Phantoms and Monsters

ksax - Bigfoot alive and living in northern Minnesota? The co-founders of the Northern Minnesota Bigfoot Society say, "100 percent yes."

They said they have received more than 75 reports of sightings, captured images, and Bigfoot footprints in just three years. They're sharing their insight while sorting fact from fiction as they take KSAX on the hunt for Bigfoot.

"I'm a skeptic of Bigfoot because I've trapped this whole area and never, ever did we see any Bigfoot tracks or see Bigfoot anywhere," William Tucker of Bena said.

Long time trapper William Tucker is anything but a believer, but just miles away from Bena, mind boggling footprints were found.

Each track was a bit different, different pressures, different depths, eliminating the possibility of some sort of footprint stamp.

This is just one of the things the co-founders of the Northern Minnesota Bigfoot Society say confirms the fact, Bigfoot is out there.

"I'm 110% convinced that it exists. There's just too much evidence, too many people's emotions showing when they recount their stories," Bob Olson, a co-founder of the Northern Minnesota Bigfoot Society said. "One lady cries when she recounts her story of how this thing stood up and looked at her. She felt it looked into her soul."

Since 2006, Olson and Don Sherman have received about 75 reports of similar Bigfoot sightings in Northern Minnesota, some of which have been captured on camera.

The most recent was captured in Remer. Though to some, the image may look like a man in a suit, a comparison with 6 foot 5 inch Bob Olson showed this man would have had to have been at least 7 feet tall.

Sherman and Olson say "wood knocking" is just one more way Bigfoot makes his presence known. Olson said Bigfoot responded to him at Carey Lake when he knocked on a tree five times.

What about bones? One KSAX reader says, "I believe Bigfoot is 100% real, as are a lot of the other creatures of Cryptozoology. But i believe in their true form, they are spiritual creatures, that manifest in flesh as they so desire. That is why we will never find bones, or other such evidence of them."

On the other side of the coin, Olson says giant bones belonging to Humanoid creatures were found in the late 1800's, stretching 10 to 12 feet.

While there haven't been any Bigfoot skeletons found, many trappers say they've never come across any bear, wolf, or other large animal skeleton either.

Other signs Bigfoot exists include branches plucked straight out of trees, strange looking shelters, and stick men to warn other Bigfoot of humans in the area.

"When there's stuff that doesn't go away, there's gotta be something to it and the evidence just keeps mounting up," Olson said.

For some Bena residents, the legend of Bigfoot is far from a tall tale.

"I never seen it, but like I says I believe in it," New Prague resident Leo Hinderscheid said.

"I don't know what to say Megan but I believe in it and that's the way it will be," Helen Tibbetts of Bena said.

So, the hunt for Bigfoot continues.
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East Texans Recall Bigfoot Encounters

c-bstatesman - For years, people have claimed sightings of a large, human-like creature in the thick woods of East Texas.

About 300 people recently gathered in Tyler for a Bigfoot Conference to share their personal confrontations with the creature.

Speaker Daryl Colyer, who claims to have had an encounter with the beast, said he heard the legends and stories from families when he was growing up.

Colyer’s own encounter with Bigfoot occurred near the Trinity River in Liberty County. He and his wife were walking along a trail at dusk when they spotted a large, hairy figure with a musky smell.

Here are some other sightings of Bigfoot-type creatures in East Texas:

In 2003, a motorist spotted an 8-foot-tall creature crossing Texas Highway 154 near Harleton and Little Cypress Bayou.

In December 2001, a deer hunter near Marshall saw a 7-foot upright ape-like figure that was dark brown in color. The figure was picking up apples.

In October 1995, a man was looking at land he was considering buying near Cleveland when he saw a creature lying on the ground. The creature rose on two legs and hit the man in the chest.

In June 1976 near Vidor, a couple moved out of their house because they had enough of Bigfoot sightings in the area.

In Summer 1976, a witness reported seeing a 12-foot-tall creature with silver hair eating ears of corn near Hallsville.

Not all of the Bigfoot sightings have turned out to be accurate.

In his book “The Search for Bigfoot,” Peter Byrne wrote about a man who claimed to have seen a Bigfoot creature standing with his back to the man, streaked in gray and black hair, huge, broad-shouldered and bent over.

When Byrne investigated, he discovered the man had seen nothing but a roadside stump.

For more than 400 years, people have been reporting large, hair-covered, manlike animals in wilderness areas of North America. Sightings of the creatures and their tracks continue today.

Minnesota / East Texas Residents Present Bigfoot Evidence and Encounters