Finding Bigfoot – Bigfoot Research on Television!
Lately I’ve received some comments about Matt Moneymaker, CEO of BFRO and apparently now the star of Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot television show. I say “apparently” because I don’t watch the show. I haven’t watched television in over ten years! (I’ll watch when Netflix posts it!) But for those of you who do watch television, this show is getting some attention and I’m getting criticisms of Matt Moneymaker — blog comments, and some comments in email – one from a person who thought Bigfoot Sightings is Matt’s site. ((Well, no, it isn’t!))
I have never met Matt Moneymaker and he’s never contacted me via email or any other way. I have nothing against him. I’ve heard complaints. I’ve heard praise of him too. And honestly, I have no opinion for or against him. I think it is cool he is working with Animal Planet to create a television show. This is definitely a great marketing move and I honestly don’t blame anyone who tries to make some money with Bigfoot research. It is idealistic to say people shouldn’t make money with their hobbies or avocations. We all have to pay the cost of living, and sorry to say this civilization requires personal funding.
So… I’m just saying… congratulations to everyone who is involved with the TV show. I hope the viewers enjoy it. Sorry there are criticisms of Matt but I’ll bet he’s used to that by now. You can’t actually DO anything “out of the box” these days without getting criticized because of it.
This site isn’t Matt’s. His Bigfoot site is BFRO which is a much more successful web enterprise and Bigfoot research endeavor than mine.
I’m not against anyone. I’m not in competition with anyone regarding Bigfoot research. I learned long ago that there are some huge egos in Bigfoot research and I’m not interested in trying to be bigger or better than anyone else. For me, Bigfoot research is a lot more fun without the personal squabbles, and I strive to avoid contact with ‘researchers’ who make a habit of criticizing and insulting others who are out looking for Bigfoot. ((God save me from divisive and egotistical bullies!))
For you who criticize – I’m not against you either. I have a ‘live and let live’ state of mind. Gosh, I feel that way about Bigfoot too!
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Oh… and great news for me… my old friend and neighbor JavaBob Schmalzbach is coming back to Happy Camp! I’m counting the days until I see him and his dear wife again. I don’t know how the rest of you out there in the Bigfooting world feel about him, but here in Happy Camp JavaBob is someone very special. He’s a former president of our Chamber of Commerce, and someone we care about for reasons that have nothing to do with Bigfoot! (And did you know I’m the person who brought up the idea of Bigfoot research here in Happy Camp, and shared that with Bob back in early 2005 when I first bought the domain name for this site? …And LOOK what he’s done with his Bigfoot research! He even wrote a book!!!) … so whatever anyone has to say about who he is or what he’s done, to me he is my friend and neighbor and someone who earned my respect and loyalty many years ago because of what he’s done for this community, his friendliness, his hospitality, his local business endeavors, and his lovely family….
September 6, 2009
David Paulides Responds to the Bigfoot Massacre Issue
While checking out David Paulides’ North America Bigfoot Search website yesterday to verify a statement in my first posting about Tribal Bigfoot, I noticed that Paulides has added an undated “blog post” that seems to be a response to the Bigfoot Massacre hooplah/outcry that started on Cryptomundo with Loren Coleman’s postings of MK Davis pictures and videos compared to responses by John Green. Coleman’s posts included a couple derisive mentions of Paulides’ name which set me off, and I responded with a few blog posts of my own, shocked that Paulides would be associated with such an outrageous theory. Perhaps I should have kept it to myself, but I was very upset by the issue, especially after seeing David Paulides’ name mentioned! Plus I thought the photoshopping on the videos Coleman linked to was outrageous!
You can read David Paulides’ blog post #67 “Professional Investigations” on his blog in small orange lettering on black (which gives me eye strain) . . . or praise God because it is also posted on David Paulides’ Author Page at Amazon
I agree in part with this statement from his blog posting: “…the world of Bigfoot is one of the most dysfunctional arenas in any spectrum imaginable. It’s a place where many can’t work together, most don’t have friends, a majority of research ‘groups’ are a group of one and almost all have an ego the size of Texas.” I’ve met more people with ego problems who are into Bigfoot research than in any other group I’ve associated with. However I’ve also met some very decent, humble, pleasant people; we’re not all made from the same mold.
I believe he was referring to Coleman when he wrote, “They don’t go into the field, they manage a website where they obtain revenue from selling ads on their site, they make occasional television show appearances and they pedal their books. This group has an inordinate amount of time to sit, read others sites and again, try to find a story that is controversial about Bigfoot so they can drive traffic to their site and increase the revenue to their wallet.” In case he was including me in that group I have to admit… I don’t make money on this site. The small amount of money I get from AdSense for this site doesn’t cover my server and domain expenses.
Though I’m no big fan of Coleman’s I also want to say he’s making money his way which is fine, and David Paulides is making out well too as I understand it because he told me he’s backed by a group of business people in the Silicon Valley area who invested in his project, plus he sells books. I think it is time we all stopped blaming other Bigfoot researchers for the way they attempt or manage to make money with their Bigfoot research projects. More on this in my recent posting: Bigfooting for Cash: Capitalizing on Bigfoot.
If I had a way to make money with Bigfoot research, I’d be doing it too because I’m now unemployed and living on the edge, financially. I don’t even have hot water in my home because I can’t afford the propane for the hot water heater. I’ve discovered that taking a cold shower isn’t too bad if you do it right after taking a long hike. I don’t have money to do long-distance research projects or buy Bigfoot research equipment or go to conventions. But I do have enough to rent a cabin in the forest and drive to local Bigfoot research locations, and maintain a blog. I’m not complaining… and I love living here despite few job opportunities. I also appreciate having more time for Bigfoot research and blogging since I lost my job!
I found David Paulides’ resonse in Blog posting #67 to be cryptic beyond belief – a technique no doubt perfected in his law enforcement days. Rather than coming right out and telling us what he’s talking about he skirts the topic while commenting on his professionalism. Call me a little disappointed, but a cryptic and uninformative response is better than none at all.
September 5, 2009
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter One: “Historical Bigfoot”
Review by Linda Martin – @2009
Reading group homepage for this book: Tribal Bigfoot
Re: Chapter One of Tribal Bigfoot, “Historical Bigfoot.”
I love historic accounts of Bigfoot encounters found in newspapers of the 1800′s in the USA. I wonder how many of these old news articles are still undiscovered. David Paulides came up with some fascinating articles for the first chapter of Tribal Bigfoot — possibly from the Ray Crowe archive he purchased.
After reading the entire chapter, the historic articles that remain in my memory are those with detailed descriptions of a possible Bigfoot-like creature. Back then they were called “wild men.” They are described as having skin resembling a horses’s — not what I’d expect at all — but it fits: hair-covered hide, hands similar to bear paws.
What’s very cool about these news articles is that there are several accounts of a captured Bigfoot. One article is from 1833 in Kentucky (pages 48 and 49), and another from 1839 in Ohio (pages 44 through 46). Both these provide detailed descriptions of the appearance and behavior of the “wild man” that we would probably call Sasquatch or Bigfoot today. Another account of a captured wild man was published in 1908 in Wisconsin about a Volva, North Dakota incident (page 46).
If they were actually captured back then, it makes me wonder why we have such a difficult time doing the same now. Could it be that we (as a species) have learned incompetence during the last 170 years? Could television and radio waves and cell phone EMFs have affected us … and made us lazy? Yes, times have changed.. so are we capable of duplicating the captures of the past? Or, were these accounts of hairy wild man captures simply facetious? (I think not.) Another wild theory of mine is that these captured wild men were able to put the word out to others of their species through psychic means, to warn them that if they had contact with humans they could end up captured. Are Bigfoot creatures more cautious now because of what has happened in the past?
Captivity seemed to drain the fight out of these wild men. The Ohio article stated, “He is now quite tame and quiet and is only confined by a stout chain attached to his legs.” I find it hard to believe that a stout chain could stop a Bigfoot from escape. A few years back I saw a thick and hefty chain which had held two goats, that had been broken so that something (a possible Bigfoot) could take the goats for food. (The remains were found nearby on a hill in a wooded area.) Perhaps the Ohio wild man lost his strength because of a changed diet, or just a lack of will to escape.
The Kentucky account involved a possible Bigfoot on a train. He was being taken to New York to hopefully be sold to PT Barnum’s circus. This article states, “When Conductor Harry Smith took out his glistening nickel plated punch to cancel the tickets the wild man watched the punch intently until he heard it snap. Then he got down in the corner of the seat fairly shivering with fear, and set up a low howl…”
Could it be that the Ohio and Kentucky captured wild men were one and the same? Not if you believe the stories from the newspapers. The Ohio wild man was captured near the Mississippi River and the wild man on the train in Kentucky was said to have lived in North Carolina. He was also said to have been a sharp shooter and murderer. The part about being a sharp shooter doesn’t sound realistic so that brings into question the credibility of the men who possessed the wild man. Even so, the Kentucky article pre-dates the Ohio article by six years so it is unlikely to have been the same creature.
Another old news article that changed how I think about Bigfoot is the “What Is It” article published June 25, 1891 in Woodland, California, found in Tribal Bigfoot on pages 33 and 34. It tells of Mr. Herman Gilbert who was exploring Capay Valley, near Rumsey. David Paulides identified Rumsey as being a small town near Clear Lake in Northern California. The article tells that Mr. Gilbert found and followed footprints to a ravine where he witnessed an agitated Bigfoot-like creature “covered in gore” near a pile of rotting animal remains that stank severely. It made me wonder if members of the Bigfoot species are in the habit of covering themselves with gore to produce a terrible stench. It could be a way of self-protection from forest animals, or a way to keep human beings at bay.
Any comments on this chapter are welcome.
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Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter One: “Historical Bigfoot”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Two: “The Bigfoot Map Project”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Three: “Associations”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Four: “Extreme Sighting Locations”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Five: “Santa Cruz County”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Six: “Amador County”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Seven: “Trinity County”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Eight: “Siskiyou County”
Tribal Bigfoot – Comments on Chapter Nine: “Del Norte County”
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