Basic Bigfoot Evidence and
Encounter Documentation-
“Take a Picture; It’ll Last Longer!”
by Tom Yamarone
Itʼs been nearly a month since the Fall
Equinox and the days are getting
noticeably shorter. Thereʼs dew on the
plants and car windows in the mornings
and the days of three digit temperatures
are but a searing memory of Summer.
October is a special month for many
reasons. October 20th is the day we
celebrate the Patterson-Gimlin film – our
favorite bigfoot movie! Halloween ends
the month on a fun note for the young and
young-at-heart and signals the start of the
holiday season. Thereʼs still plenty of
reasons and good weather to justify a trip
out the woods.
So, letʼs go over some of the things you
might do should you have a bigfoot
encounter – or come upon someone else
whoʼs just had one. Weʼll skip over the
visceral reactions…youʼre on your own
there. I donʼt think anyone can really
predict how they will react during such an
event. It depends on so many factors and
what the encounter is like. But in the
aftermath of a bigfoot event, thereʼs a few
steps we can take to document what
happened and add to the existing database
of bigfoot sightings and encounters.
There is quite a buzz these days on the
internet regarding standardization of this
data. It seems like a noble cause and a
direction bigfoot research should take.
Standardizing report formats and witness
interviews will allow other researchers and
the academic world to take a look at the
bigfoot phenomenon in a more organized
manner. Also, in the cases where physical
evidence is available, uniform
documentation of such will allow for
others to analyze it – Iʼm talking about
footprints, hair, and other artifacts. And
more importantly, how to photograph
these, make a cast, etc. We had a
workshop last March where we covered
some of this and in up-coming issues of
the newsletter, weʼll disseminate some of
this information.
Whatʼs important to derive if youʼve had a
sighting or are the first one to make
contact with a person whoʼs had one? The
following information is all very important
to note:
1. What happened? A written narrative
(or tape recorded audio narrative) of
the occurrence.
2. Date and Time of the encounter.
3. Location. Where did it happen? And
should you have the inclination to flee
the location, take a moment to drop
something or mark the spot so you
can find it again. Ultimately, GPS
coordinates are the best – or as close
as you can mark the spot on a
topographic map. Note the nearest
road and nearest town to the location
as well as accurate directions on how
to get there.
4. What were you doing just before it
happened?
5. Were there other witnesses?
6. What was the weather and lighting
conditions like at the time of the
event?
7. Anything else you might add that
would be helpful in understanding
what happened?
8 Any physical evidence noticed after
the event? Footprints, hair or other
spoor?
9. Did you take any photographs or
video? If not – and you happen to
have a camera on you – take some
photographs of the location.
What if you should come upon something
you think is evidence of a bigfoot while
out in the woods? It could be a footprint, a
uniquely broken tree, a possible nesting
site, or an unusual stick formation.
Simple…take a picture of it!
As far as field research is concerned,
much of what I know I learned at
Operation Odyssey – a weekend
workshop on investigative techniques
presented by Kathy Moskowitz Strain,
Bob Strain and Montra Freitas in April
2004. The purpose of this free, two day
workshop was to teach participants how to
recognize, record and collect bigfoot
evidence. The focus was on field methods
and much of what was covered dealt with
basic issues such as outdoor safety and
equipment needs for field outings. There
are tentative plans for the Alliance of
Independent Bigfoot Researchers
(www.bigfootresearch.com) to have
another of these events next Spring.
F I E L D W O R K
2
Hereʼs what you should do if you happen to photograph or take a video of a bigfoot. I found these tips
on-line – they were posted on an internet forum by Rick Noll.
1.Mark accurately the spot where you are taking the pictures from, including the height above the
ground and angle you are shooting at. Note the shutter speed, iris setting and focal length of the
lens. Place this information on paper and on a detailed map of the immediate area.
2.Record the time, date and weather conditions.
3.Try to get to the exact spot ASAP where the sasquatch was seen and record/document track
ways, distances traveled, distances to the camera position and the heights of objects seen in the
video at relatively the same distance as the sasquatch. Photo and cast tracks if any are present or
find someone who can do it for you.
4.Have someone interview you on tape ASAP as to what you saw and did about it.
5.Make a digital, lossless copy of the original tape or internegatives of films. Place the originals in
a safety deposit box at your bank of choice.
6.Contact a local newspaper to run a story of the event including a still image from the film or
video. In the US as soon as you make an image you have copyright so there is no push to work
that issue. People will tell you to sign up for copyright but what you are really doing is applying
for a legal firm (with payment of course) to run legalities for you. Don't do this until you have
done the stuff listed above .
7.Never say anything you think you might regret at a later date about the event or the content of
your documentation.
8.All measurements should be double checked; utilize a second person and use two measuring
devices at a later date when youʼre more clear headed.
hopefully a tape measure or photo scale –
but anything as simple as a dollar bill,
water bottle or a knife will suffice. Avoid
the typical “hereʼs my boot next to the
print” photo as shoes and boots vary in
size. And try and take as many photos as
possible from a variety of angles and
always one directly overhead (if
possible.) Measurements of the track
length and width (across the balls of the
foot and the heel) are necessary as well as
the distance between prints (the step) and
the distance from a right print to the next
right print (the stride)…measure the step
and stride from toe to toe or heel to heel
between two consecutive prints.
Mapping the site is very important. One
should follow the steps provided in the
reference article “Archaeological Data
Methods” by Kathy Moskowitz Strain
and Reid Nelson.
The next key element of bigfoot evidence
is casting of any print evidence. The
museum had a casting workshop last
Spring and should be able to host another
event like that next year. Iʼm not going to
cover casting here, but should you locate
a print you deem worthy of casting, give
the museum a call. Weʼll get you the
material you need or talk you through
the process.
I didnʼt intend for this article to be a
detailed treatise on “how-to” document
bigfoot evidence. It was intended to
encourage us to be more diligent in our
documentation. There is some basic
information that we can be more astute at
noting when we do have the opportunity.
So, take good notes, take more pictures,
draw a map or sketch of where you were
and letʼs see what we can piece together
about this creature. This year alone in
California weʼve had multiple reports of
unusual vocalizations, a couple of great
sightings and an excellent find of a track
trail in Humboldt County. The evidence
is out there...letʼs be sure to document it
when we have the opportunity!
Thatʼs about it for documentation and
what to do should you find yourself in a
post-encounter situation. Letʼs see what
else is going on these days
Weʼll keep you informed when the plans
are announced.
The things I took away from this
weekend all had to do with attempting to
properly document bigfoot evidence. I
mentioned above what information to
record should you have a sighting or
obtain a photograph or video. Letʼs take a
quick look at what the next steps would
be should a bigfoot encounter provide
you with physical evidence.

Hereʼs what you should do if you happen to photograph or take a video of a bigfoot. I found these tips
on-line – they were posted on an internet forum by Rick Noll.
1.Mark accurately the spot where you are taking the pictures from, including the height above the
ground and angle you are shooting at. Note the shutter speed, iris setting and focal length of the
lens. Place this information on paper and on a detailed map of the immediate area.
2.Record the time, date and weather conditions.
3.Try to get to the exact spot ASAP where the sasquatch was seen and record/document track
ways, distances traveled, distances to the camera position and the heights of objects seen in the
video at relatively the same distance as the sasquatch. Photo and cast tracks if any are present or
find someone who can do it for you.
4.Have someone interview you on tape ASAP as to what you saw and did about it.
5.Make a digital, lossless copy of the original tape or internegatives of films. Place the originals in
a safety deposit box at your bank of choice.
6.Contact a local newspaper to run a story of the event including a still image from the film or
video. In the US as soon as you make an image you have copyright so there is no push to work
that issue. People will tell you to sign up for copyright but what you are really doing is applying
for a legal firm (with payment of course) to run legalities for you. Don't do this until you have
done the stuff listed above .
7.Never say anything you think you might regret at a later date about the event or the content of
your documentation.
8.All measurements should be double checked; utilize a second person and use two measuring
devices at a later date when youʼre more clear headed.
hopefully a tape measure or photo scale –
but anything as simple as a dollar bill,
water bottle or a knife will suffice. Avoid
the typical “hereʼs my boot next to the
print” photo as shoes and boots vary in
size. And try and take as many photos as
possible from a variety of angles and
always one directly overhead (if
possible.) Measurements of the track
length and width (across the balls of the
foot and the heel) are necessary as well as
the distance between prints (the step) and
the distance from a right print to the next
right print (the stride)…measure the step
and stride from toe to toe or heel to heel
between two consecutive prints.
Mapping the site is very important. One
should follow the steps provided in the
reference article “Archaeological Data
Methods” by Kathy Moskowitz Strain
and Reid Nelson.
The next key element of bigfoot evidence
is casting of any print evidence. The
museum had a casting workshop last
Spring and should be able to host another
event like that next year. Iʼm not going to
cover casting here, but should you locate
a print you deem worthy of casting, give
the museum a call. Weʼll get you the
material you need or talk you through
the process.
I didnʼt intend for this article to be a
detailed treatise on “how-to” document
bigfoot evidence. It was intended to
encourage us to be more diligent in our
documentation. There is some basic
information that we can be more astute at
noting when we do have the opportunity.
So, take good notes, take more pictures,
draw a map or sketch of where you were
and letʼs see what we can piece together
about this creature. This year alone in
California weʼve had multiple reports of
unusual vocalizations, a couple of great
sightings and an excellent find of a track
trail in Humboldt County. The evidence
is out there...letʼs be sure to document it
when we have the opportunity!
Thatʼs about it for documentation and
what to do should you find yourself in a
post-encounter situation. Letʼs see what
else is going on these days
Weʼll keep you informed when the plans
are announced.


The last few steps involve taking control
of the situation if the video or photograph
truly rank as clear evidence of a bigfoot.
Youʼd want to insure the original and also
he suggests having a friend or family
member “run interference” for you with
the people that would be contacting you.
All very good advice from an experienced
bigfoot researcher.
Now, these might seem extreme, but
theyʼre not. Should you actually have a
very good photograph or video – one that
will rival the best photographic evidence
to date (namely, the Patterson-Gimlin film)
– these are words of wisdom. If I remember
correctly, he posted these suggestions
around the time of the Manitoba video
when the person who took the video was
overwhelmed by the response to the initial
press release. Then we all got to see the
video and the steps taken by the gentleman
from Manitoba certainly could have been
done in a different manner. The video itself
did not live up to the hype and the followup
investigation and comparison video
were ineffectual and lacking because they
did not allow for the original image to be
analyzed in a consistent manner. Hence,
weʼre back to the topic of standardization…
or the need for standardized
procedures.
And wouldnʼt it be great to actually have
some new photographic evidence – and
have to take all these steps? Indeed. I
guess the point of my writing this is more
or less to encourage you to take the time to
document any event you feel is important
and worth adding to the knowledge base.
We have a report form on file at the
museum based upon several internet
databases.