Bigfoot Ambush Tactics

Sasquatch, or Bigfoot as they are variously known, are well established in the state of Texas. The cinematic version of Texas is a land of tallgrasss prairie or parched desert and tumbleweeds, but that terrain is only found in the western portion of the vast Texas acreage. In northeast, eastern and central Texas are extensive forests and woodlands that support an astonishing variety of wildlife, including the mighty forest hominins.

On two notable occasions within the last two years, I had the opportunity to investigate scenes where Bigfoot displayed intelligent and cunning tactics to harvest their prey. The Sasquatch, or Bigfoot are omnivorous hunter-gatherers. They are opportunistic and inventive, and employ strategies that require long-term memory, planning and perceptive imagination. They are not brutish apes that rely on instinct. As the new genetic tests reveal, they are very close relatives to humans, and are as complex and diverse across the world as are all members of the genus Homo, past and present.

In recent years, Texas, like most of the continental United States has been experiencing extremes of weather, from torrential rains to severe drought. Both the rains and drought have forced the Bigfoot to expand out of their normal habitats and range, often bringing them to the periphery of human settlements. By nature, Bigfoot are primarily nocturnal, and their range is in the forested bottom-lands along rivers, creeks, lakes and watersheds.

The unprecedented extremes of weather has disrupted their normal life cycle, with high floodwaters forcing them out of many of their subterranean dwellings and dense lowland thickets. The current severe drought has dried up many of the creeks, and even rivers and lakes have extremely low water levels. A large portion of the Bigfoot diet in Texas is normally fish and aquatic creatures. They also consume large quantities of fruit and edible tubers, roots and vegetation. All of these sources have been diminished considerably in recent years.

However, the intelligent and adaptable Sasquatch or Bigfoot have devised many other survival strategies. They are keenly observant and can even use man-made structures and articles to their advantage. The following are the two examples of sites that I investigated that illustrate this point.

The first instance occurred during the widespread flooding in 2009. The location was in North Texas, in the general area of Paris, Texas. I was investigating along the shore of a large lake, where the normal shoreline was submerged in about 10 feet of water. I stopped at a public-access port that had a boat ramp also submerged) and a small parking lot that was on the hillside, elevated above the swollen waterline. Adjacent to the parking lot was a picnic area that had tables, a water spigot and also, a large steel dumpster. The picnic area is sometimes used as a weekend party spot by rowdy revelers because it is somewhat remote and generally not patrolled by law enforcement. The area was strewn with trash, watermelon rinds, chicken bones, biscuits and corncobs. There was also an immediately discernible odor that I associate with Sasquatch.

The odor is complex and difficult to describe. In fact, the Bigfoot have devised a strategy to mask their natural scent- they use the scent from skunk glands to camouflage their own. At the picnic area, there was a strong smell of skunk, but underlying it was the smell of Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, in action. The smell has elements that would be familiar to anyone who has spent time in the locker rooms of professional athletes at halftime. Adrenaline, testosterone and pheromones mix in a strong, pungent odor that is easy to recognize after a few exposures to it. The pervasive odor immediately drew my attention to the picnic area. A few yards from the dumpster I found the remains of a large feral hog. (There has been a population explosion of feral hogs in Texas- some cross-breeding with wild boars that produce enormous offspring.)

As I examined the area, I found evidence of an ambush and struggle. On the ground were traceable tracks of the hog. It was apparent that it entered the picnic area and was browsing on the picnic scraps. It drew near to the dumpster as it foraged. Unbeknownst to the hog, a Bigfoot was patiently waiting atop the dumpster, in a relaxed crouch, ready to spring into action. Hand- and foot prints on the dumpster, and the scuff marks, prints and drag-marks told the tale. The Bigfoot had pounced down, grappling the hog bear-hug style, breaking its fall in a sideways roll. The hog, probably at 250 lbs. or more kicked and struggled. At one point it nearly broke loose but was quickly recaptured and summarily dispatched. (Sasquatch have tremendous strength and normally make a fast and merciful harvest by breaking the neck of their prey.)

The second instance occurred in 2011, during the most severe drought in Texas since records were begun in the 1800's. Acting on a tip from locals who reported sightings at a roadside picnic area, I performed an investigation that had surprising results. I believe that, in this case, due to the extremity of the drought, the Bigfoot were taking advantage of an available situation that was normally outside of their traditional habitat.

The roadside stop was one typical of the many small picnic areas that are interspersed along the vast network of highways in Texas. It had a narrow gravel drive and parking lot, two picnic tables, no restrooms or water. The location again was fairly remote, within a wilderness area where the only traffic was the secondary highway that cut across it. The general location was in the Hill Country of Texas. The picnic spot was set in a grassy natural meadow that spread beneath a small grove of huge Live Oak trees. The trees have massive trunks that support thick, sprawling branches thrusting horizontally out in a wide reach. In the drought, the soil, thick with clay, was baked hard. The grass was dry and withered already in July.

As I began to look for activity, I first noticed the obvious black trash bags strewn about, their sides ripped open and the contents emptied out beneath the oaks. Some of the picnic scraps were fresh and untouched. Near the tables was a gleaming new trash can, with a unique design engineered to keep out bears. The can was fashioned from an oil drum that was set into a circular metal frame. the frame was set in a block of cement and had broad bands of steel welded around the sides. The lid of the barrel was also new and unique. It was fashioned from 3/4 inch thick high-grade aluminum. It lay flat atop the drum and had a piano-style hinge at about one-third of its cross-section. There was no handle, and to open it, it was necessary to lift the lid by reaching one's fingertips under the narrow lip that overlapped the edge of the drum. This design would be a barrier to most animals, but no challenge whatsoever to the dexterous Sasquatch.

Searching the area, I found some rather surprising evidence of Bigfoot's successful forays. Only a few yards from the picnic tables and in an area roughly parallel to the road, were numerous animal pelts lying in the grass. The pelts were nearly the whole skin and fur of the animal, as though stripped in one swift, fluid and very powerful motion. The pelts were from deer, possum, raccoon, skunk, dog, cat, jackrabbit, and even a cow! There were some pelts that were not easily identifiable and also a few scattered skeletal remains, mostly limbs of the larger animals or rib-cages of the smaller ones. (There were no skulls of any kind.) One pelt appeared to be that of a cougar. In many years of wilderness travel, this was by far the largest collection of animal remains that I have ever found in one spot. The hard earth and broken or uprooted grass showed obvious signs of scuffles, and impressions of impacts from very large and heavy creatures.

I examined the tree trunks and limbs. There were worn areas on the bark where evidently the Bigfoot had grasped or placed hands and feet while clambering up, and similarly worn areas on the horizontal limbs where they apparently had perched. There was also the faint but pervasive odor of skunk and Sasquatch.

From this evidence, I arrived at the logical premise that the Bigfoot or Sasquatch had developed a strategy of raiding the trash can, mainly to use the picnic scraps as bait. The bags were ripped apart, and the contents scattered below the trees. At night, the primarily nocturnal Bigfoot lay in wait on the overhanging tree limbs. They would then pounce on whatever animal arrived, attracted by the bait they had set out. Again, this strategy requires an inventive imagination, planning, patience and a long-term memory that approaches the capacity of humans. Recognition of these sophisticated abilities should result in renewed respect and appreciation of these intelligent and creative beings that share the natural world with us.

(Clicking on the image at top right will enlarge the illustration)