I received this question from “Loki”:
“Is it possible that a Bigfoot could behave aggressively if a person does not leave a certain area or reacts in the wrong way by throwing things back or yelling and screaming, or will it simply strike curiosity in the creature and making it reveal itself?
Is it possible? Sure. Anything’s possible, and if you’re planning on trying to provoke a Sasquatch, my first question would be… erm… “Why?” I mean, I personally wouldn’t want to cause a 600 lb. 8′ tall creature to be intentionally irritated with me… but maybe that’s just me. *grin*
Seriously, though, I think the brunt of Loki’s question is whether or not it’s WISE to react aggressively to the presence of a Sasquatch. My answer would be, “No.”
Not leaving the area is one thing. Not that it happens very often – most witnesses are so busy trying to beat feet and keep their shorts stain-free that they don’t even consider hanging around if a Sasquatch is screaming at them in the general vicinity.
I remember a few years ago, Skye and I were up at the same lake where we took the folks from the Sci-Fi Channel… I was about three months pregnant at the time. It’s quite a hike in, and we’d smelled a very rank and powerful odor on the way up. Once we got to the top (about a 20 minute hike in), we began hearing SCREAMS coming from somewhere in the vicinity of the lake. It was difficult to discern how far away they were, but Skye mentioned screaming back and I said, “Don’t you DARE.” I’m sorry, but when you’ve got a bun in the oven, your whole view of safety changes.
Now, in this instance, had I not been pregnant, I would have encouraged it. Yelling back is not necessarily an aggressive act… it depends on the tone of your voice, I think.
Nor is staying in the area, necessarily. I suspect that Sasquatches weed out who’s dangerous and who isn’t with these displays of non-confrontational aggression. I mean, if you think about it, it’s pretty smart. Fear makes people do stupid things, dangerous things, and I think they know it. Don’t let the little hairless things see you, and try to scare the living crap out them to see how they react. People will generally react one of three ways… They’ll run (most do), they’ll pull a gun as their fear turns to anger… or they’ll sit down and relax, maybe talk back, maybe smile in spite of your ferociousness.
Throwing things would be equated with the same kind of aggressive fear response as pulling a gun or shouting out a warning. But what would happen if you just simply… sat down? I’ll bet they won’t be expecting that. It might send a message, “Ok, ok… you’re in control. I’m fine with that.” Their behavior appears, to me at least, designed to take control of the situation, and by allowing them to have it but remaining in their presence, perhaps their demeanor might change?
I witnessed this first hand with a long-term witness in Northern California (I discuss this encounter at length in the portion of my DVD in which I spoke at the Bellingham Sasquatch conference). We were surrounded by what sounded like five creatures. They walked. They stomped. They whistled… and we just… sat there. It was, by far, one of the most thrilling, and fulfilling, experiences of my life.
She gave me a crucial piece of advice on that trip – one I will never forget.
“You have to let them remain in control.”
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Just for fun: A very pregnant Autumn with “Boston” Rob Mariano as Sasquatch during the filming of Sci Fi Investigates: Sasquatch at the location mentioned above. See? Sasquatches can be very friendly if you just give them a chance. *grin*
