Hunting Big Foot; Protocol for New Investigators

By, Robin M. Strom-Mackey

The team was recently tasked with investigating an area of high strangeness where actual large hominoid creatures have been witnessed, if not recorded. As our team in particular has focused on indoor spirit investigations. So, preparing the team for the differences in investigative protocols seemed necessary, so we didn't have the team bumbling around in the woods with no idea what to do. The following protocol is shaped from the author's reading from several sources of information as well as documentaries presented by credible cryptozoologists.

Comments or suggestions/additions are welcome.

Unlike a Ghost investigation, a BF investigation will probably require multiple trips of shorter duration.  BF can be hunted as easily during the day as at night, and it may be preferable to do that. It’s probably best to at hunt in pairs. If going alone, let someone know exactly where you will be and when.

Investigations do not need to be of long duration, several shorter investigations may be preferable to check rock cairns walk the property, especially if a schedule can be established.  In that way you establish a connection with the area, they learn that you are not there in an aggressive posture.  From several accounts BF will often, unless someone surprises them, decide when and in what manner they desire to interact.

Different investigators have tried different experiments with interesting results.  One investigator in PA would pile rocks in formations and then return to see if the rock formations had changed.  Something similar might be tried with sticks or branches.  Another team experimented by hanging unopened peanut butter jars in trees and then returning to see what happened.  You can be creative with your experiments. The creatures have been known to show a modicum of intelligence, and you can communicate with them verbally. 

Food is an attraction with BF, but be careful, DO NOT to leave the creatures food offerings.  They quickly expect it, and react negatively when the offerings do not appear. BF have been known to follow investigators home, and to create poltergeist like activity in a person’s home, so handle investigations carefully. 

Possible Equipment to take into the field:

Sample Supplies

•    Tweezers and small sample bags

•    Plaster of Paris for footprints

Cameras

•    Still Camera - make sure to get a decent focus

•    Video Camera

•    Trail cameras (attach trees in the area)

•    *FLIR Camera

Detection Devices

•    Traditional compass

•    EMF detector

•    Data Logger

•    Ambient Temperature Thermometer

Field Gear

•    Flashlight

•    *Binoculars

•    Backpack

•    Logbook (some way to jot down observances and/or take notes) Can also record audio report on your phone.

Detection: It isn’t clear what type of detection device might be appropriate.  In some reported cases of paranormal activity, the energy has affected traditional compasses causing the magnetic field to fluctuate and the needle to spin. 

Sample Supplies:  While there is very little in the way of video evidence of Big Foot, areas where they have been seen will sometimes yield hairs, skat, or footprints.  Look for foot prints in areas where the ground is soft, like boggy areas or around waterways.  Look for hair stuck to tree branches higher up in the tree.  Delaware has no bear population, hence hairs found higher up in the trees and branches are less likely to be normal forest animals. 

If you do find footprints and you have no way to preserve them, at the very least take close, well focused photos of the footprints.  Attempt to follow the footprints, and take a shot of each footprint you find.  

Cameras:  In areas of high strangeness, researchers have reported the best luck at capturing anything is with FLIR cameras.  The heat sensitivity is helpful even when the BF isn’t in a corporeal state. 

Traditional cameras such as video cameras and trail cameras, while I would still take them, are often easily evaded. 

Field Gear: Binoculars, especially if they can capture a photo might work well.  

Obviously if you’re going to be tracking things in the dark have more than one good flashlight or better yet night goggles.

Protocol

Be Quiet / Be Respectful / Observe

Communicate: 

Communicate peace, interest and verbalize your desire to communicate. At times it appears as if BF may be able to communicate using psi abilities, meaning it may be able to read your thoughts.

Experiment:

Rock Structures: Stack some rocks into a structure and see if it changes when/if you return. Researchers have noted that often the structures will change, and while the rocks will be stacked, they won’t be in as complex a design as the researcher had created.

Peanut butter Experiment:  Hang peanut butter high in the trees. Do not open the jars.  Observe what happens when you return. DE has no bear population which makes this experiment even more interesting.

Detection: 

Obviously, a full range of detection equipment should be employed to see if any of the gauges detect changes in the environment, especially during moments of strangeness.

Traditional Compass: traditional needle compasses have known to act strangely in areas of high strangeness. 

Temperature Changes:  Area cold spots have been reported. Do note that this investigation will be outdoors where changes in temperature are natural and constant.  I wouldn’t consider a change in temperature to be significant unless it was a change of 8-10 degrees or more. 

Observation:  

Observe not only for the big guy, but for signs of a large animal.  Look for game trails through the woods that were not made by man, but by beast.  If a game trail is found, follow it and watch carefully for hair caught on branches which is higher off the ground than a small animal. Observe the ground for prints.

Look for broken branches, or areas of apparent disturbance.  In this case the woods in one area appear to be disturbed or manipulated.  Trees broken two feet up versus low to the ground may not be natural.  Areas where tree branches have collected to produce a crude shelter may be of interest. Take several pictures of anything like that. 

If branches or debris are collected near a waterway, do note it may be caused by seasonal flooding. Know the difference.

Observe the ground for large human shaped foot prints. Do note that BF footprints have sometimes been reported with an odd number of toes.  Attempt to follow the footprints, and of course record in some way any footprints you find carefully. Photographs must be close and well-focused. Take several. Look around the pond and around any boggy areas in particular, as the ground will be soft there.

Observe for large skat.  If skat is found that is obviously not from a small animal collect a sample.  Preserve skat by adding alcohol to the sample.

Look for rocks that are piled up in an unnatural manner or something made from sticks or natural materials that don’t appear to happen randomly. There have been reports where crude art or designs are made or structures built.

Observe for areas of the forest or underbrush that are darker than dark.  In other words, the blackness is impenetrable (Novotny)

Sometimes BF will appear to be able to camouflage themselves or seem to shape shift for example into the form of a tree stump. Observe anything out of the ordinary.

Listen:

BF activity often includes knocking sounds. In particular, sounds similar to a branch being banged against a tree are often reported.  Sometimes objects such as rocks have been thrown. (Sometimes rocks have been thrown at researchers.)

Listen for strange sounds such as screams.  If you do capture any odd animal type noises make sure to compare the sounds with animal sounds on the internet.  Foxes and owls can make very odd, often eerie sounds at times.

Smell: 

Pay attention to smells. BF are said to smell very strongly.

Precautions

Don’t make food or drink offerings to BF, they will come to expect it, and can become angered when the offerings are not continued.

Do not threaten BF. Communicate thoughts and words of interest and peace. If you would like to see a BF, say as much.  They have been known to respond to verbal requests. Just know, that they will likely not appear if a camera is recording, they appear to be able to sense when recording devices are on and recording. 

Oddities around the BF Sightings

Orbs are often associated with Big Foot Sightings.  While BF is corporeal and can walk and communicate, it also appears to be able to transform.  Some researchers suspect that the orbs are BF when they are not in a body.  Another tendency that supports this theory are the footprints.  Researchers have been stymied by the fact that they will track footprints which simply appear to stop. No matter how far they search, they cannot pick up the trail.  The tracks just literally stop.

Another phenomenon which supports the theory is poltergeist like activity reported in the woods, but also sometimes following people home.  In these situations, sounds are often heard and objects may move, but nothing is seen. And this poltergeist activity has been known to follow people many miles; distance does not appear to be a limiting factor.

Another infrequently reported phenomenon is the ability for BF to camouflage themselves by appearing to be something else such as a tree stump or a rock. Again, good observation skills are important. It does seem that the phenomena are tied strongly with the trees.

Other strange phenomenon has been reported in areas with bigfoot sightings as well, including the sighting of unidentified flying objects and small forest entities such as elves.  I know it sounds insane, but in areas of high strangeness be prepared for just about anything.

The reporter noted an area that he described as a shrine to a snake, and also reported snake like rock sculptures.  The photographs he sent me didn’t convince me that this was the case.  It appeared any resemblance to a snake or other creature was quite incidental.  If the rocks have been sculpted into crude animals than chisel marks will be visible.  Check the rocks carefully.  Photograph with good focus. Again, the rocks may instead be BF activity, as that appears to be something that the creatures like to do.

While the rocks may have been placed by someone in the area in some type of nature worship ceremony etc. it is a reported tendency that BF like to pile rocks on top of one another in simple structures.