BFRO: “Come Along With Us” For $300*
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 9th, 2007
Cryptomundo reader Chris Noel, who enjoys pointing out typos posted on the blog that need corrections, has put together a travel commercial for the BFRO expeditions.
The short video, with no title or words on screen, is simply explained as “Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization–Public Expeditions. www.bfro.net” at the YouTube site.
You can view it below. But why just passively watch it? Why not dissect it?
I was wondering, how might a seasoned old professor of documentary film introduce this footage to his students, before showing it to them for a critical deconstruction?
Perhaps it would go something like this:
Now that you’ve picked up the quizzes from last class, which were on the topic of “Squatching,” the comedic documentary by Scott Herriott, we can get going today.
Good morning students. Those of you that just came in late at the back, please remember, I don’t tolerate snoring in this 8 am class. This is especially true when I turn out the lights for the feature I’ll be showing later, director Peter von Puttkamer’s classic “Sasquatch Odyssey.”
As you know, we’re in our cryptozoology segment of this documentary course, and I brought in a short treat for us to see and pull apart.
I have for you today a little visual film, perhaps presented by its producers as a mini-doc or a docudrama? Or is it a documentary-style ad? I want you to view and take a mediated reading of the film, as we have done since viewing “Nanook of the North.”
Remember, pull yourself away from the images and ask yourself – what is the underlying message, what am I being sold, and what concept is being placed in my mind.
Place yourself beyond this film, listen to the music with a critical ear, look at the visuals with a critical eye, and think about the subtle messages with a critical brain.
Ask yourself, why is this film, “Come Along With Us,” using Native American flute music? Into what mood are you being placed? Why the hollow tones of a “voice of God” narrator?
Why did the narrator slow down with his script when the whole idea of “every now and then…we catch sight of them” was read into the microphone?
Are there any facts behind such a seductive “now and then” narration and any proof of encounters on such trips?
What is the purpose of the subtle hints of seemingly promised items you are being shown? Are they things you are being promised you will see if you “come along”? Are the words about “locating their nests” and b-roll footage of tree branches leaning against each other really linked?
Separate the visuals from the words. How does your mind link the two? Are you being promised you will see something like that? Has anyone on any of these “public expeditions” – btw, occurring on public lands – seen any of the things you are hearing and seeing in this video? And do they have anything to do with Sasquatch?
Continue to separate the sounds from the reality of what might happen if you “come along with” them. Will you see or hear Bigfoot, as is hinted with the phone recordings and Sierra Sounds track that was laid down in the audio?
How does the film make you ask yourself, “Will I really see a glimpse of a Bigfoot?” Think about the technique used and ask, was the way the Patterson-Gimlin footage was shown due to copyright reasons or merely as a tease for “what does the rest of the body look like”?
What is the filmmaker saying to you about going with them and what would you find down that path?
Remember, in film viewed from the audience’s point of view, the mediated experience tells you much about what the filmmaker is and was thinking and is trying to assist you to think.
Pull away even more, as you near the end. What is this two-minute film trying to sell you for reportedly $300?* Why would you feel that you might get something more than a regular camping experience out of this? What has the film merged with random images to convince you of this? Pull yourself even further away from this film. What will you get for your money?
Can a mediated reading help you separate reality from propaganda, which, of course, is all that such films are?
Okay, enjoy this, take notes in the lowered lights, and we’ll talk about it. Then, in the totally darkened auditorium, we’ll go right into the longer feature, so you can get the entire theater experience, where you will be pulled into the film. Remember, please pick up your coffee cups after we see von Puttkamer’s film. – Grumpy but friendly old documentary film professor.
John Marshall, Daily Breeze sports writer based in Denver, snapped a photograph, above, of the BFRO’s Matt Moneymaker calling out a Bigfoot on their Oregon excursion in June 2006. How many Bigfoot do you think have been seen on any of these BFRO camping trips?
Now it appears no reporter will be allowed on the much-publicized forthcoming Michigan “expedition.”
Bigfoot Quest’s blogger Lisa A. Shiel has reported that “the Fox News Channel spoke to a journalist who had wanted to cover the upcoming Michigan ‘expedition’ organized by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO). The journalist said that Matt Moneymaker, head of the BFRO, had refused to allow him to attend the event. The journalist said he was told he couldn’t go because he’s not a real journalist.”
Huhh?
Update: Fox News journalist Griff Jenkins is reporting in his blog that the BFRO (one person) has changed the decision about him not going, and he will be on the camping trip. Interesting after the negative publicity about this a reversal was made.
*****Footnote*****
Fee and Registration Process, etc. [sic]
The fee to attend a BFRO expedition:
– $300 for one person
– $600 for two or more people in the same vehicle
Once an expedition is sold out, exceptions will only be made for those who can provide exceptional assistance for the expedition.BFRO Expeditions FAQ, BFRO website, 2007.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
I do not teach documentary film but rather writing and literature. And the expeditions do not cost $300. Get your facts straight. And fellow Cryptomundo fans, please dissect away!
All the footage in the video was shot on expeditions. I can expand on the context if anyone would like me to. For more on what expedition-goers do, in fact, often experience, please consult our Expedition Reports, linked from the http://www.bfro.net home page.
Great piece, Loren. This kind of BS commercialism gives Bigfoot a bad name.
Yeah, Moneymaker loves to be the gatekeeper on all things Bigfoot that are within his control. No wonder the BFRO is imploding.
I dunno, Loren, but I think that you are giving BFRO to much credit for this clip. I am not convinced that MM would actually spend his hard stolen, errr I mean earned, money to produce a film with this much intended manipulation. In short, it was a free little amateur clip that one of the BFRO members put together, and MM liked it. Did I mention free? We all know that if it were actually a product of MM, that youtube would have been in court for keeping it posted
BTW, I do think there are many honest and wonderful people in BFRO. I wish them the best of luck.
Chris:
Like the footnote Loren posted above, this is from the BFRO site:
“Fee and Registration Process, Etc. The fee to attend a BFRO expedition: - $300 for one person
– $600 for two or more people”
Perhaps you can explain your claim that the expeditions don’t cost $300? The facts, per the site, seem pretty clear.
Jeff Johnston
Although I am no fan of Matt’s, and he knows exactly why, trying to make a living at producing on demand, either audio or visual evidence of a creature that society believes does not exist, is no easy task. I went on two Bigfoot bonding trips with the BFRO and met the “whose who” of Bigfoot research. I even purchased a digital recorder as per MM suggestion, and recorded both their real and synthetic tahoe screams that they had access to at the time. So I got my $400 worth, as that real scream got me immediately into what most people would describe as “trouble”. Both with the Bigfoot and with all the then loyal but now mostly ex-BFRO soldiers. I even produced both visual and audio evidence in front of witnesses, for the BFRO’s second expedition in Washington, but was later smeared for it. There is no question in my mind as to who gave that command. I learned one extremely important lesson about Bigfoot research from those experiences. The real danger of Bigfoot research does not come from the Bigfoot, it clearly comes from the researchers themselves.
It used to cost $400 for the first expedition, and nothing for subsequent expeditions, so I guess he’s lowered the price. Sorry for the error.
Chris Noel,
In my opinion, there’s really nothing here that warrants wasting time to dissect. The whole thing is ridiculous, along with the footage from Kentucky that you so vehemently defended. You’re part of a big charade, dude, and that’s the bottom line.
I want to preface that I don’t know anything about BFRO, so I am neither for nor against what they are trying to promote. Here is a list of descriptive words
(other than “bigfoot”) that flashed into my mind when I watched the video:
mysterious
interesting
Native American
intriguing
ancient
naturalist
spiritual
scenic
vague
comradeship
experience
I was entertained by the video, but as someone who is interested in the truth about Sasquatch– truth that I feel must be proven through the scientific method– this video did not show me any glimpse of the scientific professionalism I would expect of a bigfoot expedition.
If I were someone who was on a spiritual journey, loved nature, and wanted to make more friends, this video offers that.
If these expeditions all take place on public lands, I’d prefer to go over previous findings, employ the scientific method, and launch my own expedition.
Just my 2 cents.
in the olden days the BFRO was a great organization.
Sigh. In the olden days…
Too bad the whole fee-based situation is a scam.
Ah well.
hey loren & everyone interesting new article & documentary about the bfro but here my nuteral opinion about the bfro. at least they do go out various expeditions in usa & canada etc.to look for evidence or activity. and how news media treats the bfro sometime is totaly unprofessinal at times and thats wrong the news media should interview the sasquatch comminuty with repect etc. at least the bfro does keep us updated on new sightings etc to help us all with sasquatch research. thank you . bill green 🙂
Those were my intended effects exactly, showme, except for “vague.” This little clip doesn’t claim any scientific status, of course. It’s just an expression of the excitement and adventure of attending one of these expeditions, from my own point of view.
300$ seems a little steep considering all your doing is tagging along to camp in the same “remote” area. And if your “helping” the expedition by being an observer and participant shouldn’t you get a discount? I understand the folks putting on the event have overhead..primarily gas money or a plane ticket I suppose but on top of the 300$ an average joe like myself still has to pay for his OWN gas and overhead to attend – Just like those organizing the event. I was very excited to see that the BFRO was going to have an event here in Wyoming..in what appeared to be the Bighorn mountains. When I found it would cost me $300 it sorta took the air outta my sails. I mean I can buy some of the equipment I imagine they use on these expeditions with that $300…night vision or IR…a parabolic to catch noise… a good tape recorder and cam corder. It may not be top of the but it will do. Some of this equipment I have already as do most people with these same interests. The point is moot now anyway since they cancelled it due to Grizzly bear danger….uhhh.. Duh!…there is ALWAYS griz danger up in that corner of the state. They would have better luck where I am going and where I KNOW there are bigfeet and there are no grizz…just some black bears…if your lucky to see them. I have collected several reliable reports as well as my own experiences from near the Laramie peak area.
So..to give it a bottom line…if your a tourist or someone who wants a little adventure if you do not get out much..$300 probably is not so bad – you get to rub elbows with fellow enthusiasts for a couple days and probably hear some good stories. But if your a self made researcher who wants to try to get close to one of these big guys ..your 300 is better spent improving your own equipment or using it to fund your gas expense to go on your own private expedition.
That’s it precisely, Bill Green. I’m not a stupid or gullible person and I can tell a scam from a non-scam, having now attended nine expeditons, all over the country. The BFRO has, for many years, attempted in good faith to advance the state of sasquatch research. Though naturally, with such a creature, there can be no guarantees, the vast majority of expedition atendees leave at the end more than satisfied with the experience.
Nice concept. Nice video. Makes me wonder what the malice is all about. Anyway. I was impressed by the bigfoot “marker”. You know, the structure that reminisces of a tent shown somewhere in the middle. More unity is needed.
I do not understand the negativity and malice towards an organization that is actually trying to do something about this phenomena. I say less criticism and more hiking of remote trails. In any event, if you are a local to the area where the expedition is being held, I am sure you can do without the expedition. You can probably find your own place to ”squatch” and not pay a fee or be involved with the expedition. However, not everyone is familiar with the areas where the expeditions occur (much less experienced in the art of ”squatching”). Guides, under many circumstances, are not free. Why all the fuss?
Griff Jenkins, the Fox journalist, appeared on the Fox News Channel last week talking about how the BFRO refused to let him attend the U.P. expedition. Today he appeared on their morning show again to say that, mysteriously, the BFRO has suddenly decided he can go. I guess he’s a real journalist after all! And I’m sure their change of heart has nothing to do with the fact he went on national TV to talk about being barred from attending.
I’ve talked to people who went on previous “expeditions,” and they described them as vacations. They also described the other attendees’ behavior as vacation-like, not scientific. Fifty people clomping around the woods will scare off any wildlife, even deer. No expedition, by any group, has ever brought back substantial, concrete evidence.
You can read Jenkins’ blog for more on his experiences with the “expedition”:
http://griffsnotesdc.blogspot.com/
Lisa A. Shiel
U.P. resident & Bigfoot researcher
Bigfoot Quest blog
All the so-called “malice” towards the BFRO is there because they are NOT, under MONEYMAKER’s leadership, doing this because they are trying to solve the Sasquatch mystery, but because they think they can make a quick buck. I mean, COME ON!!! That picture of MONEYMAKER “calling out a Bigfoot,” makes it clear that he is putting on a big, fancy show to make the tourists think something is there, while the BFRO takes their hard-earned money. The only Bigfoot related person who has gone lower is Tom Biscardi, the BS KING.
P.S. : It is good to be back on Cryptomundo!
By the way, wouldn’t it seem to be a better idea to set up a quiet expedition that is out there for weeks, not days, and blends in to the surroundings, rather than a story-telling trip that lets everything within 50 miles know that a gaggle of misled tourists is approaching. They might as well spray BIGFOOT-REPELLANT on everyone and everything!
I agree with Showme.
Showme plan an expedition my group and I will go with you but please keep it on the east coast. We are experiencing an influx of activity here in VA since the drought south of us.
BFRO expeditions seem a little too planned. I don’t want to experience people in monkey suits hired to scare me. It ain’t worth 300 or 600.
I also have a problem understanding all the negativity toward the BFRO.
I don’t think $300 is a big deal if you are into the bigfoot thing.
I am an avid hunter. 2 years ago I went on a moose hunt that cost me almost $5000. That was for a Newfoundland moose.
A moose hunt in Alaska will cost you around $12000-$15000. That is just for the guides services, that doesn’t include airfare.
A Dall sheep hunt can easily cost you $18000.
If you think about it, these hunting guides are doing the same thing the BFRO is. They are trying to get you close to an animal.
Many hunters return from expensive hunting trips without seeing what they went after.
$300 isn’t that big a deal if you are interested in Bigfoot or want to rub elbows with people with the same interests.
Update: Fox News journalist Griff Jenkins is reporting in his blog that the BFRO changed the decision about him not going, and Jenkins will be on the Michigan BFRO camping trip. Did anyone see that coming?
Jenkins was told to bring along a bat or axe handle, not to beat the Bigfoot to death, but to hit it on tree trunks. What? Aren’t there dead limbs out there that they can utilize? If they are beating on trees, obviously keeping the area in a pristine condition is not a major concern. Pick up some sticks, campers, and hit them together. You’re going to get some animals to react. Maybe not Bigfoot.
Also, I note that Jenkins is saying he’s been told that the location is “hot” – due to someone with credilibity (according to the BFRO) saying that person has a “recent” experience. Sorry, but this sounds so much like the carnie getting the mark to come closer to the tent.
As Ivan T. Sanderson wrote in 1961, in his critique of the Hillary World Book expedition, if the objectives are scientific in such a search, these kinds of events are going to fail if you bring more than a handful of individuals. As Sanderson said, Hillary & Perkins should never have constructed an expedition looking for elusive unknown primates with a “small army that might well have scared even human beings into moving over into the next valley.”
Doesn’t the BFRO realize that serious Bigfooters understand this foundation of looking for and collecting animals?
Loren, the expeditions are not as large as you might imagine. Also give credit to the curiousity of these creatures, they may not be so readily scared off.
Windwalker7: precisely. I’m neither stupid nor gullible, and I can differentiate between a scam and a good-faith effort. Having been on nine BFRO expeditions now, all over the country, I can report that the vast majority of attendees leave more than satisfied with the experience.
Why does this remind me of the movie “Tremors 3,” in which a rough ‘n’ ready guide charges city folk to take them out to see the legendary Graboids? Sorry, but it does. And, again I’m sorry, but what to you feel when you experience a “profound otherness?” Nice Indian flute music, though.
Any of you guys ever been on a hunting trip? Elk, moose, sheep, grizzly?
Do you know how much those trips cost?
You pay regardless of the out come.
When you pay your good, hard earned money to an outfitter and guide, what are you paying them to do?
What’s the difference?
For those BFRO friends who are discovering this blog for the first time, and thinking that my blog today was unwelcome to the BFRO and Chris Noel, here’s what Chris wrote to me this morning at 9:16 am:
My reply to Chris Noel was:
I hear a lot about there being too many people on these expeditions.
How many people were on those expeditions in search of evidence of the Yeti in the Himilayas?
I’m sure there were several Sherpas along.
I have never been on a BFRO expedition and probably never will attend one. I do log on to there site about as often as I log on here, though.
I find it very interesting as well as this site.
I just don’t understand all the bickering amongst the different crypto based groups.
This group doesn’t respect that group, and that don’t respect this one, and back and forth.
As has been pointed out before, Bigfoot usually initiates a sighting by it’s own curiosity in and around rural human areas and road crossing situations. In their realm, we are hopelessly outgunned so to speak, because they are faster, see better at night, can use their smelling abilities in a more accurate way than the average city dwelling human, knows how to blend in and camoflage itself in it’s natural surroundings, has vastly more stamina for staying ahead of us etc. Now, who actually got real good footage of one of these? two guys ON HORSEBACK! The horse hoofbeats probably were indistinguishable from elk in the sandy soil of the area, and the horses smell probably masked that of the men. They were probably also upwind from “Patty” luckily. Plus they were out there for quite a while. I will say this tho’; P.and G. were in an area that was deemed “hot” because of recent footprint reports.-
I also sense an out of balance hostility towards Moneymaker and the BFRO here. Some of you need to back-off a taste. I would love nothing more for a bigfoot to come into their camp in Michigan and scare the stew outa the fox reporter, but not to the point where he doesn’t get footage, because maybe that would shut the smug mouths of his compatriots back at Fox’s plush, mosquitoless headquarters. Hmmm…. How would “Shep” two step around an opologie for his uninformed; “bigfoot died with Ray Wallace” tripe?
I have no problem with the BFRO making money as long as they aren’t hurting anyone or violating their rights, but has there been a discussion of all the call-blasting that they perform on these expeditions?
If there are bigfoot out there, and I tend to think there are good chances there are in some areas, all this call blasting could have some negative effects. First, it could be messing things up scientifically, as the animals will learn to not respond when calls are given in certain areas or when people have been detected. Also, the call blasting could wind up hurting the animals themselves. If it gets to the point where they can’t trust the calls, it could hurt what populations are left and decrease socialization and reproduction.
Below are some comments I have previously made about the BFRO expeditions.
———
I had no problem with Matt wanting to pursue an income and provide a venue for others to pay for an expedition/bigfoot tour. My concerns with expeditions were several:
(1) How the expeditions were being marketed, conducted, and reported (sensationalistically in my mind).
(2) Possible liability of BFRO members, as liability waivers only covered the organizer (i.e. Matt)
(3) The lack of financial transparency. It was not clear to those outside the BFRO that the expeditions were a sole proprietorship and the BFRO did not financially benefit as an organization.
(4) The lack of broader consultation regarding new members that entered the org through expeditions. Matt was the sole judge as to whether someone entered.
(5) Decision making power for all substantive BFRO matters residing with Matt. Matt’s involvement with the expeditions made him an absentee leader, by and large. Without a structured process to run the org in his absence, it was a constant political drama.
——–
If folks are wondering whether they should go on a BFRO expedition or not, it’s entirely up to them. Here are the positives that even I see in the expeditions.
Most people on them have a good time–certainly not all, but most do. The few folks who have a bad time on these trips are in the minority.
You get to meet people who are just as interested in the subject as you are, and you get to talk about it openly. Where do you get to do that back at home?
You will meet Matt and BFRO members who can share their experiences and investigative techniques. All of them are pretty friendly, including Matt. You will form friendships with members and participants, and might even do more research with the people you like after the expedition is over. Those friendships may be long-lasting (as they have been for many). Put a bunch of strangers together with a common goal and they bond. That’s what people do.
If Matt can arrange it, he will get a BFRO report submitter (i.e. a witness) to join the expedition and take you to the spot of their encounter. You’ll hear a great story, and the word “story” doesn’t mean I think it’s BS.
The expeditions are typically in a place that is pleasant on the eyes and has the comforts of civilization close at hand. That’s not a knock on location selection. If you can pick a place with toilets and hot showers, and stores within an easy drive, that’s great. You don’t stay in base camp when looking for these animals, so why not sleep and eat in a place that doesn’t require lugging gear on your back for miles?
You’ll stay up late sitting around for a stakeout, walk until you can’t walk anymore, and drive all over kingdom come. You will cover a lot of ground as a group. Because participants are at various stages of fitness, the group splits up and everyone does what they are able to do.
Matt has guaranteed that you will at least hear vocals (at least that was up on the website at one point). When people go on BFRO expeditions, they report activity that they sincerely believe is indicative of sasquatches. That happens on many expeditions. Whether you buy what they are telling you or not is up to you. Without hard evidence to examine, everything is subject to interpretation. I have seen no indications of hoaxing, and I don’t suspect Matt would or could do that.
If all the above makes it worth it to you, then go and don’t let anyone stop you. It’s your money. You will have a good time.
Negatives? Well, I’ve already addressed those ad nauseum both here and in other threads.
Caveat emptor
If anyone here knows, please answer this question: if I take a great photo (with my own camera) of a sasquatch while on a BFRO expedition, who owns the photo?
It’s clearly stated in the pre-expedition forms that all evidence (photographic or otherwise) gathered by an expedition member is the sole property of that person, NOT the BFRO. I can speak from personal experience: I own all the footage I have taken on these expeditions.
All photographs belong to the person who took them. This goes for video, footprint casts, and sound recordings as well.
I believe this is clearly stated in the waiver that one signs before going on one of these trips, although I admit it has been a while since I’ve signed one…
By the way, many fishing guides cost more than $150 for 6 hours or so of fishing… $300 for four or more days doesn’t seem too unreasonable. Besides, as Judaculla says, these trips are fun.
showme, That photo is yours. BFRO has not likely been faced with the decision as to whether or not to talk anybody out of a good picture, in all of their expeditions. I donated a few of some really sweet tracks in mud, and did not even receive a thankyou, as I recall. Matt must tour an area prior to scheduling a tour, which takes time and money. Site essentials are a nearby hotel for MM to stay in if it rains, and bathroom facilities so that the women do not have to worry about being kidnapped by a paranormal Bigfoot. MM’s ability to not make plans until the last possible second, is an advantage to outwitting the bigfoot because they will not be able to telepathically discover his plans and vacate the area that some sort of sorties will occur. So apparent disorganization actually works out to his advantage, sometimes. He used to admit that they were paranormal, once everyone arrives and has paid their money. Thats when everyone suddenly starts questioning why they are there, and immediately changes plans to stay in camp at night.
I think going on a Bigfoot expedition/camping trip for $300 is well worth it. I also would not expect to encounter the beast. If it happened, great! I would watch, listen, partake and learn as much as I could. The expedition might not be as expected. Then again, I might meet some wonderful like-minded new friends! The way I see it, put me in a researched Bigfoot Hot-Spot for a few nights and I’m a happy camper. Break out the smores! Such an adventure would be what you make it.
I think all Bigfoot researchers should pull together. But that is just a dream, because the first to discover Bigfoot will go down in history.
The expeditions are an honest attempt to utilize small groups of people in potential sasquatch habitat with the objective of hopefully obtaining physical evidence. More importantly however is the underlying objectives that everyone should embrace because they potentially can benefit us all- nurture peoples interest, teach them about what we’ve learned and or experienced (for those who have), get them wilderness and “field ready,” and build relationships between like-minded people who will work together and hopefully will periodically get together on smaller, but highly efficient and coordinated efforts near their respective locations. Most of the former Curators understood and embraced this formula and you won’t see the ones who were a part of them ever criticize them publicly because it would be hypocritical- they are the same methods they operated by, only thankfully now there’s better equipment to work with.
I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready to have this so-called mystery of unrecognized North American primates solved (should’ve been a long time ago). Thankfully as of the last year I’m now a “knower” and no longer a 27 year “believer,” (I’m 33) but that’s not enough, the rest of the public needs to “know” as well. Instead of sitting around and hoping for an “accidental discovery,” the more people contributing in more places, the better. We should support all honest efforts.
CA-BFRO
I have been camping in the wilderness, and I know that the best way to observe wildlife is to be quiet, (that means no storytelling) camp in the field, and drop a little bit of eggs on the ground. THAT, is how I befriended a wandering skunk. And, above all, you should stay near base camp. If you go marching through the woods, it makes you less than inconspicuos. If you must leave camp to find wildlife, do it on horseback, as they smell like a hoofed animal, sound like a hoofed animal, and are about as wierd(=scary=stay away) to local animals as, well, a hoofed animal.
I think it is good that somebody is getting out there looking. 300 dollars is also not a bad price for a remote camping trip, depending on what is included in the package. I do think it is a bit of a jump to compare these excursions to a normal hunting trip, though. While during a hunting trip, you may pay whether you get results or not, at least you know for a fact that there are results are there to be had, these creatures definitely exist. The game or fish you seek are definitely out there somewhere (whether you find them or not) and no doubt you have paid a lot of money because that particular guide has on occasion gotten results. So where is all of the incontrovertible proof and concrete evidence collected by these expeditions? Where are the results that warrant the expenditure of these sums? I hate to say it, but this smacks to me of capitalizing on people’s desire to believe there is something there rather than a necessarily honest attempt to scientifically verify an unknown creature. I suppose something must keep people coming back for more, but as far as proving sasquatch is real in a scientific fashion (it hasn’t been), these expeditions have not turned up the final concrete evidence needed.
I suppose the BFRO has to get funding from somewhere, so more power to them, but this is hardly like a hunting expedition in my opinion. Hunters go out looking for a creature that is proven to be real, that can and has been found before. Maybe when sasquatch is proven to exist and is shown to be a creature that can be somewhat reliably tracked as well as routinely spotted, then these expeditions can be compared to a hunting trip and exorbitant prices can be charged. Sasquatch may very well be real as well, but I feel for now maybe sending out large parties of amateurs is a bit premature until more is known about this creature’s habits or indeed whether it even exists. I’d say it is Ok for someone to pay 300 dollars for a good trek, which is most probably fun, but do not expect too much on the sasquatch front. Of course, I’d love to be wrong.
In this instance chances are you won’t even get what you pay for. How sad is that?
The video is well let’s just say my 300 bucks will remain in my pocket.
I think I’ll save my $300 bucks for my first tattoo. Nothing against the BFRO, but I’d be a little wary about going into the woods with a group of people I don’t know or trust. Let alone going into the woods to search for a Bigfoot.
Personally, I like the ideals behind the BFRO. They are seeking the same answers we all are too. They want to prove the existence of Bigfoot.
But I feel spending $300 and getting nothing just feels like a waste of time to me. With that many people clamoring about the wilderness IMO would scare whatever wildlife away.
I’d spend the money on a good camera and go out by myself. It just seems like my chances of finding something would be greater.
What a bunch of haters. No one puts a gun to anyone’s head to go on these expeditions. People choose them freely. The terms of participation are clear. If members of the public wants to pay for it that is there business. To all the naysayers, it is easy to criticize without first hand knowledge and you know what they say about opinions.
People get maliciously scammed all the time and no one held a gun to their head either. They went into it of their own free will, but does that make it right? That’s why they call it a scam.
I don’t know if that is what is really happening here, but if this is an attempt to dupe true believers out of their cash for a bogus expedition , I would think it should be exposed for what it is. This can and has happened to people desperate to believe and I have no stomach for attempts to capitalize on it. I really hope that this is not what is going on here with the BFRO, but I am a bit suspicious at this point in time. If those that have tried it enjoyed it, then fine, but I can certainly see why some here are a bit skeptical.
The internet is what most of the naysayers call their “research”. They will pick a side and feel like they belong to something, spouting off on things they truly know very little about.
Sadly for them, they won’t KNOW anything until EVERYONE does, and then, all they will need to do is change their username and become instant experts!
BFRO expedition participants are trusted with very expensive equipment. Things like thermal imaging devices and upper end night vision. Hopefully I am correct in recalling reading on their site that they offer camping gear to those who aren’t equipped.
If I were to start an organization like the BFRO and scout potential research areas across the US, then trust individuals whom I have never met with valuable equipment and gear, you can bet there would be at least a $300 tag on the trip!
If someone is willing to pay to do the trip, they are showing that they are mostly serious about finding out more about the research.
I wouldn’t want any tightwad screwballs who are there to act like fools and make things harder for the more serious folks. A free expedition would be a disaster!
If you can’t understand that, then you’re really not trying to!
When I go on my first expedition with the BFRO I will be very satisfied with the thought that some of the posters on sites like these will never be there.
Sylense- Like the research you did reading the information off of their site? Is that the kind of internet research you are talking about? You can say what you want about naysayers but what I see here is people with legitimate concerns and voicing those concerns. You are right in that I have not been on any of these trips myself, but it seems neither have you, so why do you think you know more than anyone else here? Sorry, but you are sounding a tad hypocritical to me.
You say that people must pay because of the expensive equipment. There is a word for this sort of thing and it is called “security deposit”. You pay and when the equipment is not damaged, you get the money back. Does that happen with the BFRO? I didn’t think so. I can’t really see why people should have to pay a nonrefundable deposit in order to use this equipment. I gather by the way you talk about the disasters of free expeditions and how serious these guys are that you aren’t all that informed about the way real scientific expeditions are done. They are not expeditions that allow in people who pay their 300 bucks and they are not an eco tourism venture. Even the people who make large donations are not just allowed to come along. I know of no groundbreaking research into real animals that operate in this manner. These scientific excursions go out with professionals with the means to verify what they find in a scientific manner and without an entourage of weekend warriors tagging along. To say that the BFRO excursions are so much more serious than this sort of scientific expedition is pretty ridiculous to me. You say that people willing to pay are more serious? I think this is simply not true. As you said, if you do not understand, then I feel you are not really trying to.
The people here are voicing their concerns about the BFRO and how do advocates of the group address those concerns? They make assumptions about the readers here. They become prickly, defensive, and accuse those on this site of not knowing what they are talking about or changing user names or not doing any research of their own. Is this the way these criticisms are to be dealt with? Granted, some of the criticism has been needlessly harsh, but I think that maybe that is not the best response to the people here who are questioning the BFRO and it telling how uncivil it is. Sorry, but if the expeditions are full of presumptuous, self important people who abhor legitimate criticism or the hard questions like you seem to be doing, then you are quite right in that at least I will have no desire to be amongst them.
On the other hand, I’m big enough to admit I may have the BFRO all wrong and that I don’t know all of the facts behind their expeditions. I want to see Bigfoot discovered as much as anyone, so if their methods work and they are the ones to do it, then more power to them.
It was also rather humorous that while trying to read the comments here about the apparent sins of BFRO a Circuit City ad jumps up blocking my progress here. Some folks might consider that just as offensive (I didn’t say I did) as BFRO soliciting $300 for their “cause.”
As someone who is now middle aged and interested in All-Things-That-Go-Bump-In-The-Night since I was a kid, may I ask what other outlet besides the BFRO does the average, 8-5 working stiff have to even get the slimmest chance of encountering Bigfoot evidence? I certainly haven’t found any. And not all of us have the time nor the resources to mount such an expedition on our own – or even if we did, what direction in the woods to head. So I’m seriously considering grabbing one of the kids and a buddy and going on such a trip in the future. (If I’m lucky, maybe I can buy a BFRO Expedition Commemorative PushPop if they have any of those left….)
The annals of scientific discovery are full of all sorts of apparently nondescript characters doing things the “wrong” way and somehow stumbling onto something wonderful.