Searchable Sighting Database, Does Anyone Have One Available? Options

[usafmedic45]

I do some of my best (or at least most inventive) thinking late at night. Early this morning I was sitting up watching a show about some fish in California that comes ashore to mate based on lunar cycles. This got me to thinking that since deer movements and fishing success is often tied to the phase of the moon, perhaps the same holds true for BF. I thought that it would be an interesting idea (I'm working on it today as I am home sick from work and will present my findings shortly).

But wading through the BFRO's website has gotten me to thinking as of late, has anyone put together a searchable database? One where you would not have to read through and glean necessary information from thousands of reports just to answer a simple question? If no one has, I'd like to volunteer to set this up. I'm good with large volumes of data and I have access to several computer geeks (one of my friends is the asst. manager of the IT department at the local college). If anyone has any opinion on this, please let me know. Have a nice day!

[chronic]

Maybe that's where the legend of the werewolf coming out on a full moon comes from.

[Chewy]

I think that BFRO should have a standardized list of questions for their researchers to ask that could be put into a database format. Let the witness give his own version first, then have him go through the list.

The only problem I see is planting ideas in the mind of the witness, but the researcher could have a statement to be read beforehand stating something to the effect of, "Please have your own siting in mind as you answer these questions. If you can't answer with certainty, don't."

Or, each question could be followed with a certainty scale. "It was a female." "I am very certain." Anything on the low end of certainty could be earmarked as such.

You'd need a big organization to start this, though.

[jimf]

Maybe that's where the legend of the werewolf coming out on a full moon comes from.

That's a Hollywood embellishment and didn't exist until "Werewolf of London" and "The Wolfman" in the 1940s.

[JWBrown33]

Or maybe it already existed in something of sorts in a farmer's almanac for instance and hollywood really has nothing to do with old time country beliefs...unless your city folk. But I'm just whining again though right Jim.

[COCO B]

You don't need much of anything to make a good database. You could make one out of index cards.

Take a report, and from it you can extract tons of stuff.

for example:

If the date is given you can find the phase of the moon from a calandar. From the internet or local library you can probably find the weather conditions for that day.

You can then make a list of all the key words that are important to you, like cabins, river, cave, deer, bottom land, hunting, etc.

Then you go like this:

A report comes in:

Bigfoot County
March 10, 2004


At our cabin near the Hoochiecoochie River in the middle of the night when we were deer hunting a big hairy thing banged on the wall.

1. Print report
2. Give it a number (1,2, 3, 856 whatever)
3. Highlight the county, date and check your calendar for the moon phase, and weather and add the time day/night.
4. Highlight cabin, river, deer hunting.

Take an index card

1. Write the report number on the card
2. Write the county, date, moon, time weather
3. Write your key words, cabin, river, deer hunting.


Now you want to know if bigfoot likes cabins. Go through your cards and pull all the ones that have cabin on them. Go back and find those report numbers to read all the details.

I'm not trying to be pompous. I think the database is one of the most important tools around. I also think a bunch of you have done this already. Its really easy to make one. It just takes time and patience. Printing out every report and recording it like that It could get boring too. I wish BFRO would do it or hire me to do it, but I understand where they are coming from too. I would have done this years ago but my hubby would have me committed if he found out what I was doing in my spare time. I can't blame him either. The little bit I can do here sometimes gets in the way of other stuff for me. But that's just me and my situation.

Anyway, I had a business doing this for more than a few years. There was a really good database program out years ago called Q&A it was really bare bones but it sure got the job done. It would be perfect for this job. You could even do one on a spreadsheet.

Enough rambling for one night, I scared myself silly on the ghost thread so I going to bed now.

If anyone is really interested in my database experience PM me if you want.

Goodnight.

[Fishbone35]

Or maybe it already existed in something of sorts in a farmer's almanac for instance and hollywood really has nothing to do with old time country beliefs...unless your city folk. But I'm just whining again though right Jim.

Actually, Jim's correct. The original thinking concerning werewolves and how they transformed (at least as far as Dark Ages thinking was concerned), involved a pact with the devil and the transformation usually occurred by either donning a wolf's hide or applying a salve, usually supplied by the devil. The moon phase idea was indeed a Hollywood invention.

As for a database, there's the BFRO, TBRC, GCBRO, etc. All you need to do is fire up Excel create your data fields and then get busy reading and entering the data.

[bigdave]

Also you would be accused of lycanthropy if you had excessive body hair. If you had hair on your toes or on your back etc. And all this time folks thought it was just being prude to hide your body back then. I have had a full beard since I was 13. I dont think I would have made it til 15 before they would have done away with me lmao.

[Fishbone35]

I have had a full beard since I was 13.

Bluto?

[chronic]

Maybe that's where the legend of the werewolf coming out on a full moon comes from.

That's a Hollywood embellishment and didn't exist until "Werewolf of London" and "The Wolfman" in the 1940s.

I never saw Werewolf of London, but I don't remember The Wolfman having any reference or showing of a full moon, at all.
I think the silver bullet idea came from Hollywood, but considering "lunatic" comes from lunar (moon), I'd imagine the full moon lunacy idea has been attached with werewolves for a long time.

[Fishbone35]

but considering "lunatic" comes from lunar (moon),  I'd imagine the full moon lunacy idea has been attached with werewolves for a long time.

Lunatic comes from Luna, the goddess of the moon. It was thought that lying out in the open beneath the moon, or staring at it for too long would cause someone to go insane. Lycanthropes weren't considered insane, just in league with the devil. Bummer too. I always thought being a werewolf would be pretty groovy.

[bipto]

But the hangovers are a bitch!

[Fishbone35]

But the hangovers are a bitch!

Yeah, and you'd go through wardrobes faster than Zsa Zsa Gabor.

[wolftrax]

Maybe that's where the legend of the werewolf coming out on a full moon comes from.

That's a Hollywood embellishment and didn't exist until "Werewolf of London" and "The Wolfman" in the 1940s.

I never saw Werewolf of London, but I don't remember The Wolfman having any reference or showing of a full moon, at all.

IN the movie "The Wolfman" everybody repeatedly (and annoyingly) says "Even a man who is pure in heart, And says his prayers by night, May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms And the Autumn moon is bright." And each of the transformations, from Bela Lugosi's initial attack through Lon Cheney Jr's transformations are ALWAYS triggered by the full moon.

As for historically, Jim and Fishbone are right about werewolves being most popularly servants to the darkside in accounts from the inquisitions of Europe. They could change at any time using a salve or skin with a particular ceremony. The salve has many hallucinogenic properties. It's important to note, however, that these confessions were usually given under torture, the inquisitor would ask leading questions and the accused would be tortured until they gave the answer the inquisitor wanted.

It wouldn't be unreasonable though to think werewolves did like to run amok during the full moon, there is lots of light from the moon and historically the moon and weird events and ceremonies has been linked. In 1214 Men transformed into wolves during the full moon in Auvergne, as reported by Gervaise of Tilbury to Emperor Otto IV. I'm certain there are other accounts but I'll have to check later.

There are legends though of people cursed with lycanthropy from some sort of sorcery or spell. This spell would last for years at times, the victim trapped in the body of a wolf with the AWARENESS of a human, with a cure attainable by the end of the story, though sometimes tragically the protaginist would be killed just before they could reach the cure. These legends are what the hollywood movies often are loosely based on. There is, if I recall, one story that the victim's curse struck every month during the 3 days of the full moon, and he was saved from being killed by the end from his girlfriend who recognized him by his blue eyes.

Outside of Europe, there are legends of good werewolves, or shapeshifters.

Back to the issue of sasquatch starting the legends of werewolves by traveling by the light of the full moon, many of the sightings of werewolves have a snout, pointed ears, run on all fours, or if they walk upright they are hunched over, every once in awhile using their arms to catch a step.

[jimf]

I never saw Werewolf of London, but I don't remember The Wolfman having any reference or showing of a full moon, at all.   
I think the silver bullet idea came from Hollywood, but considering "lunatic" comes from lunar (moon),  I'd imagine the full moon lunacy idea has been attached with werewolves for a long time.

Pretty bad flick in comparisson to most other "creature features" of the era.

And nope, silver bullets are not a Hollywood invention, they've been referenced as a detterent to werewolves as far back as accounts of the beast of Guevadon in France.

Back to the issue of sasquatch starting the legends of werewolves by traveling by the light of the full moon, many of the sightings of werewolves have a snout, pointed ears, run on all fours, or if they walk upright they are hunched over, every once in awhile using their arms to catch a step.

Yep. But by understanding the legends and realities (as well as the myths) associated with both it would probably IMO help to keep seperate one from the other in current times as well as in historical reference.

This post has been edited by jimf: Oct 26 2004, 05:01 PM

[wolftrax]

Yes, that is what I was referring to when I said werewolves are described with snouts vs. the sasquatch description of a flat face, werewolves historically were mostly quadrupeds, or when they are bipedal it is only partially (as in they can hold themselves up but tend to use their forelimbs to run) vs. sasquatch being bipedal, and of course the pointed ears which sasquatch do not have.

Also many places where werewolves or lycanthropes have been sasquatch or bipedal apes also have been, under their own name, and differing nature.

[doglady]

hey, usafmedic45, what happened with the database thing? i thought it was a terrific idea and coco b had alot of good ideas to add. could yield some really interesting data.

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

hi doglady good evening i think the 2 best bigfoot sighting databases are bfro & gcbro. thats my opinion. bill green ct sasquatch researcher

[Huntster]

I plan to build my own database with sasquatch reports in the Ketchikan and Prince of Wales areas in Southeast Alaska.

That area is a hotspot in Southeast, and the database will help me sort through the various fields as I look for trends. The trends will help me develop a hunt plan.

I may include all the reports of Southeast Alaska that Rob Alley compiled just to see if trends (season, locations, etc) become apparent areawide, or if there are any different trends than the Ketchikan/POW areas.

I will use Access.

[usafmedic45]

hey, usafmedic45, what happened with the database thing?  i thought it was a terrific idea and coco b had alot of good ideas to add.  could yield some really interesting data.

I've been busy with other things (family, work, travel, etc) and the database project has just taken a backburner to those things. I'd still like to get it set up, but I need to get a chance to actually start entering the data and setting up the parameters for the database. I've actually worked out (at least on paper) how I want the computer program to work (now I just need to figure out how to do this on the computer). If anyone on here is good at writing computer programs, please let me know. I'd appreciate the assistance greatly and you can have credit for the program so long as I get to share the information with everyone (which would mean sharing the program). The computer literate friend I was planning on having do this for me moved away in December when he finished his degree. Thanks again.....wish me luck.

This post has been edited by usafmedic45: Jan 13 2005, 06:22 PM

[Bushman]

Over the past few years I have been working on a small British Columbia sighting database project for my neck of the woods and found the following moon phase calculator extremely useful.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the results of my findings, especially where a food source readily available to Sasquatch was involved.
If you'd like to check out the moon phases for sightings in your particular area, the calculator can be found at the following url:

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html

Hope it helps in nailing down the patterns.

[billgreen2005bigfoot]

bushman thanks for the bigfoot tip. bill green ct sasquatch researcher.

[peregrine]

As for a database, there's the BFRO, TBRC, GCBRO, etc. All you need to do is fire up Excel create your data fields and then get busy reading and entering the data.

Ran across this old post by Fish while doing a search.

Thought I'd point out that the TBRC has a new feature called Report Explorer that provides some limited database search options. Pretty cool.

[hopeful]

Yes, TBRC's new Report Explorer is cool, and another cool thing I like to use is Mangani's Bigfoot Maps.