Don’t you ever go walking in the dark forest at night, without a flashlight? Why not? Because you hear strange sounds that you cannot explain, thus making it scary. So what do you think those strange sounds are caused by, crickets?, insects?, raccoons tip toeing on two hind legs?

Most researchers are afraid to leave their keyboards in order to learn something, and even more are afraid to leave their buddies side, in order to learn something. Their buddies make too much noise. Just their breathing alone through tobacco tarred lungs, is enough to drown out all other noises. Their clothes absorb 50% of the sound you would hear if you were alone. The squeak of their chair, the crinkle of their clothes, the sniffle, the shuffle of their feet. All of these factors together, very effectively and completely kills the entire stakeout. And researchers wonder why nothing ever happens to them.

Most researchers do all their research in the daylight, which explains why Bigfoot research is going nowhere.

Most researchers are looking for Bigfoot, instead of listening.

Most researchers do not attempt to communicate with the Bigfoot. They assume and hope that Bigfoot is dumber than they are. Guess what?

Sorry, if my opinion in any way offends, but I believe that, if they are real at all, we are dealing with a flesh and blood creature, not a “spirit” or anything of the sort.

But, I don’t feel I am “underestimating” the intuitive and comprehension abilities of the BF. If they are real, they are undoubtedly intelligent. At least as intelligent as the other great apes.

And I wouldn’t say those attributes you mention aren’t “gorilla like attributes”. We’ve seen gorillas smart and cooperative enough to learn to communicate with us via sign-language, exhibit self-awareness, emotional attachment, etc.

If there is any underestimating going on, I’d say you were underestimating the (well documented) cognitive abilities of gorillas and other great apes.

Yeah silvereagle, when I’m out bigfooting, that’s what I think about…how sweet a bigfoot is and what I’m going to cook them for dinner.

And? Well? Don’t leave it like that. What you gonna put on his plate then???

Mental telepathy evidence is all around us, by virtue of the inability of game cameras to get any significant results. I just sold mine because it was chasing them out of the area.

One little game I played one evening with two Bigfoot in the vicinity of 50 to 70 yards out, was to ask them to run at us for 10 steps when the people that I was with, get out of the vehicle. About 5 minutes later, the people did finally get brave enough to get out of the vehicle. Then, both Bigfoot ran at us and stopped. One person described it as one bigfoot taking about 10 running steps at us. The one that was only 50 yards away, was reported to have stopped only about 30 feet behind the vehicle in the middle of the road, and so he could not take 10 running steps. Both remained invisible. Bipedal footsteps were clearly heard by them. I was fiddling with stuff in the back of car, and did not hear the action. Since I had whispered this request, the Bigfoot could not have heard it from that distance. This demonstrates a willingness to cooperate, a good memory, an interest in having fun, and an ability to count. Not exactly Gorilla like attributes. So, let me repeat it. You are underestimating them.

I’ll play “devil’s advocate” for just half a second, ignore the fact that there is even less evidence for Bigfoot telepathy that there is scant physical evidence of their existence, and assume that, if they are real, BF can read our minds.

You’re simplified analysis ignores the fact that many men (like myself) are out in the field without a sidearm of any sort when doing BF research.

I’ve quibbled over this, and finally decided that I’m a “no-kill” proponent (not that I have anything against guns or hunting, just not something as rare and special as BF apparently are… especially if they could read my murderous thoughts), BUT I can guarantee you that there are women out there (like my step-mother for instance) who wouldn’t give a second thought to emptying a clip into a large, threatening critter.

So, so much for mind reading and women thinking of how they are gonna get that cake baked before BF arrives for their big date. Any sexual difference in encounters obviously isn’t ALL about BF reading the minds of women and finding their thoughts “safer”.

So then it comes back to a) pheromones or odors, or b) cultural differences in the way we teach MOST girls to confront conflict versus the way we teach MOST boys to confront conflict that translate into subtle body language clues/postures that these creatures interpret as either aggressive or non-threatening.

Though I worry about the boxes it might potentially force researchers of any sex into, I will concede that option “a”, at the very least, deserves some extra scientific scrutiny. If it is option “b”, non-threatening postures are strategies any researcher, male or female, could learn and incorporate into their research.

But honestly, in many ways this is putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. Before we can even begin thinking about what postures or smells the creature might find threatening or intriguing during long-term observation (a la Goodall or Fossey), we have to confirm the physical reality of this critter.

Part of locating and confirming the existence of this animal might involve understanding, and learning to mask, those odors that are threatening. So that is something that might deserve further scrutiny at this early stage in the game (it is also relatable to strategies that hunters take when going after big game like elk or deer, in using unscented deodorants, cover scents, etc.).

But, then again, if you’re right about the telepathic abilities of Bigfoot (something I’m not dismissing entirely out of hand because of the role of devil’s advocate I took up at the beginning of this post) all of this conversation, and any other about “how to catch a ’squatch” on film, is for naught.