Jersey Devil: Info

I had always been interested in the Jersey Devil. I heard the myths as a kid growing up, even though I was born in NY. A lot of people used to talk about em in my family, because my family had settled in Jersey as early as I could find, the mid 1800s around 1843, which is in the middle of the 200+ years of Jersey Devil sightings. And my family was also around during the one week when the Jersey Devil supposedly went all out with the coming out of hiding.

I did some reasearch to back me up on this at the state library to see if my family DID settle in Jersey, and about 60% of my family's roots were in Jersey.

One of my ancestors claimed that he saw a "devil man" who perched on a tree on his front yard, and suddenly disapeared after he turned away.

I was in Southern New Jersey for about 3 days. And thats when I heard about The Devil Hunters. They were a team of people who went out into the Pine Barrens to investigate the Jersey Devil, and they believe they had gotten closer to figuring it out, and so do I. I've read the stuff on they're hunts.

The theories and sightings, and evidence they have found mostly seems to link up in my point of view. I've always been a strong believer in the Jersey Devil, and no skepicism about it even crosses my mind.

Since the site is an organization, I'm not gonna post the stuff here, so heres a link to the site:

New Jersey Devil Hunters

[edit on 25-10-2004 by John bull 1]

It seems a little blair witchy to me. The only evidence they have of this jersey devil is 'accounts' and artwork.

well, think of it like this:

Pictures and movies are just as easy to make up as words.

And, if it were a hoax, why would it be continuing even as I type this comment as we speak? It could be that somebody has a family myth thing going on, where they hoax generation after generation, but how is it that there are sightings hours, minutes apart? How would they be flying?


I'm also starting to believe that theres a slight SLIGHT probability that this thing taking our cats in our woods may be the Jersey Devil. it has been known to wander.

[edit on 10-24-04 by Yasuhiko23]

Originally posted by Yasuhiko23
well, think of it like this:

Pictures and movies are just as easy to make up as words.

And, if it were a hoax, why would it be continuing even as I type this comment as we speak? It could be that somebody has a family myth thing going on, where they hoax generation after generation, but how is it that there are sightings hours, minutes apart? How would they be flying?


I'm also starting to believe that theres a slight SLIGHT probability that this thing taking our cats in our woods may be the Jersey Devil. it has been known to wander.

[edit on 10-24-04 by Yasuhiko23]

Possibly. But the only Jersey devil I know of is the hockey team that wont be able to play this year in the NHL.

...................DOT DOT DOT

ok...well...if ur serious...do some reading on it.

if not...

sarcasm gets you knowhere.

I strongly believe in it, and know for a fact that there have been fake sightings. But not all are fake.

Great stuff!!

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I am convinced of this creatures existence, but it does seem very probable in my opinion. I've always liked theories of undiscovered species in inextensive explored areas. Thank you for posting this as part of my family is from Jersey. I will have to talk to them about this.

The sighting on the site that grabbed my attention the most was the most recent one, in February 2004. The family's accounts of the Jersey Devil. Pictures dont lie. And I dont see anyone faking those foot prints, unless they REALLY wanted some stupid attention of a couple of bum local reporters.


Again, great stuff

Originally posted by Simulacra
It seems a little blair witchy to me. The only evidence they have of this jersey devil is 'accounts' and artwork.

Sure it isnt the blair witch that is a bit jersey devilish?

Edit: Just read through a bit of it, pretty interesting stuff. One account had neat pictures:
www.njdevilhunters.com...

Doesnt looks like hoofs though. Its oddly straight and far in between. Hoax? Maybe. I cant think of any creature able to do that... Hell not even an imaginary one, lol. Something to note is that there is zero sign of a tail nor wings dragging in the snow.

[edit on 24-10-2004 by merka]

Good points.

The way the tracks are layed out, one after another in a very narrow line, its almost as if the devil was walking like a model . Then again that could just be the way it walks, it is undiscovered after all.

Perhaps its wings and tail are suspended by its own self. Kind of like a dog, wags its tail a lot. I just wish I saw some scorch marks haha. It'd be great if it were some kind of dragon thing.

Originally posted by shotgunjoe
It'd be great if it were some kind of dragon thing.

One thing I can think is *remotly* similar, would be a velociraptor style dinosaurs with wings and hooves. Of course, that's gives a pretty stupid looking animal, you need LOTS of imagination for it. But think on it, quite many sightings make sense. Scales and feathers, long tail and "jumpy" movement. Then imagine 65 million years of evolution on top of that, one can easily see wings (bird-dinosaur connection), hooves instead of claws to (dont need the claws anymore, mouth will do), maybe getting horns, etc...

Well its a pretty wild theory
It easily explains why there would be no tail dragging behind (since it would stand pretty much straight out for balancing).

Edit: Wait I take that claw thing back, doesnt make sense since all predatory birds have pretty big claws. Hooves would indicate a land animal... But this one got wings for sure, heh. I think one can safely say, the Jersey Devil is one big contradiction

[edit on 24-10-2004 by merka]

It could VERY well have claws. I mean, in reports it says it "swoops down" takes an animal, and then "swoops back up"

It could have flight or legs like a hawk....but maybe the legs are built differently so it makes it walk in a straight line.

Originally posted by Yasuhiko23
It could VERY well have claws. I mean, in reports it says it "swoops down" takes an animal, and then "swoops back up"

It could have flight or legs like a hawk....but maybe the legs are built differently so it makes it walk in a straight line.

True, but just about every report says hoof footprints, not claws. I think it would be easy to see the difference.

Originally posted by Yasuhiko23
well, think of it like this:

Pictures and movies are just as easy to make up as words.

And, if it were a hoax, why would it be continuing even as I type this comment as we speak? It could be that somebody has a family myth thing going on, where they hoax generation after generation, but how is it that there are sightings hours, minutes apart? How would they be flying?


I'm also starting to believe that theres a slight SLIGHT probability that this thing taking our cats in our woods may be the Jersey Devil. it has been known to wander.

[edit on 10-24-04 by Yasuhiko23]

Nonexistent/= Hoax. People can be mistaken about a great many things. The Jersey Devil si a part of folklore, almost a legend. Not saying it isn't real, just saying that there's other possiblities besides "Real" and "Hoax".

When I was younger and lived in Barnegat me and a bunce of friends use to walk the Barrens at night along the old Tuckerton rail. Never once did we see the JD although we did come about many deer.

Actually I think if there is a Jersey Devil he may be living up in Rumson with Bruce and his family

Perhaps the millions of years of evolution idea is possible in that, its claws have evolved to be land efficient along with being efficient for predatory behavior. Thats some thick claws.

The only thing I dont like is that 65 million years of evolution requires quantity. This thing cannot have lived for 65 million years and evolved on its own. Simply not possible. If it is evolution, there must be more than one, a large number in fact.

I just dont understand how a strange creature like this could remain relatively hidden throughout a small state like New Jersey. How much wilderness do you guys even have? A couple of square miles? And when was the first account of this creature?

Originally posted by Simulacra
I just dont understand how a strange creature like this could remain relatively hidden throughout a small state like New Jersey. How much wilderness do you guys even have? A couple of square miles? And when was the first account of this creature?

From the descriptions given of the Devil, if it exists the chances of it being 'natural' are near zero. First of all, I don't think the thing would be able to fly just because it has wings. Muscle placement is all wrong. Second, nothing at all looks even remotely like it, so it really can't be a natural product of evolution. So, if it is real (and that's a big if), then it would end up being something supernatural. Which just confuses the issue evne more

Originally posted by Simulacra
I just dont understand how a strange creature like this could remain relatively hidden throughout a small state like New Jersey. How much wilderness do you guys even have? A couple of square miles? And when was the first account of this creature?

Its some 200+ years old... Stories from the past being even better than current stories, heh. And its not just in New Jersey.

First of all, I don't think the thing would be able to fly just because it has wings. Muscle placement is all wrong. Second, nothing at all looks even remotely like it, so it really can't be a natural product of evolution.

That's pretty flawed arguments... Have you done an autopsy on one of them? You cant know its muscle placement. And nothing look remotly like it? Well there are few other animals looking remotly like the giraff. Yet that is a real animal as far as I know, how odd...

But of course, all we can do is speculate.

[edit on 25-10-2004 by merka]

Originally posted by merka
That's pretty flawed arguments... Have you done an autopsy on one of them? You cant know its muscle placement.

Well, if you look at any picture drawn of what people have seen, then you can tell this thing shouldn't be able to fly. You need alot of muscle strangth to work those wings, and I don't believe that wher they are "Right on top of it's back) allows for that. The only alternative is that what people draw isn't close to what they have actually seen, which sort of means you can't say they didn't just see a big bat and get scared.

And nothing look remotly like it? Well there are few other animals looking remotly like the giraff. Yet that is a real animal as far as I know, how odd...

Not what I meant.

This thing has the body of a kangaroo, bat wings, and hooves. It may even have ram's horns. This is not a biological thing. There is no way all of these traits would have shown up in a single organism, It's like the gryphon, people took a bunch of different animals and stuck them into one monster.

I'm not a skeptic, but I have to call things like I see them. I cannot in good conscious say this thing is a naturla animal. If it is real, then either it's some sueprantural occurence, or we've missed a hell of alot of fossils.

Originally posted by Esoterica
It's like the gryphon, people took a bunch of different animals and stuck them into one monster.

Uhm, no... Its a bunch of DESCRIPTIONS of it containing references to real world creatures. The drawings are mostly "artist impressions", and everyone is different (as are eyewitness accounts).

In fact, most making references to animals they might have seen make it even more believable that it is a real thing.

When someone say "Yeah, this sea creature came up, and it had the head of a dragon!!!", I immidietly dismiss it as credible. The witness have never seen a dragon, and there are so many versions of that in the mythological world.

Think on it. How would YOU describe a giraffe to someone that has never seen it, you cant show pictures or movies.

[edit on 25-10-2004 by merka]

good movies cost more than crayons and construction paper





[edit on 25-10-2004 by IntelRetard]