Houston Press: Ken Gerhard is Skeptical but Open Minded about Bigfoot

Photo Credit: Josh Huskin/Houston Press

"Cryptozoology is based on scientific process...Even though it's a discipline that deals with bizarre possibilities, it was designed by zoologists." --Ken Gerhard

In an in-depth article by the Houston Press, journalist Jef Rouner gives us four pages of great reporting. Below are a few of the highlights from the article.

KEN'S THOUGHTS ABOUT BIGFOOT ON TV

Modern-day sasquatchploitation is very different from things like Leonard Nimoy's In Search of..., the show that first inspired Gerhard as a child. Finding Bigfoot, now in its fifth season, is one of Animal Planet's most watched shows despite criticism by researchers that the program is scripted and overly sensational. Gerhard learned early on to be very careful with which invitations he accepts to appear on television to discuss Bigfoot, lest he end up appearing different from the way he intended once the footage is edited.

"The field keeps getting black eyes from fictional stories portrayed as fact," he says. "Lots of very terrible shows full of actors running around pretending to hunt monsters. It's train-wreck television."

KEN's APPROACH AND PROCESS

Gerhard's approach is different. He moved to San Antonio eight years ago to be closer to the majority of Bigfoot sightings in Texas and maximize the number he could investigate in the field. His apartment is covered in maps on which he marks with push pins each sighting or report he finds out about. He looks for clusters from multiple sources, indicators that something has enough of a presence that it's unlikely to be the result of widespread misidentification or hoaxsters. The best candidates feature nearly identical stories and descriptions from unrelated individuals.

"I'll give Ken credit for actually going out into the field," says Chester Moore, a wildlife journalist who mentored Gerhard when he started out and helped him prepare for a trip to Belize to investigate Bigfoot sightings there. "There aren't a lot of guys who do actually get out and dig around, and that is what matters. He definitely has a passion for it. Ken is aggressive in his pursuit."

KEN'S UPCOMING INVESTIGATION

There's a Bigfoot sighting right here in Houston that he's been meaning to come look at in person. A couple jogging in Terry Hershey Park who had a penchant for venturing off the path into wooded areas had a frightful encounter three years ago.

"It happened on Sunday, April 2, 2011," says Gerhard. "JM (Not his real name) and his girlfriend were near a creek and spotted a caved-in area on the shore. At first they thought it was a very tall homeless man, but he didn't look quite normal. Somehow inhuman. He had a hairy face and large black eyes. Startled by the couple, it ran. A few days later, they returned to find some hair, which I have not had for analysis yet, and a half-eaten fish. It was tall and thin, and there was a foul smell around the area." The couple also described low-pitched grunts and moans.

You can read the full article at the Houston Press: Skeptical but Open-Minded, Texan Ken Gerhard Hunts for Bigfoot and Other Monsters

Detroit Lakes Online: the Hunt for the Illusive Bigfoot

Cryptozoologists Ken Gerhard and Ron Coffey speak during the first Shooting Star Paranormal Convention Photo by Jerry Ecklund

“…one half of the human population lives on less than 10 percent of the Earth's land, and three quarters on only 20 percent.” --American Association for the Advancement of Science

The Detroit Lakes Online covers the Shooting Star Paranormal Convention and talks to Ken Gerhard about some of the most frequently asked question by bigfoot skeptics.

There are nearly 10,000 different new species discovered on the planet Earth annually, while over half of the land is uninhabitable for humans.

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, “…one half of the human population lives on less than 10 percent of the Earth's land, and three quarters on only 20 percent.”

In other words, that’s a rather large area for undiscovered species to remain that way, including one of the most sought after “cryptid” which goes by many names — Yeti, Sasquatch, B’gwas or the Skunk Ape.

But almost everyone knows it by its most common name — Bigfoot.

That’s where cryptozoologists like Ken Gerhard enter the picture, as they hunt for creatures or monsters like Bigfoot.

Gerhard has appeared on television shows such as “MonsterQuest” and the History Channel’s special “The Real Wolfman” and recently was one of the featured presenters at the Shooting Star’s Paranormal Convention.

The pursuance of discovering animals which have never been seen by humans has brought Gerhard to over 26 countries in the world and it’s a passion which actually started with his childhood in Minnesota, where he lived until the age of 12.

“I’ve been fascinated all my life with the animals such as Bigfoot,” Gerhard said. “I’ve always read up on them and watched every television show about them. It’s just been a life-long passion.”

When Gerhard goes out for an investigation for one of his cryptids — which is the term used for the undiscovered animals of cryptozoology — it can last for days or weeks on end.

He and his group will spend days hiking the area, searching for clues or evidence of a cryptid, such as hair or blood samples.

“Many times, we investigate during the night, since we believe most of these cryptids are nocturnal,” Gerhard added.

The investigators do call-blasting, which is a vocalization call to attract the species in and capture evidence of their existence.

But the number one cryptid and the Holy Grail of cryptozoology is the discovery of a real Bigfoot.

Gerhard, who wears his trademark leather cowboy hat, has hunted for Big-foot across the United States.

His best evidence to date has been his recording of a vocalization during one of his camp-outs.

“I am familiar with all the sounds of animals in the U.S. and this particle one sounded like a primate, similar to the ones I heard down in South America,” Gerhard explained. “It was very deep, loud and aggressive sounding.”

He went on to add the best evidence of the existence of Bigfoot includes track castings and the Patterson film, which was taken in 1967 depicting what looks like an ape — or Bigfoot — running through a clearing in the forest.

So why, through the many years of searching for Bigfoot, has not one been discovered?

Gerhard said even though there is potentially thousands of such creatures in the U.S. region, that still makes them very rare and enough to put them on the endangered species list.

“Secondly, they choose to live in remote areas and they sense humans are their biggest threat,” Gerhard said. “Much like a bear, they have very keen senses and can pick up people early and flee to a more remote area.”

Another reason why sightings are so rare is they are nocturnal and nomadic.

Even the question of why no carcass of a Bigfoot has ever been found can be explained, Gerhard said.

“You very rarely find animal carcasses in the wild, because Mother Nature disposes of them very quickly by fast decay and scavengers spreading their bones about,” he added. “I’ve talked to hunters who have hunted for many years and they say they don’t come about many carcasses.

“There also is the theory they bury their own dead like the Neanderthals did. That also decreases the odds of stumbling across one of (Big-foot’s) body.”

With 10,000 species discovered yearly — with most being insects or mollusks — Gerhard does believe the discovery of a Bigfoot species is close.

That alone could advance the thought of human evolution.

But there is plenty of area to cover and for Big-foot to hide, making the ultimate goal of proving the existence of one of the most sought after cryptids in the world a most difficult one.

If that time ever does come, it will be a mile-stone for the ages.

“It would be one of the greatest discoveries of the century,” Gerhard concluded.
src: DL Online

Fox News Affiliate Covers Cryptid Fest

You may recognize Rick Dyer above, he helped with the 2008 Georgian frozen Bigfoot Hoax. Although he claims the Federal Government stole the body from him. You can see his 10 videos of his version. he was one of the attendees of the first annual Cryptid Fest. Headlining the fest was Ken Gerhard and Nick Redfern

You can watch the report below and read the article that accompanied the video.

ATOKA, OK -- The quest for big foot has taken trackers across America.

The mysterious monster was first reportedly seen in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.


The most famous siting was recorded in 1967 by Rodger Patterson in Crescent City, California.

Now, the hunt for Bigfoot is on in Texoma and it brought enthusiasts out to McGee Creek state park on Saturday for "Cryptid fest".

Tracker with BigFootTracker.com, Rick Dyer says, "It started with us finding the body in 2008 and then the government took it."

Tracker Jeremy Ware says, after finding the body in a forest of Pennsylvania, tracking the monster became their life, "This is something we do everyday, you know this is not something we just do for fun."

Author Nick Redfern travels the world in search of strange creatures and he comes to Texoma seeking Bigfoot.

Redfern says, "I think there's a genuine Bigfoot phenomenon. The big question is, what is it? Some people view it as a type of ape that science hasn't classified yet, but other people take it to be a paranormal thing, like a ghost and that explains why we don't catch him."

Despite the mystery, Redfern says an important part of being a tracker is to rely on scientific methods.

Redfern says, "for the most part you need to be in a location where these things are being seen and if we find evidence like hair samples or tracks."

Trackers say, there's an unusual amount of Bigfoot activity in McGee Creek Park. Some say it's due to the forest, other say, it's the water.

Trackers Nick Redfern and Ken Gerhard took us deep into the woods, following what were believed to be tracks.

Moments before arriving, trackers claim to have spotted something in the distance.

Gerhard then attached a camera to a tree in hopes of catching a glimpse of the elusive creatures.

Gernhard says, "I attach the camera right here and then when something passes by, the inferred light will detect the motion and snap a picture."

The camera was set to take photos throughout the night and trackers can only hope its evidence will be as compelling as Patterson's.
SRC: Fox Texoma News

Ken Gerhard Self Proclaimed Monster Hunter Makes News

Ken Gerhard and his hat are making some news in Texas. You can watch the video from local news KVUE below. If you have never of Ken Gerhard, we lifted his bio off of the Coast to Coast AM website:

Ken Gerhard is a professional monster hunter. He investigates reports of Bigfoot, the Chupacabras, gigantic winged creatures and other mysterious beasts. Ken's idea of a good time is stalking through the woods at night with his shotgun, dressed in leather. As a cryptozoologist and paranormal researcher, he has been featured on the History Channel's series Monster Quest and also on A&E's Legend Hunters. His book, Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters, chronicles decades of encounters with a monstrous flying animal, reported throughout south Texas. Gerhard has traveled around the world to many mysterious places - from Loch Ness, to Stonehenge, to the Amazon jungle and Machu Pichu, to the Galapagos Islands, Australia, Thailand and Tunisia.

by SHELTON GREEN / KVUE News
Posted on February 18, 2011 at 9:56 PM
Updated today at 10:26 PM

What do Chupacabras, Big Foot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster all have in common? All are folkloric creatures whose existences have been the subject of much debate for centuries and even today.
One San Antonio man says where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Ken Gerhard, a cryptozoologist (a person who studies hidden animals), held a lecture Friday night in North Austin to a group of about 25 people who wanted to hear more about the unexplained.

“I think that people like to imagine that there is still a bit of mystery in our world, that maybe we aren't omnipotent at this point and that maybe we don't know or understand everything about our surroundings and there's certainly quite a psychological and sociological attachment to monsters,” said Gerhard.

The San Antonio resident wrote a book called “Monsters in Texas” and appeared on several cable shows including “Monster Quest” and “The Real Wolfman”.

“I've never had a sighting. I've experienced some things that I can't quite explain and of course I've interviewed many, many witnesses people from all walks of life who seem like very credible people who've had these extraordinary experiences that they can't explain,” added Gerhard.

The event was sponsored by Anomaly Archives.

EXTERNAL LINKS
KVUE.com Original Story
Ken's Facbook Page
Kens Book; BIG BIRD! - MODERN SIGHTINGS OF FLYING MONSTERS

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