Poll # 6 What is your preferred name for the North American giant biped?
[poll id=”9″]
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of names for Bigfoot/Sasquatch. Most regions and Native American groups have their own name for this giant biped. I could not include every local name is this poll but please vote for your favorite out of this listing.
Child’s Play by Argosy Project
As an active field researcher I must be careful not to attribute human characteristics to Bigfoot. Yet I believe there should be some room for being imaginative in trying to gain some insight on how the Bigfoot behave. It’s like a bit of a juggling act being performed on a skinny tightrope- trying to be objective in collecting Bigfoot evidence- while not overlooking something that seems insignificant at first glance. So here I go…
Recently I found a small hole in a grassy clearing about 50 yards from the area I call my Food Drop, where I leave the Bigfoot food at my Main Research Box. It looked as if the freshly dug hole had been made by someone scooping the dirt out with their hand. The hole was about the size of a peanut butter jar. Inside the hole I found a small handful of ripe corn kernels.
A few more kernels on the ground led to an ear of corn about 25 feet away. The ear was less than five inches long, and its husk had been peeled away. And a small pile of kernels lay next to it. Rows of kernels were still uniformly intact on the ear of corn. Someone had very neatly started on one end, and was picking off the kernels and was working their way to the fat end of the cob. My immediate impression was that I had interrupted someone at work.
I was a bit baffled as I tried to reason out a possible scenario: Did a squirrel do this? A raccoon? A deer, or another critter? A person? Bigfoot?
The big why was why weren’t the kernels eaten? Instead they had been plucked off.
If it was a Bigfoot, why would it be attempting to bury just the kernels? Why not the whole ear? Or a whole bunch of ears, like the Indians who used to inhabit this area did? Plus it was late September and the feed corn crop was fully mature, just waiting to be harvested, why bother going through with the tedious task of picking kernels off a single ear? Especially if arm loads of ripen ears could be easily grabbed just a few feet away?
The following Sunday I returned to the site and found the small hole still uncovered. All of the kernels of corn had been removed, and replaced with a handful of leaves. I recovered the small cob I found a week earlier. There were only a few kernels left on it.
During the week I had given some thought to what I had stumbled on the previous Sunday. It finally dawned on me that I was thinking too much like an adult. I realized what I found was the workings of a child at play. It made sense to me- I envisioned a child idling away its time as an adult(s) stood watch. I remembered my childhood when I would spend countless hours playing with Lego pieces or Lincoln Logs. There was no aim in my play- just having idle fun.
In 2003 I first noted a small Bigfoot print only about seven inches in length. The last time I had seen a similar print was in the late summer of 2004, and it was then eight and a half inches long. So I knew I was dealing with at least one juvenile inside my research box. On several occasions I’ve heard what sounded like kids playing inside the woods.
At the base of a nearby ridge I found a small pile of stones in September 2003. I was a bit bewildered how a pile of small stones happened to be placed there. They seemed out of place. Then in the springof 2005 I discovered another pile of small stones placed atop some leaves, further down the same ridge. I placed one stone in my back pocket, and moved on. Gradually I began to realize that the small stones I had seen reminded me of how I used to play with marbles as a kid. Even how on family trips my mom used to let me take some of my marbles with me, so I could idle away the time playing with them in the backseat of the car.
A few weeks later I returned to find the second pile of stones I had discovered. I looked very intensely for over an hour for the pile of stones, but couldn’t find them. I still have that small stone I had put in my back pocket. It’s roughly the size of a marble- but in no way is it perfectly round in shape. It is very smooth in texture when I rub it with my fingertips.
After I had found the small hole empty of corn kernels, I placed two cookies inside it and covered it back up with leaves. I was really hoping to make some type of personal connection with a juvenile Bigfoot by sharing the stash hole.
When I returned the next Saturday I found the two cookies still inside the hole, but crawling with insects. I was disappointed. But nearby at my Food Drop a small ear of corn was laying on the ground. Half of its kernels were neatly picked off by rows, and a pile of ripe kernels lay next to the ear.
I’m always telling people how the Bigfoot surprise me in the things they do. I have to remind myself that I think like a human. The Bigfoot do what they want to do, when they want to do it. Bigfoot is its own unique species.
Possible juvenile handprints
Recently while doing some Spring cleaning my wife came upon this artwork. My wife was in an art class back in 1979 and used our two sons as models.
Poll # 5 What percentage of people who have had a sighting actually report it to a bigfoot organization?
[poll id=”8″]
I hear about many sightings and suspected bigfoot activity. Many of these folks just want to get some feedback about their experiences. They do not want to formally submit their reports. To submit a report seems to mean that the witness has come to some sort of grips with their own experience. They no longer can brush it off as being nothing or an over active imagination.
But the importance of a published report also is that other readers are able to compare notes and perhaps be persuaded to post their own sighting. Especially important is a report from a new county. New county reports often bring other reports from the same area.
A Matter of Trust by Argosy Project
When I started my research in 2004 my first local contact was with a fellow who had been doing intensive investigations in an area close to my home. We soon became good friends and he unselfishly shared not only his area but also his knowledge and experience. Over the next two and half years we discussed many ideas about our research. He had had two daylight sightings and many footprint finds and recorded many vocalizations. When I started my website I encouraged him to let me set up a blog for him to share his findings. He was very enthusiastic about doing so and was a talented writer. He preferred to stay anonymous because his primary concern was always to safeguard the location of his research. He decided to use the name Argosy Project and so out of respect I will continue to do so.
It was with great sadness that in the Spring of 2007 he went to be with the Lord. I was at his bedside several days before he passed away. He spoke about the things he wished he had shared with me and of the articles that he still wanted to write.
I still maintain his blog at The Argosy Project and his video and audio recordings at Argosy Project – Audio and Video. To highlight his eight blog posts I will be posting them over the next few months. – Stan Courtney
Project Goals by Argosy Project
The Argosy Project is a field research effort to collect as much photographic, audio, and physical evidence of the Midwest hominid, generally referred to as Bigfoot.
A concurrent emphasis of the Argosy Project is to educate the public about the behavior and traits of Bigfoot. Bigfoot is a unique species, and there are many inaccurate myths perpetuated by the media, and some Bigfoot researchers..
The ultimate goal of the Argosy Project is to get local ordinances passed, and laws enacted at the state, and federal level to protect Bigfoot as a treasured species.
A Matter of Trust by Argosy Project
I know many people will question why I don’t go charging into the woods when ever I hear a Bigfoot nearby. When I’m at my main research box I consider myself a mere visitor, and I respect the Bigfoot who frequent this locale.
After four years of studying them, I would say it’s been only the past two years that the Bigfoot family has come to accept me enough to acknowledge my presence. The Bigfoot will often pound on wood, or let out a whoop to signal me. So there is a certain comfort level of familiarity where the Bigfoot will let their guard down when I’m around. I’d like to think of it as a matter of trust.
I strongly feel that if I get too heavy-handed with my research techniques, the Bigfoot will think I’m being too intrusive, and simply have nothing to do with me. Another researcher recently called my work there “slow and methodical.” To me, that’s a compliment.
Our society is geared for big results- done quickly. My belief is the Bigfoot have been around a very long time, most likely longer than us. So they don’t really need us, but they are probably as curious about us, as we are about them. I’m dealing with three Bigfoot individuals, and two more possibly, and it’s my obligation to respect them.
Two years ago another researcher asked me if we could ever study these creatures in a Jane Goodall-fashion. I flatly said, “No.” I couldn’t envision that possibility then, but my experiences with the Bigfoot there these past two years has altered my view. In the meantime, I will still feed the Bigfoot family cookies and leftover pizza. The Argosy Project continues.
Poll # 4 How much time do you spend in the field squatchin?
[poll id=”7″]
Knowing that everyone has obligations with work and family I thought it would still be interesting to see how much time researchers try to get out and look for evidence.