...That is not a very good subject for him to be talking about publicly (at least for him and his career!), he stands to loose more than he will gain.
You are lumping them all together again. In many cases, the information comes from a site that has a vested interest and they never release the name/s of their 'qualified' witnesses or 'expert' outdoors people -let alone the police they claim made a report.

That said, our police are also human and some do make mistakes. Just look at what has happened in the last two years!
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