**This is a guest post by researcher, Karl Sup.
Link to prior installments
Bigfoot exist and thrive on Long Island? I can’t believe it!
Trust me, I was completely surprised by the action, events and results of my time in the woods of Long Island. I certainly hope you enjoyed coming along on this journey. Even though I had gone on investigations during many of my other travels for work, I was not very optimistic that any evidence whatsoever would be collected during this endeavor. Many people have asked me how I choose my research places in areas that are usually new and unfamiliar to me.
Please remember this important safety tip: Sasquatch are very smart and strong, and have amazing strategic intelligence and excellent intuition. An important concept to understand before entering the woods, is that this is their house. They know their home far better than we could ever strive to accomplish. Imagine if a stranger entered your house; that outsider didn't bring a gift, acted disrespectful and disruptive or created general discord in your living room. Would you patiently wait for them to leave, or would you use whatever means necessary (i.e. throw rocks, sticks and branches) to scare them off? Always allow them to be in control, or have perceived control, of an encounter.
Link to prior installments
Long Island Sasquatch #11
Central Long Island, New York (City Withheld), Epilogue
Bigfoot exist and thrive on Long Island? I can’t believe it!
Trust me, I was completely surprised by the action, events and results of my time in the woods of Long Island. I certainly hope you enjoyed coming along on this journey. Even though I had gone on investigations during many of my other travels for work, I was not very optimistic that any evidence whatsoever would be collected during this endeavor. Many people have asked me how I choose my research places in areas that are usually new and unfamiliar to me.
Please remember this important safety tip: Sasquatch are very smart and strong, and have amazing strategic intelligence and excellent intuition. An important concept to understand before entering the woods, is that this is their house. They know their home far better than we could ever strive to accomplish. Imagine if a stranger entered your house; that outsider didn't bring a gift, acted disrespectful and disruptive or created general discord in your living room. Would you patiently wait for them to leave, or would you use whatever means necessary (i.e. throw rocks, sticks and branches) to scare them off? Always allow them to be in control, or have perceived control, of an encounter.
The underlying secret to field investigation success is an uncertain recipe of detailed research, instinct and luck. The volume and extent of in-depth research that is collected prior to setting even one foot into the woods is staggering.
Pre-investigation research is typically comprised of a good mix of internet stories, local library files/newspapers and personal interviews. I always begin with legends, reports and stories of haunted woods. Local paranormal (ghost) investigation groups may have a treasure trove of stories of disembodied voices, thrown rocks 'appearing' from thin air, or screams emanating from the woods. I usually call these groups and interview them without tipping them off on my true purpose of the investigation. Local bars and businesses can also provide undocumented stories from local residents. Many more people believe in ghosts than Bigfoot, and approaching any interview with ghosts is usually acceptable and fortuitous.
Instinct derives from base knowledge and the appropriate application of what has been previously learned. Knowing what elements to assess and then ranking them, in order, helps narrow down the search area dramatically. Observed aspects of Sasquatch behavior easily allow us to procure a substantial list: Space, vegetation, food, water, and escape routes for egress and ingress are critical.
If you find an area that has all of these elements, then there is a good chance you will find The Big People. Let me address each aspect starting with space. I believe that a family unit of Bigfoot can survive on as little as 400 acres of wooded land. My Long Island research area was around 1100 acres and bordered homes, corporate centers and park recreational areas, however a majority of that acreage was overgrown and without trails.
Vegetation can be large shrubs and undergrowth but should, at minimum, be at least 8 feet in height. There have been sightings in Arizona chaparral country where only junipers and manzanita grow. Sasquatch appear to be more prevalent in pine and deciduous forests. For food, don't forget to think out of the box. Bigfoot are omnivores and opportunistic eaters. In urban areas, they will raid dumpsters, and even eat dog or cat food left out at homes. Presence of deer and other game species are only a bonus.
Water is critical to all of us and the same applies to The Big People. In my research area, there were no running streams but there were several ponds and stock ponds in the surrounding neighborhood. In addition, most of the trash piles I discovered contained empty or mostly empty plastic jugs that had been used to collect water for sprinkler systems. That was something I had never considered before this urban investigation.
Most of us rarely consider an exit strategy for anything in life. However, if we are defensively driving, we constantly evaluate our situation and how to ameliorate the problem. For Bigfoot, they will need a way to migrate from their land if the environment (any one of the essentials) changes to their disadvantage. They would need an exit route that could lead them to a safe zone. This route would also allow migration to follow food sources or communicate with other family units or clans.
I also must state that a good researcher has to be persistent! There were many evidence droughts during the Long Island investigation when nothing occurred, or inclement weather imposed itself on the research area(s). All of this must still be taken into account and registered in a journal, because the absence of evidence can still crucial evidence. The only lapse in advancing progress on an investigation occurs when you are not in the field!
Sometimes the apples weren't taken and if they were, gifts were not always left. After capturing one apple thief (a squirrel) on camera, which shed some light on the wide variance in encounter behavior. It still allowed me to record gifted rocks and fossils as likely Sasquatch behavior, as I know of no raccoon, squirrel or chipmunk that would leave a gift in exchange.
In another oddity, ground glyphs of high frequency were unique to this research area as well. These could have been prolifically placed due to their close proximity to homes. From my observation, these Sasquatch did not use howls at all for communication, even though paranormal investigators stories from the area documented mournful howls in the night from these woods. I never heard any. I believe I did hear tree knocks on several occasions and one distinct whoop, but I was not certain if any of these perceived communications could have been collateral noise from nearby sources. I know these techniques absolutely work. A good case in point was my June 2016 investigation out on eastern Long Island. I spent about 4 hours of research reading reports and investigation notes from paranormal groups plotting my agenda for that day. After 3 hours of hiking in that identified study area, I was able to find a footprint, tree breaks, be paralleled, heard rock clacks and be subjected to a horrible imitation of a dog howl by a Sasquatch. I likened its feeble howl on the level of a Chihuahua that had been run over, but nonetheless it was a very positive interaction, which is what we should always strive for.
I was very melancholy as I left those woods for the last time, and only hope that the family of Big People living there are able to remain incognito. They are extremely good at it, and after all, even if someone glimpsed them I doubt that Bigfoot would even cross their minds on Long Island. It was a luxury to be able to visit the same area with such a great frequency, which allowed me to observe the subtlety of their use of that environment.
Another research tip that I can provide, is that LESS can be more! Don't trek into an area and immediately howl 20 times or whoop 40 times. It is a sure fire way to tip them off to your presence, that is, if they don't already know that you're there! When I get to my research areas in Arizona, I always spend about an hour or more driving down all of the roads surrounding my target area. I do this to document what other people may be camped or trekking through this area.
In most cases, there might be only one or two campsites occupied. Their locations are noted, and distances from the target area calculated to determine if sound in the canyon will travel that distance. Knowing where other humans are located and their compass bearing from your research area may help later explain possible anomalies.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Sasquatch are very curious, and the stranger your behavior, the better. If you want to be paralleled (and it is a unique feeling), try singing loudly as you walk down a path in total darkness. Use a call blaster to play whale song into the woods, but remember to leave blank space in between them. In 2012, we actually had something imitate the whale from far up on the canyon wall. That will make your hair stand up!
Another thing to remember, remote audio devices are far more effective than game cameras. Sasquatch seem to understand that the camera is an 'eye' and avoid or typically approach them from the back side. In all likelihood, they can see the infrared light from these cameras. Audio recorders are passive, and have no 'eye'. They are puzzled by them and that makes them curious. I have numerous recordings of the microphone being tapped (8 feet up in a tree), then hearing that individual walk a short distance and sit down for hours. Watching it.
Goodbye New York, hello new adventure! I look forward to more solo investigative work in new areas, and future expeditions with groups of people eager to learn and understand the Big People.
Happy Squatching!
**I would like to thank Karl Sup for writing this series and sharing an insight into an urban Bigfoot situation, as well as how to find the peripheral sites to metropolitan areas. He will be doing many more posts here in the future. He has done several very helpful posts (right hand side) about eye morphology and Sasquatch locomotion, as well as some other expert witness reports. This is just the kind of study and attention to detail we need more of in the field and I appreciate him sharing his experiences, locations, and methods.**
