Les Stroud’s Survivorman Bigfoot Encounter
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on October 12th, 2012
Les Stroud of Survivorman talks about his Bigfoot encounter in Alaska.
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.
Ho-hum….just another person who spends significant time in the wild, honestly describing an encounter with something he can’t explain, and which is entirely consistent with thousands of other similar accounts by similarly situated persons, and congruent with thousands of documented sightings of bipedal non-human animals.
But, where is the evidence for Sasquatch?
Methinks Les heard an actual ape, and not a sasquatch (which isn’t an ape at all); or it was something he ate. First time, though, I’ve heard Les talk for more than two minutes without claiming he “invented the (survivor) genre”!
Great story, thanks for sharing.
Goodfoot – if Sasquatch is not an ape, what is it? (keeping in mind that all hominids/hominins are apes)
Interesting story, and I don’t see a reason to doubt Les Stroud. Too bad he didn’t catch it on camera!
Yep, Les does self-promotion, no doubt. (When you are your own camera man, support crew and tour agent, I supposed that publicist is just part of the same solo gig.)
But Goodfoot, here is a case in point why this field of study goes begging for serious consideration in the scientific community: The fact that we can all so flippantly dismiss a straightforward account and substitute our own version of an incident based on how we “know” it really happened.
To tell you the truth, I am starting to get less interested in the whole idea of Sasquatch, and much more interested in the knee-jerk reactions to reported encounters. I mean, as a species, what is up with us? Are we all just too certain of our places in the world to actually contemplate the idea that we might not know as much as we think we know?
Inquiring minds want to know.
I don’t think Mr. Stroud was saying he had evidence for Sasquatch.
An actual ape in Alaska?
“Methinks Les heard an actual ape, and not a sasquatch (which isn’t an ape at all);
How do you know that a sasquatch “isn’t an ape at all” or what they sound like.
I think Les is credible and it took him several months to come forward.
GoodFoot – I can’t think of many outdoor enthusiasts who would be more qualified than Les Stroud to be able to correctly identify animal calls/sounds in the wilds of North America. And how do you justify that bigfoot is not a great ape ? The most likely candidate is Gigantopithecus, which was indeed a descendant of today’s apes. Rock throwing, tree shaking, and the emission of odors from apocrine sweat glands which has been a long standing attribute of Bigfoot also exists in today’s great apes. Please do a little homework before you post on here again.
This sound is so obviously from a primate that either Les was hoaxed by a human in the middle of nowhere (I doubt that) or he really heard a Sasquatch. I think he heard a Sasquatch, too bad there’s no video or audio to back his story.
semillama: Thanks, man. You make an excellent point. So goodbye to you all; I’ve enjoyed the ride. Someday, I may return – after I’ve done as much homework as semillama has. If that day ever arrives; I don’t know how I could ever possibly catch up, though.
Thanks, everyone. Goodbye to you all!
As a bit of a “romantic,” looking from the outside, who hopes the “big guys” are real, but rationally thinks the chances are low…
This might be a bit of a rationalization, but his account of the creature fleeing when he reached for his camera equipment, brought to mind my thought that possibly a very intelligent hominid/ape would know to be wary of humans carrying anything unfamiliar – be it a spear, rifle or camera…
The shapes and colors of most of our technological items might well catch the eye of an intelligent but non-technological primate. If “they” were in the Americas before humans arrived, they probably have instincts/passed-down-behavior/”lore” warning of men with things in their hands, as from the start, they would be dealing with tough, organized hunters in (to “them”) shockingly large and effective groups.
Again, this likely will sound like a rationalization, but it might explain the “convenient” camera-shyness that frustrates optimists and believers and sours skeptics…
‘Again, this likely will sound like a rationalization, but it might explain the “convenient” camera-shyness that frustrates optimists and believers and sours skeptics…’
I think the “camera-shyness” is a bit of a stretch.
Maybe Mr. Stroud’s sudden movement to get the camera caused the crash, crash, crash across the tree line.
What gets me is that this “OLD” news has not been examined already to the point where a lot of the rehashing could be avoided. The show aired in 2008 and his “encounter” was known soon after.
There is another “story” from Les Stroud that I can’t seem to find any information about…even tried contacting Stroud’s people. That would be something to look into.
I heard of this Alaska “encounter” years ago and put it down as a legitimate “encounter” by a legitimate witness…if Stroud said he had seen a bald guy rob a gas station folks would look for that bald guy, Stroud is a credible witness. This story came out long before his book tour.
The second story is what I have wondered about. If anyone knows of that second “encounter” please advise me where to hear it as I could not find any info on it.
He mentions “TWO EXPERIENCES” with Bigfoot but only tells of “ONE”.
When I first heard his Alaska “experience” I Google Earthed the location, Yaroka Arm area of the Kenjai Fjords National Park and although it is extremely remote, the location is accessible by boat, sea planes, and is actually near a “sensitive” archaeological site, that Stroud did not have a permit to commercially videotape. He was cited.
So this “story” is old news, but his “OTHER” story…well, that would be cool to hear about.
Yes, interesting.
People say they’ve experienced something; the something is extremely consistent with what others report….and…..
[crickets]
I will never get this. Science is not about ignoring or shouting down. It is about investigating, and keeping an open mind until the investigation is conducted.
There’s oodles of information out there, accessible to anyone with curiosity…and yet I seem to know much, much more about it than any scientist who disagrees with me.
Sho’nuff, there is no species more curious than we are.
And no species more steelheadedly oblivious, when it chooses to be.
theatricn:
It’s been said by some very familiar with bears that they can tell a hunter with a rifle from a hiker with a camera.
Given that we’ve already proven over and over that animals can learn from experience, this doesn’t seem too farfetched to me.
And yes, I think a higher primate might have a bit of facility there.
Goodfoot:
No need to get upset about a cogent observation, dude!
We don’t know what this animal is yet, although primate (and ape) seem very logical conclusions from what is reported.
And I echo Ploughboy’s headscratch on folks who simply say: no, silly, you didn’t see that. I wasn’t there….and you saw THIS.