Boggy Creek Aerial Reconnaissance, Photos of Boggy Creek, Mercer Bayou & Sulphur River Options

[foukeflyer]

I grew up in rural Northeast Texas about 60 miles – as a crow flies – from Fouke, Arkansas. I was ten when my parents dropped me off at my town’s theater to see The Legend of Boggy Creek. It scared me more than I thought it would, and I didn’t realize the movie’s impact until one evening I had to walk through the big woods of my father’s farm – at dusk – by myself. I kept thinking what I would do if I saw the creature. Part of me wanted to see it – another was afraid to see it.

Fast forward. Last month, my buddy and I decided to go camping at my father’s large tree farm. The subject of the Fouke Monster came up and we thought about driving to Fouke to see Boggy Creek for ourselves and perhaps drop by Smokey’s place to buy his book. We finally decided we didn’t have enough time to make a meaningful visit, but we came up with another idea.

I’m a private pilot, so we planned an aerial reconnaissance of Boggy Creek and the Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Our mission was to see if the area could still provide a secluded habitat for the Fouke Monster and family.

I had read that the WMA was over 16,000 acres, but I expected it to be riddled with roads and for the river not to have a lot of seclusion. I was dead wrong. From the air, few trails were visible. The bottomland was approximately 25 miles long and 6-8 miles wide – a perfect place for hard-to-find animals to live undetected. I also discovered that Boggy Creek actually runs into the Sulphur River. Yet, the most interesting portion of the WMA was Mercer Bayou, an old river channel that parallels the Sulphur River. It was here that looked to be the most hospitable place for the legend of Boggy Creek to live.

I’m attaching some of the more interesting photos. They were taken October 22nd. Of course, we knew the photos probably wouldn’t capture an image of the Fouke Monster, but that didn’t keep us from reviewing the photos carefully. I thought the members of this group might find them enjoyable – especially if they live in the Fouke area.

One last note. My buddy & I are planning a trip back to the area this February (after hunting season). We do not have a canoe, but would like to rent one from a local if possible. If anyone knows someone that could rent us one, please let me know. We would like to search Mercer Bayou for clues, using our aerial photos as a guide to some of the places that peaked our interest.

Sasquatchingly Yours,
Ken

A very large wilderness.


My favorite photo.


A beautiful picture.


I would appreciate it if someone could tell me what kind of yellow flowers grow along the river.


Boggy Creek bridge






This post has been edited by foukeflyer: Nov 8 2006, 09:27 PM

[OKBFFan]

WOW you caught the foliage at almost peek! Really pretty.

[billgreen2005big...]

hey foukeflyer wow those are wonderful new photos of the boggy creek area still looks like wonderful habitat for sasquatch creatures and other wildlife. bill

[JayleeD]

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing them with us! :new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

[darkwinglh]

FF,
Thanks so much for those great pix, if you got more, would like to see them posted. Wish we had more pilots that would fly over areas like this so a researcher could get better insight into the area that they are in.

:appl: :appl: :appl:

[Sunflower]

foukeflyer,

I love your pics and agree with darkwing about photographs from other sighting locations. Let us know if you plan to fly to other areas. Thanks

Sunflower

[Teresa]

Great pics! If you go back into Mercer Bayou, or anywhere back in the bottoms, take a compass. It's really easy to get completely turned around and lost. I'll see if I can find someone with a canoe for you.

[damndirtyape]

Very cool!

[Hairy Man]

That is seriously cool! We went to Fouke last year to see Boggy Creek for our honeymoon (the movie is why I went into bigfooting...). While I could tell the area has some dense vegetation, this definitely shows it better! Great job!

[billkirbywofb]

Thank you for the photos :new_thumbsupsmileyanim: Any chance of a flying photography tour of Bigfoot America :laugh:

But things like this gives me a much better idea of a place I have never been to. I've seem in the past pics of the Boggy Creek area. But only taken from ground level. And the overview really is an eye opener.

[StaninWI]

The yellow flowers look like stik-tites. We had them in our marsh when it stayed flooded all summer. My golden retreiver was a mess. Took 2 hours to get her brushed out. I didn't hunt that spot again.

[carli]

Very nice pictures. Thanks for taking the time to fly the area and share them with everyone!

[maxx]

Very nice. If a researcher were to combine the use of these photos along with a GPS and a topo map, you could really do some serious poking about. Nice job.

[foukeflyer]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Here are some additional comments.

Future Reconnaissance Flights:

Darkwinglh, Sunflower & Billkirbywofb asked about the possibility of photographing additional locations. My plane & I are based in the Dallas area, but I make frequent trips to NE Texas to visit my folks. I have thought about taking a detour up to LeFlore County, Oklahoma, but I don't know which areas have had sighting reports. If someone can give me longitude and lattitude of the locations, I should be able to take some photos by the 1st quarter of next year. [I have a one year old future pilot that has slowed down some of my long flying trips.]

Also, I've thought about taking some photos of the Black Cypress Bayou and Caddo Lake area. Again, any GPS coordinates would be helpful.

Mercer Bayou Ground Exploration:

I appreciate the comments of ARsquatch. Any help in finding a place to rent a canoe would be very much appreciated. I plan to use my photos to find the corresponding location on a topo map. Fyi, we took about 30-40 photos of the area, including downtown Fouke and a few of the Boggy Creek bridge (from a longer range out). If there are any particular photos anyone would like to see, let me know.

BONUS PHOTO!!!
I thought our aerial expedition was a success, but we were -- of course -- hoping to capture a very special image. Well, after "analyzing" and "enhancing" one of the photos, we were able to find what we were originally hoping to see with our own eyes while flying. <<smile>> Hope it brings a smile to your face too.

The Boggy Creek Anomaly



This post has been edited by foukeflyer: Nov 10 2006, 12:04 AM

[billgreen2005big...]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Here are some additional comments.

Future Reconnaissance Flights:

Darkwinglh, Sunflower & Billkirbywofb asked about the possibility of photographing additional locations. My plane & I are based in the Dallas area, but I make frequent trips to NE Texas to visit my folks. I have thought about taking a detour up to LeFlore County, Oklahoma, but I don't know which areas have had sighting reports. If someone can give me longitude and lattitude of the locations, I should be able to do take some photos by the 1st quarter of next year. [I have a one year old future pilot that has slowed down some of my long flying trips.]

Also, I've thought about taking some photos of the Black Cypress Bayou and Caddo Lake area. Again, any GPS coordinates would be helpful.

Mercer Bayou Ground Exploration:

I appreciate the comments of ARsquatch. Any help in finding a place to rent a canoe would be very much appreciated. I plan to use my photos to find the corresponding location on a topo map. Fyi, we took about 30-40 photos of the area, including downtown Fouke and a few of the Boggy Creek bridge (from a longer range out). If there are any particular photos anyone would like to see, let me know.

BONUS PHOTO!!!
I thought our aerial expedition was a success, but we were -- of course -- hoping to capture a very special image. Well, after "analyzing" and "enhancing" one of the photos, we were able to find what we were originally hoping to see with our own eyes while flying. <<smile>> Hope it brings a smile to your face too.

The Boggy Creek Anomaly

hey foukeflyer wow thanks for awesome update & new photos. do you talk to smokey crabtree or the people of fouke about the fouke monster and sightings footprints etc. thanks bill :new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

[foukeflyer]

Hi Bill,

No, I have never spoken to anyone from Fouke. I would have stopped the day of our flight, but the nearest airport is in Texarkana & I would have had to rent a car. If my buddy & I are able to make our canoe trip, we plan to stop by Mr. Crabtree's place ... and the Monster Mart.

Ken

This post has been edited by foukeflyer: Nov 9 2006, 11:19 PM

[Sunflower]

It's late here about 11:20pm and I think I'll be up all nite unless you tell us about the bonus photo. No one has commented yet, so am I seeing things?

Sunflower

[foukeflyer]

The yellow flowers look like stik-tites. We had them in our marsh when it stayed flooded all summer. My golden retreiver was a mess. Took 2 hours to get her brushed out. I didn't hunt that spot again.

Thanks StaninWI for the flower information. I didn't even know the yellow color was from flowers until we downloaded the photos. At altitude, we didn't know if the yellow was a film on the water, flowers, or perhaps a sulphur residue.

I wonder where Suphur River got its name.

Ken

It's late here about 11:20pm and I think I'll be up all nite unless you tell us about the bonus photo. No one has commented yet, so am I seeing things?

Sunflower

Enlarge the photo and I think you will see. ;-)

This post has been edited by foukeflyer: Nov 9 2006, 11:31 PM

[Sunflower]

foukeflyer,

I enlarged it as soon as I saw the shape. You already know what I'm thinking, just tell me if this is legitimate.

Sunflower

This post has been edited by Sunflower: Nov 9 2006, 11:46 PM

[MooseMan]

I think it's a joke, Sun.

[foukeflyer]

foukeflyer,

I enlarged it as soon as I saw the shape. You already know what I'm thinking, just tell me if this is legitimate.

Sunflower

Mooseman is correct. It is amazing how a $30 photo software package can "enhance" a photo -- even for a novice like myself. I was especially proud of the shadow effect and the reflection off the water. :-)

Foukeflyer

This post has been edited by foukeflyer: Nov 9 2006, 11:59 PM

[Sunflower]

foukeflyer,

Thanks, I kind of thought so, just had to ask.

Sunflower

[billgreen2005big...]

Hi Bill,

No, I have never spoken to anyone from Fouke. I would have stopped the day of our flight, but the nearest airport is in Texarkana & I would have had to rent a car. If my buddy & I are able to make our canoe trip, we plan to stop by Mr. Crabtree's place ... and the Monster Mart.

Ken

hey ken thanks for the update when you meet smokey crabtree tell him i said hello. i hope you find alot new fouke monster memberila at monster mart when ever you get a chance. are you ever thinking about doing a nature documentary about boggy creek area etc & the fouke monster i think you should just a idea. good morning bill :bf:

[foukeflyer]

Hi Bill,

No, I have never spoken to anyone from Fouke. I would have stopped the day of our flight, but the nearest airport is in Texarkana & I would have had to rent a car. If my buddy & I are able to make our canoe trip, we plan to stop by Mr. Crabtree's place ... and the Monster Mart.

Ken

hey ken thanks for the update when you meet smokey crabtree tell him i said hello. i hope you find alot new fouke monster memberila at monster mart when ever you get a chance. are you ever thinking about doing a nature documentary about boggy creek area etc & the fouke monster i think you should just a idea. good morning bill :bf:

Bill,

I wouldn't have the knowledge to do a documentary, but I would consider helping someone take aerial photographs for a TV documentary or for the 2007 Texas Bigfoot Conference.

Ken

[billgreen2005big...]

Hi Bill,

No, I have never spoken to anyone from Fouke. I would have stopped the day of our flight, but the nearest airport is in Texarkana & I would have had to rent a car. If my buddy & I are able to make our canoe trip, we plan to stop by Mr. Crabtree's place ... and the Monster Mart.

Ken

hey ken thanks for the update when you meet smokey crabtree tell him i said hello. i hope you find alot new fouke monster memberila at monster mart when ever you get a chance. are you ever thinking about doing a nature documentary about boggy creek area etc & the fouke monster i think you should just a idea. good morning bill :bf:

Bill,

I wouldn't have the knowledge to do a documentary, but I would consider helping someone take aerial photographs for a TV documentary or for the 2007 Texas Bigfoot Conference.

Ken

hey ken wow thats great keep in touch ok bill :new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

[Bitter Monk]

I would mortgage a future child against the ability to have that done in my area. Great pics.

[foukeflyer]

Great pics! If you go back into Mercer Bayou, or anywhere back in the bottoms, take a compass. It's really easy to get completely turned around and lost. I'll see if I can find someone with a canoe for you.

ARsquatch,

I thought you might enjoy a good picture of downtown Fouke. I believe the Monster Mart is in the picture near the water tower.

Ken

Aerial Fouke

[billgreen2005big...]

hey foukeflyer wow thats great new pic of downtown fouke. good morning bill please keep in touch ok.

[billgreen2005big...]

hey foukeflyer whats new in the boggy creek forest area as far as evidence,sightings,experances,glowing eyes, rock throwing,cattle&wildlife mutilations & strange sounds. i hope more researchers go to the area soon before the winter snow comes although that would make it easier to find footprints. i wonder where the fouke sasquatch sleeps dureing the winter months in a cave or does it make nest of some kind. opinions please... thanks bill

[xpert4u]

[font=Arial]I grew up in rural Northeast Texas about 60 miles – as a crow flies – from Fouke, Arkansas. I was ten when my parents dropped me off at my town’s theater to see The Legend of Boggy Creek. It scared me more than I thought it would, and I didn’t realize the movie’s impact until one evening I had to walk through the big woods of my father’s farm – at dusk – by myself. I kept thinking what I would do if I saw the creature. Part of me wanted to see it – another was afraid to see it.

Fast forward. Last month, my buddy and I decided to go camping at my father’s large tree farm. The subject of the Fouke Monster came up and we thought about driving to Fouke to see Boggy Creek for ourselves and perhaps drop by Smokey’s place to buy his book. We finally decided we didn’t have enough time to make a meaningful visit, but we came up with another idea.

I’m a private pilot, so we planned an aerial reconnaissance of Boggy Creek and the Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Our mission was to see if the area could still provide a secluded habitat for the Fouke Monster and family.

I had read that the WMA was over 16,000 acres, but I expected it to be riddled with roads and for the river not to have a lot of seclusion. I was dead wrong. From the air, few trails were visible. The bottomland was approximately 25 miles long and 6-8 miles wide – a perfect place for hard-to-find animals to live undetected. I also discovered that Boggy Creek actually runs into the Sulphur River. Yet, the most interesting portion of the WMA was Mercer Bayou, an old river channel that parallels the Sulphur River. It was here that looked to be the most hospitable place for the legend of Boggy Creek to live.

I’m attaching some of the more interesting photos. They were taken October 22nd. Of course, we knew the photos probably wouldn’t capture an image of the Fouke Monster, but that didn’t keep us from reviewing the photos carefully. I thought the members of this group might find them enjoyable – especially if they live in the Fouke area.

One last note. My buddy & I are planning a trip back to the area this February (after hunting season). We do not have a canoe, but would like to rent one from a local if possible. If anyone knows someone that could rent us one, please let me know. We would like to search Mercer Bayou for clues, using our aerial photos as a guide to some of the places that peaked our interest.

Sasquatchingly Yours,
Ken

[

Thanks for sharing your pics, they are great. But what amazes me is seeing these pictures and recalling the EXPERTS saying there is no way a species could exist today and not be found. All they would have to do is look at pictures like these to see how stupid that statement is. That area is so removed its totally possible.

[foukeflyer]

hey foukeflyer whats new in the boggy creek forest area as far as evidence,sightings,experances,glowing eyes, rock throwing,cattle&wildlife mutilations & strange sounds. i hope more researchers go to the area soon before the winter snow comes although that would make it easier to find footprints. i wonder where the fouke sasquatch sleeps dureing the winter months in a cave or does it make nest of some kind. opinions please... thanks bill

Bill,

I haven't been back since my fly-over. I suspect, they would sleep in a nest as there aren't any caves in the Fouke area. Also, it rarely snows in that area so we don't have that tool to find prints.

[VAFooter]

Just wondering how much this little flight cost?

[foukeflyer]

Just wondering how much this little flight cost?

If one owns a single engine plane or has a friend that does, the only immediate cost is the gas for the engine. That generally runs about $25-35 per "flying" hour. The majority of fixed-gear single engines fly about 120-160 mph.

My plane happened to be within 30 minutes of the area, so it was an inexpensive flight and I plan to do it again. :smile:

If your friend doesn't own a plane, it costs about $80-110 per hour to rent one (including gas).

Fly Safe!