Journalism Students Prepare for Bigfoot Sighting and Capture

USU students Brooke Leavitt, standing, and Zach Waxler edit content to post for CommStrong, a simulated crisis situation. Photo Credit: Riley Densley photo

An elaborate crises simulation, used to train journalism students at Utah State University included bombs, terror and Bigfoot. A simulated Bigfoot news article was distributed to a team of journalism students to see if it would be dropped as bigger simulated news happened.

While most of the crisis situation centered around an unexpected bombing at a public event, the day started with a report of a Bigfoot being captured. You can read the simulated report below.

SIMULATION: Bigfoot caught in Logan Canyon
By Tmera Bradley

Logan Animal Control caught Sasquatch in Logan Canyon earlier today.

Utah State University student Brad Larsen said he was taking a walk in the mountains when he saw Bigfoot, which he described as a “6-foot-5 hairy beast.” He shot a video and posted it online, and also notified the police.

Sean Davis from Animal Control said they arrived on the scene and tranquilized the animal after a struggle.

“This is indeed a creature that no one has ever seen before,” Davis said. “Now that we’ve caught him, this is the most evidence we’ve ever had.”

Davis said Bigfoot is being transported to Hogle Zoo for more testing and public viewing.

We reached out to Matthew D. LaPlante, assistant professor of journalism at USU to explain how the Bigfoot report was used in the simulation and he was kind enough to reply:

We used Bigfoot as a red herring, of sorts. The script called for a sighting — and then later a reported capture. A video was sent to several news teams along with offers of interviews with spotters and capturers. Against the totality of the "news" thrown at the students throughout the day, the expectation was that many would bite early and then back away from that story as the day wore on and bigger news prevailed, and that's indeed what happened.

You can read the original article, "Bombs, blood and Bigfoot" that tipped us off to this event, but it is scant on how Bigfoot was incorporated, despite using Bigfoot in the headline.

You can also read the simulated Bigfoot news article that was distributed to the students here.

Bigfoots Don't Stink--At Least Not Always

Cryptozoology News suggests Sasquatch mat have a defense system similar to skunks

"In British Columbia and Alberta strong smells are mentioned in only 4. 5% of reports". --John Green, Spring 1995

A foul smell is often associated with Bigfoot, popular culture has reinforced this stereo type. In the first Anchorman Bigfoot's anatomy is used to describe the most foul cologne. Cryptozoology News (CN), although poorly sourced, reminds us that John Green's data points to a small percentage of odor being associated with Bigfoot encounters. CN continues to suggest that Sasquatch similar to skunks may have a defense mechanism citing examples from Dr. W. Fahrenbach, a retired biologist from the Oregon Primate Center, and Dian Fosey a renowned Gorilla researcher.

Before we send you Cryptozoology News, we wanted to share John Green's data regarding the odor associated with Bigfoot encounters.

It is common knowledge that sasquatches are reported to have a strong and unpleasant smell--in Florida they are commonly called "skunk apes". It is probably also well known, at least to the readers of newsletters, that strong smells are not always reported; but is this just because the witnesses were not in a position to smell anything, or because sasquatches do not always smell bad?

To contribute some information for anyone interested in this question, here are the results of an analysis of reports from the western part of North America that I have entered in my computer.

In 923 descriptions of supposed sasquatches, only 72 mention a strong smell. Nine mention a mild smell and eight state specifically that the animals had no smell. Strong smells were mentioned in less than eight percent of reports. This percentage is fairly consistent throughout the American states, percentages being: Washington, 9%; Oregon, 11%; California, 8%, and the average for eight other western states, 8.5%.

The percentage in Canada is lower. In British Columbia and Alberta strong smells are mentioned in only 4. 5% of reports. The number of descriptions involved, 217, would appear to be large enough so that the different percentage may have some significance, but it is hard to imagine what it could be.

Absence of a report of a strong smell obviously has no significance if the witness was a good distance away or was inside a building or vehicle. Restricting the survey to reports where it would seem that the witness should have noticed a strong smell if one was present gives the following results.

    In contact with the animal:     strong smell    5,     mild     0;      no smell,     5.

    Less than 5 feet away, in same air:                0,        2,            3.

    Estimated 5 feet away, in same air:                4        1            4.
    Estimated 10 feet away, in same air:              5,        1,            14.

Up to 5 feet the percentage of strong smells, in 24 reports, is 37.5%.

At 10 feet, in 20 reports, the percentage drops to 25%.

With some animals strong smells are associated only with the adult males. Most sasquatch reports do not involve any identification of sex, but it is usually assumed that most are males. My files contain only one report in which a sasquatch is identified as a female and said to have a strong smell.

    * A single report, that of Albert Ostman, has a disproportionate effect on the statistics. He claims to have been carried home by an adult male and then to have been close to a young male and a young female. In conversation, although not in his written account, he said that the adult male had a strong smell, the two juveniles mild smells. If his account is left out the number of reports of mild smells drops to seven, and the percentage of strong smells reported" in British Columbia drops to 4%.

John Green

Spring 1995

You can read the skunk gland theory at Cryptozology News  

Dr. Jeff Meldrum and Adam Davies at the Olympic Project Bigfoot Expedition

The next Olympic Project Bigfoot Expedition is June 5th through the 8th

UPDATE: The image above was meant as an homage to the original Olympic Project logo designed by Paul Graves. I thought I would have fun and create one specifically for the Bigfoot Expeditions. On Paul's request I would like to credit the small portion of the altered mountain illustration in the background to Russ Hepler, an eyewitness Paul commissioned for the illustration.

The next Olympic Project Bigfoot Expedition (June 5th ~ 8th) will include prominent Sasquatch researchers; the roster includes Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Adam Davies and as always Derek Randles' Olympic Project Team.

Dr. Jeff Meldrum is a scientist with impeccable academic credentials. With his appearance on the Discovery Channel special and the release of his companion book, Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, he elevated the Sasquatch public discussion. A conversation that was too often dismissed as paranormal or disreputable. During the Olympic Project Bigfoot Expeditions, Dr. Jeff Meldrum is approachable and quick to share new frontiers in the academic progress of Bigfoot research.

Although Adam Davies is best known by bigfooters for his pioneering research on the Orang Pendek, he has traveled the world in search of several cryptids. In his book, Extreme Expeditions, he documents his Indiana Jones-esque adventures of being shot at in the Congo, arrested and interrogated by the Mongolian army, and filmed the Norwegian Nessie. 

Don't miss the opportunity to spend four days with these individuals. 

Email Derek at ridgewalkers@ymail.com to get details on the next expedition!

Beyond the opportunity to pick the brain of the biggest researchers out there, Derek Randles promises, "These are educational, hands on expeditions with ample field time, on and off trail hiking and tracking, and several classes targeting more productive, more effective research techniques and evidence documentation. If you attend one of these trips, you will not be disappointed."

We have attended over a half of dozen of these expeditions and learned something new each time, met serious like-minded Bigfoot researches, and built relationships that will last forever.

Email Derek at ridgewalkers@ymail.com to get details on the next expedition!

A Master Class in Bigfooting

As we said earlier, with knowledgeable researchers like Derek Randles, Adam Davies and Dr. Jeff Meldrum, it is like a master class on the best techniques and newest ideas in Bigfoot research. These experts are approachable all weekend and are happy to field questions. If you have your own theories you want to share this is the best place to get feedback. Read one of our first reviews at, "Olympic Project as a Masterclass in Bigfooting".