Camera jiggle: IF this is a bear or Sasquatch checking out the trailcam, why no camera shake on impact? Is there Steadycam technology here? A bear swipe would have bumped the camera; a large bipedal primate would have surely poked or prodded it - normal curiosity behavior from a primate. Yet the ‘cam is stock-still.

Movement: Looks like it’s only waving in front of the lens, not touching it. Due to lack of camera shake it was probably light and small, only brushing the lens. A bushy tail? My 1st guess: SQUIRREL - sniffing the ‘cam cuz it smells odd. 2nd guess: a GRIZZ scratchin’ his back. 3rd guess: ELK?

More ideas…

Trailcam placement: Try mounting SINGLE trailcams in places which are known to attract Sasquatch. Instead of scattering ‘cams in the woods (expensive), focus on must-go sites like streams, ponds, watering holes, feeding sites, and campground trash bins… as well as caves, shelters and/or nesting areas.

Sasquatch sightings often occur at food scavenging sources like dumpsters, town dumps and henhouses. You can bait sites with dried salmon or apples. Think like a hungry, thirsty, elusive and smart primate, then put cameras there.

Cameras & angles: 2 trailcams? 4 trailcams? Sheeesh! Just mount ONE trailcam high up in a tree, looking down. Nothing wrong with an aerial view, and you get better coverage the higher you go. And try extra-wide-angle or fisheye lenses.

It amazes me that every time I visit the ATM or drive-thru I’m caught on video, but we still can’t get a decent Sasquatch image with all this new gear. Maybe BF’ers should be scanning surveillance videos from McD’s drive-thru. I’m just sayin’.

And don’t waste money mounting up 2 or 3 trailcams at a site. Just mount one trailcam, and then mount a big round convex safety mirror facing it. Problem solved!

To paraphrase Rene, “You can’t hunt Sasquatch. You have to let them hunt you.” So, find out where they forage and get ‘em on tape.

Good observation, Jeff - we may be looking at a re-visit by the same animal, hanging around the same or nearby area. Both photos seem to show similar shaggy coats!

We should encourage the Trailcam owner to continue her efforts in that area and, if possible, to install another camera overlooking this first one, to try to get a look at the visitor(s)!

Your points are well taken. As a result of your thoughtful post, I won’t be as quick to dismiss future “mystery” Bigfoot footage.

Thank you.

But at least we know ONE thing — it was not “mangy” !

Not “exactly”. Serious enthusiasts reading this post and ALL these comments can pick up (and USE, presumably) several good ideas:

…the people who took this film footage need to interviewed by researchers.

…a bear must surely be the most likely culprit.

…clothing material as opposed to hair/fur??

…someone trying to clean off the lens with a cloth.

…that “smudge” could also be the sun behind some clouds.

…are they looking for other evidence around the camera site?

…another cam installed high up on one of those other trees, looking down at this scene.

…how many camera traps would it take? 100, 1,000, 5,000?

…Loren should offer a camera for sale at this site.

…place a trail cam overhead in a branch of a large tree.

…most of the bears try to pull the cameras off the trees, so we have them all housed in custom heavy steel boxes.

Most commenters contribute serious, sometimes profound, ideas, and most visitors are eager to learn anything they can about this Quest - let’s all try to learn and benefit from these thoughts, even the simplest and most obvious ones !

I’m quite familiar with this type of footage, as the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy (TBRC) has many of the same recorded videos.
That looks to be a bear in the recorded clip. Do you know if the camera is inside a protected bear box of any kind?
Bears have visited our cameras since day one that we have deployed in Area X one of our areas of year round research. I can send you about a hundred similar video clips and pictures to compare to this one. Most of the bears in Area X try and pull the cameras off the trees, so we have them all housed in custom heavy steel boxes to keep them secure and safe where they are deployed.

Chris Buntenbah
Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy
Operation Forest Vigil Project Leader