Bigfoot and Rainfall
Posted by: Rick Noll on January 10th, 2006
The Pacific Northwest, actually the greater Seattle area, is fast approaching a record rain streak. It stands at 33 days but on this coming Friday that could easily be exceeded. Forecasts predict at least another 5 days to the continuous downfall we are having. I mention this for two reasons:
- It has been mentioned by John Green, “Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us”, pg 170-188, Chapter 10 – “Twenty Inches of Rain”, that one of the only patterns he has seen with the data he collected, which had the most stringent validation process attached to it’s collection in my book, was that reports seem to be tied to areas with 20 inches or more rainfall per year, and
- My laptop went down and is being repaired. All the postings I was working on are in it and I won’t get it back for a few more days yet, so I thought I would poll the readership here in the meantime.
What is it about the rain that a pattern appears in Bigfoot reports? Does it have to do with thermo-regulation? Food resources? Mineral leaching? Maybe they have to come out of the ground, from their hiding places, for fear of being flooded out? Just kidding on that one.
I have my own theories but I am really interested in what all of you think about this so please comment on the phenomena within the phenomenon.
About Rick Noll
Rick Noll has been actively searching for the Sasquatch since 1969 and continues his pursuit with extended field trips into the Pacific Northwest's most remote regions. Rick has worked with Peter Byrne, René Dahinden, Grover Krantz, John Green, Jeff Meldrum and the BFRO during all this. He helped with many documentaries on the subject including Animal X: The Skookum Expedition and Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science.
Could it be that areas with higher rainfall have the heavy plant growth that they need? For food and to help remain hidden. Heavy rainfall areas also have many water sources. This way a secretive animal doesn’t have to expose themselves showing up at a waterhole. Other reasons may include fish runs and other wildlife that good watersheds support.
That’s interesting, since the sighting I posted about on another article took place right around the flood of 96.
Maybe it isn’t that the rain provides something they need such as food water or cover but that it hinders their normal habits . Heavy rainfall may drive them away from normal waterways into areas where there is a greater likelihood for encounters. It is thought this creature follows water ways such as rivers and creeks. If this is so maybe the huge influx of rain and the flood stage that follows drives them away from their normal range. Think only about the flood stage of rivers. They become murky and it is difficult for predators to see fish in the water at this time. The faster current and greater water volume ,for lack of a better term, the more “watered down” the concentration of fish and other prey items in the water. Mud and water run off may make plant food difficult to get to or destroy it all together. It also makes traversing hills or mountains difficult. The burst of plant type foods and such occur after heavy rains and not during. This all may play a part in driving the creatures into areas that are easier to traverse and forage in. It is no coincidence that these same areas are easier for humans to recreate in thus the greater chance for encounters between the two.
I’d have to agree that alot of rainfall equals alot of vegetation for such a large creature to eat, hide in, and raise young in.
Bigfoot sightings in less rainy areas simply means some live a tougher life than their “rainforest” cousins in Washington.
Also, some creatures prefer to travel when it is raining to avoid their footsteps alerting surrounding animals. Turkeys like to come out in the rain so their leaf-scratching for insects is camoflauged(sic?) by the sounds of the rain.
Some creatures appear only when others feel safe enough to forage, often causing a chain-reaction of appearances. When turkeys come out deer feel secure in leaving their brushy hide-outs. Perhaps if Bigfoot hunts the occasional sick/crippled deer to supplement its vegetation it does so during rainstorms to avoid detection. Who knows? I have trouble imagining Bigfoot hunting animals, but I allow it as a possibility due to my ignorance of the creature. I can see it using sticks to spear fish out of streams – kind of like bears swatting them out with their paws.
This brings up several questions…as it takes at least two for a sighting…the Bigfoot and the eyewitness.
1. What human behaviors are reinforced in rainy weather? Looking downward? Driving more slowly? Hiking more carefully? Being more aware of things in front of you?
2. What kind of habitats are routinely found in 20+ inch rainfall areas? More rainforests? Deeper wildernesses? More flexible living space for Bigfoot?
3. What interactions occur between humans and Sasquatch only in wet-areas?
Food for thought.
Curious if there are any patterns of bigfoot sightings near creek and river bottoms prior to heavy periods of rain.
While I agree with the likelihood that bigfoot are found in areas of higher than average rainfall, I don’t agree that you can say ”bigfoot are only found in areas of high rainfall.”
It goes without question, that all mammals require good water sources, well actually, all life on earth does. Areas of high rainfall are likely to be densely vegetated, which is the type of habitat that a bigfoot would thrive in. Coincidently, so do deer, elk, horse, etc. All are interrelated with one another. Could it not be, infact, that, ‘bigfoot are mostly found in areas that are densely vegetated, these areas also happen to have high rainfall averages?’
The same connotation, only worded slightly differently.
Another hypothesis could be, ‘bigfoot are mostly found in densely vegetated mountainous areas.’ These areas also happen to have higher than average rainfall due to the relief of the land of a mountainous area i.e. water vapour has to rise above mountains, and as it does so, air mass travel is slowed considerably and consequently moisture accumilates and it precipitates heavily in mountainous areas.
The unclear part is establishing cause and effect. Does a bigfoot live in a particular area because of its terrain and environment or because of it’s good water source, or perhaps both?
Just my thoughts.
Rain and dirt equals mud, and mud makes it easy to leave footprints. Anyway I bet that like most of us Bigfoot likes the feel of mud between his toes and rain on his face.
Better hiding. Better hunting. Diversity of prey and vegetation.
But maybe the big guy just likes the free & frequent showers, everywhere, without having to travel to a distant or exposed water source.
AND rain on his face.
Fuz
This animal prefers dense, moist montane forests and dense, wet bottomland forests. Those types of forest growth require abundant rainfall. The areas of abundant rainfall also will naturally yield more watercourses and bodies of water, which in turn yield sustenance and basic survival. Just like for us, in survival situations, the best places for our survival would be in areas of abundant rainfall, abundant bodies of water and watercourses, abundant wildlife and plenty of shelter/cover. I think these animals operate somewhat like humans in survival situations; eat whatever you can to stay alive, stay in areas with abundant water and food; naturally the best place to find all that will be in the area that gets a healthy amount of rainfall, like East Texas, western Washington, northern California, or southeastern Oklahoma. All are excellent areas that certainly a survivalist would thrive in; all receive abundant amounts of rainfall; all are areas of abundant sasquatch encounters.
Actually all are great comments! Ecology is very complex in its links between seemingly unrelated events… but you better believe they are related.
I don’t think there is ONE answer, and you all proved it here.
The links come from evolving, surviving a particular habitat. Bergman’s rule tells us that animals inhabiting areas further away from the equator generally grow bigger than like species nearer to it. This might be because of more water stays on the ground, therefore more life survives, thus less competition or it could just be that larger bodies need to thermoregulate better and it is colder the further away from the equator you get, so easier to do so without having to rest more often…. Blah blah blah I think you all understand.
Life isn’t simple. Its marvelously complex.
Enter behavior, the reliance on one of the senses to tell of impending danger being over ridden by the constant drumming of rain… and as Loren alluded, Bigfoot makes a mistake and is seen more often in rainy areas then in drier ones.
I like this topic, it prompts me to remember the time I spent in the Appalachians around my home state where I grew up. flash flooding is only one issue, the last in a very destructive natural occurrence in mountainous areas prone to heavy rain storms. mud slides and swelling of rainfall ruts in the mountain side would destroy any sasquatch dwellings and basically create a sudden homeless pop. of resident big hairy smelly people. Food source obviously accounting for the local pop of absms’ in the area, homeless after a heavy rainfall they would be sighted on the move, a natural relocation process.
I believe if humans are still suffering relocation due to weather now days, big mountain absms’ are susceptible to the same natural causes.
besides, if you look a map of the U.S. we’ve learned our lessons about living too close to weather prone mountain ranges, and for good reason. most of our cites are on the far fringes of major ranges. still every year more people around the globe lose their homes to flash flooding and mountain terra slides. so would they!