Update: Backyard Bigfoot Witness
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on July 9th, 2010
MR. MIKE BIGFOOT ENCOUNTER – PERSONAL UPDATE
We introduced the story of “Mr. Mike”, who claims that he is experiencing repeated Bigfoot sightings in the backyard of his home, on July 3, 2010 when “Mr. Mike” joined the program and we found ourselves inadvertently making history.
I’ve met with some criticism due to a badly placed headline on my website that the skeptics have already begun using as a means of detracting from my efforts to validate, and verify, the story of ‘Mr. Mike’s’ Bigfoot encounter. I take personal responsibility for that mistake.
The headline on my web site was placed very quickly due to being up against a deadline for the beginning of the show on July 3, 2010. Of course I wanted to grab peoples attention, but not mislead the world. I should have stopped to rethink my words of choice, but I didn’t. I was in a hurry to get on the air as I was running behind and had hardly been able to prep for the show after spending 11 hours on the phone with virtually every person in the field of Bigfoot research, or trying to reach them.
It’s not often that I make apologies on my radio show, or on my web site. Most of the time it is not needed. But this event has quickly become larger than the show. I’ll be the first to admit that when we decided to cover this story on the show that the topic was viewed as a venue to bolster our listening audience because of world wide interest in the subject of Bigfoot. It’s not like we don’t choose to cover the strange and unusual on Overnight AM. The whole radio show was built around, and for, strange and sometimes unprovable subjects and speculation. But then the story became ‘real’ based on our own research, conversations and other historical evidence. It was then that I choose to stop, back up and re-evaluate my position, and my responsibilities to this audience, which frequently happens when hind-site becomes 20/20.
Because ‘Mr. Mike’s Bigfoot encounter began to show signs of being a very real, and scary event, I uncharacteristically re-positioned myself, and the show, in my commitment to discover, and report, the facts rather than focusing on the entertainment. However, It’s not my responsibility to take the position of trying to single handedly save a sacred cow from slaughter if a story doesn’t pan out just the way the audience expects. In fact, I’ll be the first to slam a knife into it and carve myself out a fat steak to chew on.
BFRO
On July 3, 2010 I stated on air inside an interview with “Mr. Mike” that we had plans to send a camera crew to his location and document the events around his home regarding what he calls Bigfoot. I also said that we would not leave the Bigfoot Research Field Organization out of the loop, and welcomed their participation. Since then, some members of the BFRO have become critical of this story, without knowing all of the facts.
It’s for that reason that I have elected to forgo the inclusion of the BFRO in any field research and have turned over the responsibility of hand picking a team of qualified experts to investigate these events to Mr. Bill Birnes (UFO Hunters – History Chanel / Publisher of UFO Magazine/Author).
The Camera Crew
The Camera Crew will consist of one, or more, trained professionals inside of the field of wildlife photography. This is the arena that I’ve had the most inquiry about, and have received the most advice on, over the past seven days via email and phone conversations.
The World Responds
At this time the story of Mr. Mike’s experiences have met with open ridicule and support from opposing factions inside the arena of interested Bigfoot enthusiast. That was expected. I appreciate healthy skepticism just as much as I appreciate healthy interest and enthusiasm. My position has been to establish the credibility of Mr. Mike, and his story, before money, time, effort and energy was spent on what could easily be, or become, a farce or scam not only on me, but on this audience.
I do not enjoy being removed from my postion as a talk show host and forced into the arena of investigator. I said that we would move quickly on this story on July 3, 2010 in Mr. Mike’s first interview on Overnight AM, and I was serious. I just didn’t tell the audience what I had in mind to validate Mr. Mike’s story. I had a story on my hands that couldn’t be confirmed, but had body and form. Sure the story was a great avenue for a Overnight AM show. It was right up my alley. A great entertainment avenue for any listener who was interested in the subject of Bigfoot. But after listening to the show again, and again, and again- I came to the conclusion that Mr. Mike was telling the truth and I decided to act on it. I even went as far to write Bill Birnes a email after seeing that this story was beginning to build more momentum, and that the character assassination of Mr. Mike, myself and anyone else involved, was a real threat. If we were going to do this we had better commit to it 100%. Otherwise we would be placing ourselves in a precarious situation if this story wasn’t investigated and acted upon correctly.
What’s happening now?
Time schedules were rearranged. I’ve slowed the progression of the investigation. Specific people are being sought out with plans to contractually bind them to Security-Nondisclosure Agreements for the protection of Mr. Mike, the creatures (if any) and anyone else involved in this story. A feature length article is being prepared for Overnight AM’s Intrepid Magazine. Right, wrong or indifferent.. the story continues.Lan Lamphere
Overnight AM
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
I listened to the program last night, and I was struck by the sheer number of red flags.
1. A man is visited by a group of Sasquatch for three weeks without once snapping a picture. I don’t buy that he’s too poor to afford a $10 disposable camera.
2. There may be as many as 16 Sasquatch in the group.
3. He lives in a high traffic area (you could hear the cars zooming by while he was on the phone).
4. He was standing five feet away from a male Sasquatch while he was on the phone with the radio host and the hosts instinct was to tell him to go inside. What? Hold the phone out and see if you get some vocalizations. The man said they are always grunting and making noises.
5. The P.I. he sends sits in the woods and snaps a picture of clear silhouettes yet this picture hasn’t surfaced anywhere.
6. The man is visited by Sasquatch, and he reports it to a UFO magazine.
7. Mike got noticeably nervous and quiet when he was informed that a group of researchers were coming out to his house this weekend to follow up on his claims.
8. The guest on the show after Mike was somebody who claims that the oil spill was orchestrated to reduce the human population.
The whole thing just seems a little too theatrical for me. I could be way off, but those are my initial thoughts.
Greetings All,
I just read Lan’s comments above and he’s moving at his pace to verify Mr. Mike’s story. As wild as the events may seem to be they are plausible. I remain politely skeptical but not critical of the events as they’ve played out.
I’ve best friends with one man who has seen a Sasquatch by the light of a near full moon at 15′. He and I have found and documented evidence of the species presence in CA and have been forced out of the woods by at least 2 members of the species in August 2008.
Mike’s descriptions of the specimens he’s seeing are somewhat accurate but they’re inconsistencies there which I’ve hilighted before. At this time this doesn’t mean it’s a hoax although it could be.
Only an on-scene investigator can determine if this is a hoax and Lan is arranging for that. Remember that even if the specimens leave this area a thorough investigation of the woods will find any evidence they leave behind of an habituation.
If it’s not a hoax it offers the opportunity to effect the capture of a species member and there are ways to do this. My best,
PLEASE no Tom Biscardi, PLEASE no Tom Biscardi, PLEASE no Tom Biscardi…
I agree with gridbug, as I am sure many, many sincere folks do. Now is a good time for him to be totally exposed and ostracized, before he climbs out the woodwork again.
I am going to try to be patient. Honestly if this is true, then that 70 year old fellow “Mr. Mike” with the 90 year old blind sister who has Parkinson’s disease has a lot to be concerned about. Not to mention, the welfare of the Bigfoot pod. What if they get spooked and disappear?
I really do understand that this has to be carried out in a very sensitive way. I just hope that its not a hoax, because that would make me look like a fool for defending their actions.
To RWRidley:
I didn’t hear last nights show, but I believe that it was 6 individuals (not 16) with one being an infant which the mother holds.
Spinach Village:
Sorry, I may have been wrong about the 16 individuals, but it’s more than 6 now. I think he’s now saying anywhere from 12-14 individuals.
So, lets say this is the real deal. what would happen if one is taken in for study? Would it be put on display at a zoo? I cannot think of what the next step would be if indeed the legend is a living, breathing thing? I feel like a child waiting on Santa. This is silly for me to get so excited over.
Malarky.
I don’t find any of these supposed ‘red flags’ at all, really. I live on 3/4 acre in a residential area. We have seen a Moose, deer, several coyote, red fox, silver fox, bobcat and fisher, as well as the usual bunnies, raccoon, etc, not to mention the daytime visitors like falcon, hawk, great blue heron, etc., but so far the only things run over by cars have been oppossum, skunk and an occasional domestic cat. They seem to be able to make it from here to wherever despite the cars, noise, dogs,,,you get my point. In fact Mr Mike’s small plot is one of the reasons for his concern.
I have been unemployed for 18 months and am finding it hard to find 10 bucks for a six pack never mind a camera. People on fixed incomes have their priorities 🙂
My official stance…this entire thing is BS.
I, however, would be happy to eat my words if someone PROVES me wrong.
I heard the initial interview and found nothing wrong (red flags) with it. I do believe this individual is experiencing these creatures, but unless a third-party will confirm it, he may well be the only one who can. I am not inferring trans-dimensionality or any such nonsense, just that the human mind has numerous forcefull defences.
Repeatedly expressing his concerns for ‘these gentle creatures’ as well as not ‘knowing what to do if something were to happen to them’ could just as well be an involuntary admittance of not being able to take care of his sister or himself any longer.
It remains to be established whether this is a personal matter or a matter of profound historical discovery.
If these creatures exist, then there is no reason their scientific discovery would not happen this way.
I find the story very exciting so far. Keep us updated, please!
Possible Red Flags Abound:
Guy lives alone with blind sister, craves attention
Guy calls zoo and UFO magazine to report but doesn’t get or borrow a camera or video recorder as mostly anyone in their right mind would immediately do.
Guy confuses P&G film with Zapruder film!
Guy claims they walk upright with large canine teeth but otherwise sounds like he is describing them right out of a combination of Harry and the Hendersons and Sasquatch – Legend Meets Science. (Guy sounds like he watched both back to back and then read Apes Among Us. This is simply a bunch of baloney.
1) Collect evidence.
2) Validate evidence.
3) Present evidence for independent verification.
4) Publish findings.
As long as the cryptozoology/anomaly crowd insist on doing this in reverse order it’s little wonder that skepticism prevails.
I sincerely hope none of you are getting your hopes up. This is not even a good hoax. What I do find interesting is the guy’s name is Mike. Wonder if one of his sasquatch is called Enoch? I’m just saying since Autumn’s book is based on a Mike. And for the record, I think this and her book are total fiction. I’m so sick of the frauds, fakes, greedy, weirdos, associated with the bigfoot field. I’m a normal rational, scientific, educated person. Why can’t there be more like me? The types of people in this field push the serious people away after awhile in the field.
Another classic case of “habituation” and the messed up people who claim to have these “backyard” bigfoot multiple encounters and such. So sick and tired of all the claims they make and NOT ONE SINGLE SHRED OF EVIDENCE is ever produced…unless you consider the ramblings of a diseased mind as credible evidence.
Steleheart, I think you miss the point. If all these Bigfoot are so close to the road, why has no one else seen them?
Okay, so I have read over a lot of these bigfoot reports and the comments regarding them on here and how this “Mike” guy is saying that he has a family of them living in his back yard…so I decided to join and leave a comment of my own.
1st, I read about how a guy shot a bigfoot in the chest with a .45 3 times…? A .45 caliber bullet is NOT a small bullet. It flies very fast and is very heavy. It is .45 of an inch or approx [—] <—that big. Second, the kick on a .45 pistol is more than what someone shooting in fear could handle for more than one shot, and that shot would most certainly not be accurate unless the person shooting was very well trained to shoot under extreme pressure.
2nd, to those of you who feel it necessary to flame the UFO magazine guy…a UFO is called UFO for a reason. It is simply an Unidentified Flying Object. Now I know it shouldn't take a genius to explain this, but being that I am one, I will. If the word "Unidentified" initially means "extra-terrestrial" to you, then you my friend should go back to elementary school. A UFO is and should be viewed as nothing more than what it is…and unidentified flying object, whether it be a new type of plane, or blimp late at night. If you cannon identify it guess what it becomes, thats right a UFO!!!
3rd, this Mike guy is full of crap, along with the guy claiming to have documented sasquatch in California. If you have up close and personal encounters with anything that has remained a mystery to the world for as long as sasquatch has…where are your god damn pictures? Where is the evidence? I'm sure you have a camera, whether it be photograph or video, if you are documenting. On top of that, you say you were forced from the forest on 2 separate occasions by the ever elusive sasquatch and have no pictures or video?? Seriously guys, the college kids that made The Blair Witch Project are more convincing than you. I highly doubt that sasquatch are opportunistic enough to only appear when people are without photo graphing equipment. So until you have real, tangible evidence, shut the hell up.
4th, for those of you who are wondering what will stop or drop a sasquatch, there is simple science behind this. Sasquatch, by report, are the approximate size by weight and measure of a large Grizzly Bear. SO, if the bullet can drop a grizzly, you can probably count on the bullet stopping everything else of the same size. By the way, anything .40 cal up with 50gr and up bullets should do the trick. Personally, I recommend the Barrett M107 .50 Cal Sniper Rifle, if it doesn't kill it, it will take enough off for proper scientific research.
That is all for now, good day.