Posted in Mystery Animals

Bigfoot in New Jersey

In June of this year, I emailed famed West Coast psychic Nancy Bradley after reading a very interesting account of a Bigfoot encounter that she had as a girl while vacationing at her family’s summer cabin in Lake Owassa, NJ. For those of you who are unfamiliar with New Jersey or whose only familiarity with the Garden State is driving past the reeking factories along the northern stretch of the NJ Turnpike while passing through, you might be surprised to know that much of the fifth smallest state (and most highly populated per square mile) contains many miles of woodland and farms. The densely forested Pinelands in South Jersey actually covers about 1.1 million acres.

Hiding Bigfoot
Hiding Bigfoot

My family and I happen to live in the more populated and congested area of northeastern New Jersey, about 20 miles outside of New York City, but western NJ as you near Pennsylvania is another very rural and wooded part of the state, and this is where Ms. Bradley’s tale takes place. If you’d like to read her original article, here’s the link: www.trueghosttales.com/paranormal/bigfoot-of-lake-owassa-new-jersey). In my email to Ms. Bradley, I told her that I enjoyed her article very much and that my wife, Debbie, had a strange experience while in that part of the state a couple of years ago. Here is Debbie’s story as I recounted it to Ms. Bradley:

We live in the northeastern part of the state, not far from NYC. I’m a website designer and my wife, Debbie, teaches special education. Each June she accompanies her seventh-grade class for a 3-day outing at Stokes State Forest, which is in Sussex County and pretty close to Lake Owassa. Well, one night one of the students staying in the same cabin as Debbie had a severe asthma attack. The girl’s parents didn’t bother to notify the school about her condition and neglected to pack her inhaler, so my wife ran out of the cabin at about 3 AM and proceeded to cross the compound to the infirmary where the nurse slept. As she ran toward the nurse’s station she heard an awful yowling/screeching noise. It was high-pitched and very loud, and unlike anything that she’d ever heard before. It frightened her greatly. She did what she had to do, however, and alerted the nurse about the young girl’s condition and an ambulance was called (the girl recovered, fortunately).

The horrible screeching and yowling continued for several minutes after Debbie arrived at the nurse’s station, and when a NJ State Trooper arrived alongside the ambulance, my wife described the horrible sounds that she just heard and asked the officer if he’d heard them or if anyone had reported them. He looked at her and in a very serious tone said, “there have been a lot of Bigfoot reports in the area over the last few nights”. After my wife told me this, I began doing some research and found a surprisingly large number of Bigfoot reports in New Jersey.

I had always associated Bigfoot sightings with the Pacific Northwest and certainly wouldn’t have thought there would be any similar reports in such a highly populated state as ours but apparently, people in the more rural northwestern part of New Jersey are familiar with these sightings. In this part of New Jersey, the sightings are frequent enough to have garnered the big furry fellow a nick-name of “Big Red Eye“.  This is because witnesses often describe the creature as having glowing red eyes (not sure if this is specific to New Jersey sightings, as I don’t recall hearing about this trait having been reported elsewhere).

Weird NJ has a couple of interesting articles about Big Red Eye that you might want to check out at weirdnj.com/stories/big-red-eye and weirdnj.com/stories/bizarre-beasts/bigfoot-and-the-big-hairy-man.

In the course of my research I also came across a couple of websites that had audio recordings of what was thought to be Bigfoot vocalizations, and when I played them for Debbie she remarked that  that was exactly what it sounded like. Recently, the Discovery Channel aired the excellent “Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science” and at one point they played an audio recording that was supposedly from a Sasquatch, and again my wife said that what she’d heard sounded just like that.

I just thought I’d share that experience, even though it wasn’t exactly firsthand. My wife is very level-headed and not much of a believer in anything paranormal or out of the ordinary, so I was impressed by the fact that she was so shaken by this and that she would even entertain the idea that it could have been Bigfoot.

Ms. Bradley was kind enough to respond to my email and even went so far as to invite my wife and me to explore the area around Lake Owassa with her and her husband when they visit New Jersey next year. Obviously, I said “yes” to that immediately, but my wife’s response when I told her of Nancy’s offer was predictable: “No way”, she said. Debbie does not share my interest in the unexplained and was sufficiently shaken by the experience that she has no desire to seek out whatever it was that was source of those unearthly screams. I’ll post an article after I explore the area around Lake Owassa with Nancy and her husband, and let you know if there was anything interesting to be found.

If you live in New Jersey and have had a Bigfoot encounter, I’d love to hear about it.

An unfortunate aside: I looked up Nancy Bradley at the time of reposting this article and saw that she passed away in 2015. May God rest her soul.

About John Carlson

John C, A.K.A. "The Paranormalist", is a bipedal primate from New Jersey, USA. He has had a lifelong fascination with all things strange and unexplained and has even had some actual face time with the supernatural on several occasions. John is always eager to hear about the experiences of others who have also had encounters with the unknown.

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218 thoughts on “Bigfoot in New Jersey”

  1. Why doesn’t anyone ever consider the possibility that a “researcher”might have been call blasting? It’s easy enough to download sounds and make a cd with some audio software.
    It’s a real possibilty that when a witness says she heard the same sounds,she might actually mean that literally. She might be hearing sounds dowmloaded from a website.

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  2. Down here in South NJ where I live, right outside the Pine Barrens actually, there is the story of Ol’ Red Eye I think he is called. I believe the last reported sighting was in the 70s in Manahawkin. . .when it was mostly wooded of course.

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    • Yeah, Manahawkin is pretty suburban these days. Nice area, though. Real estate’s a lot less than here in north Jersey, too.

      According to the NJ Bigfoot Reporting Center, https://strange.myeyez.net/bigfootnj/index.php, there have been a few more recent bigfoot sightings in the Pine Barrens. People forget, or don’t know, that the Pine Barrens are 1.1 million acres of forested area. I’d like to know if that’s a big enough area to support a creature of that size.

      I’m going to take a good, long day hike in the Pine Barrens this month, and I’m going to bring my camera — just in case! I’m also hiking the Batona trail in April, which should take about four days. Maybe I’ll have a sighting if I’m lucky. Or maybe of the Jersey Devil.

      Reply
  3. Hi John,

    It’s great to hear stories like that from credible upstanding citizens. I’ve taken interest in the subject of bigfoot when a good friend of mine had me do research into this mystical creature.He wanted me to do him a favor and attempt to debunk the phenomenom by aggresively researching the subject. Well, I never in a million years thought I’d say this, but (for what it’s worth) I am 99.9% positive this is a real animal. I’d bet my house on it.

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    • Thanks. I’d love to hear about the nature of your research and where it took place. Was it in New Jersey, or elsewhere in the US or Canada? The East Coast of the USA is not where you’d typically think to find Bigfoot (for those who even entertain the possibility of its existence), yet there are a lot of reports of sighting in more heavily populated states.

      You called it a “mystical creature”. Do you believe it’s simply an undiscovered species, or something that is perhaps interdimensional or metaphysical? That’s what I’m struggling with. I certainly do believe there are undiscovered species out there, but I also think that some are of a paranormal nature. I find that question very interesting.

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  4. John,

    That is a question that most of us, at one point, have to stop and think about. However, what most of us fail to understand is that just because we have a high intelligenc does not mean we have the highest intelligence in every habitat.I firmly believe this animal is an undiscovered (unrecognized would be more fitting) species. These animals are rare to begin with and nomadic in nature.From that standpoint alone, there needs to be such a concentrated effort to document them (not some BFRO 20 man search team, the expeditions results speak for themselves, with exception to a few that yielded intriguing yet inconclusive evidence).
    Have you ever walked through the pine barrens? Even if you were alone, the noice/scent you will give off by just walking does not go unnoticed. Now throw in an animal in the equation that is A) large B) quick/fast/swift C) nocturnal D) camoflaged E) nomadic F) rare G) apprehentious of human unpredictability H) well aware of it’s environment (which includes the sounds/scents/appearance of other flora and fauna inhabiting it) AND FINALLY I) slight intelligence, and you have an undocumented species that is very difficult (not impossible) to prove its very own existence. The reason I stated “slight intelligence” is because that is all the animal will need to go unnoticed for the most part. Now imagine if I underestimated that animal’s intelligence…

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    • J,

      It may well be an unrecognized, flesh-and-blood creature. Although, I don’t necessarily feel that the physical and paranormal aspects are mutually exclusive to each other. Most of the Native American tribes feel that Bigfoot is both physical and spiritual and can walk between worlds. If you read Hunt for the Skinwalker, the huge wolf described is definitely “real” in a physical sense, but it exhibited otherworldly behavior and mysteriously vanished when it was pursued.

      The NJ Pine Barrens is a very large area (1.1 million acres), and I have hiked in it many times. I’m doing a 4-day 50-mile hike in April along the Batona Trail, and I’ll bring along my digital video recorder in the event that I spot something of interest. It’s an area that could be large enough to possibly have a large animal remain undiscovered, I suppose. I’m certainly open to the idea, whether or not I feel it’s likely. The fact that there are so many Bigfoot reports in populated states like New Jersey must mean something, unless they’re ALL hoaxes and misidentifications; but I’m hesitant to chalk them all up to being lies or mistakes.

      Thanks for the input. I’m going to finish the second part of my article about Cryptids in Suburbia tonight, and I also had a very interesting conversation with cryptid researcher Adam Davies. I’ll post that as well. Feel free to comment – I enjoy the feedback and the exchange of ideas.

      Reply
  5. Hi again John,

    Do you know of any New Jersey BF expeditions or lectures that are in the near future? I was just curious because I have never got a chance go.
    Have you yourself ever went on an expedition or attend a lecture?
    Like I’ve mentioned before, I am not so much a fan of large team expeditions. However, I would love to get the chance to talk to some of the people who attend.
    Just thought I’d ask.
    Thanks

    J

    Reply
    • Hi J,

      No, not off the top off my head, but I can look into it. I’ve met Drew Vics who created and runs the NJ Bigfoot Report Center database, and I know he’s given a few talks in the past. I’ve also been in touch with psychic Nancy Bradley who grew up spending summers at her folks’ vacation home in Lake Owassa in Sussex County, and she and some of her family members claim to have had some bigfoot experiences out there. She invited me to go explore the area with her and her husband when they visit in the spring.

      I’ve never been on a real expedition, but I plan to definitely do that if her offer is still open. Being that it’s nearby, Lake Owassa might be a place to check out for newbies like us. Interestingly, it’s just south of Stokes State Forest where my wife had her “experience” and was told by the police officer about recent sightings. Don’t know if you’re familiar with the area, but it’s very rural and there’s a lot of woods. Looking at the BFRO website, Sussex County is second only to Burlington County (Pine Barrens region) for the number of bigfoot reports in the state. I’m doing a 50-mile hike on the Batona Trail in the Pines in April, so I’ll have my eyes open when I go on that one.

      If I hear of anything I’ll let you know. Maybe we can get a small group together for a short expedition sometime.

      John

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  6. I would love to. I did happen to read of your wife’s encounter. Very interesting, considering I went there with my whole 5th grade class for a couple day stay class trip years ago. Probably in the same quarters as you explained in your report.
    I’m still blown away by the story. Amazing.

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    • They probably were the same quarters! Sightings in that region are not uncommon, and I thought it was interesting to hear of Nancy Bradley’s experience in an area so close to where my wife had had hers. There could be something to it worth investigating. Let’s consider getting a few people together and maybe checking out the area in the spring.

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  7. When your wife explained to the policeman (or policemen) what happened, what gave the policeman the impression that it might have been an animal related to recent bigfoot sightings that had occured near that area? Was the report your wife gave of the sounds she heard reported by others? Did the policeman give any more information? Was the officer implying that he believed there was some truth in the sightings/sounds?
    Apologies for the multiple questions.
    On a random topic but same subject, are you familiar with the famed grizzly bear hunting guide, Clayton Mack? He unfortunately passed away years back but got to pass on some of his experiences with bigfoot that I believe are documented in the book “grizzly bears and white guys” (could be wrong on the title). Anyway, he’s had some pretty interesting stories.
    And yes, I will talk to some people and try to get a small spring trip in the works.

    Reply
    • When my wife described the noises to the police officer he responded by saying that they’ve been having numerous reports of Bigfoot sightings over the last several days and nights. My wife’s impression was that these sounds were associated with the sightings, although she doesn’t recall if the officer stated that explicitly. The entire girls’ side of the compound was roused when the student was rushed to the infirmary and the ambulance and police arrived. My wife said all the girls and female teachers heard the sounds, approximately twenty people. She was quite convinced that these cries were non-human, and she described them as being very loud and not like anything that she’d heard before. It really frightened her, and my wife doesn’t scare easily. Whether the police officer was implying if he believed that the source of these screams were from a Bigfoot, I don’t know. My wife said that policeman seemed quite serious when he told her about the reports. These noises are pretty commonplace among Bigfoot encounters, as I’m sure you know.

      I was just asking my wife about this again, to be sure of the number of people who heard this, and she added something that I didn’t know or might have forgotten: there was a forest ranger present with the police officer, and he also confirmed that there had been Bigfoot sightings reported in the area recently. Let me know how things progress. I might know a couple of people who’d be interested in going as well.

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  8. Just to get the record straight…its SUSSEX county…not Suffolk county…..The pine barrens is huge and there are deep , dark ,thick,wet spots galore that you couldnt walk into if you tried…..I have absolutely no doubt that the creature can and does hide there….I have been on the larger expeditions and they are both good and not so good. That is a whole other discussion though…………You al l should know that you are dealing with an extremely intelligent animal, and in my opinion that is all it is , a flesh and blood animal…..this animal is a master of one thing….HIDING…..they will belly crawl a good portion of the time when there is any risk of being seen…they use the terrain, low spots, high spots , trees , shadow , light…..all to there advantage. They are almost exclusively nocturnal and prefer to spend the day in heavy vegetation…..think of the navy seal or green beret sniper…now put him in the middle of the pine barrens and tell him to hide and never be seen….now give him blazing 35-40 mph speed and strength more then 20xs that of a human being …along with better hearing, smell and eyesight……still doubt that they can hide from us or live in the pines ??? Dont !……………….

    Reply
    • Thanks for the correction – I just saw that myself in my comments. Lived on Long Island when I was very young (before moving to Jersey) and I have relatives in Suffolk County, so I catch myself saying that sometimes.

      I don’t discount the idea of something large possibly being able to live in the Pines. Over a million acres of dense forests and bogs seems like it could be a habitat that of a large hominid, especially if it’s intelligent and deliberately trying to avoid human contact. I love the Pine Barrens. The terrain is so strange and haunting; very different from most places in the US. It’s very beautiful in its own unique way.

      Sounds as if you’ve had some experience in this. Can you share any specific accounts of experiences or of physical evidence that you gathered? I’d love to hear about it. Thanks for posting the comment.

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  9. I have a friend that is experienced and has found 3 prints so far here in southern Ocean county. They (Bigfoots) are extremely careful(most of the time)about leaving prints in areas they might be seen..They are thought to live in family groups and spend there days positioned in “lookout” positions..working as a team to help each other remain hidden…this is of course theory, grounded in some knowlege and I agree with it for the most part…I personally dont believe they are always doing this or in this “mode”…but I do believe it is a tactic they employ often….I am putting together and expedition in early April myself in Bass river. The participants are all experienced”squatchers”…some very experienced and there is a ton to learn in just being around the conversation…you should stop by our cabin for a visit and some lunch….

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  10. also…..i have found tree structures and recieved a wood knock response while investigating in Ohio…and just found my first print this week in southern Ocean county…I have seen video that no one else has seen and heard stories from people I do trust…..just so you know. Dont believe everyone….Many are just making up stories…even on the bigger expeditions and even members of some of the bigger”organizations”…get to know people and weed out who you trust and who you can believe…….

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    • I’d definitely like to stop by to visit and meet the group. I’ve camped frequently in Bass River State Forest and know the area pretty well. If you’d like to email me the date, time and place, that’d be great.

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  11. I’ve had a sighting in NJ a few years ago in Livingston while driving near the waterworks over there, I contacted Drew’s sight and eventually got in touch with Mike Aragona BFRO’s guy in NJ..we went back at a later date and beat the bush and found and casted a footprint that was 14 inches or so long (dont recall the exact figure) . Mike is a big guy and I go at around 220 neither of us left a print in the icy muck but this print was stomped a good inch into the ground. I also did a late night outing in NW Jersey and a pine barrens overnight with Mike. He’s a good guy and has some equipment (night vision/thermal viewers) and has the experience of having attended the bigger BFRO expeditions so he’s your contact to get out with someone who knows what they are doing.

    Joe

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    • Joe – Thanks for sharing that. I know Livingston a bit (I’m about 40 minutes east), and I know that’s a pretty heavily populated suburban area. Definitely not one of the more remote rural areas of New Jersey. I’m finally finishing up the second part of my “Cryptids in Suburbia” article, and I may have to make mention of your story, if you don’t mind. It’s always particularly interesting to me when I hear about Bigfoot and creature sightings in more populated areas. When I interviewed Drew a couple of years ago he’d mentioned that he’d gotten a fair number of reports of sightings in Newark, of all places! Of course that led to about 20 minutes of inappropriate jokes about the residents of Newark that I’m sure Mayor Booker wouldn’t have appreciated. Seriously, though – Newark? Creatures sightings in urban areas are really bizarre. At least in most suburbs there are some wooded areas to provide some kind of cover, but it’s hard to imagine in a city. BTW – was your sighting at night or during the daytime?

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  12. First let me say, this forum post took me by surprise,very interesting.I’m a 46 yr.old man who grew up in Essex County,N.J….My uncle owned a home in Layton,Sussex Co.,and my dad and I spent many days up there,hunting ,fishing and hiking.My uncles property consisted of 40+acres, which bordered the Big Flatbrook W.M.A.,teeming with wildlife including whitetail deer,grey fox,raccoons,bobcats,pheasants,etc. I loved it up there,for a city kid like me this was a wilderness,where I learned alot about nature. Back in the mid 70’s to mid 80’s,Stokes St. Forest and the Walpack valley were my favorite areas to go exploring,absolutely beautiful areas!! I spent one weekend,in the winter of ’79,all alone at the house because a severe snowstorm trapped my dad and his brother in the city ( Irvington ).There was no cable back then and reception was limited to a few channels of local t.v. ,so I spent my first night in front of the fireplace reading old issues of Outdoor Life. Sometime after midnight I began to hear a screaming noise off in the woods behind the house,distant at first so I thought the howling wind was playing tricks on me.The screams came at intervals every few minutes and were getting closer.I was so rattled by this,I went to the garage and let Molly,my uncles German Shepard in the main house,and she was NEVER allowed in the house,my uncle would have kicked my butt if he had ever found out. The dog was spooked by the noises too,we spent the next couple hours huddled together near the fire until the screaming finally faded away. My terror ended as the morning came,and even in a heavy snowfall,the dog and I went outside to the edge of the woods to look around.The snow was over a foot deep and blowing around in the winds so I did’nt see anything and headed back into the house,dreading another night alone and hoping my dad would somehow make the 70 mile trip and get me the hell out of there! That was wishful thinking and I can’t tell you how scared I was at the thought of being alone another night,but nothing wierd happened again.I felt foolish when my dad and uncle finally pulled in the driveway the next afternoon,but I spoke up about the noises from the woods,kind of playing down the fact that it scared the crap out of me. I must admit the nieghbor ( about a quarter mile away ) did have a couple hunting dogs,but these were not the sounds of dogs howling,that would not have spooked Molly.That dog was as scared as I was,never saw her like that,never. These sounds were wild ,gutteral screams and like nothing I’d ever heard before or since. I just thought my story might be relative to this forum.I hope someday to revisit that area of N.J.,but living in Florida on a limited budget,I guess I’m just dreaming. Thank you for your time,Rob.

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    • Thanks, Rob. That’s a very interesting account, and what you’ve described sounds very much like what my wife had heard. Those screams and yowls she heard really shook her up, and as I’ve mentioned a few times, my wife is not the excitable type in the least. And she claims that the patrolman was very earnest when he made that comment about the Bigfoot sightings in the area. He didn’t appear to be joking at all when he said it. More food for thought. Thanks again for checking in!

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  13. Hi John,

    It has been a little while. I just wanted to ask if you have ever been camping in upstate NY? I am most likely planning a trip with my friends in May for a little R & R and a little research during down time. Last year we camped near the northwestern tip of Lake George. It was beautiful, yet primitive. We went in september, and stayed in the back of the campground where there was only one group of campers 100 yards from us. I’ve read reports of bigfoot in the surrounding areas of Sabbath Day Point and whitehall, NY. We are leaning towards a Sabbath Day Point campground, but looking for some advice. I know you are originally from NY, but was wondering if you have had (or heard of) any sites of interest.

    J

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    • Hi J,

      Good to hear from you. I was born in the eastern end of Long Island (Nassau County) and my family and I moved out of there on my fourth birthday. I grew up in northeast New Jersey, but my older brother has been living in Sullivan County NY for the past 22 + years. More of the camping I’ve done has been in northwestern NJ (mostly Sussex County) and south Jersey, in the Pine Barrens. My bro is a big camper and fisherman, and I’m sure would be more familiar with some of those areas, although I don’t know think he has any particular interest or belief in Sasquatch. He and his family have had some interesting UFO sightings up his way, however. He lives close to Pine Bush, NY where there have been many UFO sightings.

      I’ve been in touch recently with an author named Bruce G. Hallenbeck who is a NY state resident and co-wrote a book called Monsters of the Northwoods. He contacted me to ask if he could site my blog in a new book that he’s writing about New Jersey monsters. Monsters of the Northwoods is specifically about NY state Bigfoot sightings, so I’d bet that Bruce would be a good person for me to ask about good areas to research. I’ll shoot him an email and let you know if he has any suggestions.

      Reply
  14. That is very nice of you John. I thank you very much.I have heard of the book Monsters of the Northwoods, I believe through passive research.Let me know if he gets back to you. Talk to you soon John.

    J

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    • J,

      Sorry for the delay in responding. I spoke with Bruce Hallenbeck today and he told me that hottest spot for Bigfoot sightings in NY State is in Whitehall, near the Vermont border. The second hottest is in Bruce’s home town of Kinderhook, which is home to the “Kinderhook Creature”. Honestly haven’t heard of that one. I’ll have to buy his book, “Monsters of the Northwoods”.

      BTW, I’m told that I’m being quoted extensively in Bruce’s upcoming book that he’s co-authored with Loren Coleman, “Monsters of New Jersey”. Pretty cool! Here’s the link: http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/nj-monsters

      Keep in touch,

      John

      Reply
  15. John,

    That is great news! Very happy for you, and it is well deserved. I will be sure to catch a copy.

    Thank you very much for the info. Don’t apologize, there’s no delay. We are all busy these days.

    I have heard about Whitehall and how it has been characterized as a “hot bed” for sasquatch activity. The first I heard about this town was actually from a show called “Monsterquest.” I then realized that this town of Whitehall is just east of Lake George. Last year we camped at a campground at the northwestern end of Lake George. It was beautiful to say the least. However, we decided this year we were going to backpack. So I did research and came across two areas: Tongue Mountain Range (southwestern end of Lake George, it actually resembles a Tongue because it is a small peninsula), and Black Mountain (east of Lake George on the opposite side of the Tongue Mtn Range, and just so happens to be on the outskirts just west of Whitehall).

    Intrigue set in and I decided to do more research. That whole area seems to be right in the middle of a cluster of alleged sightings. From Sabbath Day Point (including the Tongue Mtn Range) to Whitehall.

    Black Mountain seemed to fit the bill. It is the highest peak among others in the Lake George region and have heard the views are great from the summit. There are lean-tos near the bottom of the mountain but not on. There only issue we are going in May and it happens to be in black fly season so I’m sure they will be a pain even with bugspray.

    Thanks again. I think it might be a good idea to backpack in that area. I will of course keep you updated if you wish.

    J

    Reply
    • Thanks! Had another author recently ask if he could quote my post about gnomes and little folk. Very flattering, and makes me miss writing all the more. I’m just not very good at multitasking, and lately I’ve been very focused on work and on redesigning my website for my web design business. But I’m almost through that and plan to get back to writing on the Paranomalist blog regularly.

      No problem at all for the information. Bruce is a very nice guy and seemed happy to share what he knows. I think I caught some of that same episode of Monsterquest, and I believed they even discussed Bruce’s book “Monsters of the Northwoods”.

      Please stay in touch and let me know what happens on the expedition in May. I’m going on a four-day trek through the Pine Barrens here in Jersey this May and I plan to have my eyes open and my camera ready in the even that I see anything unusual.

      Hope to hear from you again soon.

      John

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  16. interesting story. i have anothr one from Massachusetts. a group of friends were snow mobiling up to greylock mountain. One of the guys claims to have been out by himself, away from the pack., he was costing slow, perhaps stopped, and he said turned around and saw a 9 foot sillotte of a person, that was black, out in the middle of woods. He said he knew the area well, and it wasn’t a tree or a bear. he said, he had total fright, and opened the throttle and then bolted up to where the rest of the guys were. They attest to him being white with fright, as he coaxed them to follow him out of there. They think it was a big foot too, or some demon or something. he’s adamant, it was humanoid 9 ft tall, all dark. He said there was no dead tree or anything else that it could have been. And said definitely not a bear. creepy.

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  17. I’m John! I’m enjoying your site. I was born in southern NJ and raised here. I currently live in Pine Hill. I watch all the tv shows about Bigfoot and believe it is a real animal/creature.

    I was talking to my sister-in-law the other night and she said she and my brother have been hearing a horrible noise and “something heavy” running across thru the yards. They have 3 acres in the woods and their closest neighbor also hears this. Not too long ago, my brother and their two little boys were on the enclosed back porch and my brother heard this “thing” coming around the house and they ran for the inside and locked the door. I never felt good about their place at night and now will never go there after dark. They live in Pittsgrove…..lots and lots of wooded areas where they live. Their neighbor has been there for 27 years and has heard it all these years. If that were me, I would have to try and see what this was (from the safety of the house of course).

    Reply
    • Hi Karen — Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying the site. If I lived down there, I’d invest in one of those motion-sensitive cameras that mount on trees. I don’t know what those thing run (probably not cheap) but can you imagine how valuable photographic evidence would be? Not sure if I’d venture outside either though, if I heard this going on from my house. I’ll be camping down there the weekend of 8/27, just a few miles east of Pittsfield in Bass River State Forest. I’m going to have my camera and video recorder ready, just in case!

      It does fly in the face of logic to entertain the idea that something like this could live in New Jersey, even in the acres of deep woods of the Pine Barrens, but I keep getting comments and emails from people who claim to have seen or heard something unusual down there, as well as in northwestern NJ. Unfortunately, that sandy soil of the Pines isn’t very conducive for getting clear footprints. Well, if I meet up with Big Red Eye, I’ll be sure to let everyone know. And please let me know if your brother and sister-in-law see or hear any new unusual…”things”.

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  18. I have seen him ,and he is real. I live in AL, and i know he is out their. I,m 69. I have been whicting him for a time. from1965 till now.

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    • Gerald,

      Do you live in wooded area or are you a hunter? Where have you seen him? Ever tried getting a photo? I’m always interested to hear about these things.

      Thanks for the comment,

      John

      Reply
    • To a lot of people it is a joke, but I think they’re narrow-minded. I’m not joking with you, though. I’ve talked to too many people who have seen and heard this thing all throughout the United States. I definitely do not dismiss people when they tell me about these sightings and encounters.

      Reply
  19. I live in a wooded area,I had run in with him qne night. that will never for get. but I,m not going to get in to that right now.

    Reply
    • I suppose I would shoot too, if I had to. But if I didn’t have to I probably wouldn’t. I think it would be too much like shooting a man — not like hunting an animal. But I’ll tell you, I wouldn’t go into those woods without a gun if I knew one or more of them were around. No more than I’d go into an area full of grizzlies without a rifle. Maybe they’re shy and wouldn’t attack, but I wouldn’t want to be unarmed and find out otherwise.

      Reply
  20. I had written a few weeks ago about the experience my brother and sister-in-law had at their home in Pittsgrove NJ.

    I was talking to my best friend of over 40 years this afternoon and told her how I’m into Bigfoot and trying to read everything I can, etc. and she told me this experience. She had never mentioned it before to me. She and her husband and 3 kids lived in Mullica Hill with acres of woods behind their house. One day her son Neal along with 3 or 4 friends went exploring the woods like they did many times. This would be about 1983 or so. Neal was born about 1969 so he would have been 14 or 15. He and his friends came back to the house running, panting and screaming. She asked what was wrong and Neal said they saw “something that ran on 2 legs, covered in hair and HUGE”. They were terrified. She dismissed it and really never talked about it until I mentioned my interest. She just asked him not too long ago if he was ever going to “come clean” about what happened in the woods that day and he told her his story isn’t changing and she doesn’t have to believe him. I told her to tell him I believe him. Her other son is a police officer in the area and she’s going to ask him if there have been any reports of something strange, etc.

    Reply
    • AWESOME story, Karen. I’ve been hearing a lot of accounts of people hearing yowling/screaming sounds like my wife heard, but not many concerning eyewitness sightings. If the police officer hears of anything please let me know, if you wouldn’t mind. Thanks!

      Reply
  21. John, I sure will! I’m anxious to talk to both her sons.

    My sister-in-law mentioned that the “noise” this thing makes while running thru the yard is like a screech owl. I’m the type of person who would be looking out the window to see what this thing is…

    Reply
  22. Interesting to read the posts, growing up in NJ and frequenting many of the locations mentioned in Sussex County, fishing, camping, boy scouts, Layton, Flatbrook, WallPack, ‘Stokes, Lake Owassa etc. My first vocalization was when I was a boyscout camping along the Delaware River near the Paquarray Copper mines (abandoned) and thought to provide habitat for the “big fellow”. I wasn’t aware of the source, but the sound was unforgettable, not discovering what it was until i heard it again, this time in Georgia, (PIKE County) 60+ miles south of Atlanta, 2 summers ago at dusk while watering my garden. The screech got closer, dogs starting barking, cows were sounding distressed, and suddenly the night became deadly silent, no crickets, no locusts, not a sound. I was spooked, again not knowing what i was hearing, till a friend guided me to the BFRO site, where i discovered the identical “howl”, same as the one I heard years earlier at camp in NJ. There are different “vocalizations” on the web site, not all are the same, had to listen to a few until I heard the one I recognized. My friend prompted me to report my findings to the BFRO, which I did. I was contacted and encouraged to try some Tree Knockings, but my wife already thinks I’ve gone off the deepend, so I’m hesitant to go out and start “banging on trees” with a large stick or bat.

    Reply
    • Gary — As I think I mentioned, my wife never had much of an interest in these types of things, but she was shaken up enough by her experience that she wants nothing at all to do with exploring the area or trying to provoke any type of reaction. I’m just dumb enough to do it, though. There’s a particular vocalization that I’ve heard played on a few of the Bigfoot specials and I believe is on the BFRO site, the Ohio vocalization. It’s a long wailing cry, and it really disturbed my wife when she heard it. I’ve been getting a lot of emails and comments on the blog about vocalizations, but recently I’ve had some eyewitness accounts told to me as well. There’s an interesting one from a hunter that’s on The Paranomalist Facebook page, and it also took place in Sussex County NJ. Georgia does appear to be another east coast hotbed for Bigfoot sightings.

      Reply
  23. Hi John, thanks for your prompt reply, My friend from high school (NJ) is an avid reader of your article, he just sent me your update. I mention him as he was an eyewitness to a Bigfoot in Michigan during his teen years. He’ll see this and perhaps send in his account if he hasn’t already. It’s a great encounter.
    Back to NJ, that area of Sussex County is remarkable, watching the wildlife being re-introduced into that area after the Tocks Island Project went defunct with the change in the administration in Washington back in the 60’s. My dad frequented that area back in the 30’s, fishing Big Flatbrook, and bringing us there as kids, with me doing the same thing myself with mine, showing them what NJ is all about once you get off the turnpike. It is truly a Wildlife area and perfect place for our “large friend” to hide, thrive and perpetuate their kind.
    BFRO has listed many reported sightings in Georgia, with a large footprint found by the county sheriff a few years back in the county where I live, Pike County. My wife unfortunately didn’t hear the vocalization, so she still thinks this whole episode is “wild imagination”. I can appreciate your wife’s apprehension and not wanting to explore the area. The sound can be terrifying, with no resemblance to anything we’ve been exposed to under normal circumstances. It definitely made my skin crawl.
    Thanks again,
    G

    Reply
    • Hi Gary — My pleasure. If people are nice enough to comment on my blog, I try to follow up. To me, the point of having a blog isn’t just writing articles, but to engage in discussions with the readers.

      What my wife heard she describes as being truly unearthly, strange (and loud) and unlike anything she’s experienced before. That’s very much like the vast majority of comments and emails that I’ve received from people who have claimed to have heard similar vocalizations. And as I think I emphasized, my wife is NOT the type of person to let her imagination run away with her. Also, all the other teachers and students heard these sounds as well.

      Looking forward to hearing about your friend’s Michigan Bigfoot encounter. Thanks for the post, and keep in touch.

      John

      Reply
  24. Hi Mr. Carlson,
    I am the friend that Garry Snyder mentioned in his post. Over the past 50 years I have had three very close encounters with a Bigfoot with the third being a family of three. Garry became interested when I told him of my encounter in Michigan in 1963 and the other two encounters came out in our conversations. I will try and make each one brief.

    In the summer of ’63 I went to work for my uncle in Escanaba Michigan (on the upper peninsula) in his lumber yard. On Friday evenings we would quit early and my uncle, aunt and myself would go to their cabin in Dickenson County near the town of Harwood, Michigan. We would arrive around 4pm, eat and relax for the weekend. One Friday evening my uncle and I were sitting on the front porch and playing with the dog (a large German Shepherd). My aunt was in the back yard working. Suddenly she came running around the house screaming there was a bear in the yard. My uncle went into the house to get his rifle and I went with her to the back to see this “Bear.” The animal we saw was NOT a bear. Standing under a tree about 75′ feet away was a large, hair covered, man-like creature. The hair was light brown, the face was human-like with dark eyes. It’s face was partially hair covered and the hands hung down below it’s knees. The right arm was draped over a tree branch and the animal was slightly bent down looking under the branch at us. When I took several steps toward it, it backed away, turned and walked into the forest. By the way, the dog had run into the house and hid in a closet. We never saw it again but knew he/it was close because the dog would hide. After that summer, my aunt would refuse to go there alone and they eventually sold the cabin. I forgot to mention that we measured the tree branch and it was more than 8 feet off the ground.

    In the early 80’s I got interested in photography and part of the hobby was taking pictures of colonial era buildings and old cemeteries. Off of Route 206 in New Jersey, just before you cross the Delaware River into Milford, Pa is Old Mine Road (left or south off the highway). Down about a mile off of 206 is a very old cemetery. My wife and I would often go to the area to take pictures and picnic. On Saturday afternoon we had parked on the road outside the cemetery and walked through it to the bank of the river to eat. We had just spread the blanket and sat down when this horrible howl/scream/growl came from behind a stand of trees to our left. My wife took off running and I was close behind her. As we got to the car, the same noise came from across the road. Whatever made the original scream did not cross the road or we would have seen it leaving us to believe whatever it was, there was two of them. This cemetery is directly across the river from several BF sightings on the Pa. side.

    In 1991 during the Gulf War, I was employed by a trucking company in Allentown, Pa. My job, every week night was to transport jet engine parts from Philly to East Windsor, CT. My route home was Rt. 84 from Hartford through NY and onto Rt. 209 south in Pa. I would usually enter Delaware State Park (formerly the Tocks Island Dam project) about midnight or 1:00am. Each night I would pass a US postal truck traveling north and we would exchange pleasantries. That driver would also tell me about road conditions going south. One night all he said was: “Be careful… THEY are in the road about a mile down.” When I asked what was in the road, he answered: “You’ll see.” If you are familiar with that road you know it is VERY dark with absolutely no light sources except headlights. As I rounded a corner near one of the several small bridges, off to my left in the high beams were three large, hair covered creatures. The largest one was just stepping over the bridge’s guard rail and was so tall I had to look up at the head (possible more than 8’+ feet). The second largest, which I took to be a female was about 7’+ and the “child” was slightly smaller than the ‘female at 6.5″ or so. I slammed on the brakes and just sat there in the middle of the road. The big male looked at me and put himself between the truck and his family. All three just strode across the road and disappeared into the woods along to the ridge to my right. The next night I asked the north bound driver if he saw them too and he replied: “All the time….” This sighting was within several miles of the cemetery on Old Mine Road.

    I apologize that this report is not as brief or detailed as I would like them to be. However anyone can feel free to email for more info if necessary.

    Reply
  25. There is one other thing I would like to point out. There are BF researchers and organizations who have no use for people who have had multiple sightings. They will virtually ignor you or more or less give you the old: Thank you for contacting us. However there are also researchers like Gordon Scott who will listen intently and give you his insight into what you have just told him. Those of you have seen or heard this animal should not be afraid to tell your story. Most likely your friends, neighbors or relatives thought you were crazy BEFORE you told them about it…..

    Reply
    • Randy — Thanks so much for sharing your stories about your Bigfoot encounters. I’d never heard of or considered what you said about multiple-sighting eyewitnesses, but I suppose it makes some sense — although it is hardly a fair stance for Bigfoot researchers to take. Sightings of such creatures are such a rarity, I’d imagine that if you told some of them that you’ve had multiple sightings, they might be inclined to dismiss you as a crackpot or fraud. However, for someone such as yourself who has spent much of his life outdoors and in places where these encounters are known to have taken place, then it’s far more likely and believable that one such individual could have experienced several firsthand sightings and encounters.

      As I was telling Garry, I’ve recently received a number of fascinating stories of eyewitness Bigfoot accounts. I found your final sighting especially interesting because it involves a family unit of the creatures, rather than the more commonly reported type of sighting of a lone individual. Also that you described the creature in your first encounter as being more of a hairy man than an upright ape. That’s a distinction that the majority of people have made who have commented on the Paranomalist blog or Facebook page or have emailed me.

      Thanks again, and if you have any further details or insights that you’d like to send my way, feel free to email me at john@theparanomalist.com.

      John

      Reply
  26. Thank you Mr. Carlson. I assure you that both Garry and I appreciate your swift and understanding responses. The animal I saw in ’68 was tall, slim and broad shouldered. I believe it was a young animal. The family group, although all were tall, the bodies were bulky like Patty in the Paterson film. During the first and third encounter at no time did I feel threatened. The second one was terrifying to the point my wife would never go back there again. Thanks again for listening.

    Reply
  27. I’ve noticed over the years ( especially in new york state) while looking at bigfoot sightings thatthe counyies that have little or no known “cave systems” seem to be the only ones void of sightings?! Makes you wonder!

    Reply
    • True. That could be one of the reasons why they’re able to remain so elusive, Louie. They could be using the cave systems to travel, or simply as dens to live and sleep in during the day. Seems the majority of sightings are night, which would indicate that they’re primarily nocturnal. If they travel and hunt at night and hide in the caves during the day, that would go a long way toward explaining why they’ve been able avoid capture or a hunter’s bullet.

      Reply
  28. I just wanted to say that i enjoyed reading all your stories. I have never seen a bigfoot, but I know they’re out there. It’s good to know that we don’t have to travel across the country to search for these legendary creatures, especially since we have them in our very own backyards. I personally think they hide out in caves or even in the highest point in trees. To be honest, I never liked the idea of Bigfoot being a mystical animals who disappears…that’s when it gets looney. I really want to go on an expedition, but I don’t know where to start. I did mention it to my friends to see if they’ll go with me, and they just laughed. Thank you John for starting an honest blog where we can talk freely and not be ridiculed on what we believe.

    Reply
    • Thanks for reading, Greg. I’ve heard so many convincing stories from very sane-sounding people, that it becomes more and more difficult to deny the possibility that these creatures might be out there, even in very populated areas like New Jersey and eastern PA. I’ve been leaning toward the theory that they could be migratory animals, as others have suggested.

      Don’t be embarassed about your beliefs. I know, that’s easier to say than do, but I tend to look at people who dismiss these things out of hand as the foolish ones. I’m not certain of anything really, but if I do believe one thing completely it’s that this world in which we live and the universe that we occupy is a lot bigger and stranger than we can imagine.

      Reply
  29. You need to be sure that the vocal calls are not of animals living in NJ. Among them most scary is the bobcat screams. If you hear them at night, especially when there is snow on the ground. They are quite scary.

    https://www.bigwood.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/media/sounds/WAVS/animals/BOBCAT.WAV
    https://www.western-rivers.com/downloads/Bobcat%20Cries.mp3

    Some owls are also very vocal.

    But one to really mention is the female red fox. Sounds like a woman screaming.

    https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=k-kP3_t8OOM

    Reply
  30. If you plan on any hikes in the Bass River area let me know..I lived in Bass River and still own the house. Behind my house about a mile is a large lake. Sandy soil with a largest beaver hutch in the middle..The place isn’t far from the camping area..If you do want to hike the area , from now until mid spring would be the best time. Less ticks..I haven’t hiked back there since the late 80’s..Safety in numbers.. I am a bit leery of the growing coyote population . rabid or not..
    Let me know
    robert
    oceancountynj@gmail.com

    Reply
    • Thanks, Robert. I camp in the Bass River State Forest area every summer, but I’m thinking about going earlier. Love it there, but yeah, lots of ticks in the summer. We’re getting quite a few coyotes even up here in overpopulated Bergen County. My in-laws see them in their back yard frequently. Sounds good for doing some hiking. I’ll definitely let you know.

      Reply
  31. I grow up in east shore lake Owassa spent a lot of time playing in those woods I never seen anything. But i to have heard story’s. When you get a chance to visit and check out lake owassa I would really be interested in reading about it.

    Reply
    • I’m going to get out to Lake Owassa in the spring to hike around a bit and maybe ask a few questions of the locals. I’ll definitely let you know if I learn of anything interesting, and I’ll post an article about it here on the Paranomalist blog.

      Reply
  32. Dear John Carlson,
    Have you found anything out in Lake Owassa?
    and do you know if anyone was call blasting on march 18th
    out in the Bear Pond / Hopatcong area, about 5 or 6 pm?

    Reply
    • Michael – No, nothing further on Lake Owassa but I’m planning to go out there next month to do some hiking and a bit of investigating. I live about an hour or so east of Lake Owassa, so it’s no big deal for me to drive out there. I hadn’t heard of any call blasting on 3/18 in the Bear Pond/Hopatcong area. You heard some unusual sounds out that way I assume?

      Reply
  33. yeah, a far off howl sounded exactly like a recording I had heard in the past, just heard it once tried to listen intently for another but nothing, I’d love to go check out Lake Owassa, it’s about 1/2 hour from me, let me know if you ever need any assistance in investigating depending on the day of the week I might be able to get some people together, depending on how much help you’d need, we love doin that stuff.

    Reply
    • I get so many emails from people who claim to have seen and heard these things in northwestern NJ. I’m no professional researcher by any means, but I would like to look around and see if I might be able to speak with some locals about the subject. Definitely, I’ve got your email address so I’ll let you know when I plan to get out there. Probably on a Sunday sometime next month.

      Reply
  34. My husband’s uncle, back in the 1940’s was hunting in the western pine barrens and encountered a ‘man-like creature covered in white hair, running and screaming like a woman’ – it took him awhile to even tell his family he was so blown away by this , and he didn’t much like the woods after that ! In Warren Grove NJ a friend who was an experienced woodsman was camping out, and upon hearing a noise he shown his flashlight in the direction, illuminating a large manlike creature, with brown fur and red eyes- which disapeared ! …go figure…I live in Manahawkin and last April , as I walked in the wildlife preserve behind my house , I noticed a heron giving a distress cry in the distance and briefly a dreadful odor which seemed to make my leashed beagle quite excited…on a whim I grabbed a large stick and wacked a tree 3 times- Immediately there was 1 return tree wack in the distance! That night we heard odd screams that were almost like children playing, but they would trail off, and were just odd . This whole area is VERY strange! If you’re ever in the area needing help with anything feel free to contact us.

    Reply
    • Hi Rebecca — Thanks for the offer! I love Manahawkin and that area of New Jersey. My wife and kids spend the summers at the shore at my wife’s parents’ vacation home, and I go down on the weekends and often take our boys camping in the Pine Barrens (gives my wife a needed break too). I’m planning on going on a few hikes and camping trips on my own this summer as well, so I’ll definitely be down that way.

      To think that a few years ago I’d never even heard of Bigfoot sightings here in Jersey, and now over the last two years I’ve had so many people contact me with these kinds of stories. I’m starting to believe in the idea that there could be a migratory route through NJ, which is an idea that was first introduced to me by Drew Vics of the New Jersey Bigfoot Reporting Center. Unless, of course these sightings and experiences are all fraudulent or simply cases of people mistaking either human being or bears or other species for Sasquatch. It’s hard to imagine such a species living in our state (or anywhere, in fact) but the folks whom have contacted me sound very sincere, so it’s difficult for me to just dismiss the possibility.

      I’ll keep your email on file. I might like to talk more with you about your experiences and your family’s, if that’s okay. Thanks again!

      Reply
  35. i just read everyones comments and experiences and am very interested. i have lived in nj my whole life and the last 26 years in sussex co. i have never heard of any bigfoot sightings in this area until a few weeks ago while taking a paranormal class. i also have friends that live in lk owasa for many years so i will be calling them tonight to see if they have had any experiences or have heard of any. i also chaparoned an overnight class at the stokes forrest educational area and didnt hear of anything but some girls said they had the haunted cabin. i read you are planning to come to my area and if its not to late and would like some local company i would be interested in doing some of this research with you. let me know i have a flexable schdule. thanks

    Reply
    • Hi Mae — Please let me know if your friends in Lake Owassa have heard of any Bigfoot sightings. Sure, I’ll let you know when I plan to get out there. It’ll probably be just a day trip on a Sunday, sometime before Memorial Day. I have no idea of what sort of “research” I’ll be doing, but I’d like to hike around the area and see if I can talk to a few of the locals. I’ll probably bring a tranq gun and a net, just in case I see one.

      Reply
  36. just wanted to let you know i spoke to my friend and she never heard anything being seen in the area but a friend/relative of hers said she had a sighting when she lived around stokes forest a while back

    Reply
    • Mae — How did she describe it? Was it a close range sighting, or off in the distance? Day or evening? I’m interested in hearing the details, if you have them.

      Thanks,

      John

      Reply
  37. I always wanted to get two groups together to hike the Batona Trail in the Pines from both ends and meet in the middle. Perhaps we could place bait or photo traps along the way, mark them off with GPS, and have the two teams retrieve the bait and the traps after we depart the middle and continue on the hike.

    Reply
  38. I don’t know anything of a big foot living in NJ, and this is the first I have heard of sightings here. However, having worked law enforcement in Morris County, NJ, There have always been frequent incidents of black bears wandering into suburban areas. These bears can get quite large, so the area can certainly maintain a large animal. Plenty of police reports of officers responding to such calls. Never a report for a bigfoot however. Good luck.

    Reply
  39. Hadn’t been on in a while, heck who has free time these days. I am the guy who had the Livingston sighting while driving it was twilight (not even dark yet but not 12 noon daylight).
    I saw a sasquatch chase a deer across the road in the watershed area. Figure wasn’t much bigger than me (im 6-1) but it was fast as hell. I thought I was watching a hunter in a ghillie suit chasing after a deer until I watched him/it actually gain on a bolting deer on what I now know is very uneven terrain. I went back with Mike Aragona from BFRO and found and cast a print. The full report and pics are on the BFRO site.

    More recently about 2 months ago I was out on west 46 with my better half shopping for a car and ended up at Hot Dog Johnny’s we went around back at the water’s edge and saw some very large footprints (i wear size 11 they were another 2/3 the size of my foot) in the mud like something went there for a drink or to try to catch crawfish or fish.

    Reply
  40. Hi John, I just returned from camping at High Point S.P. At about 1 am we heard some strange noises way out in the distance. I have camped numerous times at HPSP and never ever caught wind of this sound, That’s forty years worth of being up there and it was no coyote that’s for sure. How about getting some Rangers, AKA Park Police to come clean and lay out some encounters with the Big Fella. Could any retired Rangers be interviewed ?. I can’t buy into that active Rangers would fear any back-lash from the brass if they spoke out.

    Reply
    • John — I think there are a lot of park rangers and police that know a lot more about these sightings than they’re willing to say. I was in touch with a reporter who worked for a Sussex County based newspaper, and she told me that when she looked into it she found that there was a large number of police reports on file concerning Bigfoot sightings. She also said that the state police at the Augusta, NJ barracks were well aware of the existence of the creatures, but refused to go on record in admitting this because of career concerns — which is quite understandable. I’d love to interview some ex-law enforcement officials about Bigfoot sightings and other paranormal experiences. The fact that they’re often patrolling remote regions at night make them the most likely candidates for strange encounters and reports of unknown creature sightings. But considering their concerns about the negative repercussions of reporting these types of sightings, I’m sure that many of them keep quiet.

      Reply
  41. Hi John.First time on here.Being an avid Bigfoot enthusiast since I was a kid these sightings in NJ fascinate me.Not sure what to think about the whole Bigfoot phenomenon.So many people have seen these creatures over the years and other than the Patterson-Gimlin film,there is really not a lot of hard evidence to support the existence of these man-like beasts.I feel some sightings are hoaxes,some misidentifications,and some outright lies.But there are a few that are so intriguing that it really makes one stop and really ponder a bit.Any way,as a NJ resident I think it’s fascinating that they are being spotted in my home state.God Bless.

    Reply
    • Hi Joseph — Thanks. I’ve received a lot of pretty intriguing comments and emails about Bigfoot sightings in New Jersey. A few years back, before I looked into it, I would have only considered Bigfoot (if he exists) as being found in the Pacific Northwest and Canadian wilderness, but there are a lot of very densely populated states that report quite a few sightings each year. I’m not entirely sure what to make of that, but a couple of researchers I’ve spoken with have suggested that they might be a migratory species and may sometimes pass through more populous areas like NJ. Or, all these reports might be misidentified species or outright lies. I have heard some fascinating stories from very sincere-sounding people, however.

      Reply
  42. I am looking to team up with serious,and like-minded people to put a crew together and do research or an expedition for Bigfoot in the Bass River area near New Gretna. If you look at any and all Bigfoot reports in NJ, a good amount of them are reported in the Bass River/New Gretna area,and this goes back for years all the way to the 70’s. There has to be something to it. It is a highly concentrated area of sightings,and anybody that knows that area, knows that it is dense enough to provide a safe habitat and cover for Bigfoot.Anybody that might be interested, let me know

    Reply
  43. Mike,

    Being a Bigfoot enthusiast living in NJ and having read just about every report in the state (and probably 75% of all reports nationwide) I am pretty sure I am familiar with your work in the “field”. At least as far as follow-up reports go.

    That being said, do you have any thoughts on what’s going on with the NJ Bigfoot website/reporting center? I understand that all NJ reports are to be referred to NESRA, but as far as I’m concerned they are a joke.

    I know you are trying to gather the troops through a couple outlets (bff too right?) But what else is being done? Has there been any recent nj reports that we are incapable to accessing due to this whole NESRA takeover (or lack thereof )?

    Sorry for using your comments section as a semi-forum John. Just had to. That bein said, I Love your work.

    Reply
    • No, no problem at all. I don’t know much about NESRA, so I can’t comment on their organization. I have met Drew Vics of the NJ Bigfoot Reporting Center, but it’s been over three years since I last spoke with him and from what I understand he’s no longer maintaining the NJBRC site — which is a shame. I don’t know if Drew is directly involved with NESRA or if he’s just forwarding links to his site over to theirs.

      If you and/or Mike would like me to post an article about getting some researchers together, I’m more than happy to put that on the front page of the Paranomalist. My site gets roughly 10,000 visits a month and around 4,000 unique visitors, so I’m sure you’d get some eyeballs. If you guys are in touch with one another and want to work something out, let me know and I’ll put it on the site.

      Thanks for checking in and good luck. — John

      Reply
  44. Hey I’m extremely interested in searching for the creatures and going across the globe, is there any groups to join or anything to be a part of to persue this dream? Email me if so, I am 22 and from NJ.

    Reply
    • Dennis — There seems to be a lot of interest in this lately, especially in doing some kind of local expedition. I think I may just post an open invitation to meet up somewhere this spring here in New Jersey. I’m thinking out in Sussex County, possibly in Stokes State Forest, High Point, or Lake Oswego. Or, perhaps down in Bass River State Forest or Wharton State Forest in the Pinelands. Doing some local expeditions would be a good place to start getting some field experience, in my opinion. There are no groups that I know of offhand, but I’d be glad to use this site as a place where these ideas can be discussed. Let me know what you think. — John

      Reply
  45. Hi John, I just read all the comments and really just started getting very interested in the possibility that this creature exists. im very open minded and really feel that all these sightings and sounds ect… cant all be a hoax. I just recently moved to west miford nj (passiac Cnty) and was wondering if anyone has had any sightings in this area, It sure looks like such a creature could exist in this area. I enjoyed reading all the information from everyone who has posted-please keep them coming.

    Reply
    • Thanks, Vinny. A good friend of mine is in West Milford — beautiful area. I’m only around 45 minutes southeast of there. I agree, there seems to be something to these stories and the people who have told them seem to be very sincere and believable. I’ve even spoken (off the record) to some state troopers who have had sightings in the northeastern part of New Jersey, and a few in the Pine Barrens. West Milford is very wooded, so it could be worth looking into reports of any local sightings. Let me know if you hear of anything! — John

      Reply
  46. Thanks john for your fast response-
    I have read of 2 incidents in the past in west milford-One was in the monksville resovoir and another from employees at a paint ball company. I think they are on the BFO site.
    If you have ever been up this way and really drove around the area as well as newfoundland, hewitt and ringwood as well as Warwick NY which all surround this area you would really see and get a feeling that this area could inhabit such a remarkable creature if it really exists. If anyone has any type of encounters or information of any in these areas I would really enjoy reading about it.

    Reply
  47. John,

    Just reading through all these accounts and suddenly realized that what I heard in mid January 2012, a sound I had never heard before in the woods surrounding my property, may have been a big foot. I have hunted the area along Old Mine road between Milford bridge and Dingmans bridge for over 30 years. I purchased a property in Montague 12 years ago, and this borders state and federal lands. I thought I knew every sound in the woods, but on this occasion, at around 8am, I was in my bathroom when I heard what sounded like a loud shrieking noise, like a woman screaming, coming from the woods behind the house. I heard it 3 or 4 times before I ran out to investigate. I walked the woods for a while but found nothing. I could not beleive what I was hearing. I processed the sound trying to assoiciated with anything I knew in the woods, and came up with 0.

    My home and property is very private and secluded, set way back off the beaten trail. I will be extra alert now when grilling at night or heading to the wood pile !

    And on another topic, yes there are mountain lions in NJ.

    Reply
    • Tony, Joe — Both very interesting comments! Got my nose buried in a project right now, but I’ll address them both later tonight. And you too Darnell, if you’re reading.

      Reply
  48. I live in SJ all my life. Love to bowhunt, My story. about 9 or 8 yrs ago in Oct I was hunting with friens in Weekstown, near Green Bank. My buddy Mike let me hunt out of his deerstand early in the mornin around 430am. This was my first time hunting out of this stand it was off a fire lane about a 24 min walk in. Saw one deer around 7am . Got down around 930am to meet up with the guys at the trucks. About 10 mins into the walk to the right side of the fire lane stood up about 50yrs in front of me. It was black and scared the shit out of me, I do not scare easly. I have walked in the woods before with no flashlight. back to the thing, well it happened fast. This thing crossed the fire lane and was out of site fast. it was very fast!! First tho was a bear ? It was not a bear. I never talked about it but only to Mike. The more time went on the more I tho about it, I know what I saw but in NJ? BF? never seen it again, I still hunt.

    Reply
    • Russ — I’ve received several accounts about Bigfoot sightings in the Pine Barrens area. It’s such a heavily forested area that it wouldn’t surprise me that there so many reports about sightings and encounters. Thanks for letting me know about this one.

      Reply
  49. I’m so glad I’m able to hide and outsmart you. I fear that a whole slew of us would come up DEAD because of selfish human beings like the ones that need to hunt all the time. It’s ridiculous, hunting is NOT a sport. Hopefully, animals and creatures are becoming SMARTER then humans. Leave well enough alone. HUMANS always meddling trying to kill and create problems, leave us ALONE!

    Reply
    • Thanks, Bigfoot. For the record, I’m okay with hunting if it’s for food, but I abhor trophy hunting. And I wouldn’t shoot you anyway because killing something that walks on two legs sure seems like murder to me. Be careful out there, and thanks for reading my blog.

      — John

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  50. Hellooo BigFoot; Well John thank you. Hunters rights, and Conservation, Feed the hungry in NJ. zero wasted. lol. Also in the record books. Hunted rams, black bear, brown bear, ….ect. Know that your hunting Amen. Bigfoot like John said, two legs sounds like murder to me. What I saw was on two legs and big , black, very fast like a race horse. Not a man, bear, wild boar,deer, dog,…..ect what ever it was did not want to be seen.

    Reply
    • Hi Joe — That doesn’t sound like an unreasonable number to me. Like any animal species, there would have to be substantial enough population for breeding, unless we’re looking at a migratory creature that doesn’t necessarily mate and reproduce here. Could be that they’re passing through on the way north or south. Are you basing that number on any specific criteria or experience?

      John

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  51. Hi,a great site you have going here.When I challenged myself to come up with a physical number of sasquatches that live in new jersey,I come up with at least 300 minimum.Based on the amount of sightings and this perfect environment for them,thats the answer I come up with.I think there is a substantial population living in the pine barrens.I think there may be sasquatches living in the woods behind my house in ocean county.There is a handmade structure of pine needles,branches…It is pretty intricate.It is in the middle of the woods.Together with the very loud whoop calls periodically,it may be squatches.I dont believe they would want to migrate with deer,wild turkeys,foxes,occasional black bears now.It is teeming with food sources.The pine barrens is a nirvana for the squatches.You combine the sightings with probably the biggest protected forest in the country,you have a perfect combination for the squatches.

    Reply
    • Hi Joe — I love Ocean County, especially the southern part that includes part of the Pine Barrens. People who are not from the state don’t realize how much protected woodland that we have in here in New Jersey. The pinelands are so large and dense, almost anything could be living down there. I plan to do a lot of hiking and camping there this summer and as always, I’ll have my eyes open for anything out of the ordinary — including the jerseysquatch. Let me know if you hear or see anything unusual. Thanks!

      Reply
  52. Hi John, im a young bigfoot hunter and im wanted to know if you could give me somed tips on calling them im haveing so trouble makeing it long. I cant seem to get it right could you help me out . THANK YOU
    from raeann.

    Reply
    • Hi Raeann — I’ve never actually heard a Bigfoot call in the wild, but supposedly my wife has. There are quite a few websites that have audio recordings that may or may not be Bigfoot vocalizations, and I recall that a few of them — one in particular — made my wife very upset when I played it. She said that recording sounded just like it. I’ll try to find it and ask her which one it is when she gets home later. When I get it, I’ll send you the link. Also, we were watching “Bigfoot: When Legend Meets Science” on the Discovery Channel, and there were a number of recording that they played on that show that got to her. I believe it’s a long, yowling, screaming sound. It doesn’t sound completely like an animal. There’s definitely a human quality to it, which makes it that much more frightening and unnerving. I think it probably takes a lot of vocal power to produce that kind of sound. Maybe a voice coach would be able to help you. If you’re still in school, maybe your music or chorus teacher can help you out with this. That’s one idea just off the top of my head. My brother-in-law and his young daughter are fans of the “Finding Bigfoot” show and he does the call very well, but he’s a trumpet player and music teacher, so he has the vocal training and lung power to pull it off. I think that’s the key to doing a good Bigfoot call. Good luck! I’ll email that link to you when I find it. — John

      Reply
  53. I’ve seen it. Two months ago on Great Creek Road heading east between Wrangleborro and Pitney. It seemed that the creature was rather timid and meant no harm. But it did seem rather curious about me. I was riding my bike when I noticed something moving in the woods off to my left. Being that I love nature I stopped to see what it was. All I saw was a creature approximately 7-8 feet tall standing next to a creek. We looked at each other for about 25 seconds and it ran off. It happened at about 6 p.m. and the weather was rather warm for the time of year.

    Reply
    • I’m familiar with the area. Lots of pines and cedar forests along that road, right? It’s along the south end of the Pinelands around Galloway, NJ. Okay, William, give me the details. Build? Approximate weight? Fur color? Sounds like you had a pretty good look at it. How far away when you saw it? Could you describe the facial features? If so, more apelike, humanoid, or in between. Were you able to discern if it was male or female. Any further information you can provide is appreciated! Thanks for checking in with this. — John

      Reply
  54. A man just told me of a sighting he had 2 years ago.He said he was leaving barnegat and at 330 a.m. he was heading north on route 539.An 8 ft squatch ran across the rd.I will try to get him to give you a full report.

    Reply
    • Joe, check out the comment just above from William. Great Creek Rd is in the Barnegat area. I camp & hike down there often. I’ll have to check out the area soon. Now that the nice weather is here I’m planning on hitting the Pinelands and northwest Jersey for some good day trips and overnight camping. I’ll keep my eyes open and a camera on hand. That would be great if he could me a report. Thanks for letting me know about it.

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  55. John,I looked at the map of this sighting off of route 539,this greenwood forest which sits on one side of route 539 is 29,000 acres of forest loaded with deer.On the other side of 539 is brendan byrne state forest.I just read the sighting from William,near the area.These are 2 reports that have just surfaced within the last few days.How many sightings are not being reported from this area?I think it has become very clear this area houses a vast amount of sasquatches.I am actually taking a day trip to batsto village tomorrow ,which is a little southwest of these sightings in the pinelands,in wharton state forest.I will bring a camera and report back with any squatch findings or any other unusual activity down there.

    Reply
    • Joe — 539 goes through Bass River State Forest, just southeast of Wharton State Forest, where Batsto Village is located. Very familiar with both areas and been to Batsto many times — last time being the weekend of that freak snow storm at the end of October. It actually rained all day that Saturday in South Jersey, but I was holed up in a nice heated trailer watching DVDs and drinking beer with my brother. Sunday was gorgeous and we did some hiking in and around Batsto Village. Got a bunch of photos of this on the Paranomalist Facebook page in fact.

      Considering that there are over a million acres of dense forest there in the NJ Pinelands, it seems as if that would be a good habitat for them. If you read through the other comments, there are some interesting claims about sightings in this area of NJ. Let me know if you see or hear anything interesting in when you’re there.

      Reply
  56. John,I missed the trip down to bastso village,I will take the trip soon.I was so dissapointed I couldnt go.Mr.pavlik, however can show you the exact spot on the fence where the alien was recovered at fort dix.

    Reply
  57. Mr. pavlik was a defense contractor who made his liviving at the base,he is now 80 years old.He has knowledge of the pinelands….

    Reply
  58. Wow, incredible blog structure! How lengthy have you ever been running a blog for? you make blogging glance easy. The full glance of your website is great, let alone the content!

    Reply
    • Thank you. Launched the blog Fall of ’09. I’m a professional web developer and designer, so that helps. I’m going to be uploading the new version very soon. I appreciate the positive feedback.

      Reply
  59. Did anyone see the youtube video called a Sasquatch in the pinelands: a true life account.Sasquatch helped a lady get her car out of the mud .Some of these sasquatches are really wonderful.

    Reply
    • Just found it. Here’s the link for interested readers: Sasquatch in the Pinelands.
      Yeah, Joe – that was mighty nice of Sasquatch. Who needs Triple A when you have a friendly Bigfoot around? I don’t think it was very polite of this lady to complain about his odor, however. She probably didn’t even tip him.

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  60. I have a new theory on the sasquatches in the southern pinelands.The theory is that they are using the west side of the garden state parkway as a travel route..When the gsp becomes route 539,that marks the travel route heading north.They have a major compound down there,with sasquatches running amuck.

    Reply
  61. Occasionally they do cross over the gsp ,and are detected.If you look at williams sighting on this site,great creek rd is right off og the gsp,sighting number 14143 on the bfro site,and numerous sightings off of 539,The picture becomes more clear.They know their boundaries,but get curious.I also think they like to be seen,they get mischevious.

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  62. I am working on a hypothesis on how many sasquatches are in the united states.So lets say there is roughly 3.8 million square miles of land mass.If there a family of ten bigfoot for every 380 square miles,that would put the bigfoot count at 100,000 in the united states.It seems like a good count to me.Any opinions on this,and is my math correct?

    Reply
  63. Imagine how much a full grown squatch could bench press.It could be well over a thousand pounds.That would be a highly impressive feat of strength.

    Reply
    • Dave — I’m working hard on finishing up the redesign of this site and I plan to have a forum section that will include various topics like cryptid and Bigfoot sightings. I think this will be a better setup for reporting experiences and sightings and discussing particular topics. Hopefully we’ll get more feedback once that’s up and running. The Paranomalist has been somewhat dormant because I’ve been trying to get caught up on overdue projects and personal stuff, but I’m looking forward to devoting more time to it in the near future.

      Reply
  64. I had an encounter I think was a big foot when I was staying with my boyfriends family in Medford Lakes. It’s been so long, but I think it was the summer of 1969 or 1970. I remember going to bed one night and something watching me in the window in the middle of the night. I turned over and happen to see it in the window, and thought it was some friends of my boyfriend playing a joke, cause it looked like a gorilla. Ii thought someone had a mask on. It was so intent on looking at me. The window was closed and airconditioning was on so I didn’t hear anything. I played like I was asleep and hoped it would go away. Finally I did fall back to sleep after a few minutes of peeping out of squinched up eyes. WhenI question him the next morning, both his mom and him thought I had a nightmare. There were no footprints.

    Reply
    • Elaine — I’ve gotten quite a few comments on the blog and emails sent to me telling me about sighting and encounters in the Pine Barrens. There’s a whole lot of woods down there, so I don’t think it’s that farfetched. Thanks for telling me about your experience. — John

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  65. Hello all!
    my name is Samantha Miller, and I am a film producer in NYC.
    I recently shot a feature Bigfoot horror film in Vermont, and am looking to augment it with interviews of people who have seen/heard/encountered Bigfoot, or Bigfoot researchers/experts.
    We are aiming to conduct interviews next week, so we can submit the film to Sundance!
    This will be a great platform to get your story heard and to help us demystify these amazing creatures.

    if you are interested, ,please contact me:
    email: samadimiller@gmail.com
    work: sam@endlesspicnic.com
    phone: 201-962-6122

    Reply
    • Anthony – This has come up a few times on this blog, but so far no one has followed through and organized anything (as far as I know). Please let me know if you receive any replies.

      — John

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  66. With spike tv and loyds of london new tv show is offerring 10 million dollars for bigfoot proof,it is time to deliver.The exact terms werent dislosed.I wouldnt want to harm one .10 millions clams is a lot of beer

    Reply
  67. Lets put a team together.The first ten people to commit are in.The split is a cool million apiece.I think we can find the down at bass river .

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  68. Lets bring a keg of beer just to due our part in stimulating the economy and keeping beer workers employed.God bless America.

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  69. Hi john, great site!
    Of course, right now i cannot find the sights that had two reports from southern middlesex county, one specifically naming cottrell rd, old bridge as the nearest main road, and the other describing to a tee the dead end street my wife grew up on a mile or so away. Those reports were from ’66 and ’73 i think.
    They were a rural family by today’s standards

    Reply
  70. Hi john, great site!
    Of course, right now i cannot find the sights that had two reports from southern middlesex county, one specifically naming cottrell rd, old bridge as the nearest main road, and the other describing to a tee the dead end street my wife grew up on a mile or so away. Those reports were from ’66 and ’73 i think.
    They were a rural family by today’s standards, she played in the woods and swam in the creek alone as even a small child.
    When i told her the story of the reports in her neighborhood she got a little freaked out and didn’t speak for a few minutes. Then she told me her “imaginary” friend as a little girl was an ape man named “Bear”.
    Little bit odd.
    Btw an Algonquin name for bigfoot is son of bear, and she does posess 25% native american blood. Hmmmmm

    Reply
  71. Joe D. Interesting story..I wonder how much morre your wife has remembered..If you took her back to the area I wonder if it would refresh more memories..Happy Holidays

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  72. They live underground and come out occasionally.I believe the opinion that the inner earth is mostly solid is skewed.It is interesting that the scientists who have said we have only discovered 20 percent of living creatures on this planet in plain view,can tell you what the earth is made up of.If there is a core,it would be a nearly 4000 miles trip to get there.So making claims as to there being a core is the stuff science fiction is made of.Sure it would be nice to know what the inner earth is made of.But,unfortunately we have to wait until an exploration is completed before we will find out.The inner earth is home to an abundance of life.

    Reply
    • I’ve always found the inner earth theory interesting. I met cryptozoologist Adam Davies in NYC on his return from a Bigfoot expedition in Washington. He and his team met Bigfoot researcher Lori Simmons and she took him to an area in the forest where she believed a squatch lived. He said it was at the base of a tree and that it might have lived underneath there in some kind of burrow. This made me wonder if there were interconnecting tunnels or cave systems that they use for travel and shelter, which then brought to mind the inner earth idea. It’s a thought. Both Adam and Lori are on Facebook if you ever want to get in touch or read up on their findings.

      Reply
  73. I see the upcoming events unfolding in this way;in the very near future a squatch is injured or sick and brought into captivity.The people will ask well where are they living?They dont have homes or huts.The government then says we think they live underground,in the earth.There are massive underground alien bases on the china indian border,submerged unidentified objects,numerous first hand reports on many injured bigfoot when mt st helens exploded.The army rounded up all the injured bigfoots and took them to a secluded shelter.I think an abundance of bigfoot live in mt saint helens.

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  74. Bigfoot could very well be extraterrestrial .They seem to be exponentially smarter than people due to the fact they they have completely bypassed the need for modern inventions.They live in peace and have maintained the laws of nature without disturbing nature.They also have a higher amount of physical strength because they do everything by hand the way it is supposed to be done.Eventually when our system collapses we will live like bigfoot again.

    Reply
    • Are you saying technology doesn’t equal progress?! What??!! I thought the more gadgetry a civilization has, the more advanced they are! Seriously, good point, Squatchmeister. An advanced species might progress beyond the need for the technology that we’ve come to rely on so utterly and completely. Our society’s total dependence on technology and the separation of labor (someone to manufacture this and another to provide that) really is a house of cards that may — and probably will, IMO — come crashing down at some point. Maybe a more advanced species has already gone through the technology-dependent phase and have come full circle to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

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  75. John ,they are exactly my thoughts.Who amongst us can say they dont love barnabus collins and dark shadows, not to mention hee-haw.

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  76. I think the huge fascination with bigfoot is people dont understand how they can live without our amenities.Deep down people want to live like sasquatch.Deep down people dont want cellphones or cable.Every day commercials and keep up with the jones mentality is embedded in our brain.When people see a sasquatch walking by a river, they say that is the way to go.

    Reply
    • I think so too. In our culture we look upon people who live simply and self-sufficiently as being inferior and less evolved. I think I’m eventually going to go squatch in my old age. Probably just live in a hut in the woods and hunt & forage for my food. I’ll probably be unshaven, and I am pretty large, so I could easily be mistaken for a Bigfoot.

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  77. I am going to install i trail cam on the back of my barn.I am then going to tie some food about 8 feet off the ground in a tree.I am going to get some squatch pics.There is about 600 acres of woods back there.I am hearing howls.Now whether these are coyotes I dont know.

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  78. I am down here in jackson, 600 acres of woods behind my house,600 acres of woods across the street.Its a squatch paradise here.Foxes,herds of deer,wild turkeys,coyotes,vultures,black bears sometimes.

    Reply
    • Yes, it’s a beautiful area of the state. I’d like to eventually live down there or maybe even further south, in southern Ocean County or Atlantic County. I grew up in Bergen County in the northeast. Nice area, but too congested and expensive. I want to be able to go out my front door and romp in the woods.

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  79. When I moved into this house,it was a summer day.I went into the house to cool off.My dogs started barking,so I went out to see what was going on.There was a wild boar charging at some vegetables.I was really confused at this point,so I went into the house to evaluate the situation.I come back out to find the boar ,now with a ram both eating away.Now its getting bizarre as I am thinking maybe I am having a heat stroke.I finally let one of my dogs out and he chases the boar and ram to an adjacent farm.Moral of the story is you never know what type of animal you will see on any given day.

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  80. John, consider living in the villas.You can get a really nice affordable waterfront house for under 100k.You will be around all the areas you love.You can drive throughout the pine barrens and be minutes to any beach without high prices.This is my opinion only and subject to review.

    Reply
    • My sons are still in high school so we’re not going anywhere right now, but eventually I would like to move south. Yeah, housing is much more affordable down your way. The further away you get from New York City, the less expensive of course.

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  81. I wanted to tell this story for awhile now. When I was a little girl, I used to live in Elizabeth, NJ. I am still a New Jersey native but moved to Middlesex County. When I was about 5 years old, I saw something weird. I was never the type of little kid that would make up stories. On Halloween night one year, my father took me trick or treating. There was no one in sight which was very odd. It was about 9 at night and we were just about ready to head home when I told him I wanted to stop at a couple of houses. We were at a two family house that was on a busy road and I stopped there to knock on the door. I was standing there but no answer. I was leaning on the railing (which was high up because you had to climb stairs) looking at my father who was waiting for me in front of the house on the sidewalk. All of a sudden, I looked over to the right and saw something. It was a tall creature with look blackish /brown hair with sharp teeth and glowing red eyes. I don’t know if it was someone in a costume but this creature was about 9 feet tall and both of his arms were up and made a growling noise like it was mad. My heart sank to my stomach and I ran down the stairs. My father was confused and ask me if everything was o.k. I told him no that I saw something weird but he never asked me what it was-and I never told him either. It was traumatizing to say the least. Till this day I still wonder what I saw.

    Reply
    • Jenny — Kind of sounds like you encountered Big Red Eye, New Jersey’s Bigfoot, but I have to say I don’t get too many reports of it in your more urban areas like Elizabeth. But I don’t discount that there could be a metaphysical aspect to these creatures, in which case they could appear anywhere.

      I’ve heard of reports of The Grinning Man coming out of Elizabeth. Those are some strange stories. Fortean writer/investigator John Keel (most famous as the author of The Mothman Prophecies) interviewed some of the Grinning Man witnesses and found their stories very consistent with each other and the witnesses very credible. There’s strange stuff out there.

      Thanks for sharing your encounter! — John

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  82. All of these massive sinkholes are proving the earth is hollow.If you add weight to a hollow earth in the form of concrete and buildings,eventually it will cave in.This is what we are starting to see now.This is where bigfoot lives in the earth.

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  83. I received a report very recently that supports that theory, Squatchmeister. I’ll check with my friend to see if he wouldn’t mind me relating the details of his encounter, but the short version is that he heard a loud growling roar and when I asked where he thought it was emanating from, he said it seemed to be coming from underground. Whether that supports Hollow Earth theory or suggests that these creatures build underground lairs, I don’t know.

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  84. I think this will be stupendous.If it is not too much trouble can you please post this account in its entirety.Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • I’ll do that asap. I’ve recently completed the re-coding of The Paranomalist (soon to be re-branded The Paranormalist, http://www.paranormalist.com) and now I’m working on the graphic design. I was kind of waiting to get through that and relaunch the site next month before posting any new articles (got some good ones), but I’ll add add my friend’s story before doing all that. I’ll confirm some of the details with him and get that posted this week. Happened just a couple of weeks ago in the Pacific Cascades. Not a real long story, but a cool one.

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  85. I just finished watching assault of the sasquatch.This sasquatch causes total mayhem.If you like the movie leprachaun,this is pretty similar,although nothing compares to the leprachaun movies.

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  86. It was sci-fi channel.They have some excellent thriller movies.I do believe I caught parts of that shark movie one night when I was half asleep. I will have to keep an eye out for it now that it comes recommended.

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  87. The scy fy channel movies reminds me of the modern version of the 80s b movies.Its a reincarnation of that era and movie mindset.

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  88. I am really looking forward to the first flight of the falcon project.The bigfoot seeking airship ship is supposed to be ready for take off by the end of spring.I have to believe that the amount of video , thermal … will be staggering.This should really deliver so much undisputed evidence of bigfoot.The great thing is as of a recent report ,this ship is set for its maiden voyage as of late spring.I would pay to watch these cameras on pay per view as they cruise over the treelines of the nations forests with the most high tech equipment surfing for squatches.The craft is helium powered , practically noiseless.This should yield impressive results.

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  89. Just ordered the book Burlington county Sasquatch off ebay.Looks really good.Peace and love to my fellow squatchers.

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  90. Squatchmeister, I am the woman in the book that was in Medford Lakes at the time visiting friends when I saw one at the bedroom window one night. My friends tried to tell me it was my imagination or I had a bad dream. I thought someone was playing a joke on me. I never knew of Bigfoot at that time or even the Jersey Devil. My husband thinks I’m nuts when I watch these programs or even try to talk about it. SO I don’t ever say anything because people just laugh at me. I know what I saw and I’ll never forget it. I believe they are out there.

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  91. Elaine,Its awesome that you saw a bigfoot up close and personal.What type of demeanor do you think this particular sasquatch had?What were the vibes you were getting.I have swam in one of those pine lakes down there.

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  92. Squatchmeister, he seemed curious. I was half asleep when I saw him and thought it was my imagination. He just keep staring. I keep my eyes at a squint so he didn’t see me looking back. I wanted to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. I was frozen to the bed. I didn’t even think to cry out. And I definately wasn’t getting up to go to the window. Thank God the window was closed. The head looked liked it took up the whole window space or else it was just so dark out I couldn’t make it all out. I pretended to be asleep and would look out every once in a while to see if it was still there. Finally I must have drifted back off to sleep. The next morning I asked my boyfriend and his parents if someone was playing a joke on me cause it looked like someone maybe had a gorilla mask on. Because the more I thought about it I thought the eyes looke human. They weren’t red like you hear about now..no eye shine. All I know is that I believe they are real. I’ve mentioned this to my husband and son and they just laugh at me. Believe me, if they saw this they wouldn’t be laughing. We use to have a hybrid RV where the ends would pop out like a tent. I would make my husband sleep on the end just incase something would reach through the screen. It was always in the back of my mind when we went camping, that is why I wouldn’t go somewhere that was really roughing it. One time camping I hear a loud scream real early in the morning…no one was up but me. My husband and daughter were both still sleeping. This happened in Virginia near Williamsburg. I use to go to Medford Lakes in the summers with a friend who use to live there and we would visit friends. Take walks in the woods and fields and boat on the lakes. No one ever mention a thing to me about Bigfoot or the Jersey Devil. I would never have taken a walk in those woods if they had.

    Reply
    • Hi Elaine — Good to hear from you again! I’m planning to hike the Batona Trail through the Pine Barrens this summer. I’m bringing my video recorder just in case. People tend to dismiss Bigfoot sightings in the eastern US. Certainly, it’s more plausible to think of them (for those who believe they might exist) living somewhere out in the deep forests of the Pacific northwestern United States or in British Columbia, Canada.

      But reports continue to come in from the more populated eastern states like ours. My friend lives in West Milford, which is a very rural area out in Passaic County, and they’ve had quite a few reports out there too. And of course Sussex and Warren Counties in the northwestern part of NJ, and in the Pine Barrens you’ll still get reports of sightings. Last year I’d gotten three separate sightings all on Stage Road down in Bass River State Park in the Pines. I also spoke with a women who was a park ranger up in High Point State Park last fall. Her dad was a career park ranger and had an encounter a number of years ago (I think it was around 1970).

      Thing is, many of these reports are coming from park rangers and experienced campers and outdoorspeople (and occasionally police, although I think they are the most reluctant to say anything) — not the type of people who would mistake a black bear for something bipedal and humanoid. This always makes me wonder. I’m sure some of them are hoaxes and mistakes, but there may be many of these reports that are genuine. — John

      Reply
    • Correction: I was just reviewing my emails and those reported sightings that I received last year were not on Stage Road, they were on E. Great Creek Road in Galloway, NJ. There’s a big unbroken area of pines off of E. Great Creek Rd called Seaview Estate, with a network of trails that go through them. I’m going to head down there to hike those soon.

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  93. Almost got caught in a microburst in 1979 on a medford cedar lake.Bigfoot hair from mount hood oregon for sale on ebay.Good luck in Galloway ,looks to be loaded with squatches all along the garden state parkway.

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  94. John, I sure hope you are able to record something on your hike. I’ve been wondering does bigfoot mainly move around at night, since I’m sure it doesn’t want to incounter people. Are the screems it lets out for the purpose of letting someone know they are around or is it just a form of communication? Are there just certain areas or can it be any wooded area? Make me think of all the parks and lakes in our states that Bigfoot could be, that people have never really thought about. In my state of MD and infact in my area (Harford Co) there have been some strange things that people have heard and seen. I know I have been in the one park where people have said they saw a bigfoot. I think they stay hidden really well. My husband hunts in our county and has been in this one area hunting for years. Just this year he said he heard a screem that he didn’t recognize, and felt it may of been some sort of bigger cat. I don’t think so myself….but what do I know. I have a feeling that one hunting season he’s going to see what I did and become a believer.

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    • Hi Elaine — I’m not going on the hike expecting to see anything, but I won’t be without the video recorder just in case I do! You never know. I’m not sure about those screaming sounds that are sometimes associated with them. They could sometimes be a warning or a means of communication. I think bobcat are known to give off a very human-like yowl that in some cases could be attributed to Bigfoot. I wouldn’t automatically assume an unknown noise coming from the woods is a squatch, but I don’t discount the possibility either. Since I wrote this article I’ve been told a lot of interesting stories about sightings and encounters with them, so I have an open mind.

      I was given a book for review (which reminds me — I still owe the author & publisher a review on my site) called Monsters of Maryland. I think you’d enjoy it. They do cover Sasquatch sightings in your state. Like New Jersey, Maryland is a state that many people wouldn’t think of as possibly having a population of Bigfoot. I had a researcher friend of mine suggest that they could be migratory and passing through the wooded regions of the US east coast on their way to the Canadian wilderness. Sounded like a plausible idea to me.

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  95. Elaine, bigfoot move by day and night.The majority of sightings occur during the daytime,because it is easier to see in the daytime.If you wanted to do a long term statistical analysis,you could refer to john greens bigfoot website,, I think if if you looked at a long term analysis, I think the data would should show that 90 percent of sasquatch sightings occur during the daylight hours that the sun is up.Correct me if this is not the case.

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  96. Its totally amazing.I have secured actual sasquatch hair from oregon from a woman who chased the bigfoot from her rabbit pen after the squatch stole two rabbits and hurdled the fence.What a completely awesome situation to have come into this windfall.

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  97. I will get this analyzed in the near future.They still have 7 units of this hair for sale on ebay from mount hood oregon.There is a substantial amount of bigfoot hair in the bag.

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  98. I go into the woods here several times. a week. i have photos of footprints and stick structures. from here and. in tioga state forest both pa.i would love to be. in the pine barrens! i did live in Montana. for 7 yrs wasn’t looking for sasquatch but i am positive that they can survive there as well as here.if you guys would like photos let me know

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    • Hi Sharon,

      Absolutely! I’d welcome any photos that you’d like to share. My email is john@theparanomalist.com. Just looking at some photos of Tioga State Forest and it looks beautiful. I’ll have to do some camping and hiking there sometime in the near future. I’m guessing it’s about 4 hours west of my area of New Jersey. Lots of Bigfoot reports out of PA, and that certainly looks like an area where you might have some activity.

      Thanks very much for your kind offer. I’ll look forward to hearing from you again.

      John

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  99. Darwins theory, survival of the fittest. Survival to gain access to this planet and the commodities it offers.There are countless contenders all wanting this beautiful planet .I think the squatch is a contender, with the abilty to live off the land. The bigfoot is proven to exist as they were introduced into different army manuals and what to do if you encounter a bigfoot.There are a few races of aliens in a small zone in space with huge ships watching us ,hence Ronald Reagans star wars program. I would love to see who is the ruling body on this planet in 100, then 100000 years. Animals ruled this earth for millions and millions of years, dinosaurs and huge birds, sea creatures… If I had to make a wager, I see three exceptional probabilities for a future ruling body of this planet. Here are my selections–not really sure if you can bet these in vegas, but here goes— number 1 dolphin– more brain capability and much smarter than human beings, will adapt to land life soon, 2-dogs, science doesn’t know much about these beautiful animals yet, but they work in amazing ways, and would be a superpower to rule this planet one day, the bigfoot species may have always been in charge here but have dwindled in numbers due to a catastrophic earth event in the recent past . Technology doesn’t matter in the least, size and strength , the ability to adapt to a planet with some very bad weather patterns along with a mindframe which is good in spirit will be the key to the next ruling body.

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  100. Wow! I can’t believe this thread is still running. John, I’ve emailed you before. This thread is awesome. I’m aware of the Livingston sighting because I too read it on the BFRO site. Amazing because the Livingston mall is so close to this location. I grew up in west orange NJ and now live in Roxbury. I’m an amateur researcher who as recently as this past Friday heard howls at Mahlon Dickerson Reservation in Jefferson while hiking with my kids. My kids were scared. (You can read my posting on NJBIGFOOT.ORG forum). BFRO has a sighting from this area on its website from spring of 2011. A man and his 2 sons saw a large squatch while camping. And I investigated an encounter in Sparta NJ. You can read about the sighting in NJBIGFOOT.ORG sightings data base. It happened in April of 2012. Anyway, I’m a huge fan of all things bigfoot but my issue is with kids, work and a family, I can’t get out enough to research. Is anyone aware that Finding Bigfoot is coming to NJ? They are looking for witnesses. If anyone is serious about telling their story to Animal Planet, please let me know. I can contact the producers for you.

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    • Hey Larry – Good to hear from you again. That’s really interesting that there are still reports of sightings coming out of NW Jersey. I’ll read your posts on NJBIGFOOT.org. No, I hadn’t heard about Finding Bigfoot coming to New Jersey. My pal Adam Davies is a friend of Cliff Barackman from the Finding Bigfoot show. You’ve probably seen Adam on Monster Hunters, NatGeo, Animal Planet. He did the Finding Bigfoot show when they went to Sumatra to look for the orang pendek. I’ll pass along that information to Adam, or maybe he can give me Cliff’s email and I’ll let him know directly. I’m working on a website for Adam right now and we’re in touch frequently and I know he speaks with Cliff often.

      Thanks for the information! Keep in touch! — John

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  101. Yes, NW jersey still has good activity. I’m still fascinated by your wife’s story. I’ve seen Adam on TV. Cool guy. Animal Planet asked me if I knew anyone with a story to tell and I knew you were into bigfoot so I figured I’d reach out to you to see if you wanted to come to the FB meeting. Thanks for replying!!

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  102. Did anyone see the Finding Bigfoot Episode on Sunday night? It featured New Jersey and the Pine Barrens. Pretty interesting that people are still seeing them there and recent too! They had the town hall meeting in Medford. It looked like the Lakes, but I haven’t been there in so long it’s hard to tell. Anyway I found it interesting.

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    • I missed it! I’ll have to try to catch that one the next time they show it. If you read through some of the comments in this article you’ll find some interesting stories of sightings, both in the Pines and in the Highlands area of Jersey. Thanks for letting us know!

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  103. What a brutal winter here on the east coast, nothing to do but eat and watch snow not melt. I think all these recordings of North Americas Bigfoot Samarai chatter is wonderful for science. Over time it will be great to be able to break down this language and understand it.

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  104. Mountain monsters tv show is the best. The grassman episode shows them selecting an excellent location where they find a sasquatch hay bed in an abandoned house, then this behemoth bigfoot starts growling and shaking the house because he was apparently sleeping when they chased him out. So after a chase ensues, they catch a picture of him clear as day from 20 ft. They also secure a quality video and clear prints. This crew consistently delivers nothing but pictures and video every single outing. These hillbillies are quality cryptozoologists .

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  105. Hi John I enjoy this site. I would like to e mail you some photos I took this past winter. Do you have an e mail address I can send them to Thank You

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  106. I was just wondering what anyone thought about the possibility of Sasquatch living in Wawayanda State Park. It is over 34,000 acres and has swamp land. I ask because I live in Highland Lakes on the border of the park. Behind and to the side of my house is all wooded (looking at a park map, I am not far from the Wawayanda lake and the edge of the swamp and I know there used to be a trail from here to the lake). We have deer and bear trails all through here and we see both almost daily. We have been here in this house for three years and I lived only a few miles from here the rest of my life. I ask about Sasquatch as many nights I have heard knocking on the trees around me. The nights that I have heard these sounds have all been strange nights. It is always silent on these nights and I get a feeling like something is out in the woods that shouldn’t be. You also feel as though you are being watched. Sometimes you can also here movement of something big. One of my friends and my boyfriend have also experienced this. I have also, throughout my life up here, smelt a smell that I always attributed to bears but have never actually smelt while seeing a bear. It is almost like a rotten garbage smell, but worse. Now that I have looked into the tree sounds and found that Sasquatch has indeed been seen in NJ I have to wonder. I also saw something in the woods behind my house one day sneaking from tree to tree with brownish-red hair but I can’t rule out that this was not a person (we have strange neighbors, but none that I know of with the color hair I saw). So…what do you all think??

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  107. Oh and since I have been all over Sussex County I have not a doubt in mind that there are enough forested areas to allow for hidden trails to exist connecting here to Stokes State Forest as well.

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    • Yes, I do think Waywanda State Park is a large enough area for Sasquatch to inhabit. There is enough unbroken forest in and around Waywanda and the Highlands region of northwest New Jersey to support a breeding population of Bigfoot, in my opinion. I believe that the Highlands area may be part of a migratory route that bleeds over into Pennsylvania and continues through New York state and into Canada. I’ve received so many credible reports of vocalizations, footprints, and actual sightings in the area that I’ve come to believe that they do exist in this region of our state, and I think Waywanda State Park would be a perfect habitat for them. It’s not surprising to me that you’ve had some experiences living in and around that area.

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  108. Hi John,

    What a great surprise to find this article. I have no doubt the creatures exists, and it always astounds me that people flat out deny the existence of a creature thousands upon thousands of people have seen. I grew up camping at Stokes State Forest and plan to go back this summer the begin the family tradition again, which is what lead me to type Stokes and Bigfoot into a search engine! Sussex County is a wonderful habitat for the Sasquatches to thrive!

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    • Hi Debra,

      People from out of state are often surprised at how much of New Jersey is densely forested, but I was honestly surprised by the number of Bigfoot reports that come out of the northwestern part of the state. Keep your eyes and ears open when you revisit Stokes! — John

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  109. Hi John,

    We will definitely be on alert! I will let you know if any unusual sights are seen and/or sounds are heard!

    Debra

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  110. I don’t know if anyone will read this after so much time has passed. I was born and raised in Jersey and lived there till ’76. During the early ’70s I became a member/volunteer with SITU and began to learn more about Sasquatch and other “unexplained” phenomena. Stokes State Forest was one of the places a lot of Squatchin’ was going on and I heard recordings of the bigfoot living there and saw plaster casts of the footprints taken. This is nothing new and nothing for fools to play with. Before I left Jersey, I had my own “encounter” although I never saw it or heard it but found a burial in the woods behind my home. I came to believe that Sasquatch buries it’s dead like Mountain Gorillas do and I also know now that Native Americans are spot on when they say Sasquatch can communicate with mental telepathy. Be careful, be very careful.

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    • Swamptrotter — Thanks for sharing that! Your warning are well justified, and I agree that researching these things are indeed nothing to be played with. I am of this opinion particularly after a very bizarre and troubling encounter that I had while on a Bigfoot expedition in the northwest in June of last year. The mentally telepathy thing is something I’ve heard of before and it’s not something that I would want to experience or would encourage. To me, it’s very akin to (or perhaps even the same thing) as trying to communicate with evil spirits / demons. People who do this are playing a dangerous game with forces that they don’t understand.

      I’m going to reboot this website with a new design within the next few days and begin writing regularly, and this is a subject about which I plan to write at length. I think there might be an inherent and great danger in trying to communicate with these creatures. Thanks again for submitting your experience.

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  111. I had an odd thing happen to me at Shepard lake, ring wood state park by thunder mountain. I was up there early one morning walking on the trail around the lake. I was scopeing out fishing spots along the side of the lake. I was alone. I needed to relive myself so, I went off the trail a bit. As I stood there I heard something to the left of me, just then a small tree came crashing down not far from me. Maybe 50-60 feet away. It was not a rotten tree, no wind, it had been snapped over. It was about8 inches at the base. I never actually saw anything, got the hell out of there. I had that funny feeling something was different that morning.

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  112. Oh man, So I Googled “Wawayanda mountains and growling” and this came up. I do not discredit anything I have heard here at the slightest. Here is my story…

    I went to that mountain with a friend for the first time this past fall. When I got to ground zero it was around 3pm…the trooper came over and told us that if we were planning to do the entire loop it would be past dark as it would be pitch black by 5pm and that was not recommended. He then directed us to the stairway to heaven trail. Whatever, we did it no big deal.

    A month later I am back there with my wife and we covered the entire loop which was somewhere around 7 miles or so. On the way there we saw folks with dogs, didn’t think anything of it. We also made contact with two guys who oddly asked us if we were locals and if we where doing the entire loop…I answered yes and quickly asked what kind of animals are out there. Yada, yada…coyotes and bears is what I remember.

    Anyhow, during the last hour we got stuck in the dark. My wife started tripping about growls and to not get her nervous I said it was an ATV. Sure wasnt, and what ever it was it was closing in. The last growl sounded like it was so close my wife jumped on me like a little kid running away from the boogie man. Scared to my witts, I played it a cool as I could and told her that whatever she did NOT to run as predators feed on fear and adrenaline. Thanks GOD she was in good spirits but I must admit I was shitting bricks even with my military background. All I had on me was a knife and I was contemplating an attack and what vitals to focus on first.

    In short, what ever it was it was big, closing in and definitely did not want us there. IMO if it was a coyote it would have been in a pack. If it was a bear it would have charged at us. What the hell was it I cannot say, but what ever it was had been following us for some time according to my wife. Scary shit, never again will I go into the woods without a machete!

    Oh man, So I Googled “Wawayanda mountains and growling” and this came up. I do not discredit anything I have heard here at the slightest. Here is my story…

    I went to that mountain with a friend for the first time this past fall. When I got to ground zero it was around 3pm…the trooper came over and told us that if we were planning to do the entire loop it would be past dark as it would be pitch black by 5pm and that was not recommended. He then directed us to the stairway to heaven trail. Whatever, we did it no big deal.

    A month later I am back there with my wife and we covered the entire loop which was somewhere around 7 miles or so. On the way there we saw folks with dogs, didn’t think anything of it. We also made contact with two guys who oddly asked us if we were locals and if we where doing the entire loop…I answered yes and quickly asked what kind of animals are out there. Yada, yada…coyotes and bears is what I remember.

    Anyhow, during the last hour we got stuck in the dark. My wife started tripping about growls and to not get her nervous I said it was an ATV. Sure wasnt, and what ever it was it was closing in. The last growl sounded like it was so close my wife jumped on me like a little kid running away from the boogie man. Scared to my witts, I played it a cool as I could and told her that whatever she did NOT to run as predators feed on fear and adrenaline. Thanks GOD she was in good spirits but I must admit I was shitting bricks even with my military background. All I had on me was a knife and I was contemplating an attack and what vitals to focus on first.

    In short, what ever it was it was big, closing in and definitely did not want us there. IMO if it was a coyote it would have been in a pack. If it was a bear it would have charged at us. What the hell was it I cannot say, but what ever it was had been following us for some time according to my wife. Scary shit, never again will I go into the woods without a machete!

    Reply

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