Chasing Sasquatch

As I surf through the many channels looking for something to watch on cable TV, sometimes I happen upon true gold. On The Travel Channel, I happened across a show called "Bigfootville".

Now I should first preface this by saying, I actually know someone who spends their weekends out in the woods trying to catch a sighting of Bigfoot. And when I was introduced, I didn't even laugh. Bigfoot is big business in Oklahoma.

The Bigfootville show aired a few years ago, and included interviews and stakeouts with Native Americans who have legends about the hairy man that go back generations. These days, they are breaking out the new technology and using cameras and bait to try and capture the creature's image in the wild.

Everyone needs a passion and as hobbies go, this one harms no one. It allows grown men to camp out in the woods and scare themselves around campfires. I think it's kind of endearing. The Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) in Oklahoma are the reddish colored ones, the Sasquatch in the Northwest are black or dark brown, and of course, the Yeti in the Himalayas are mostly white. All are described as approximately the same size and cannot be confused with humans because of their gait, prints and size differential.

Another show on Animal Planet focused on three groups of intrepid scientists in the Northwest who were using differing techniques to try and capture images of Sasquatch. One group of women insisted that their pheromones would lure the beast from the hills. They camped out for several days and sang lullabies and Christmas carols (apparently because they knew all the words, not because of their timeliness!) One group included a veterinarian whose knowledge of large animal behavior caused him to set specific types of traps for his cameras. Another group was headed by a man who 'knows what he saw' and got a scientist to go back with him and collect samples from around the area.

All three groups has someone with tracking experience who found broken branches, evidence of nesting, and footprints. No one found any hair or physical evidence that could be tested to compare it to known DNA profiles (like elk, moose and deer). In both shows, the dejected searchers packed up their cameras and equipment and went home denied any proof positive.

I really think that history is sprinkled with tales of individuals that spend their whole life searching for the answer to a single problem or issue. I'm not sure that evidence of a 'missing link' or Yeti will provide much for the scientists, but that won't stop folks from looking. I'm just excited to know that if Bigfoot can be found, it might be right in my own backyard since Sapulpa has had the most sightings to date.

So, don't mock these intrepid explorers. When they finally find some trace evidence, we'll all be surprised, won't we??

--Sandee Wagner