somehow find desert sightings to be vary suspicious to say the least. reports of sassys in the middle of the desert, like recent biscardi backed sighting south west of phoenix, are a stretch.

this one is near a large lake and near 2 rivers that flow all year. it is a few days walk from ponderosa pine mountains as stated in the investigators comments at the end of the report.

this said we are still talking of nighttime temps in the 80s, although they could drop a bit lower as there is no heat island near the lake. day time temps in 110 to 120 range before the monsoon then we are talking 105 or so.

as for food you can find some mule deer wild donkey for larger items but then you get into the small hard to find food that would be a negative caloric intake like rodents javelina etc. obvious fish from lakes and rivers. but this doesnt seem enough to sustain a creature or tempting enough to draw it from the mountains into the heat.

if i were to theorise i would say old dieing wondering sassy over desert dwelling heat acclimated sassy


click here for pictures of the bartlett lake area.












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Report # 18723 (Class A)
Submitted by witness on Saturday, April 21, 2007.
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Late night multi-witness, road-crossing sighting near Bartlett Lake
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YEAR: 1990's

SEASON: Summer

STATE: Arizona

COUNTY: Maricopa County

NEAREST TOWN: Cave Creek, Arizona

NEAREST ROAD: Bartlet Lake road

OBSERVED: My sister, her husband and I were driving home from Bartlet lake after some night fishing. It was around 12:30 a.m. We were on a dirt road with tall embankments on either side. My sister was driving slow and we were both looking at my bro-in-law while he told a joke. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted something in the middle of the road. About 50 yards away in our head lights I turned and saw it! I have never seen one before but somehow I immediately knew what I was looking at. It WAS a bigfoot. It was around 7 feet tall. Walked up-right. Cow red. Long straggly dirty hair. It was acclimated for the desert because his hair was very thin not thick like a bear. It didn't seem to pay us no mind as he crossed the road in only a few strides. What sticks out in my mind the most is how it got up the steep embankment with no effort. It just walked right over it. The sighting only lasted a few seconds but seemed to go in slow motion. I always thought that bigfoot was a hoax. For me seeing is believing. I am a true believer now because I DID see it. I feel very fortunate for this experience.

OTHER WITNESSES: My sister saw it as it went over the embankment

TIME AND CONDITIONS: My sighting occured around 12:30 a.m. It was pitch black outside but it was in our headlights that were highbeamed. The weather condition was a hot summer night

ENVIRONMENT: The area is a desert with scrub brush and dirt.


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Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator TF Zamiski:

I spoke with this witness on the phone the evening of 9/4/07. This a rare sighting in that it occurs during the hot time of the year in a desert location although night time temperatures can drop significantly. There is a year 'round water supply to support wildlife with the Verde River flowing into Bartlett Lake. This location is also just west of the Mazatzal Mountains, an area with a history of reports.

A few details to summarize and add to the report:

-Interesting comment about the hair being red or what may be called sorrel also long and thin, not like a bears fur giving the witness a feeling that it was acclimated to the desert location.
-The witness felt the biped was a male with no apparent breasts and a tall slender build.
-The gait was smooth and swift, crossed up and over the embankment in 2 or 3 effortless steps.


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They were on Bartlet dam road more than likely and the way the road was described they ouldn’t have been vary far from the lake. That area does get cooler at night then the area south of there or closer to Cave Creek. The Mazatzal wilderness area is within a day or night walking distance from the lake. Remember sassy has a much longer stride and very muscular to handle the terrain.

A report from the area.

BFRO in the Mazatzal area

Not much plant cover, but hills are good cover, and there looks to be plenty of water and food at the reservoir.

Why not?

Why the uncertainty regarding BF in Desert habitat? I'm not familiar with the Bartlett Lakes area but deserts in general are often only vaguely understood as far as habitat is concerned.
The deserts of the American West are varied and interesting places but shouldn't be confused with notions about other deserts, such as the Sahara or the Arabian Empty Quarter. At certain times they can be quite generouswith their resources for those lifeforms able to access them or manage the periodic vascillations between the extremes, and the unrelenting exposure to the elements.
Note that the deserts of the American West are typically in proximity to rugged terrain as exemplified by the Basin and Range region. Animals there typically migrate in elevation throughout the year. Those with the ability to travel large distances at night when water loss is less problematic, would find access to vast geographic territory open to them despite the drawbacks.
Though not generally shared by most others interested in BF, I rather think the BF is ideally adapted to a mix of big open country which harbors large animals, and that is consistent with the dominant ecosystems which covered most of the vast northern plains of Eurasia and North America with woodlands mosaic for the majority of the last couple of millions of years.
I think the reason we see them more frequently in forests is because #1: that is where we go for our recreation (not many hike the deserts where our every move is so visible and easy to locate for future avoidance), #2 that's where these BF would natually find cover until the cool and darkness of evening arrives (large heavy mammals are prone to overheating) and their prey becomes more conspicuous and/or less attentive.

I agree. I think part of the problem is that people are less familiar with the desert than the forests. There are a lot more sightings in New Mexico and Arizona than people are aware of.

Both sides of the Verde River basin have been badly burned by fires. The 2004 Willow fire destroyed most of the Mazatzal wilderness area and the 2005 Cave Creek Complex Fire destroyed all the way to I17. BF must have homing instinct to return to such a harsh climate now most of the vegetation is gone and lack of rain from the drought. Well this year anyway the monsoons were good but did not last long. Looking up from the east it does look barren. Google earth show some canyons with vegetation but no date. A report by Dave Hicks here explains there are some hidden oasis still present.

Thinking about BF moving at night at that low of elevation it must have excellent eyesight. Ever step on or brush against Cholla cactus? That’s why they call it jumping cactus. Of all the cactus thats the worst one to tangle with.

Sometimes, after the fires there will be a proliferation of growth with sunlight hitting the long dormant forest floor and that ripples up through the system leading to an increase in elk and deer...prey. Of course, there are a lot of other variables making specific predictions ultimately impossible.

To me, I'd say the story is made-up. Sure, the possibility of a sas. living in the desert is very plausible (the abundance of food in the desert is underestimated, as stated above), but it just seems like the story is too simple. I mean, you can spend a few minutes reading random reports and be able to make one up with some characteristics that make the encounter seem valid. Look at the picture of the BBC man in a suit (the one that tried to mimic "Patty") and you've got your red hair. "[It] seemed to go in slow motion," and "it got up the steep embankment with no effort" are also characteristics that are very common in reports. The emphasis the reporter uses to describe the fact it was a bigfoot makes it seem they are trying too hard to make us believe. Usually if you had a valid encounter, you know it was real (to the best of your knowledge), and that's all that matters. If people don't believe you, fine.

Just my 2 cents.

Living in the Pacific Northwest and being familiar with the terraine around here as well as the wildlife I was quite taken by surprise one time while I was on a trip to New Mexico. I wasn't surprised by the desert conditions, or the heat of the day but what surprised me was that while driving out of Silver City on long flat roads that had nothing but the typical SouthWest desert terraine here was a road sign saying "Caution, beware of Elk crossing".

Knowing where the Elk live in Washington State, I had to ask myself "how on earth could there be Elk living in these desert conditions?" After stopping along the road and getting out and looking around I did indeed find Elk tracks and droppings. I would have never gussed it to be so.

I was thinking along these lines as well. Also, there's no emotion in it.

Bueller? Bueller?

About 50 miles north of and east of the bartlett lake area is the beginning of the mogollon rim, an area that spans the middle third of the state, consisting of lush pine and aspen forests. This is the area were most of the BF sightings have occured in our state. I find it possible that a BF was in the area, but I still find it unlikely, considering it was in the summer, when temperatures at 10:00 PM near Phoenix have been at or above 95 degrees consistently....

Very interesting area, Eldonkey. How much do the temps and climate change between the lower elevations at the base of the rim and up on the rim itself? It looks like it represents roughly 2,500 feet in elevation difference, which should translate into about a 10 degree difference based on adiabatic lapse rates alone. Seems like it would provide a mobile creature with something in the way of options from which to choose as the conditions change. Based on a couple of comments here I think someone was noticing the elk doing exactly that.

Typically, the rim is about 15-20 degrees cooler than the phoenix area... most of the rim sits at 7000 to 8000 ft, but parts of the rim get up to 10,000 feet. Many folks from Phoenix area head up there in the summer to beat the heat... which, coincidently, is also the most common time of the year for sightings to be reported ( no surprise there). Conversely, this time of the year, you won't find a soul camping on the rim, as there is a good 12-18 inches of snow on the ground, and temps at night are in the teens, or lower.

But eldonkey, I thought that most of the "Quatch" in New Mexico are from the Ruidoso area. I have seen the reports on the BFRO and a vast number come from that area. As a matter of fact, the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation (MAIR) is one area where the BFRO has done several expeditions.

I have hunted elk in that reservation and my Apache guides have told me about several sightings at dusk and have also reported several loud howls from a particular part of the MAIR. The MAIR is approximately 20 miles from the desert area. The desert areas of Alamogordo and El Paso.

I saw a report called "Desert Apes" on the Internet somewhere. It was written by a lady reporter from El Paso. Does anyone have a hook to that report????

Click to view attachment

The view from the rim towards Bartlett Lake direction. 12.09.07 looking SW. The Mazatzal Wilderness and Mountains are on the horizon. As soon as I find pictures of the west side of the Mazatzal Peak I'll get them posted here.

ive camped out twice at bartlett lake. its suprisingly lush for a desert.

first time was in january, the second being in october a couple years later.

the temperature dropped right down to jacket weather when the sun sank.

i would guess that the verde river would be the route in and out from the western edge of the rim.

its a long ways in and out of bartlett lake area.

Wardog, you are right in that most of the NM sightings come from either the ruidoso area, or the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation, and also the mountains that border Arizona in the middle part of the state, where the elevation is still high. The mogollon rim continues partly into far Western New Mexico, where some sightings have occured... the Jicarillas Mtns. I think? Nice pic from the rim !

thanks, it A new Kodak zr650 w/10x zoom. My fujiifilm 3mp got all wet and died. I now carry a throw away for a backup.

I got my old topo of AZ out and from bartlett lake to the south end of the Mazatzal wilderness is about 6 miles. A hop skip and jump away for the big guy. Did you see the Baseline report in phoenix from some time back? This thing may be all over the place at night. a few reports in the Mazatzal area also.

The range of this tall ape must be 100+ square miles.