I'm curious as to what you folks think might be a fair guesstimate as to the number of BF sightings that go unreported each year. I am amazed at the number of sightings that are already on file, but when you look at them, there are a large number that have just been reported even though the incident took place 10-15 years ago. Then look at the number of sightings that are being told from a second person who was not a eye witness to the incident but has had the story told to them from a family member or friend.
It seems to me that there would be a disproportionate number of unreported sightings for every sighting that is reported. My guess is 1 in every 15 may be reported. It may be alot higher then that even. Ridicule and shame seem to be the leading reasons for not reporting a sighting.
Up here, when in some of the more remote communities, the "older" locals seem to take it for granted that BF is near. There is an acceptance that you don't usually find elsewhere. Maybe these people know somethings that we don't?
Anyway, just curious to hear your take on the matter.

I tried to look at it this way.Of all the folks in my family,who would report something that they saw. I dont think any of them would really. Id tell my wife and my brother in law,she'd tell me,and he would too,but I think thats are far as it would go. As far as the number of unreported sightings,Id say there could be maybe 1 report for every 25 sightings.Either folks see something but dont know what it is and just forget about it,or they see something,that they think they know what it is but dont report it. Its a shame that there has to be that whole stigma attached to seeing something like a B/F.

With this in mind, it's almost a shame we don't have a site where people could anonymously report their claims or sightings.
But I guess you would also get a lot of morons just making stuff up too, so the inaccuracy of the whole project would be quite high.
Too bad. I bet the 1 in 25 actually reported is pretty close. There has to be a lot of true information out there that will be forever lost just for the fact of ridicule itself.

All I know is last spring while out to dinner with some old friends, I was being chidded for my belief in bigfoot. A young lady leaned over and whispered she had come across a big footprint while out hiking in the Humboldt wilderness years ago when she was a student at HS. She told me she never reported it. So go figure. And even then sometimes bf reporting organizations sit on reports for various reasons!

What i dont understand.Some newer BFRO reports are actually 15 to 20 y/o.Im sure they were investigated some time back.Where are the newer investigated reports ,they got to be sitting on thousands of them.imho

The older reports are 15 to 20 years old yet listed as newer because they were recently submitted. I certainly hope you don't think the BFRO has been around that long.

And how much would you care to bet about the amount of reports the BFRO gets or "sits on"? I accept both cash and checks.

I would go along with the "maybe" 1 in 25 is reported some place. I personally know of 2 cases that have never been reported any place and will not as I do not feel it is in my place to do it. The people who had the sightings (seen the animal not just sounds and stuff) refuse to report them as they do not want involved with this sort of thing at all. The only reason I know about them is because I am closely related to them.

I would be willing to say that almost every one who believes in Bigfoot knows at least 1 or more people who feel the same way. Their reports will never make it into any data base as they do not want to be involved with it at all.

I am almost sure that if Bigfoot is ever proved to be real to the world then many more people will come out about their sightings over the years. As then they would not be looked on as some sort of nut by most others. If they feel that people will believe them and not think bad of them then they have nothing to hide from. Right now them other 24 people out of the 25 will think bad of them in some way, As they do not believe Bigfoot is a real animal.

I'll bet lots of hunters have seen the bigguy and don't say squattt about it!!!!

Crew Chief

Whatever the % unreported is, it'll be going down significantly every year thanks to websites like this one and the others that list sighting reports...... it gives people a reason to speak up by taking away the "dude, you're a nut" factor.

My signature line is based on a conversation I had with my husband a few years ago. When he was 12 or 13, his family was traveling the highway into Yellowstone Park and something huge on two legs covered in dark hair, ran across the road in front of their vehicle during the day. He was sitting in the middle of the front seat and saw it clearly. Every one of them say it was a bear. A bear on two legs crossing the road????? They will not even consider another possibility. It isn't even an option to them. I've tried talking to him and his mom but it's pointless. They sometimes think I'm nuts.

Just another sighting that will always be contributed to a bear. So in answer to the question...I bet there are only 20% of sightings actually reported to a research organization.

Unless of course they are nuts,which seems to happen with a certain amount of regularity.

Yeah, I'm spoiled, I don't have to read all the looney-bin reports the BFRO must receive everyday.........just the one's that pass their filter.

Here is my two cents worth , ya want it cash or check, jimf ? . OCT 16th 2004 daylight sighting . Prime Bigfoot country, yada yada yada .Its posted on the WSSSG website , reported to the BFRO . Week later i got a call from Matt . Asking how did i know they were in the Kalaloch wash ,area . Told him that i never knew his org. even existed. He said he wished i was there to show him the location . End of story, till i called back a couple months later. look at the website . No report or follow up for the oct salmon run expo . Prime daylight {class A} encounter . Im not holding my breath....waiting for answers . or a follow up......

The percentage of unreported sightings maybe going down, but it's my guess the decline is slow at best. It seems that almost everyone who notices me reading a Bigfoot book or sees me wearing a Bigfoot t-shirt is convinced that someone in the last two or three years confessed to hoaxing the whole thing.

Yea , crewchf, I have a uncle who told me a story of a sighting he had while hunting a couple of decades ago. He never said anything about it for years and then bam! he started telling the story about his encounter. I could tell he truely saw something by the look in his eyes and the quiever in his voice. Bet theres more hunters out there just like him. They see the Bigguy and never say anything to nobody.
BluffCreek35

A former co worker of mine was an avid outdoorsman from PA. He happened to see I had the BFRO site on my computer and asked what I was looking at. I began telling him of my interest and stated I saw something once I couldn't explain. I didn't go into any detail but I just let him know I was curious about the creature.

As we were talking, I asked offhandedly, "Have you seen ever seen anything?" His reply was very low and to the point. "Yes, I've seen some things while I was hunting." I could almost see fear in his eyes as he said that. He also said he never wanted to talk about it. And that was the end of the discussion. I never questioned him again because I could tell he was very uncomfortable about the subject.

Scoftics have knowing social/psychological/cultural explanations for why persons tell others about their Bigfoot encounters. What's their explanation for persons like the above, who won't? They'll have to torture their explanatory framework more than a bit to do so.

I bet the number of unreported out weighs the reported for these reasons.

1. Many people probably don't want to be labeled if they report their sighting.
2. Many probably deny what they saw as their imagination (I know I have been in la-la land while in the deer stand and thought I saw things.)
3. They are embarassed.

One would think so, but I doubt it.

Consider the number of crimes committed that go unreported; rapes & burglaries included, even though we have a huge law enforcement and court system that's supposed to deal with it.

Some rape victims simply don't want to go through the trauma of reporting and trial.

Some burglary victims know full well that the police aren't (can't) do anything for them even if they wanted to, so don't bother.

I agree on every point

I know of al least three not so sure encounters that are un-reported as of this writting. So I'm sure the % of un-reported encounters are quite high. IMO.





Belle

Within the last 30 days I have learned of two close-up sightings involving multiple witnesses, and another daytime sighting with two witnesses. These three sightings happened within 75 miles of each other and only a couple months apart, in central Minnesota.

I truely believe that the number of "reported" sightings are a very small percentage of whats actually being seen. We're seeing the tip of the ice berg if you ask me.

well said

I can only guess that the number of unreported sightings is high. Just from talking with folks and bringing the subject up, I know of 1 actual sighting that was never reported, the woman never even knew that there was a way to report a sighting, also she didn't have a computer. 2 second hand reports of sightings and 4 "not sures" consisting of a not sure sighting, vocals and prints.

Sometimes I feel the reported ones are crap and the good ones go unreported. I have spoken to a few folks that I feel had encounters but have absolutely no interest in submitting a report to anyone.

I also post on a board with many outdoor and hunter types and every now and then someone mentiones a sighting. They will never submit it and could care less. When pressed a few told me they dont mind mentioning the sighting to folks on the board but feel no need to give it to a Bf org. I asked a few folks why they thought it was a Bf they saw. Teh description pretty much sums it up. I ask why they didnt feel like reporting it to a Bf grup. Some didnt know it was possible and just as many didnt care if a group knew of their encounter. Even though they had a pretty wild encounter, they still think the whole idea of a Bf org is silly. They were just not into BF to begin with as I feel that most reports on big org sites were from people who already had an interest in the subject. Especially the sounds and smells encounters. If they didnt have BF on the brain already, why would anyone decide to report a smell encounter to a Bf org?

I think most people who report encouters are pretty much already into BF to some degree. Folks who are not into it really dont give two craps about if it gets into a database or not.

I know of an entire family who have all had encounters including sightings and most of them won't even admit they believe in bigfoot

I feel you are exactly right

that about sums it all up

I think some of it depends on how other people perceive a witness who tells their story. If their own family guffaws and makes fun of them they file that information away and decide not to tell anyone else. I don't want anyone I know and grew up with to even know I'm into this subject for fear of ridicule. I can imagine how people feel who actually see an animal that most believe does not exist.

Based on over 25 years of field research and talking with LOTS of folks, my guess is that less than one half of one percent of sightings and encounters get reported and way less than that ever get recorded in any publicly available database.

My own Mom & Dad have had some kind of sighting or encounter, but they won't talk about it. The fellow who ran our farm for years had a very terrifying sighting, but he took the story to his grave. For years, he used to sit in his truck on a ridge north of our house at night for several hours, 3 or 4 nights a week, heavily armed and with a spotlight, watching the treeline, and he damn sure wasn't after wild dogs or coyotes. All he ever told me was to NEVER EVER go outside at night unarmed and to never go in the woods at night. He said there were things in those woods that only God Himself knew what they were.

I believe that even if you know they've had an encounter, over half the folks won't talk about it. Ever. To anybody.