intriguing thread. Just flashed across "recent posts" and I'm not going to read through 30 pages on a subject I'm not really interested in.
I live out on the southern Oregon coast about 1 hr north of the Cali border on 101. Been here nearly 20 years. There are a lot of wild rivers coming out of the Coast Range in this area. A lot of hunters, fisherman, ranchers, loggers, and gold miners. The people who live, work, or spend a lot of time back up river swear there are bigfoot back in those parts. Young and old timers.
Ranchers say they've seen them walking on the edge of their properties sticking close to the bordering trees. People who own and run small private independent logging operations (not the big AxeMen industrial sites) say they've seen them, and can smell them when they're around - strong, pungent offensive odor. Friends who do guide boat fishing swear they've spotted them on the banks or walking in meadows. A lot of folks here in town go back up river just to fish and camp with the family along the river for a few days and have told me they hear them howl. Are said to be about 7 ft tall, stocky, muscular, with a yellow fur, apelike and stink to high heaven.
But it is mostly the miners who are back in the woods in the coast range for months at a time swear by them. Say they see them and hear them howl at night. One miner says he's befriended them and when he's down in the river underwater dredging they watch over his girl friend back at his trailer site. When he first moved back up there 20 years ago he got on their wrong side and one night they came around and were throwing handfuls of rocks against his trailer. He came out and shot a couple of shotgun blasts up over their heads, and I guess they came to a mutual understanding. Says they talk to each other in a fast high pitched language with a lot of grunts and guttural inflections. He's a nice enough guy, but he is a little offbeat - but comes across as sincere and honest. Also says he can attract UFOs, which seriously makes me wonder about his cred, of course. I'll believe it when I see it. And he's invited me up, so I'll go one day.
I hate camping and don't hunt & fish, so not back there much. Have day hiked around, but never seen or heard anything beyond, deer, elk, or an occasional bear. Most of these people are straight up, hardworking, honest folk who have nothing to gain. And sure, they know how to kid around and tell tales, of course, but when seriously asked if they're bullshitting and they almost get offended. It's like stepping up to a line of being called a liar.
Now on the subject of UFOs. Some activity in this area. I've seen a few things I can't explain, not just here, but throughout my life. Oceanside there is lots of sky horizon and very little light pollution out here. But just because I can't explain what I've seen in the sky doesn't mean it's extraterrestrial. I just don't know what it is.
