NBC Affiliate Reports "Wild Man" Returns to North Texas

KTEN News of Texoma Reports return of the Wild Man a/k/a Bigfoot

"You can actually feel it in your body.  The only way I can describe it is like when a train is running real close to you and you want to just take off running," --Bill Gibson

After the news segment below you can read an excerpt from the supporting article posted on KTEN.COM

KTEN.com - No One Gets You Closer

Bill Gibson and his family have been living in this house on the east side of town all their lives.   Bill recalls the first time he heard what people in the area call the "Wild Man of North Texas."  It was 40 years ago.

"You can actually feel it in your body.  The only way I can describe it is like when a train is running real close to you and you want to just take off running," said Gibson. 

Bill's son Jeremy was just ten years old when he first heard the sound.  He says he's been haunted by the creature ever since.

"I know what's out there.  I know it."  "What's out there?"  "Something big."

After years of silence, the Gibson's say the "wild man" has returned, waking them up in the mornings with it's howls.  But, this time they called in renowned Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi to investigate.

"We know that something has been through here in the last three days," Biscardi said.

We've all heard the stories.  But we can assure you, whether or not you believe in Bigfoot is the last thing on Biscardi's mind, because he says he's seen one.

"When first I started out I was a doubting thomas, excuse the pun.  But then after I saw one and I got real close, I said to myself my god," Biscardi said.

 Biscardi and his men found what they believed to be several large foot prints in a clearing about a mile away from the Gibson's home.  So, they set up a perimeter, hung bate and strapped infrared motion sensor cameras to the surrounding trees.

Wall Street Journal: $3M Initial Public Offering Investment for Bigfoot Research

Tom Biscardi has filed for an initial public offering through the SEC

“When you’re king of the mountain, everybody’s trying to knock you down,” --Tom Biscardi

In a Wall Street Journal article titled Bigfoot Isn’t Just a Mythic Figure, He’s an Investment Opportunity, a journalist reports on an initial public offering filed by Tom Biscardi to raise millions dollars by selling stock in Bigfoot Project Investments. With only sales and assets totaling a little over $6000 they are able to leverage a new 2012 law that allows start-up businesses to raise cash by offering stocks to the public through an exchange. Companies like Twitter have leveraged the same law.

Read an exerpt from the article below:

Mr. Biscardi and his partners hope to raise as much as $3 million by selling stock in Bigfoot Project Investments. They plan to spend the money making movies and selling DVDs, but are also budgeting $113,805 a year for expeditions to find the beast. Among the company’s goals, according to its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission: “capture the creature known as Bigfoot.”

Investment advisers caution that this IPO may not be for everyone. For starters, it involves DVDs, a dying technology, said Kathy Boyle, president at Chapin Hill Advisors. Then there is the Sasquatch issue. She reckons only true believers would be interested in such a speculative venture.

“This would be the kind of thing where if you believed in Bigfoot, or you thought there really was a Bigfoot and you actually had some money to burn and wanted to play with this, then go for it,” Ms. Boyle said. A lot of ifs.


It turns out the IPO doesn’t have many fans in the Bigfoot community, either. Purists are chafing at what they see as the crass commercialization of a serious pursuit.

Mr. Biscardi, who has trumpeted a number of Bigfoot sightings and captures that didn’t pan out, is a controversial figure among Bigfoot enthusiasts. In 2008, he held a news conference in Palo Alto, Calif., to detail his examination of what he said was the carcass of a male Bigfoot that checked in at 7 feet 7 inches tall and weighed more than 500 pounds. The Bigfoot, found by two men in Georgia, turned out to be a rubber gorilla costume stuffed with animal parts and outfitted with a set of teeth that may have been bovine in origin.

Asked about the incident, Mr. Biscardi said he had been deceived. But that hasn’t quieted skeptics in the community like Kathy Strain, who said she is astonished the Georgia debacle didn’t put an end to Mr. Biscardi’s pursuit of Bigfoot.

“It just makes it a big joke,” she said.

Ms. Strain has been fascinated with Bigfoot since she was a girl in California and mistook the 1972 documentary style film called “The Legend of Boggy Creek” as real. Now a 46-year-old U.S. Forest Service worker, she wants to bring the rigors of science to Bigfooting.

Mr. Biscardi is well aware of his many detractors and says it comes with the territory of being such a high-profile member of the Bigfoot community.

“When you’re king of the mountain, everybody’s trying to knock you down,” he said.

 Click the following link to read our entire coverage of Tom Biscardi dating back to 2008. Our favorite Tom Biscardi post is Finally! A Journalist Does Real Research on Tom Biscardi

Found Footage: Local Coverage of Biscardi's 2008 Bigfoot Press Conference

Tom Biscardi at the Aug 15th 2008 CNN Press Conference

"In my opinion Jeff Meldrum is an associated anthropologist, he's not a true anthropologist that can really do what we need to be done." --Tom Biscardi answering a question why Jeff Meldrum was not participating in identifying the frozen Sasquatch

We are going to take you back in time in light of a new video that surfaced today. Back in July of 2008 we broke the news of a Clayton County police officer (Matthew Whitton) and a former correctional officer (Rick Dyer) who had a frozen Bigfoot in a freezer. 19 days later the Bigfoot news went international after  Tom Biscardi got involved and wrote an official press release.

The whirlwind media circus culminated to a Press Conference covered live by CNN where Biscardi promised DNA evidence based on research by Curt Nelson from the University of Minnesota. Curt Nelson, as some may remember, also did the DNA research on the MonsterQuest episode where a Bigfoot stepped on some nails.

The video below was uploaded today (June 11, 2012) and seems to be from the same press conference, Unlike the CNN videos (also embedded below), this video seems to be more of a live feed withouty any special post production or editing.

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/106529/Bigfoot_dna_analysis/

Watch Tom Biscardi Discover a Bigfoot Lair on a Choctaw Reservation

Tom Biscardi  in Neshoba County on Saturday April 7, 2012
for a special mission on the Choctaw Reservation

A report filed at Alabama's WTOK.com announces Tom Biscardi's investigation of a possible Sasquatch on the Choctaw Reservation. You can read our complete coverage Tom Biscardi by clicking on his name. 

The WTOK report is below followed by the video.

A self-described Bigfoot hunter was in Neshoba County on Saturday for a special mission.
Tom Biscardi was in Choctaw with his crew at the Choctaw reservation, investigating reports of a creature being spotted there. He told us his team baited some traps and found a lair of some type. Biscardi says he has contacted authorities.

"As a matter of fact we have," according to Biscardi. "There are two officers that don't want to give their names that have actually seen the creatures themselves. One was camping, no more than two weeks ago."

Hear more from Biscardi Sunday night at 10:00 on Newscenter 11. SRC: WTOK.com

Frozen Bigfoot Hoaxer to be Interviewed on "Extinct?" Podcast

What a way to celebrate April Fools Day, then to interview the biggest hoaxer of the millenia. True we are only 12 years into this millenia, but so far Rick Dyer wins.

Rick Dyer with Tom Biscardi during a 2008 Press conference.

You may Remember rick Dyer from the 2008 Frozen bigfoot hoax that was all the craze. You can go back in time and follow our complete coverage, including CNN video at our Georgia Gorilla link.

Today our friends at The Bigfoot Report, the folks responsible for the EXTINCT? series, are interviewing him live at  http://www.thebigfootreport.com/p/watch-extinct-podcast-live.html. Tune in at 2:00pm PST/2:00 EST! Michael Merchant (a/k/a SnowWalker Prime) has already expressed his excitement on his YouTube Channel.

Biscardi Bigfoot PR Machine is Back

I don't know if it ever left. 

DVD Cover for Bigfoot Lives 2

In a press release today, Tom Biscardi's SearchingForBigfoot.com announces the ONDEMAND availability of three Bigfoot movies.

03/18/2012 // NewMedia // Anatomy of a Bigfoot Hoax
For those believers that have had a Bigfoot sighting, or for those just interested in the undying legend of the mythical beast, Bigfoot is back in a big way and a series of Bigfoot films are now available ONDEMAND.

The movies “Anatomy of a Bigfoot Hoax,” “Bigfoot Lives 2,” and “In the Shadow of Bigfoot” can be watched 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by Bigfoot fans and skeptics.

“Anatomy of a Bigfoot Hoax” is a film about the true 2008 story of the frozen Bigfoot “body” that turned out to be a costume stuffed with the body parts of several kinds of dead animals. It is an amazing document of the hoax that shocked the world.

“Bigfoot Lives 2″ is about famed Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi’s recent investigations into Bigfoot sightings across America, including new, real, actual footage of the creature.

“In the Shadow of Bigfoot” features footage about Bigfoot-type creatures that many people have never seen before… footage you won’t find on the internet…footage that you will only see in this film.

All three Bigfoot films are now available on Verizon FiOs, Charter, AT&T U-Verse, Rogers (Canada), Mediacom, Cogeco(Canada), Suddenlink, RCN, Eastlink Communications (Canada), Bresnan, Frontier, Wave, Blue Ridge, Atlantic Broadband, Bend, Access Communication (CCSA), HTC, Click, Hargray, Cincinnati Bell, Source Cable (CCSA), NorthwsTel Cable (CCSA), Bluewater (CCSA), Seaside (CCSA), NTELOS, Burlington Telecom, James Valley, Enhanced Telecom, Morristown, Tullahoma Utilities and Valley Communications.

In addition to ONDEMAND, “Anatomy of a Bigfoot Hoax,” “Bigfoot Lives 2,” and “In the Shadow of Bigfoot” are also available on DVD through Searching For Bigfoot, Inc. at www.searchingforbigfoot.com.

White Mountain Apache Nation: Bigfoot Sightings Have Increased

White Mountain Apache Police Officer Recalls an Encounter

Although these two videos have been around since 2007, they are new to us. These news segments are quick to acknowledge how unprecedented, and perhaps controversial, it is for Native Americans to share information about the Hairy Man AKA Sasquatch.

Already there have been a few episodes of Finding Bigfoot where they have had to ask the indigenous people for permission to film or interview regarding the subject of Sasquatch. Even more interesting, is what they are saying. According to multiple Native Americans, Sasquatch have become more visible in modern times. Oh and Tom Biscardi makes a guest appearance too, this is the pre-frozen-bigfoot-in-a-freezer Tom Biscardi.

PART 1: Bigfoot: Legend of the Apaches

 

PART 2: Hunting for the Apache Bigfoot

Robert Lindsay Gives Biscardi Benefit of the Doubt

Robert Lindsay of robertlindsay.wordpress.com/

"I do not believe that Biscardi is a hoaxer. He’s simply a guy with an average IQ who has a very strong need to believe in things who gets taken for a ride a lot by hoaxers or folks who just don’t have anything." --Robert Lindsay

While we wholeheartedly disagree with Robert Lindsay's assessment of Tom Biscardi he does have some updates on the Bigfoot DNA research from the perspective of Richard Stubstad. They were both interviewed by Biscardi on his radio show last night (11/30/2011)

Our disagreement with Robert Lindsay begins with the assessment of Biscardi's intelligence. We happen to think Biscardi is more clever than Lindsay gives him credit for. True, if Biscardi was of average IQ, it would be a good argument why he has been "hoaxed" himself so many times. It may even provide reason why Biscardi chooses not to look before he leaps when he sensationalizes his newest evidence.

We can debate whether or not Biscardi is a hoaxer or not. We can debate whether he was the victim of hoaxes or not. We can even debate whether Biscardi is clever or of average IQ.

What is not debatable; Biscardi does not verify his own evidence before writing a press release. Not only does this imply that he doesn’t do his homework very well, it also implies that getting attention may be more important then the research.

In our previous post "Finally! A Journalist Does Real Research on Tom Biscardi" Paul Gackle of the San Francisco Examiner two of Biscardi's biggest flops.

"This isn’t the first time Biscardi has been accused of plotting a hoax. In 2005, he went on the radio show “Coast to Coast AM” claiming he knew the location of a captured Bigfoot close to the Oregon border and would air footage online via webcam for a small fee. But on the day footage was slated to be released, he said he’d been “hoodwinked” by a woman in Nevada.

Then in 2008, Biscardi held a news conference in Palo Alto with two Georgia men who claimed they were holding a Bigfoot carcass in their freezer. Biscardi confirmed the creature’s authenticity, saying he had measured its feet and touched its intestines. But soon after, the Georgia men admitted the pictures were nothing more than a Halloween costume stuffed with animal parts."
SRC: San Francisco Examiner

We are still big fans of Robert Lindsay, he does his research, digs deep and has provided the Bigfoot community with lots of food for thought. We just think he's being too generous.

Below is a short excerpt from Robert Lindsay's post describing Biscardi as instrumental in the early days of the DNA project of Dr. Melba Ketchum.

Ketchum needed people to run samples to her and all of the blowhard lions of the scene refused to lift a finger. Only Tom Biscardi would step to the plate. Let’s give credit where it’s due.

Offer to buy the Sierra Kills Bigfoot steak. As we reported earlier, Justin Smeja’s Bigfoot steak from the Sierra Kills is up for sale. Asking price was $10,000. On the show, Biscardi upped the offer to $50,000, with money to go into an escrow account and money transfer to occur upon proof that the steak is what Smeja says it is.

Bloody clothes from the Sierra Kills. Smeja has agreed with us that the juvenile Bigfoot died in his arms. That’s a very strange thing to do to a wild animal. Hunters don’t cradle their dying prey. But I feel that this thing may have looked so human that it brought out Smeja’s compassionate or guilty instincts. This is why he cradled it in his arms as it passed. As a consequence, Smeja got Bigfoot blood on his clothes. These bloody clothes are in storage at the moment, and they may have Bigfoot DNA on them.

Ketchum and Biscardi. In the early days, when Stubstad and I broke this story, Ketchum made a brief appearance on the scene to attempt to shoot the messenger. She said that Richard’s samples were “not useful to the study.”

We do not believe this is a truthful statement. Instead, we believe that the Four Corners toenail and the blood on the plate from Crittenden, Kentucky tested positive for Bigfoot in repeated tests. In addition, Ketchum attempted to trash Stubstad by saying that the samples came from Biscardi. In doing so, it appeared that Ketchum held Biscardi in disdain.

However, the truth is more complex. We actually don’t report much on personal relationships here other than some fancy wording that you can take however you wish. But if two adults, male and female, have a good platonic friendship, we don’t see why we should not report on that. And Ketchum and Biscardi were close friends at one point. I would urge you not to read anything more into that.

The friendship ended rather abruptly. I am happy that Ketchum and Biscardi had a good friendship, and I am sorry it ended on a sour note. Indeed, Biscardi can be a charming fellow. At any rate, Ketchum trashing Biscardi as persona non grata is rather rich considering he was such a good friend at one point.
SRC: Robert Lindsay

Finally! A Journalist Does Real Research on Tom Biscardi

Before we praise Paul Gackle of The San Francisco Examiner for doing real journalism. We have to give Tom Biscardi accolades and credit. No one can write a press release like Tom Biscardi. Tom Biscardi must be the William Shakespeare of press releases. How else do you explain the newest coverage of his BBC expedition. How can a man claim to have a bigfoot body twice (once in 2005 on Coast-to-Caost AM and then again on CNN in 2008), fail to produce evidence, and then continue to get legitimate news coverage? In all fairness during both cases he claims he was hoodwinked. He was the victim of a hoax.

We asked a similar question in a previous post titled, "Why Don't Journalist Just Google Todd Standing?"

In that post we displayed what Google users think of Todd Standing--or at least what they type when searching for Todd. We showcased Google's well-known feature called "Google Suggest" or "Auto Complete". Start typing in a search, and Google offers suggestions before you’ve even finished typing.

Here are Todd's results (The second suggestion includes the word Hoax):


What are the results for respectable bigfoot researchers?





Now, for Tom Biscardi: (Similar to Todd, the second suggestion is Hoax)



This brings us to a refreshing article by Paul Gackle of The San Francisco Examiner. Mr. Gackle seem to have done more than reprint the press release, he actually respectively asked other bigfoot researchers what Biscardi's story is.

Redwood City Bigfoot hunter hopes to make giant capture
By: Paul Gackle | 10/08/11 4:00 PM
Special To The Examiner

True believer: Tom Biscardi says he’s come close to catching Bigfoot.
If Redwood City native Tom Biscardi is right, one of the world’s most baffling mysteries is about to be solved.

For decades, scientists, adventurers and monster hunters have explored the furthest reaches of North American wildlands in search of undeniable evidence that a species of gigantic, bipedal apelike creatures — known as Bigfoot — exist. Recently, Biscardi launched an expedition being filmed by English documentarians for BBC that he claims will finally put the Bigfoot mystery to rest.

“We’re going out there for a possible capture,” Biscardi said. “I really think this is going to be it.”

Biscardi hopes to finally silence his critics during an expedition that will focus on Arkansas, Florida, West Virginia and Illinois, where Bigfoot-related activity has recently been reported.

But others working to solve the Bigfoot mystery think Biscardi’s latest hunt is just another gimmick.

“It always ends up being nothing,” said Diane Stocking, who has researched Bigfoot sightings for almost four decades and created Stocking Hominid Research Inc. in Oregon. “To the Bigfoot community, he’s a joke. No one takes him seriously.”

In the past 40 years, Biscardi said he’s encountered Bigfoot six times. But while capture has eluded him, the infamous monster hunter, who moonlights as a Las Vegas promoter, has managed to turn Bigfoot into a thriving commercial industry.

Over the years, the founder of Searching for Bigfoot Inc. has produced four documentaries while hosting the weekly radio show “Bigfoot Live” on his website, www.searchingforbigfoot.com, where he sells caps, T-shirts, mugs and doormats, among other creature items.

“You bet I’m in it for the money. I don’t work for free,” Biscardi said.

This isn’t the first time Biscardi has been accused of plotting a hoax. In 2005, he went on the radio show “Coast to Coast AM” claiming he knew the location of a captured Bigfoot close to the Oregon border and would air footage online via webcam for a small fee. But on the day footage was slated to be released, he said he’d been “hoodwinked” by a woman in Nevada.

Then in 2008, Biscardi held a news conference in Palo Alto with two Georgia men who claimed they were holding a Bigfoot carcass in their freezer. Biscardi confirmed the creature’s authenticity, saying he had measured its feet and touched its intestines. But soon after, the Georgia men admitted the pictures were nothing more than a Halloween costume stuffed with animal parts.

British director Morgan Matthews said his documentary, tentatively titled “Of Monsters and Men,” will be a portrait of several men like Biscardi, who devote their lives to chasing mysterious creatures.

“I think Tom has something to prove and that makes it interesting for us,” Matthews said.

“When you’re on top of the mountain, they all want to knock you down,” Biscardi said. “Hopefully this will be the time we put an end to this thing.”

Close encounters

Bigfoot buff Tom Biscardi says he’s had several run-ins with Bigfoot, and he is launch an expedition in hopes of finally capturing the mythological beast.

FIRST ENCOUNTER
WHEN: Late 1960s
WHERE: Near Spokane, Wash.
QUOTE: “I was shocked. I said to myself, ‘What the hell is that?’”

SECOND ENCOUNTER
WHEN: October 1971
WHERE: Near Mount Burney
QUOTE: “It looked at us and had juice from eating chokecherries all over its mouth.”

THIRD ENCOUNTER
WHEN: April 1973
WHERE: Beaver Lake
QUOTE: “It was bathing itself in the water.”

FOURTH ENCOUNTER
WHEN: October 1977
WHERE: Near Mount Lassen
QUOTE: “It was an albino — pure white. It blew me away; he looked like a stuffed animal.”

FIFTH ENCOUNTER
WHEN: July 2006
WHERE: Deer River, Minn.
QUOTE: “We were pretty damn close to catching him. They move faster than lightning.”

SIXTH ENCOUNTER
WHEN: June 2008
WHERE: Lamar Point, Texas
QUOTE: “We tried to jump on it, but it moved too quick.”

SRC: The San Francisco Examiner

Paranormal Adventurers Debut Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching

Earlier this year, back in august we brought to your attention Who Forted's documentary Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching. Since then we have been able to view a screening copy.

The story revolves around the central unique character Tim Holmes. Who is quite eccentric, even by bigfooting standards. He is quite comfortable with ballistics and encourages anybody who goes bigfooting with him to be well armed as well.




Also among the professional bigfooters is Becky. She is a no-nonsense field researcher with some loose affiliations with Tom Biscardi. The camera does not hide how Tim feels about her.



Our favorite part of the documentary is the reaction of the Who Forted? team, previously known as Ghost Hunters. The whole adventure starts off after they have some paranormal scary experience and run. They realize they have done this many times before and decide Bigfooting may be different.

If you want to know how to feel or when things are not as they should be watch Nick's face. We didn't know that the expression of "shock" came in so many flavors.



If Nick is how you should feel, then Milton is what your thinking. We wish there was more of Milton, his dry wit and calm delivery adds some stability to the whole outrageousness. He proves humor does not just come from crazy, it also comes from being smart watching crazy.



We have watched the documentary and found it to an amusing observation of a group of people who just happen to be looking for bigfoot. And would recommend it for anyone looking for entertainment.

Who Forted? Just sent us a press release and you can read it in full below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PARANORMAL ADVENTURERS PULL OUT ALL STOPS FOR PREMIERE OF DEBUT FILM THE BIGFOOT HUNTER: STILL SEARCHING

Seasoned paranormal adventurers to debut independent documentary film about New York Sasquatch hunters to sold out crowd in Bigfoot's back yard.

WAVERLY, NEW YORK: THE BIGFOOT HUNTER:STILL SEARCHING, the first feature length film from WF? online magazine, the legend chasing curators of all things weird, returns home to Waverly for a very special world premiere screening filled with legendary monsters, local curiosities, and lots of fun surprises. Not only does the documentary feature the exploits of the Elmira Bigfoot Watch, but marks the second big screen outing of infamous paranormal provacateurs Ghost Hunters, Incorporated.

Shot in and around Elmira, New York in the summer of 2006, THE BIGFOOT HUNTER: STILL SEARCHING follows the members of GHI as they meet Tim Holmes, the eccentric leader of the Elmira Bigfoot Watch, an internationally recognized monster hunting organization. When Tim invites the gang to tag along on a weekend expedition in the hills of the Southern Tier, the group discovers, much to their surprise, that the legend of Sasquatch is alive and well in their own backyard.

The film's creation was a happy accident with an interesting outcome according to director Greg Newkirk (of GHI Presents: The Graveyard Shift). "We took videocameras with us everywhere as kids, so when we found out that there were a couple people chasing down a legendary monster right next door, we just so happened to capture the whole experience on tape," Newkirk said. "Tim Holmes ended up being one of the most interesting people I've ever met, and as we trekked further into the woods with him it became clear that he honestly believes in what he's doing whole heartedly, and furthermore, that there might be good reason for us to believe in it as well. We didn't set out to make a documentary, it just ended up being the natural outcome of our weekend with the Elmira Bigfoot Watch. It was too bizarre, too funny, and too interesting not to share with the world."

It was important for producer Jason Gowin (of A&E's Extreme Paranormal) to stress that this film was as independent as a documentary can get. "Our documentary is an impressive film that was made with a lot of unimpressive equipment," he explains. "We were able to create something out of next to nothing, and when people hear what our budget was they're shocked. I love that reaction because it really goes to show what can be achieved when you just plain love what you're doing. When people see the film, it's really going to drive that point home in more ways than one."

It would appear that fans of the unexplained love what they're doing too. Within two days of it's online annoucement on the Facebook social network, the premiere screening of THE BIGFOOT HUNTER: STILL SEARCHING sold out, prompting the Waverly Opera House to open up a second evening of festivities loaded with never-before-seen clips from the group's previous adventures, door prizes, and even a special question and answer session with the film's star. "The response has been amazing," said Newkirk. "We've pulled out all the stops for this one, and I can say with a good amount of certainty that the paranormal community has never seen anything like this before. It's the funniest film you'll ever see about Bigfoot hunters, but it's also got a lot of heart. We've made sure that this is going to be an event that celebrates strangeness in a way that people haven't seen for a very long time."

THE BIGFOOT HUNTER: STILL SEARCHING screens Friday and Saturday, the 21st and 22nd of October, at 7:30 PM at the Waverly Opera House in Waverly, NY.

For more information on THE BIGFOOT HUNTER: STILL SEARCHING please visit:
www.whofortedmag.com
www.facebook.com/bigfootfilm

For more information on the cast and crew, please contact:
Jason Gowin - gow2099@hotmail.com
Greg Newkirk - editor@whofortedmag.com

Who Forted? Produces Bigfoot Documentary

This is a documentary 6 years in the making. Produced by Who Forted? Previously known as Ghost Hunters Incorporated.



Who Forted?, created in the fall of 2008, began as a weekly blog about the misadventures of a few jaded paranormal enthusiasts, and before long, it had morphed turned into an online destination for anyone with even a passing interest in all things weird.

The word "Forted' is a humorous reference to Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932). Fort was an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena. Today, the terms Fortean and Forteana are used to characterize various such phenomena.

Following the embedded video below is an excerpt from the Who Forted? post announcing the documentary.

Five years since a small portion of the footage appeared online, we’re more than excited to announce that the feature length documentary film, The Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching, is nearing completion.

The film, shot in the summer of 2006 during two Sasquatch hunting expeditions in the rural hills of down-state New York, follows the often hilarious, sometimes nerve racking, and always fascinating search of two prominent Bigfoot hunters from the New England region.

Tim Holmes, ex-merchant marine and founder of the Southern Tier Bigfoot Watch, together with Becky Sawyer, a no-nonsense employee of Searching for Bigfoot Incorporated, take to the forests of the tri-state area in a search for the elusive monster, followed by the cameras of a group of young adventurers, many of whom are now the amateur journalists of Who Forted? Magazine.

During the expeditions, the evidence captured on film surprised not only the crew, but two seasoned Sasquatch investigators. Though the film undoubtedly focuses on the North American Man-Ape, the big hairy guy takes a back seat to the bigger personalities of Tim and Becky, who are obsessed with the search for Bigfoot, albeit in very different ways. It’s a film that begs the question, “what matters more, the journey or the destination?”

The Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching, the first feature length documentary from the people behind Who Forted? Magazine, was directed by Greg Newkirk and is being produced by Toronto’s Fight or Flight Productions in association with Ghost Hunters, Incorporated.

What peaked our interest is the fact that they seem to be literally hunting for Bigfoot, with guns and bullets. The other point of interest is the addition of Becky Sawyer, a no-nonsense employee of Searching for Bigfoot Incorporated. Searching for Bigfoot, of course, belongs to Tom Biscardi. Tom Biscardi's involvement, no matter how remote does not bode well for any Bigfoot endeavor.

Biscardi is a considered a hoaxer. That's the worst kind of label you can put on a bigfoot researcher. Don't worry, we are not calling Biscardi a hoaxer, we can say with certitude that at the VERY LEAST he has been hoaxed more times than any other researcher, which says he doesn't do his homework.

Biscardi's Wikipedia page says as much. here is the first paragraph:

Tom Biscardi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carmine Thomas Biscardi (born 1948) is a cryptozoology enthusiast, Las Vegas promoter, internet radio host, and film producer. He describes himself as the "Real Bigfoot Hunter". Biscardi has been centrally involved in several hoaxes regarding Bigfoot that have garnered widespread international media attention.

The Wikipedia page goes on to identify two hoaxes The Coast to Coast Am (Jul 1985) and The Georgian frozen Bigfoot hoax (Aug 2008).

Despite the guns and the proximity to Biscardi's name, we are looking forward to seeing this documentary. Especially since it seems to revolve around the philosophies of the two Bigfoot hunters.

Who Forted? is an excellent online zine with great writing and interesting articles. Their college-level humor is refreshing take on all things abnormal. We wish them luck on the distribution and selling of their documentary.

As you can see, we have a soft spot
and appreciation for Charles Fort.
Click on picture to enlarge

EXTERNAL LINKS
Official announcement of The Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching from Who Forted?
You can read one of the first reviews of the film at forteania.blogspot.com
Read our previous coverage of Tom Biscardi

Tim Fasano, the "Fifth Beatle" of Finding Bigfoot.

Shortly after The Beatles sensational rise to global fame in 1963–1964 as the most famous quartet in pop culture, many individuals claimed they were almost members of the Beatles. The claims were so abundant that the press coined the term "Fifth Beatle".



As you know, currently the Fab Four of Bigfooting in pop culture are pictured above (left to right: Ranae Holland, James "Bobo" Fay, Matt Moneymaker, and Cliff Barackman.)

With the Animal Planet's 1.3 million viewership success of Finding Bigfoot there were bound to be Fifth Beatles claiming to be overlooked during the process of creating the show. This brings us to Tim Fasano.

Tim Fasano, A Tampa Bay taxi driver, claims he was approached by Animal Planet last November and decided he had too much integrity. He begins by claiming after several emails and phone calls, "It became obvious to me that were looking for sensationalism. And that they wanted someone to almost phony it up."

He continues with what broke deal for him, "They wanted me to guarantee they were going to find evidence if they came here. The truth of the matter is, unless I was a hoaxer, as many of you think I am, I can't guarantee you'll find anything"

As you will notice in his video he did not have enough integrity to stay far away from Tom Biscardi. Biscardi is either a serial hoaxer or a guy who has had the misfortune of being hoaxed several times.

We will let you decide for yourself if Tim Fasano truly had the right stuff to educate and entertain the masses. Would 1.3 million viewers tune it to see Tim?

In Defense of Todd Standing

Well somebody has to do it (defend Todd Standing, that is). His mother wont return our phone calls and and his sister has denied all knowledge. The first part is a joke and the latter is true. For the record, Louis Standing was very kind and polite both times we contacted her.

No, no! Its not us, we are not in the defend Todd Standing Camp. In fact, he is one of only two individuals we continually mock here; Tom Biscardi and Todd Standing. These two controversial characters are considered hoaxers by some, and there is not much tolerance for hoaxers in this community of Sasquatch searchers. Nor should there be.

With that said, we also know how smart our fans are and they can form their own opinions. The gist of his letter is Adrian Erickson bought all of Todd Standing's films and material and that is why his site and youtube channel disappeared. We have mentioned our concern with with the Erickson project purchasing Standings materials before.

Below Richard Stubstad references our post titled Todd Standing Jumps the Shark, and takes the time to defend Todd. Let us know what you think. Without further ado...

My name is Richard Stubstad, and my rather intense but admittedly limited involvement in the bigfoot or sasquatch world is briefly summed up at the following link:

http://www.footprintsinyourmind.com/Richard_Stubstad. Basically, what I did both before and after all the hoopla about Todd's purported "Jumping the Shark" is research at least what could be fairly conclusively researched, and either confirmed or denied.

Firstly, Todd didn't really Jump the Shark; his footage etc. was bought out and he was therefore forced to shut down his Sylvanic.com website as it originally existed. Actually, this would support the theory that many of you seem to have that he is making "tons of money" from his work (hoaxed or otherwise). I don't really know how much money he has made, in total, to-date. I do know however that his work is continuing, but now with better equipment in his possession. I also believe (but do not know for sure) that the amount of money he's made to-date is FAR less than what he has spent over the last several years on either taking real videos of sasqaui (the plural of sasquatch) or hoaxing these videos & pictures.

Eventually I purchased for a whopping $5 each all three of Todd’s videos and had a look-see myself, as did several of my "bigfooter" friends. After some time expired (a month or two after the release of Video 4), I finally called Todd up there in Edmonton and had about a one-hour conversation with him; not so much to find out whether his stuff was hoaxed or not (he’d of course say it wasn’t hoaxed, regardless) but just in case it wasn’t hoaxed, then what about some of the details that you folks have brought up, and other details no one mentioned yet? While his explanations to my questions seemed a little outlandish, well, so is the idea itself of a hominid called sasquatch, so what did I know? I for one have never seen one, or even seen anything I could mistake as a sasquatch. Ergo, does sasquatch exist? Does a wolverine exist? Maybe the former, definitely the latter, even though I’ve never seen either.

Todd and also his wife also explained to me that it wasn't even Todd's camera that he used on "Expedition 4"; it was his stepson's camera and he didn't bother to check the date on it, let alone reset the date before he departed on this purported one-man, half-cocked as he probably was.

Next, I can report what I got out of the conversation, over and above any conclusions about whether or not his stuff is the real deal: Todd is a very spiritual guy, with a whole lot of “faith” in what he calls the First Nation peoples—the American Indian tribes. He has obviously relied on the history and knowledge that these Native Americans possess, even though most of their history is not recorded in writing but rather has been passed down through oral traditions. He also relies heavily on the First Nation folks' knowledge of the wilderness, both regarded bigfoot and otherwise. Conclusion: Todd is definitely a kind-of “romantic” and is quite an eccentric, at least on European-American terms and maybe even on anyone’s terms. Having said that, I still don’t have much of a clue whether his stuff is the real deal or not—after all, once again, I wasn’t there!

I also asked Todd whether he gathered any supporting evidence during his Video 4 expedition, for example something we could extract DNA from, such as hair roots or swatches of blood. “Well, no,” Todd explained. He “didn't really believe that DNA sequencing could be carried out that would prove or disprove the existence of such a creature, so I didn't bother to look for any evidence apart from the video footage and pictures from his stepson’s camera.” He also didn't bother to cast any tracks, and in fact I doubt if he had any plaster of Paris with him—too much stuff to carry along on a one-man wilderness trek, to be sure.

I beg to differ with him on the DNA part of what he said, and I told him so. He said that he could try, this year (2011), to get some hair (with roots) at least. We'll have to wait and see, then, if he does so. He said he would, but I don’t really know if he was serious (let alone honest).

Last but not least, when the folks on the various bigfoot forums who claim to “know” that Todd Standing actually hoaxed some or all of his materials, I did check out the assertion that his purported Search and Rescue of October 2010 was also hoaxed. I did this with the help of a forensic-type friend of mine who is also peripherally into the bigfoot-associated business, and he (or she) quite easily found the following local newspaper clipping:

RCMP Report

Columbia Valley Pioneer October 22, 2010 Edition (Weekly regional newspaper)

Submitted by Staff

Sgt. Marko Shehovac

Columbia Valley RCMP

• On October 19th, Columbia Valley RCMP were contacted regarding a man who was dropped off in the back country and had not returned. The 37-year-old from Edmonton was dropped off in the Mitchell River area, off Settlers Road, approximately 47-kilometres from Invermere, on Tuesday, October 12th. He had arranged to be picked up from there on Sunday. When he failed to return he was reported missing to the police on Sunday night. Invermere Search and Rescue were contacted and while searching for the man, discovered his sleeping bag. No other equipment was located. Police were aided by a police service dog out of Cranbrook. On Tuesday, October 20th, additional Search and Rescue from Kimberley and the RCMP helicopter arrived to continue the search. At approximately 10 a.m., Search and Rescue came upon the man, who was unhurt. He explained that he had been unable to get back on time for his pick up. The Detachment would like to thank both Invermere and Kimberley Search and Rescue for their assistance in resolving this matter.

While the above newspaper clipping doesn't really prove anything about whether Todd Standing hoaxed his Video 4 or not, it does mean that at least part of what he maintains towards the beginning of the video happened, and DID in fact happen, pretty much as he explained in his now off-line Video 4. It also shows that the RCMP et. al. apparently withheld his name—unless there was, all of a sudden, someone else of the same age and hometown as Todd's, and on the same exact date who was also "rescued" in the same general area? Or: unless I'm actually hoaxing the above newspaper clipping? If you'd like a web link to this very clipping, please contact me by email (Stubstad@VenturaMail.net) and I'll send you the link, just in case you really are such a die-hard skeptic that you believe I'm in on the so-called "obvious" Todd Standing hoax(es) as well?

Best of luck to all of you, whether you are a bigfoot believer or not. It is certainly true that much of the existing evidence HAS been hoaxed. I personally doubt that ALL of it has. The best quality film or video evidence—the P-G Film and the Todd Standing footage—well, I don't really know for sure and I probably never will, since no DNA exists that can be associated with either.

Richard Stubstad

Ojai, California

Bigfoot Lunch Club Gets Skeptically Pwnd

First, let's talk about the word Pwnd (pronounced like owned, but with a P), a derivative from the word "Pwnage". You wont find it in the dictionary. We have to rely on the definition from the Urban Dictionary:

Pure Ownage as used in online gaming to stress your superiority on all levels. Spawned from the root word pwn, which originated as a misspelling of the word own. Hence this stupid word is two screw-ups away from anything close to english.

We will get back to the word Pwnd in a second, let's go to the beginning.

In our post "'Skeptics' Late to Debunking Bigfoot" We noted, how Bigfooters are usually the first to be skeptical about encounters and claims. The theme was that simple, and it was succinct in the post title. We can break it down though. Skeptics, (in quotes because we are not talking about real skeptics) were later than others to debunking a Bigfoot hoax. Simple. It seems Brian Dunning at SkepticBlog had issue with this theme.


To be fair, in our post we went further and critiqued Dunnings credentials as a skeptic. This is why we used "skeptic" in quotes, because real skeptics make better assumptions than Brian Dunning.

Dunning pushed back a few days ago and unfortunately, it turns out, that he still hasn't done his homework. He poorly ASSUMED Autumn Williams' synthetic hair analyses of a Bigfoot hoax was based only on the viewing of a you-tube video. Her analysis was, in fact, based also on hair photos that were emailed to her. If Dunning had read the post he was quoting, he would have figured that out. In this age of information how hard would it have been for Dunning to do this one-click research?

We think skeptics are honorable, pragmatic, critical and good at researching applicable evidence (or lack there of). Brian Dunning we wish we had empirical proof that you are deficient in these qualities, instead we can only provide evidence that you make poor assumptions due to laziness or ability.

Now, back to Pwnd.
Dunning admits to cooperating with John Rael of SkepticallyPwned.com to promote the Bigfoot video hoax. He called it, "a fun little lark." Just to be clear the definition of lark is: a harmless prank. A "skeptic" that promotes hoaxes and then waits a week before admitting involvement?

Rael, who produced the video, claims in his own words, his objective:

I decided a few months ago to create my very own hoax video...I thought this might inspire some crypto’s to ‘defend’ or ‘promote’ the hoax.

Well, according to his site, the only person who "bit" was Tom Biscardi, a known hoaxer. What a coup! You got a known hoaxer interested in possibly cooperating with you in your hoax! That said, even Tom insisted on meeting Rael personally before committing any effort.

We don't know who got Pwned, since nobody was fooled by John Rael's video. He didn't achieve his self-defined objective. Rael admits he poorly assumed "a crypto's would 'defend' the video".

The only revealing thing from all of this was: two people who call themselves "skeptics" make poor assumptions, due to lack of will or ability to investigate/evaluate evidence.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Dunning's assumption fest
John Raels assumption confession

What Happens When You Jog Past Tom Biscardi?

If your interesting enough you get invited on his radio show.

Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline "Don't forget to b r e a t h e . . ."® Brandilyn's first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn's awards for her novels include the ACFW Book of the Year (three times), Inspirational Readers' Choice, and Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice.

Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). The Writer magazine named Getting into Character one of the best books on writing published in 2002.

In a blog post titled "What Bigfoot and I Have in Common" she retells her spontaneous run-in with Biscardi and how she got invited to talk on his Radio show.

On my jogging route through a neighborhood I often pass a man out walking--and talking on his cell phone. I have never once seen him when he's not on that phone. One day late last year as I passed, I quipped, "Just wonder--can you walk without talking on the phone?" He guffawed, and we both kept going our separate ways.

Fast forward to last week. I passed him for the first time in 2010. For some reason we stopped to say hi and Happy New Year. We'd never stopped to talk before.

"My name's Tom Biscardi." The man actually stopped talking on the phone to concentrate on me. "Let me tell you who I am. Ever heard of Bigfoot?"

"Uh, yeah." Not quite sure where the conversation was going.

"I'm the Bigfoot Searcher." Tom mentioned his Web site and his weekly radio show, Bigfoot Live, and the documentary movies he's done on Bigfoot. "You hear about that case in ..." Tom went on to tell me about a big national story of a so-called Bigfoot, which he'd been called in to debunk.

In the end she is asked to be a guest on Mr. Biscardi's radio show Bigfoot Live.

The Gem of this whole story is how Biscardi frames his role regarding the big national story (we can only assume it was the Georgian Bigfoot). We have a press release here, where his role during the Georgian Bigfoot seemed a little different. Honestly we are not trying to be snarky, the press release seems more like he was trying to promote than debunk.



EXTERNAL LINKS
Brandilyn's Blog Site
Bigfoot Live Radio Show
Biscardi's Georgian Bigfoot Press Release

Dauphin County Bigfoot Photos Enhanced

*** THIS IS AN UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS POST. ***
Don't be too excited about the video below. The newsclip does not reveal more than the still frame below. At the end of the clip the news people said they had moving video of the blobsquatch but the camera was moving too fast to make anything of it, so they only provided the still frame below.




It doesn't take much to reveal the blurry blob is really hanging moss from the branch in the foreground. By filtering the colors and highlights of the photo much is revealed.

This is the original photo


This is the photo with just the contrast adjusted, you can already see, what looked like highlights were really just the background foliage showing through, and you can even see how the moss is "tied" around the branch.


Finally this is extremely enhanced to show the outline of the moss itself.


I would love to see a new photo of Bigfoot, but this aint one.

Another Biscardi Backed Bigfoot

The photo above looks like a piece of moss to me. Despite my opinion WHTM-TV News deemed it necessary to give Tom Biscardi a mention on their web page:

Dauphin County, Pa. - A Dauphin County man, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he may have caught images of Bigfoot with his flip-cam.

He says he was hiking the Appalachian Trail with his wife back in October when he came across what looked like a fort. He started filming, and says that's when he started hearing strange noises.

"I panicked. There's something up in these woods."

When he got home, he saw a strange image on the video. "My wife said, 'What is that?' The video has captured the attention of Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi. Tom is the CEO and Founder of the company "Hunting For Bigfoot."

Tom says he's passionate about Bigfoot, because he has had sightings himself. Tom and his crew searched the area where the video was shot Sunday afternoon. Tom says he plans on proving Bigfoot exists by capturing one.

It never bodes well when Tom Biscardi backs a Bigfoot sighting. How this guy still manages to get in the news is amazing to us Bigfooters. The above picture is from the press conference of the Georgian Gorilla Hoax of August 2008. He also is responsible for a hoax in 2005. A quick Wikipedia lookup will expose Biscardi for who he is:

2005 hoax

On July 14, 2005, Biscardi appeared on the radio program Coast to Coast AM and claimed he was "98% sure" his group would be able to capture a Bigfoot near Happy Camp, California. On August 19, he returned to say he knew of the location of a captured Bigfoot specimen, and that he would air footage of the creature through a $14 web-cam service. However, on the day the footage was to be distributed, Biscardi claimed he was "hoodwinked" by a woman in Stagecoach, Nevada, and that the specimen did not exist. Coast to Coast AM host George Noory demanded that Biscardi refund the money to people who had paid for the web-cam subscription. Biscardi then offered a refund on his website to those who had subscribed for the service after August 19.

2008 hoax

In summer 2008, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer of Georgia announced that they had discovered the carcass of a 7-foot-7-inch, 500-pound Bigfoot-like creature while hiking through the northern mountains of their state. They said they had placed the body in a freezer in an undisclosed location. They also claimed to have seen three similar creatures when they found the body.Tom Biscardi teamed up with Whitton and Dyer to promote the claim that they had a Bigfoot corpse, and promised the media DNA evidence. The three held a press conference in California, where they showed photographs of the alleged creature. Whitton boasted, “Everyone who has talked down to us is going to eat their words." Biscardi also tried to reassure the media of the corpse's authenticity, saying, "Last weekend, I touched it, I measured its feet, I felt its intestines."

Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer have since admitted that it was a rubber costume.

Matthew Whitton, a police officer in Clayton County, Georgia, put his career into jeopardy after participating in the hoax. Clayton County Police Chief Jeff Turner said, "Once he perpetrated a fraud, that goes into his credibility and integrity. He has violated the duty of a police officer." Biscardi claimed that he was deceived, and that he was seeking justice.

Source: Tom Biscardi. (2009, November 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12:03, November 9, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tom_Biscardi&oldid=323228279

You can read the full WHTM-TV article yourself here.

The Sasquatch Sequel

Bigfoot hunters are still reeling from the latest hoax, but some scientists keep the faith.
By Matthew Philips | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Aug 25, 2008 | Updated: 2:11 p.m. ET Aug 25, 2008

An apostle of what he calls "the behind the scenes, quiet march of serious science," Meldrum has been investigating the possible existence of the creature called Sasquatch or Bigfoot for the last 12 years.

When Meldrum heard that Las Vegas promoter and self-described Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi was involved, and his excitement evaporated. Meldrum had dealt with what he calls Biscardi's "shenanigans" before. An irate Biscardi called Whitton and Dyer, who admitted to the hoax, then skipped town, allegedly leaving Biscardi with the bill for their Palo Alto hotel room.

Bigfoot researchers may be embarrassed by it, but not all publicity is bad publicity. The latest hoax lit up the Bigfoot chat boards brighter than the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics.

Until then the search for Bigfoot will remain part sensationalist commercialism and part legitimate scientific research.


These are hard times for Bigfoot believers, a human subspecies that includes a fairly hairy collection of fantasists, charlatans, grifters and fools. But there is also a small coterie of serious scientists interested in the possibility—as they see it, the likelihood—that somewhere in the deep woods of North America enormous ape-men really are alive and well and just barely eluding detection.

Jeff Meldrum, a Ph.D. anthropologist at Idaho State University, is one of those researchers. An apostle of what he calls "the behind the scenes, quiet march of serious science," Meldrum has been investigating the possible existence of the creature called Sasquatch or Bigfoot for the last 12 years. His 2006 book, "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science" (Forge), offers the most thorough compilation and analysis of evidence to date, and was endorsed by primatologist Jane Goodall, famous for her work with chimpanzees, who is an adamant Bigfoot believer herself.

Yet such is the call of all the wild stories about this mythic creature that even Meldrum let himself hope against hope when he started to hear reports in July that two men had dragged the body of a Bigfoot-like beast out of the north Georgia woods and frozen it solid in a 1,500-pound block of ice. The news sounded like the breakthrough that the Bigfoot community has been waiting for: a body, specifically DNA evidence; the proof they need to satisfy a skeptical world.

Then Meldrum heard that Las Vegas promoter and self-described Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi was involved, and his excitement evaporated. Meldrum had dealt with what he calls Biscardi's "shenanigans" before. In 2005 Biscardi brought him what he claimed was "a hand of unknown origin" that turned out to be nothing more than a bear paw in a pickle jar. That same year, Biscardi claimed to have a live, captured Bigfoot in Nevada and convinced listeners of a late-night radio show to pay $14.99 for access to his "webcam" to view the beast. Later Biscardi said he was the one who'd been duped—by an elderly woman whose claims that Bigfoot was in her backyard he'd never even checked out.

Whether Biscardi really believed that the Georgians' frozen Sasquatch was the real deal or not--and he insists that he did—he certainly knew how to turn the story into a hot topic for the 24/7 news cycle in a country that's more than a little weary of politics, war and economic woes.

You'd have thought one look at the YouTube clips posted by the two Georgia men who claimed the discovery would be enough to tip off even the blindest of the faithful that this was bogus. In one, Matt Whitton, a sheriff's deputy then on sick leave for getting shot in the hand (and now reportedly fired for perpetrating the hoax) has his brother pose as an absurdly implausible "very busy scientist." In others, Whitton and his partner, Rick Dyer, a former corrections officer, simply drive around to the theme of "Knight Rider," proclaiming themselves the "best Bigfoot trackers in the world."

Yet because Biscardi had the audacity to promise DNA evidence, photos, and even video of Bigfoot creatures lurking in the woods, some 50 media outlets flocked to the Crowne Plaza hotel in Palo Alto, Calif., on Aug. 15 for the press conference that Biscardi had set up: ABC, CBS, The Associated Press … NEWSWEEK.

By the end of the day, this latest installment in the Bigfoot saga was the most-viewed story on MSNBC and CNN.com, which carried live coverage of the 45-minute conference that Friday afternoon. But, then, despite the excitement, the proof proved nonexistent. The pictures were laughable. There was no video. And the DNA evidence? It came back possum. "It means he'd probably eaten one," insisted Biscardi, who at the time had taken the Georgians under his wing but now says he plans to sue them for fraud. Their lawyer says they were the ones who were duped as Biscardi spun their little joke into a national news event.

Biscardi says he and his backers shelled out $50,000 for the body, only to discover days later that—shock!—it was nothing but a costume stuffed with animal parts: ham bones, intestines, eyes, teeth, an entire pig and, it would seem, some possum. "We're still pulling things out of it," says Bob Schmalzbach, one of Biscardi's associates who went to Georgia the day before the press conference to deliver $50,000 in cash to Whitton and Dyer. He said he thought what he saw in the block of ice was the real deal. "I could see a silhouette. I chipped the ice down to teeth and eyeballs, and thought, "This is a real animal here." So Schmalzbach handed over the money and hauled away the enormous Sasquatch-sicle in a trailer while toasting his fellow Bigfoot hunters. "We were sure we'd solved the mystery."

By Sunday morning the jig was up. The body had thawed enough for Schmalzbach to see it was a rubber costume. An irate Biscardi called Whitton and Dyer, who admitted to the hoax, then skipped town, allegedly leaving Biscardi with the bill for their Palo Alto hotel room.

Bigfoot investigators who hope to be taken seriously claim the hoax is a blight on the reputation of an industry, if not a science. "This kind of stuff discredits what we're trying to do and has ticked off a lot of people," says Matt Moneymaker, head of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, a group based in Orange County, Calif., that has catalogued thousands of reported sightings since it launched in 1995. For the last four years, BFRO has organized almost weekly expeditions across the country. Members make audio recordings of supposed Bigfoot calls, study footprints, ride around on all-terrain vehicles, use night-vision goggles--and charge spectators for the chance to tag along.

Moneymaker says what his group does is legit research compared to the P. T. Barnum approach of a Biscardi. But the great 19th-century huckster and hoaxer who famously said "there's a sucker born every minute" also said, more usefully, and perhaps more truthfully, "without promotion something terrible happens … Nothing!" Bigfoot researchers may be embarrassed by it, but not all publicity is bad publicity. The latest hoax lit up the Bigfoot chat boards brighter than the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics.

"It very much sets us back, but it also teaches us a lesson and shows us we need to think ahead," says Loren Coleman, a zoologist and consultant to such TV shows as NBC's "Unsolved Mysteries" and the Discovery Channel's "In the Unknown." But Coleman's Sasquatch-centric Web site, Cryptomundo.com, crashed when it got 5 million hits the hour after he posted a picture of the Georgia creature slumped in a freezer. The next day traffic was up to 13 million hits every 10 minutes, proof that Bigfoot curiosity will not die even if the creature never lived.

"It's aggravating that a person like [Biscardi] garners the press because of sensationalism," says Jeff Meldrum, an Idaho anthropologist who is an expert in foot morphology and locomotion in monkeys, apes and hominids. "There are certainly activities that are laughable," says Meldrum. "But there are also those that are attempting to legitimize a very serious inquiry into the possible existence of a relic population of great ape. This is my odyssey, this is my quest."

Over the last dozen years, Meldrum has collected and studied more than 200 plaster casts of footprints, some as big as 16 inches, made from across the United States and Canada. On them he notes details such as ridge lines and tendon indentations that he says would be impossible for fraudsters to fabricate. Last October, Meldrum presented some of his evidence to a symposium of 40 paleontologists at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, and emerged with a peer-reviewed published paper acknowledging that what he'd collected were not the prints of a known species, nor were they hoaxes, but genuine casts of an unknown North American primate.

Meldrum was given the authority to classify the beast with a taxonomical name, the Anthropoides Ameriborealis, which translates into North American ape. It might not seem like much compared with a body in a freezer, but in the uphill battle of Bigfoot science, it's a huge step, and as close to acknowledged scientific proof as anything seen to to date. "It has certainly helped me shift the perception from that of tabloid fodder into the arena of biology," says Meldrum. "But a new species will only be recognized when DNA is collected."

Until then the search for Bigfoot will remain part sensationalist commercialism and part legitimate scientific research.

And Meldrum, much like the creature he believes is out there, will continue his work largely unseen and unheard.
With Chanan Tigay
© 2008