Bigfoot encounters can be unnerving.
Just as in the case of UFOs and ghost experiences, those who have them often do not report them to friends and family unless they were also witnesses, or to information groups due to possible public ridicule.
Once reported, any report that goes public must undergo a certain amount of due diligence. The witness must be willing to give further information other than a short summary of what they have seen, and be available to the investigator. They must usually make their name known in connection with the sighting. Lastly, any pictures or physical evidence must be available for the researcher to examine and verify if available.
While there are many Bigfoot sightings that have occurred, they have not been reported because there has only been one witness, or perhaps there were extenuating circumstances to discount the experience.
What does a report look like?
For reports submitted to www.albertasasquatch.com, they look like:
SEASON: Spring
DATE: May 14, 2011
PROVINCE: Alberta
COUNTRY: Canada
LOCATION DETAILS: It was just south of the Bow Valley Campground, located just off the Trans-Canada Highway and the Stoney First Nations reserve.
NEAREST TOWN: Bow Valley Campground
NEAREST ROAD: Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)
OBSERVED: I was camping with my daughter and dog. We had gone down by the river after dinner just prior to the sun going down. My daughter and I were skipping rocks into the river (east side). My dog was watching for squirrels and rabbits behind us (she was looking northeast). Just after the sun went down I called the dog over to get a drink before we left; she came to the river and stopped. She started to stare across the river and her hair started to bristle. I looked over the river at what I thought was a grizzly bear (west side of river). It was right at the bank of the river and then it stood onto its back legs, turned around and walked into the brush behind it (three, maybe four steps before I could not see it). I'm not sure how big but I would guess well over 6 feet 6 inches to 7 feet tall and was twice to triple the width of a person. It was across the river and upstream, about 165 yards from me.
ALSO NOTICED: My dog chases wildlife. She is a sight hound and she loves to chase. She will chase rabbits, deer, and even stood in between a bear and me later that year. With this she was scared.
OTHER WITNESSES: I was there with my daughter (eight years old) who did not see, and my dog, so no other witnesses.
OTHER STORIES: No.
TIME AND CONDITIONS: It was around 9 p.m. just after the sun went behind the mountains.
ENVIRONMENT: Riverbank, very well treed on both sides, and in a valley with mountains closer to the west side.
The more information you can provide, the better quality the report will be. Take photographs of the area.
If you manage to locate a footprint, provide a reference with a ruler or a regular sized foot. If there happens to be more than one witness, have everyone write down what they saw, heard and smelled.
Unexplained Mysteries is a regular feature of the Innisfail Province. Remember, sightings can be reported to [email protected], www.bfro.net or to www.albertasasquatch.com.
