Bigfoot Near the Finger Lakes? - New York State

by

Christine Bruun/ Sasquatch Watch

Recently we ran across a report made in September of 1999 near an area where we are presently residing.  This is always exciting because it affords us the opportunity to investigate a sighting for ourselves. 

  Topographical Map of Sighting Area. The dots are one mile apart in the sighting region. The little car shows the direction the car was going. The BIG FOOT draws attention to the likely territory and habitat location. The LITTLE FOOT is the probable sighting location showing the direction the bigfoot traveled from the corn field toward the wooded area across the road.

We followed the directions given by the witness to, what seemed to be,  nearly the exact spot he reported.  In his report the witness mentioned that the Bigfoot he saw, illuminated in the head lights of an oncoming vehicle , was coming from a corn field on the left  and crossing the road to the right.  This report was said to have been in Chemung County New York on highway 224 about one to two miles west of Alpine Junction. 

The picture (above) was taken on the freeway heading east from Corning, New York.  We took the highway 13 exit and followed it all the way to Alpine Junction where highway 224 intersects.  We then went west along highway 224 for two miles as were the directions reported in the witness report.  We will be including a map of the area.

# 1     We have made each photo into a thumbnail to help the page load faster.  You can click on the thumbnail icon to view the larger picture then use the backspace key to return to the report.

The view pictured in the above thumbnail is looking northward at the 2 mile point as reported in the report.  This is the right side of the road if you are going west as the witness vehicle was reported to have been headed.

#2

We think we found the corn field he was coming from. (At the very least the area) One thing that I was amazed at after moving to this area of New York was the acres and acres of corn fields that filled every available piece of land throughout the state.  When I think of corn fields I think of Iowa, (having lived there for a time), but New York really surprised me.  So, it would be very difficult to pin point the exact corn field among the many. However, we feel we were within the general area of the sighting.  Farmers rotate their crops so a corn field will not be in the same spot two years in a row.

The view pictured in the above thumbnail #2 is looking south west from the road.  This would be a approximate location of the corn field that the creature was coming out of.  

#3   This view is looking north into the forested mountainous area towards which the creature would have ultimately ended up if he returned to a more remote area above the farm fields.  New York is known for rolling hills and hardwood forests.  Pine is not the most plentiful tree in the New York forests.

*A quick note - There is a mile stretch between mile one and mile two, as reported by the witness.  He estimated that it was somewhere within that one mile window that he saw the creature.  There are corn fields up and down that road so without the witness to take us directly to the spot where he estimates he saw the creature, it will be nearly impossible to pin-point the exact corn field and the exact spot on the road.  However, we feel that the fact that we were able to retrace the route using the witnesses instructions, finding the corn fields as he described, lends some weight to the sighting.

Here we must note that according to the sighting report by the witness, he stated that it took place in Chemung County.  It is very important for someone to always investigate a sighting report physically because the witness is often times in error in some of the minor information due to not knowing the area or the lack of viable visual clues due to night time incidents.  The witness can be disoriented due to these two problems as well as the shock, confusion and fear that accompanies a sighting.  Most of these incidents happen quickly and without warning and so the witness can be unclear as to actual location.

When investigating the report we found that the one mile stretch where the witness  reportedly saw the creature is not in Chemung County at all.  It is in Schuyler County.  Chemung County is near by, but this particular point is actually in Schuyler County.  Though it is not a crucial detail, it is an important one that could hinder investigation of the sighting. 

Because the creature was seen emerging from a corn field, we might logically have to assume that it played an important roll in the incident.  The date was September 13, 1999 and the fall harvest would be underway.  It would be easy to conclude the corn, and perhaps other farm crops would be an easy and prolific source of food during the growing season and that the creature was utilizing this easy source of food.  However, we must also conclude that the creature may have been simply taking the shortest route from one point to another and the corn field simply lay in the middle of that route.  Without more definitive evidence, both assumptions would be equally valid, though a food source would naturally have more impact on the survival of the species..

This discussion of possible food sources led us to discuss the area in terms of food sources in general.  There would be some  availability of pine nuts, though they would be tiny in size compared to the pine nuts that we humans purchase as a food source.  The type of pine in the New York area produces very tiny nuts, not much value compared to the work involved in harvesting them.

There would be filberts/hazel nuts, and acorns from the oaks.  There would be wild berries such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries,  and cranberries.  There could also be natural maple syrup if the Bigfoot could figure out how to get to it.  He might find it in a tree zapped by lighting, licking the sap that would ooze from a damaged tree.  He might also avail himself wild honey.

#4    Dense brush fills the view in this photo.  This picture was taken while heading towards a remote area in the direction the creature seemed to be heading.  Though there is no evidence he continued on into the remote mountainous area in the forested hills above the corn fields, it is a good possibility that this area was his destination, or at least that he traveled through this area on his way into an even more dense and remote area further north toward the Finger Lakes area or even Lake Huron, which lies north of the Finger Lakes.

  # 5    This picture shows more of the dense brush that leads to the forested hills surrounding the valley floor.

This also brought to our mind the tree knocking we have heard so much about and in brain storming we came up with the possibility that a Bigfoot, if he had such knowledge, could simple damage a tree or bruise it and have access to the sap that would then flow from the wound.  This is a far fetched idea, but in evaluating an area and a sighting, discussing all possibilities, no matter how improbable it may sound, can lead to understanding  and even likely theories.  However, we dismissed this with prejudice since we have no evidence that would lend any weight to this improbable occurrence.

While scouting the area near the incident site, we discovered the Connecticut Hill State Game Management area that lies in the general direction the creature was seen heading.  This area is a vast expanse of managed land with limited access-- camping by permit only.  It is a wild, pristine area that rises from the valley floor at the foot of the mountains and spans a huge area of the mountains near the sighting location.   We decided to drive in part way and give it a look. It is a couple of miles north  and north east of the sighting location.

  #6   The road to the Game Management area.

As we drove in, the road quickly changed from paved to gravel, barely wide enough for two vehicles if one was able to move over onto the side to let the other pass. Part way in there were "no trespassing" signs posted in the trees on the left of the road.  Evidently that part of the area is private property.  However, further up the signs disappeared and the forest on both sides was part of the management area.   Ruts  jostled our mini van.  The farther up we drove, the less kept the road was and at one point  a sign indicated that during the winter the road was not maintained.

At some point about three miles up we decided to turn around because the road was becoming more muddy and less passable by a low riding mini van such as ours.  Trucks and 4 wheeled vehicles would have no trouble driving the road but we decided to play it safe and not chance getting stuck.

#7   This is the road in the Game Management area.  It is fall, third week of October 2000. 

We spotted a creek as well as a very large pond.  We realized that there was a wealth of animals and habitat for a Bigfoot.  We saw beaver lodges sitting in the middle of a small pond.  We saw marsh grasses, brush, hardwoods and all sorts of plant life that would sustain the wood animals and provide a viable habitat for a large animal like Bigfoot.    Water Cress might be a viable food source here if Bigfoot had the knowledge or instinct to see it as such.

  #8    Small creek in the area.

There would likely be fish in the pond as we saw minnows swimming in a deep spot in one of the creeks we passed.  There would likely be also otters, muskrat, woodchucks, deer, (we saw a deer crossing sign after turning from highway 13 onto 224.  It said "next 3 miles", which would put it well within the one mile area of the sighting),  raccoons, perhaps even opossum, rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels..

  #9  Pond in the area near the road.    #10

The cattails usually found around a woodland pond have edible roots and if the Bigfoot has that kind of knowledge or instinct, could use it as a viable food source.  The animals and fish  near and around the pond area would also supply a Bigfoot with food sources.  One thought that crossed my mind was if Bigfoot would have the knowledge or instinct to rob the nest of water fowl or other birds and take the eggs for a food source?

All in all, I was impressed with the area we investigated and the possibility that this habitat and area could support the existence of a Bigfoot.  Though we have few, if any other reports from this area that would lend weight to the sighting, this area could be part of a Bigfoot's range or territory.  It certainly has food sources and habitat that would support it.  Whether it does  actually exist in this area, we just don't know.  There is no evidence to substantiate this.  However, after researching the area, which borders on the Finger Lakes region of New York State, and seeing its proximity to Lake Huron, that borders Canada, I have no hesitation in saying that  it is certainly a possibility that we can't just dismiss. 

Only time will tell as we gather more reports and investigate and research each and every report. 

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