Animal Planet's "Finding Bigfoot" seeks Bigfoot in East Texas woods
BY FAITH HARPER
fharper@tylerpaper.com
Bigfoot could be alive and well in East Texas and some enthusiasts are going to try to find him.
A crew from Animal Planet’s hit show, “Finding Bigfoot,” is slated to be in the Tyler area this weekend searching for the creature.
The show’s team and producers will join a group from Universal K-9, a national trainer and supplier of drug, protection and weapons dogs, to search for the creature.
“If Bigfoot really exists, I can guarantee you our dogs will find him,” Brad Croft of Universal K-9 said, according to a news release.
One of the places they could be searching is the Mineola Nature Preserve. The preserve is on the Sabine River and has 2,911 acres of city-owned land.
More than a dozen man-made ponds are speckled on the property as well as walking trails and pavilions.
Mineola Mayor Bo Whitus said hunting is not allowed on the property, with the exception of periodic youth deer hunts. This was attractive to the “Finding Bigfoot” crews, he said.
Whitus said the locals tell stories of bear and cougar sightings in the preserve, but they never have been validated.
He had never heard the subject of Bigfoot come up until seven or eight months ago when a maintenance worker spotted a strange vehicle far into nature.
The maintenance worker “was at the river and coming back up close to a slough,” Whitus said. “There was an old car sitting there, and it concerned our guy, so he called the police department. They ran the tag, and it was from the Dallas area.”
As officers got close, they noticed fruit on top of the car and found a young man lying in the grass near the area.
“We don’t know how he got his car that far down into the preserve, but he did …” Whitus said. “He heard a radio announcer say there was a sighting in East Texas, and the guy took out a map and mathematically deduced this was the place for him to be.”
The man was not ticketed but was given a talking to and sent on his way, Whitus said.
Since the sighting, a newly constructed bridge near what is called the people’s pavilion was named for the alleged visitor.
“It was a coincidence that we had just finished one of the bridges, (so) one of them is called Bigfoot Bridge,” Whitus said. “We were trying to reinforce the story to try to create a little interest in what is going on in East Texas.”
The name must have worked because Whitus said the city received a letter from “Finding Bigfoot” before Christmas on its interests of filming a show on the property.
Staff writer Emily Guevara contributed to this report.
Great plan, except for the lack of a verified Bigfoot scat sample. At least we can look forward to watching Moneymaker explain to a dog what Bigfoot smells like.
ReplyDeleteBigfoot is too smart for that. That dog won't find them.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that. They find humans this way all the time--but only when they have something with the person's scent on it.
DeleteAnd this is a wonderful example of why the scientific community as a whole does not take bigfoot seriously, or, better put, why so many people involved with this investigation are not taken seriously. Just remind me how a dog is going to track what is in all probability a relict species by being trained to pick up a gorilla's spore(and lots of those in North America, yes)? If bigfoot exists, and I for one believe it does, and one assumes(based on what, I ask) that it's some kind of ape, what family are we going to assume it belongs to -- gorilla, chimp, orang . . ? This no doubt nagging inconsistency accounts for why tracking dogs have never heretofore sniffed out the critter. This is closely followed by the whole issue of dogs' reluctance to tackle biggie F. If reports are to be believed(and here again . . .)the few dogs foolish enough to get close to a bigfoot are torn asunder, although I should add that the more believable reports relate how even the fiercest dogs tuck tail between the legs and become extraordinarily passive when the really big fur-ball is in the area. Incredible to me that this silliness is accepted as legit, but I suppose it keeps MM's bank account(s) in the black . . . Cheers!
DeleteWell, even if dogs find them, will they get close or acknowledge them? After reading The Locals, it got me thinking about bigfoot differently. Maybe bigfoot possess special abilities that make it difficult to be tracked. Who knows?
DeleteIf by "special abilities" you're referencing the fact that bigfoot is a natural extension of whatever environment it is inhabiting then I believe you're on the right track(sorry for the grotty pun). It's heightened senses coupled with it's endurance and 'smarts' would render it all but invisible under ordinary circumstances, excepting lucky encounters, etc . . . Dogs, blimps, robots, psychics, exotic dancers, haute cuisine, et al . . . are, one and all, a waste of time. Even the well-intentioned trail cammers are investing a bloody whopping great amount of time and cash on something that promises, at best, meagre returns . . . That said, there is certainly a methodology to finally getting the big guy into the book of life, but it entails lots and lots of time and patience. Many believers lack the former, while the latter(fortunately) rules out all the publicity/enrichment seeking twats who somehow manage to consistently manoeuvre themselves into the forefront of this investigation. Ah well. Cheers!
DeleteDogs have been used in New Zealand to track extremely rare Kiwi birds, not by taining them with samples of Kiwi scent, but by training them to not track any of the other creatures they might encounter in the search area.
ReplyDeleteA sample scent is not essential.
Wow that's fascinating HWPaterson! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteIndeed it is. But utterly irrelevant to bigfoot. Cheers!
DeleteGreat idea, but I'd like to see it and quite honestly 99pct of all investigations to be done in the Pacific Northwest. I've been a believer in the possibility for years, but I'm growing weary of all the hoaxes and fabricated sightings. Texas, Ohio, Florida, Lousiana, etc. I cry FOUL to all these sightings. The Mountain regions in the Pacific Northwest into Canada, I can buy the possibility. Anywhere else, there's too many hunters and trail cams in the woods. If they were in these other states, there would be better evidence coming out of these areas. Let's stick to where the BF'ers "know" there's more of the creatures.
ReplyDeleteUncle Pauly
So vague , and silly. Just one more, dumb story. Oh but gee, maybe they obtained some of that yummy BF STEAK or even that camper BF that was killed too! Well maybe then the dogs would have something to train with! Ugh, am only 12 yrs old but know better when i read this sort of garbage that pops up or claimed every other day! Son, brother, and cousin,~ Cody
ReplyDeleteOk so what happens if the dogs DO find bigfoot? I don't think a sasquatch is going to let itself be treed or held at bay by dogs, its either going to escape them, scare them away or kill them. Now, why not strap a critter cam to a dog? Maybe then it can at least get some pics! With a tracking device in case doggie doesnt come back...
ReplyDeleteVery good post, thanks. I learn a lot from this post, hope for more posts like this one. Best regards !
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I'm glad Pup Fan posted it in her list today!
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ReplyDeleteOK! scorecard IMO for dogs being able to find Bigfoot. Based on real world information and proof dogs can do extraordinary things.Dogs can sniff out cancer. Not just any dog. Specially trained dogs. An just like seeing eye dogs not every dog can do it. Some dogs and even cats can sense a seizure in someone with epilepsy etc. I don't believe all dogs would be afraid of a Bigfoot. A dog who is loyal and obedient would do anything its master asks it to total and complete loyalty. I would take a dog to find a Bigfoot over a human any day. If a dog catches a scent look out. You wont be able to stop them! The idea a dog would be able to catch a Bigfoot I believe would be rare. Not as rare as seeing one if they do exist. Also how can a dog species have any fear of something they have no memory of. Even if a wolf had this fear in the through genetics. Dogs have been bread for thousands of years. Anything that may have existed is since long been breed out. I am not trying to turn this into a debate. But to discount a dog being able to find and follow a Bigfoot when nothing else on the planet has conclusive proof of Bigfoots existence is just wrong. Anyone who truly wants a real answer to this mystery and wants to prove the existence of Bigfoot should welcome this with open arms. And be presently surprised on success or failure of dogs to track a real Bigfoot. If the dogs wont follow the scent then you can say they so far have had no success in training. I say I have faith in our K9 friends and they deserve many chances!
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