Possible Migration Patterns of Sasquatches

I saw a Sasquatch once, but the year was 1979 and I was just 11 years-old. I had no idea or understanding of collecting hair samples, so there is nothing tangible to present to the scoffers and nay-sayers. One day I decided to look at BFRO to see how many sightings have been reported near my county and the time frames from five years before to five years after. I noticed something intriguing that I want to share.

I am from Mercer County, Ohio, I was living there at the time of the sighting. We lived by typical woods near typical farm fields, so that is not out of the ordinary even now. But looking at the counties east, west and south of Mercer, a pattern began to develop. I know this area and am well familiar with those other counties and the geographical features within, that's why this is intriguing. I chose only those counties that I know.

1974 Auglaize County, Ohio
1975 Henry County, Indiana
1975 Grant County, Indiana.
1977 Preble County, Ohio
1978 Preble County, Ohio
1979 Blackford County, Indiana
1979 Mercer County, Ohio
1982 Shelby County, Ohio
1983 Champaigne County, Ohio

Things of note, going from west to east, Grant County, Indiana sits next to Blackford and then across Jay County (no sightings reported to BFRO from Jay), to Mercer. Henry County is west of Preble separated by Wayne County, which doesn't have a sighting reported until 1989. Henry County is two counties south of Grant.

Why this is important is that the Mississenwa River goes through Grant to Preble County, but it is a tributary of the Wabash River that goes through north of Blackford then to Mercer, the Salamonie River flows from that between Wabash and Mississinewa.

Auglaize is east of Mercer, north of Shelby and Shelby is north of Miami (which doesn't have reported sightings until the 2000s). Going in a straight line from Grant to Auglaize, then south to Shelby and then southwest to Preble, all of these counties have one very prominent feature, rivers that either connect or not far from each other. If this is confusing, let me show it this way. Counties in bold are reported sightings.

Grant head east Blackford head east Jay head east Mercer
Blackford head south Madison head south Henry
Mercer head south Darke head south Preble
Mercer head east Auglaize head south Shelby
Shelby head southeast Champaigne
Henryhead southeast Wayne head southeast Preble

Montgomery County, Ohio does not have a reported sighting until 1988. With all of these counties connected in a large square pattern, connected by rivers, I do not believe it mere coincidence that the actual towns the sightings occurred near are also near the ends of rivers. Eaton, Preble, Ohio sits at the end of the Mississinewa River, the same that goes through Marion, Grant, Indiana.

I grew up in Mercer and am very familiar with the lay of the land from Mercer to the Ohio River, east to Auglaize and down through Shelby to Clark. I also know the Indiana counties from Grant to Henry. To me, this suggests a migratory pattern from west to east and hesitating some time before moving more eastward and then back to Montgomery County some years later. As I said, I only chose the counties I am familiar with.

I know that it is entirely possible to cross these counties utilizing farms and woods and only having to go across the interstate at night.

Would this have anything to do with following available food sources? Along with urban sprawl creating incursions into Bigfoot's territory, I can see where the availability of food would be top on its priority list. They gotta eat a lot.

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Would this have anything to do with following available food sources? Along with urban sprawl creating incursions into Bigfoot's territory, I can see where the availability of food would be top on its priority list. They gotta eat a lot.

Absolutely it would, they are probably following deer herds.

Generally in the summer there might be either corn or soybeans, but it would take a very tiny Sasquatch to get across a soybean field...lol.

In the winter, farmers would put out large blocks of salt for the deer. Perhaps Sasquatch is also attracted to salt, I don't know if Sasquatch would need it, but the deer do. There are plenty of rabbits and small game, such as squirrels, beaver and raccoon. I have never heard of bears in my part of Ohio, we weren't very hilly. I am sure we have coyote but never heard any while I was young.

They would most likely be catching fish in those rivers, except for our end of the Wabash, it was dammed upriver so by the time it got to our end, it was a small creek. I'm not sure if there is still any water left in it now.

a reply to: WarminIndy

If they are nomadic then no wonder they are difficult to locate. Following the rivers would also be my guess. I think possibly they live on mushrooms, plants, roots and the occasional sapling.
There is plenty of food in the woods even for a creature as large as a Bigfoot. Chances are most of ATS members that have a yard have at least 4 weeds growing that you could live on. Plantains, Dandelions, Purslane, Lamb Quarters, etc.

The food is there you just have to know what it looks like.

originally posted by: TheLieWeLive
a reply to: WarminIndy

If they are nomadic then no wonder they are difficult to locate. Following the rivers would also be my guess. I think possibly they live on mushrooms, plants, roots and the occasional sapling.
There is plenty of food in the woods even for a creature as large as a Bigfoot. Chances are most of ATS members that have a yard have at least 4 weeds growing that you could live on. Plantains, Dandelions, Purslane, Lamb Quarters, etc.

The food is there you just have to know what it looks like.

Yes, that is true. I can see that they would eat those things.

In Ohio, we have the famous Buckeye tree, but also acorns that fall from the Oaks. It wouldn't take very much effort to come back around when those are falling and grab them up by the handfuls. Corn is now grown for commercial purpose, mostly for cattle or perhaps ethanol. If you cook it, it turns the water purple. We had some neighbors that discovered that when they trespassed onto a field thinking the corn was good for eating.

If Sasquatch migrates back and forth, utilizing the different biomes, then they must be fairly intelligent to know what signs in nature to look for. But Ohio farmers are hunters and Sasquatch would be familiar with the hunting techniques. I also just remembered that between Grant and Mercer are a lot of Amish farms that aren't commercialized and their cattle often get free to wander down the roads at night. Amish also grow a lot of regular corn that isn't full of chemical fertilizers.

But I have never heard of any reports from the Amish about Sasquatch, but they would probably be the ones to see them more often as they are still out in their buggies at night.

I have seen something. My first thought was that it was a bigfoot. I saw it through dense thicket on the banks of Austin bayou. It was just a quick glimpse of a black, hairy upright torso. It quickly dashed through the woods and then splashed into the water. I have tried to rationalize it as a wild hog that was stood up on its hind legs as it charged through the thick brush. I didn't stick around to investigate. I ran to my canoe and never returned to that area.

originally posted by: skunkape23
I have seen something. My first thought was that it was a bigfoot. I saw it through dense thicket on the banks of Austin bayou. It was just a quick glimpse of a black, hairy upright torso. It quickly dashed through the woods and then splashed into the water. I have tried to rationalize it as a wild hog that was stood up on its hind legs as it charged through the thick brush. I didn't stick around to investigate. I ran to my canoe and never returned to that area.

An Arkansas Razorback lost in the woods of Texas, maybe?

I have yet to see another animal that runs on its hind legs, there might be some that can stand for short periods, but to actually run, I haven't even seen that in primates. Dogs can stand and jump or do the Conga line, but running, no.

When I saw it, the first thing I said was "wth is that looking at me?" I was only 11 years-old. I didn't feel the need to go chasing after it.

Glad to see you ae having some fun,there have been correlations to BF using Rivers for transportation,floating down them at night.They would also likely have to follow food like we do or did.Old Native american habits and migration routes would likely be very similar if you are into historical research.Follow the food crops along the rivers seasonally and you should develop a decent timetable.Good luck.If you go into the woods on a search be very carefull,my dog is Master in the Woods and much smarter than I am in that environment and my dog is not comparable to what a BF would be like in terms of wilderness intelligence.Animals in the forest get out of our way long before we can ever see them out of respect for us,but BF may not have such a respect in fact they may believe we are intrudung on them if we are in their favorite berry patch at the wrong time.I like to use the Lion analogy,if you are out looking for BF you need to take the same precautions you would take when looking for a Large Peeved off Male Lion in Africa especially at night,you are dealing with an Apex predator in BF.

originally posted by: one4all
Glad to see you ae having some fun,there have been correlations to BF using Rivers for transportation,floating down them at night.They would also likely have to follow food like we do or did.Old Native american habits and migration routes would likely be very similar if you are into historical research.Follow the food crops along the rivers seasonally and you should develop a decent timetable.Good luck.If you go into the woods on a search be very carefull,my dog is Master in the Woods and much smarter than I am in that environment and my dog is not comparable to what a BF would be like in terms of wilderness intelligence.Animals in the forest get out of our way long before we can ever see them out of respect for us,but BF may not have such a respect in fact they may believe we are intrudung on them if we are in their favorite berry patch at the wrong time.I like to use the Lion analogy,if you are out looking for BF you need to take the same precautions you would take when looking for a Large Peeved off Male Lion in Africa especially at night,you are dealing with an Apex predator in BF.

That's why I am not out looking, and that I am not physically able to.

I just noticed a pattern in sightings so I thought it would be important enough to share, but if you know where to look then it would increase. I think that many Sasquatchers are going about it the wrong way, in my opinion. They always seem to get vocalizations and random, blobsquatchy pictures from trail cams set up in the wrong places. If they know that Sasquatches use the rivers, then perhaps rivers are where they should be looking.

I think also that searchers need to think like Sasquatch. That means to go looking for the food sources along rivers and tracks to and from those rivers.

One of the more recent sightings in Ohio was in Huber Heights, that means Sasquatch is getting bold because that's actually a very busy suburb of Dayton. My thinking is that it came down from Clark County, where there are quite a few sightings, because it was following the Mad River. If it were following the Mad River, then look for the connecting rivers, it will be seen outside of Pittsburgh given enough time.

a reply to: WarminIndy

I think that many Sasquatchers are going about it the wrong way, in my opinion.

I agree, all the wrong ways. Why would you alert them of your presence when searching for one? Howling and tree knocking only lets them know you're coming and that it's time to move on. This isn't a turkey or duck we're hunting so why the urge to call for it I'll never know.

I think it will be by accident when we finally get good footage of one.

a reply to: WarminIndy

I live in an area that has Habitation sites relatively close to me,BF live very close to Humans and are not afraid of us,they frequently cross our paths and we are not even aware they are there.


You are definately thinking the right ways,you are thinkig out of the box.

Here is my advice if you are curious,simply go to an area where there have been relatively recent sightings,use your rationale which is great to pick a spot and simply set up a campsite and wait for them to come to you.
Think about it this way from an urban perspective,if you are going to the shopping mall to find BF and you are wearing a big Bumble-bee costume and he doesnt want to be found,how much luck do you think you would have?

He will see you first and you are finished because he will simply always stay blended into the people at the mall.

Imagine that when you are in the woods you are wearing a Bumble-bee costume and are hooked up to a loudspeaker that makes your heartbeat audible,then you are in the right frame of mind.

No one,no native Hunter or tracker is any different,we all look like big yellow bees to the BF in the woods.And we are seen and registered from very very far away and we are simply avoided as you would avoid someone at the Shopping Mall.

BF is very very curious when not under immediate pressure,so all you need to do is make yourself available and they wil come to peek at you,the best pictures I have seen are ones where BF is caught unintentionally,usually around campgrounds or where kids play.

Your ideas are excellent and I hope some day you do get to go out under the right circumstances to try and get lucky enough to have a sighting in a place you wouldnt expect to have one.Like a popular campground in the right spot at the right time,you seem to be roughing out a nice plan that will help you pick your spot.River,season,food,ect you are doing great,you dont assume BF is deep in the woods all the time so you are already ahead of the curve from most people who are interested.

I might suggest to you that Dams would put a kink in their style and some legendary sightings have been near Dams,not to mention there would be fairly busy portage routes around these obstacles,or they would use smaller paralell water ways to avoid the ones with Dams,this could narrow down your search.

a reply to: WarminIndy

There are a lot of feral hogs in the area. I was thinking that, possibly, as it charged through the dense brush, it was lifted onto its hinds. I know that pigs can swim, but I've never heard of one running straight for the water. The sense of fear I experienced struck me as odd in hindsight. It is also worth noting that the area I was in is called 'Satan's circle' by a lot of the locals. If it was a sasquatch, it wasn't very tall, maybe 5 ft, but it was a thick trunk.
Hell, I'm going to keep going. I have a friend that lives in an area known as World Loop. It is the swampy boonies. I don't know this person to be a b.s.er. He told me that one night he and some friends drove out to an old slave cemetery to do what kids do. As they where leaving, according to his account, he caught some glowing green eyes in the headlights. At first he thought it was a cow. Then, it stood up. Based on his estimation, it was something at least 8 foot tall.
I have another tale that I will keep to myself for now.

originally posted by: one4all
a reply to: WarminIndy

I might suggest to you that Dams would put a kink in their style and some legendary sightings have been near Dams,not to mention there would be fairly busy portage routes around these obstacles,or they would use smaller paralell water ways to avoid the ones with Dams,this could narrow down your search.

There are so many recent sightings that I can't keep up with them, but if we look at it scientifically (I suppose that's what I did) and use that data, then it should make it easy to follow their patterns. What I have seen, especially on Finding Bigfoot, is that it seems to be random. People are asked to show where they saw it at, because the team is looking for clusters of sightings. But if they could put down the time of day they witnessed it, and then follow that trend, then perhaps one could predict in what direction Bigfoot is heading.

originally posted by: skunkape23
a reply to: WarminIndy

There are a lot of feral hogs in the area. I was thinking that, possibly, as it charged through the dense brush, it was lifted onto its hinds. I know that pigs can swim, but I've never heard of one running straight for the water. The sense of fear I experienced struck me as odd in hindsight. It is also worth noting that the area I was in is called 'Satan's circle' by a lot of the locals. If it was a sasquatch, it wasn't very tall, maybe 5 ft, but it was a thick trunk.
Hell, I'm going to keep going. I have a friend that lives in an area known as World Loop. It is the swampy boonies. I don't know this person to be a b.s.er. He told me that one night he and some friends drove out to an old slave cemetery to do what kids do. As they where leaving, according to his account, he caught some glowing green eyes in the headlights. At first he thought it was a cow. Then, it stood up. Based on his estimation, it was something at least 8 foot tall.
I have another tale that I will keep to myself for now.

Wow, that was a tall one.

I don't know how feral hogs act, I am familiar with the ones kept on farms in Ohio. Yes, a small one could indicate a less fully mature one, or maybe they come in variations, like people do.

originally posted by: WarminIndy
Absolutely it would, they are probably following deer herds.

Okay, now here's a question. Just how exactly does a Bigfoot capture a deer to eat it? I've been around enough deer to know that they're extremely difficult to sneak up on, and the only reason human beings have been able to use them as a food source is because we have spears and arrows and guns. A Bigfoot doesn't have any of those things, and as I understand it, they only make the most rudimentary tools.

When I hear about Bigfoots hunting deer, that's always something that puzzles me.

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: WarminIndy
Absolutely it would, they are probably following deer herds.

Okay, now here's a question. Just how exactly does a Bigfoot capture a deer to eat it? I've been around enough deer to know that they're extremely difficult to sneak up on, and the only reason human beings have been able to use them as a food source is because we have spears and arrows and guns. A Bigfoot doesn't have any of those things, and as I understand it, they only make the most rudimentary tools.

When I hear about Bigfoots hunting deer, that's always something that puzzles me.

I don't know how, but Bigfoot sure has been around for a very long time. But perhaps with its ability to stay hidden, perhaps it is more able to than humans are? Sasquatches also don't smell like humans and that's also a difference. If Sasquatch smells like the forest then deer would be used to that.

Humans have a unique smell and that's what makes us different than animals. But if you put an animal in the forest that is not usually part of that forest, then deer would probably pick up on that as well. Say you put a Bengal tiger in a typical midwestern woods, surely the Bengal tiger would be noticed quicker. And since humans smell different, Sasquatch are able to avoid us.

a reply to: WarminIndy

S&F for doing some research into this, and it's a quite interesting idea. If I might make a couple of suggestions, I would recommend adding to this -

1. A map, with the suspected migration route marked. Paint would work for that.

2. Noting the season, weather, and any crops in the areas. These could all be factors as well.

I spent about a year in Ohio, with my first husband, and there were reports of a Bigfoot being spotted in the area where his parents lived. As I recall, some family members might have seen it as well. I never did, but this one stretch of woods, out behind some fields, seemed a bit "threatening" to me. Note that I LOVE woods, grew up around them (Tennessee), and have camped in the national forests of the Southeast. Woods don't scare me. Night doesn't, either, and I am a night owl. On a snowmobile one night, though, riding near those woods, I felt nervous.

I don't know when those sightings might have been, but I was there in the mid-80's, and the area was between Kenton and Belle Center, sort of, so either Hardin or Logan county.

originally posted by: skunkape23
a reply to: WarminIndy

*snip*
It is also worth noting that the area I was in is called 'Satan's circle' by a lot of the locals. *snip*

Oh, now that Is interesting. Such names crop up a lot in the cases of missing people clusters mentioned in the "Missing 411" books as well. Maybe we need to check the maps for all such place names, and see what sorts of weirdness has been reported at all of them. Maybe there is a common factor to the names.

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes
a reply to: WarminIndy

S&F for doing some research into this, and it's a quite interesting idea. If I might make a couple of suggestions, I would recommend adding to this -

1. A map, with the suspected migration route marked. Paint would work for that.

2. Noting the season, weather, and any crops in the areas. These could all be factors as well.

I spent about a year in Ohio, with my first husband, and there were reports of a Bigfoot being spotted in the area where his parents lived. As I recall, some family members might have seen it as well. I never did, but this one stretch of woods, out behind some fields, seemed a bit "threatening" to me. Note that I LOVE woods, grew up around them (Tennessee), and have camped in the national forests of the Southeast. Woods don't scare me. Night doesn't, either, and I am a night owl. On a snowmobile one night, though, riding near those woods, I felt nervous.

I don't know when those sightings might have been, but I was there in the mid-80's, and the area was between Kenton and Belle Center, sort of, so either Hardin or Logan county.

I am not familiar with those areas of Kentucky, but BFRO has a good listing of reported sightings made to BFRO. I know that some counties show no reports, that means either there were no sightings or that people who had sightings simply didn't report to BFRO.

Knowing the time of year and time of day and the crops are a good thing to mention when making a report. I was thinking of making a Prezi presentation with maps like that. I think also that Kentucky would be easier for Sasquatch to hide in, those hollers can run deep in some places.

Very good thread!

It brings to mind the, "Missing Persons 411" by David Paulides.
But in these cases, sounds like their seems to be a bunch of peaceful BFs going to an fro from point to point along the rivers.
But, an this is where it gets interesting, something that David himself didn't directly answer from, but it would seem there are also hostile factions of BF, probably eaters of man.
It should be noted that researching their patterns in a damn good thing, but be wary looking for them, you might just run into the wrong ones.
Thankfully, from what you describe, it sounds like the area you live in seems pretty legit with a peaceful family group moving from one spot to another.