I’ve heard a lot of talk over the years of people attempting to analyze Bigfoot sighting data in order to determine “migration patterns”. I’ll admit I’ve even tried it myself. Usually, the intended purpose of the analysis is to attempt to ANTICIPATE and intercept a Sasquatch based upon intense data scrutiny. Usually, the plan is to find a “route” where they travel and intercept them at a point along that route.
Easier said than done, which is the case with most “bright ideas” that have come and gone and come again… and again… in Bigfoot research. *grin*
Do Sasquatch migrate? Are they territorial? Nomadic?
These questions are usually posed as a sort of either/or scenario (i.e. EITHER Bigfoot is territorial OR nomadic) and I think that assumption is rather short-sighted and leads to a misunderstanding of what the data represents.
The way I’ve come to understand it, they appear to be a mixture of all of the above. The data that I’ve examined closely for 20 years now has led me to the following conclusions (which, of course, are always subject to change as new data becomes available):
1. Sasquatches are nomadic - to a point. They follow food sources, mostly in areas known intimately to them. Big bodies in motion require vast amounts of calories. Berries ripening, skunk cabbages in bloom, salmon runs, elk calving… you get the idea.
2. Sasquatches exhibit “territorial” behavior of sorts. Encroaching humans are likely to have a ticked-off Bigfoot hucking rocks or pine cones in their general direction, breaking or shaking trees, hollering, yelling, screaming… whether they are protecting a specifically chosen territory or are simply reluctant to share ANY space with us, regardless of where it is, isn’t clear.
3. Migration? Sometimes. There is anecdotal evidence, particularly that of long-term witnesses who would naturally be in a position to notice, that Sasquatches tend to come and go on a fairly regular schedule. They’ll be around during one season, gone during another. One witness explained that she’d noticed that they tended to leave during the winter months and would return in the spring with infants – she claims to have witnessed this on a couple of occasions, and I’ve heard this reported independently by other witnesses as well. Whether the seasonal variations are due to following food sources, heading for warmer or cooler climates, “birthing” elsewhere or another reason is anyone’s guess.
In a nutshell, when asked, I generally tend to answer that Sasquatches appear to choose at least one general area in which to roam (which makes sense… the better you know the woods, the better your chances of surviving in them), may go to another area to follow food, may go to yet another area to give birth… but the idea of a completely nomadic Sasquatch simply doesn’t make sense. Why would you simply roam to new places and have to learn the intricacies and availablilities of food sources each time you move, when you’re already familiar with certain areas that provide everything you need? Seems to me that you’d continue to return to those locations time and time again n order to exploit those resources. At least, until something affects the availability of said resources.
As always, your comments are welcome.
