Bigfoot Society - "We Saw a Bigfoot While Fishing the Lake in Arkansas."

Episode Date: October 5, 2023

Rusty is a surgeon and outdoor enthusiast. He contacted me to share of his Bigfoot encounter he had in Eastern Arkansas while fishing during his college years. We then talk about hauntings and Louisiana Bigfoot as well.Resources: Rusty's BFRO sighting report: http://bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=13983WATCH THE IOWA EPISODE IN THE “SASQUATCH: A SEARCH FOR SABE” DOCUMENTARY SERIES BY TATE HIERONYMUS // FIND OUT ALL ABOUT MY FIRST BIGFOOT ENCOUNTERS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo8O4rvywzETo unlock more bonus content and much more, become a supporting member of Bigfoot Society by joining the Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/thebigfootsocietyBecome a Youtube Channel member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Qq45W6iaTU8FE9kelxT7Q/joinSupport Bigfoot Society one time by buying me a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bigfootsociety To pick up a Bigfoot Society shirt, stickers and more, check out our merch by heading on over to https://www.etsy.com/shop/BigfootSocietySend me a voice message to potentially be used for the show by calling 515-809-0165 Here’s a fun prompt - “Hey, my name’s [your name] and you’re listening to the Bigfoot Society podcast!”If you’d like to send me fan mail, Bigfoot related products to check out or written out Bigfoot encounters then you reach me at the following address: Bigfoot Society 125 E 1st St. #233 Earlham, IA 50072Join our private Facebook group "Bigfoot Sasquatch Encounters" for a chance to connect with others who have had similar experiences. Follow the directions to ensure your entry is accepted.https://www.facebook.com/groups/5762233820540793/?ref=share_group_linkTune in to our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Qq45W6iaTU8FE9kelxT7Q) for new episodes of Bigfoot Society, and visit our website (www.bigfootsocietypodcast.com) for all the links mentioned above and more.Don't miss out on the Bigfoot action! —— Affiliate links mean I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support my channel at no additional cost to you.—— MY GEAR —— My Audio Interface: https://amzn.to/3L1q8XYMy Podcast Mic: https://amzn.to/3AlYwb9My Computer: https://amzn.to/40CCjQyMy Headphones: https://amzn.to/40A8gcrMy Webcam: https://amzn.to/3NqfddhThe best Bigfoot book: https://amzn.to/41x8IcNLose the weight along with me on Noom. Get 20% off your subscription with link below. (Consult your doctor first) https://noom.com/r/GdkaWNddL?1251Join Whatnot and pick up some sweet video games and vintage shirts. Use my link below and we both get $10 credit after you place your first order. https://whatnot.com/invite/bigfootsocietyLearn more and up your creative game with Skillshare. Use my link and get a $50 gift card. https://share.skillshare.com/bigfootsocietyIf you want an amazing website like Bigfoot Society has that is extremely easy to set up and connects to your podcast in an incredible way then check out Podpage. https://www.podpage.com/?via=jeremiah (Use this affiliate link and you help out Bigfoot Society)

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Wall Supplies last. Selection varies by location. See Loz.com for details. Visit your nearby lows on West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. Hi there, you're listening to the Bigfoot Society podcast, and I'm Jeremiah Byron. Every week I talk to individuals who have experienced Sasquatch in some way or another, so you won't want to miss an episode. Make sure you're subscribed on the platform that you're listening to and share this episode

with a friend does not cost a thing and it helps the show continue to grow. If you'd like to hear Bigfoot Society episodes early and ad-free, you can do so by becoming a Patreon supporter or a YouTube channel member. Links to those are in the show notes. And Bigfoot Society, I've taken far too much of your time so far, so let's get on with the show. All right, Bigfoot Society, you've got the privilege of talking to Rusty today. Rusty is a MD and a surgeon he's a specifically a cancer surgeon and also an outdoor enthusiast down in the area of Arkansas. How's it going today, Rusty? Good. Thank you very much.

I was excited when you reached out to me. You've got an interesting story. It's also one of those that are also documented on the BFRO, which is always fun. But how are things going down there in your neck of the woods right now? Well, we've had a really hot summer, so I'm hoping it's about to cool down because it's been hard to even get outdoors much at all this summer. Otherwise, things are going pretty well. Fantastic. It's always interesting when I'm able to talk to someone who has such an interesting background.

And we might get into that later. but one thing I wanted, let's start with this. So looking at the BFRO report, there's one detail that I noticed that before, you know, I let you share your story, it might be interesting to start here. Your encounter happened in the year 1980 per the report. Correct.

It was submitted by yourself on March 1st of 2006. why did it take you 26 years to report this? Because I didn't know the BFRO existed until shortly before that time. You know, I was in college at the time, and there was no such thing as well, there was no such thing as the Internet even, you know, at 1980. And I went to college, went to medical school, did my medical training and worked very hard. And as you might guess, that takes a lot of time for many years. So I really just kind of put it out of my mind.

and then somehow I stumbled on, you know, I forget exactly what it was, but some Bigfoot related topic online. And it, you know, reminded me of my experience that I had so long ago. And I searched around a little bit and found the BFRO then and reported it then simply out of, you know, a happy accident if nothing else. That's very interesting. And I guess that makes total sense with the, the time frame that it took place.

And listeners, if you're younger, you have to realize that the internet wasn't around forever. So pretty, pretty wild stuff. But Rusty, let's go back to that time in 1980. And I'd love it if you'd be able to share kind of what happened and what was going on in that time frame. Sure. Well, I was in college at the time. So I was 20, 21 years old. It was the summer of 1980.

And as a college job, I was working at a resort-type lake in Arkansas. And in the evenings, my buddy and I, he and I worked out there together and had been friends at school. So we were very close. In the evening, after the lake closed, and we sent all the picnickers and swimmers and stuff home, he and I will go fishing most nights. So one evening in, I'll say it was probably late June or so. So it was probably 7 p.m. It was still bright daylight in that part of the country in late June. Without fishing as we normally did, we were in a, like a 14-foot aluminum-john boat with a trolling motor

and just slowly paralleling the shore, probably 10, 15 yards out from the water's edge. you know, solely moving down the, uh, uh, fellow the shore, like I said. And didn't hear anything. It all of a sudden, um, we heard a little rustling on the, uh, shore, you know, again, like I said, 15 yards maybe away from us and looked up and there was a,

the best I can describe it is the head and shoulders from about, I guess, maybe nipples up of a man like, creature that was covered with hair except for the face, looking back at us, basically. And you couldn't see the rest of him because the brush was so heavy there. So it was like behind, you know, trees and bushes and stuff from, like I said, from about, nipples down. So I really couldn't make that anything definitively, you know, beyond that. his face was I've always said it was more or less human I thought it was more human than ape like for example

but it was dark skin um the there when there was no hair really on the face it only started like at the hair line and like the jaw line and downs uh really um it didn't seem to register any expression I think I took it at the time as we might have just surprised it because we were quiet. We weren't even speaking. We were just slowly drifting. And like we just happened up on it by chance and caught it by surprise. Like maybe he was coming down to the water, he or she was coming down to the water to, you know, just could get a drink or something. Who knows?

And just happened up on us. This lake is pretty isolated. It's right off the Mississippi River. it's one of the old horseshoe type lakes where the river changes course and leaves a lake behind and it's on private property so there was nothing surrounding it but forest by spent swamps for several miles so it's relatively isolated anyway so we sat there looking at him for maybe 10 seconds at most not any more than that and it turned and walked back into the undergrowth,

and within a few seconds, we couldn't see it anymore. We heard it for a few more seconds. You could actually hear it moving through the undergrowth, but it didn't seem to make any kind of vocalization. And like I said, within a few seconds of turning away from us, he was gone. He or she was gone. And we never heard anything else really that we were convinced

or saw any sign after that of it. again. And obviously, as you might guess, we were fairly unnerved at the time because I was pointing in my buddy was, you know, maybe a year older. So we left immediately at that point, went back to our cabin, which is at the other end of the lake, and stayed there and talked about it. And we really didn't tell anybody about it, not even his parents who actually owned the property because we didn't know what to tell him.

You know, we thought, geez, this is just weird. I mean, we both knew of. the Bigfoot phenomena, but had never really thought much about it. You know, we'd seen the movies and so forth, but never really thought much about it. So we didn't know what to say or what to anticipate if we did say anything. And what would you say? You know, oh, there's a monster loose on the property. Oh, yeah, sure.

Were you guys drunk again last night? You know, I mean, that's the kind of thing we were worried about. So we basically kept quiet about it, like I said, for most of those years. I eventually told my wife a number of years later, who was actually my girlfriend at the time, and then like I said, many years later, reported it to DFRO. And I talked about it to a number of people, you know, since then. My buddy actually died a few years ago, so he was my only other eyewitness. So that's pretty much the story. That is really, really interesting.

I do have a few questions for you, if that's all right. So a few about the sighting of the actual creature of what you saw. So you said there was kind of a dark skin that you noticed. Do you remember an actual color to the skin or just that it was a more dark skin? You know, I guess I would say just a very dark brown, not quite black, but pretty close to it. And it wouldn't even like, how can I phrase this? It wasn't even like, didn't seem like a human skin tone. It was like a black man versus a white man.

You couldn't even, I wouldn't even say that. I mean, it was darker than that. Interesting. That is very interesting. You said the features that you saw in the face were more human than a, were there any specific features that you remember seeing that, that kind of contributed to you thinking, okay, this is definitely

seems more like a human creature than an ape type creature. You know, I think the nose was primarily the distinguishing factor that led me to think that. You know, instead of having what you would imagine as an ape or a monkey, having sort of flattened large nostril, upflaired nostril nose,

it was very much a human nose. It was fairly narrow, pointed downward. You know, it really had, like a same. It looked like a human nose. Interesting. The hair, did you notice anything? You know, you said that it was covered with hair except for the face.

Not the entire face. But did you notice anything about the length of the hair, color, anything that you notice of the ordinary to do with the hair that was on the creature? Yeah, I thought the hair. was brown, but not as brown as the face. No, there was the face I thought, the skin, was distinctly darker than the hair surrounding it. And I would have guessed the hair was, gosh, several inches long anyway, if not longer. And it did seem to be kind of, what's the right word, tangled or matted to some degree,

you know, unkempt, I guess, might be a word you'd use for a human, human. And like I say, I didn't see anything below the nipple, so I couldn't tell you anything about like the palms or the souls of the feet. But really the face was the only part that seemed to be, from our vantage point, you know, hair free. Interesting. And, you know, to come right out and ask it, a thing that you have mentioned multiple times is as a point of reference. So when you say around the point of the nipples, is that something you actually saw? Or is it a thing like I would guess those are where they would be on the creature? Right. That was really it.

I didn't mean to mislead you. I could not say that we definitely saw any nipples. You know, I will say we could see, how would I phrase this, you know, a prominence like your pectoral muscles. and there was, you know, a really well-built man will have big pectoral muscles that stand out and this thing had that. But no, I did not see any nipples per se. Very interesting.

Could you see anything to do with the type of teeth that the creature had, that they have an open mouth or anything at that time? Yeah, I don't believe it ever opened its mouth. You know, and actually it was kind of, that's the thing about the mouth. The mouth was pretty small. I thought.

Again, maybe that was another one of the things that made me think it seemed more human-like. You know, the mouth was, you know, proportional to the nose. In other words, it was narrow, middle of the face, not upturned. It did not have the mouth. Didn't seem to have, you know, enormous flexible lips like, you know, an ape or a monkey would. That's very interesting. You know, all the time that you spent there. Was that the only time that you had interaction with a creature like that?

Or did you ever maybe smell anything or hear anything out of the ordinary, things like that? You know, we heard things a few times out there that we couldn't explain like howls or roars or something like that. But, you know, there were other animals out there that could potentially make that sound. There were lions or, you know, cougars, mountain lions that lived in the area. So we, you know, we kind of assumed it was that or coyotes or something. Did not hear anything when we actually saw the creature. In other words, I couldn't tell that it made any vocalizations. I did not smell anything, you know, unusual and never did.

We didn't find, we didn't go back looking for tracks, but we never found any tracks anywhere else, including, like, you know, around our old cabin, or anywhere else that we couldn't explain. So no, you know, we, like I said, over the, A few weeks after that, maybe we heard screams a few times, but that's about as specific as I could be. That's very interesting. So there were screams at times.

That's pretty cool. Remind me, if you had to guesstimate, like, how tall the creature was that you were looking at, did you have any point of reference to see how tall it was? You know, it would be difficult to do more than estimate because I'd see, we didn't see its feet. So, you know, we didn't see the whole thing, the whole body. We'll be back with more Bigfoot Society after these words from our sponsors. This is Matt Rogers from Las Culture Rees with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang. This is Bowen-Yang from Las Colteracist with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang.

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And with a second free membership for someone in your household, you'll receive AARP benefits for two. go to AARP.org slash iHeart to join today. From the, you know, where we, from what we saw, it was wide. It seemed to be like wider shoulders than a normal man would. And we presume, based on that and the size of the head, that it had to be at least the size of a above-eared human. So, you know, a human above six feet tall.

But really beyond that, I couldn't say. I mean, you know, he could have been kneeling down for all. I know, although I don't think so. That's a good point. Absolutely. You're thinking back to that time in late June that you had that sighting. Do you remember how it affected you emotionally, like what you were feeling, you know, during the encounter, how it affected you afterwards, what kind of conversation you had with your friend, things like that?

Well, I can tell you, immediately we were, we were pretty scared. We actually, when we, when it went away, we started our big motor up and got back to the cabin, which may be a mile away on the water as fast we could. We went in the cabin. We did load all our guns. I don't know what we thought we were going to do, but we did. And stayed in the cabin the rest of the evening, which was unusual. for us. And like I said, we talked about it a fair amount then and several times after that,

because like I said, we were in college at the time, so we saw each other pretty regularly. And we decided since we couldn't figure out how to explain this to anybody, that, you know, I guess the best thing is just not to say anything, I suppose. You know, did it have any effect on me long term? you know, I think not at the time. You know, I was, like I said, a 20-year-old kid in college. I was still trying to figure out, you know, what I was going to do with my life at that time. But thinking back on it now, as time went on, I think it made me more open to unusual ideas

or more skeptical, in a sense, of established ideas, more willing to, look at new ideas that, you know, may not have, or may not be accepted by the mainstream. If that makes sense. Yeah, sure. You know, and that's something that I definitely run into with other people's other people that I've talked to. And maybe even myself, you know, you start looking into one thing that might lead to another. So I definitely, definitely get that. Did you ever hear of any other Bigfoot sightings happening in that, that maybe general area or that region of Arkansas?

Actually, yes. Okay. Both before and after. Before we had heard the fishermen, because we had commercial fishermen who would come on the lake, you know, and they'd be by themselves and so forth. they would claim to see like something, and we always thought it was either a bear or maybe a cow that got loose or something like that, some big black animal in the trees. But in retrospect, you know, it made me wonder,

was what they were seeing really the same thing as what we saw, which was clearly not a bear or a cow or anything else. And then later on afterward, there was a story in West Memphis, Arkansas, which is just, as the crow flies, it's maybe 10 miles from where this is. And actually, I say it was in West Memphis. It was actually on what's called President's Island in the Mississippi River. So it's kind of between Memphis and West Memphis.

And it's sort of an industrial park, but although largely still forested. And there's been more than one report of things being seen on President's Island. which, you know, it's very similar to where we were, except it's just, you know, across half the channel of Mississippi River. In fact, I think there's one or two still maybe on the BFRO website. And I had heard of others from around there later, too. I know one time we were, I was fishing later there, maybe just a few years later. I remember talking to one of the Game Mortons, because at that time you had to go in and get your fishing license from a Game Morton's office. and the game warden actually mentioned it,

actually asked me, had I seen, you know, any animals? I hadn't seen any bears. That's specifically what he asked me. And I said, no, how come? And he said, well, somebody saw something on President's Island. He didn't know what it was. You know, he kind of thought it was a Bigfoot kind of a thing or a monkey or something. And so it has been reported in the neighborhood.

You know, I don't know of any more substantial information than that, though. That is extremely interesting. I mean, that's the first I've ever heard of that. And the great thing about this podcast is so many, let's say a fair amount of people listen to it. And those people have a lot of weird experiences. And I'm sure someone out there has heard something about President's Island and maybe creatures being seen on there. And if you have, leave something in the YouTube comments or email me at Bigfoot Society at Juma.com. But that is very interesting.

When you said there are fishermen seeing it. So was that on President's Island or was that on the same lake? Yeah. Oh, that was the same lake. That was in our lake that we were in, which I don't want to give the name of the lake because it's still there. And it's owned by another party now. So I don't want to, you know, give anything away. but it's still there and they still have commercial fishermen who use it so they rent a license from the owner to go out on the lake

and I think they mostly catch catfish for commercial or like restaurants or worth use. Any rate, so there was probably, oh, at the time we were there, maybe eight or ten of them who would go out on the lake regularly. So there was somebody usually on the lake, and they would come early in the morning, like four or five in the morning and stay to like eight or nine. So we didn't see them too much, but we knew they were always there. So there was probably somebody out on the water from, oh gosh, as soon as it got warm, like March or April, all the way through like November, almost every day. Very, very interesting. I was doing some research about your area, that area of the siting in, I believe it's Crittenden County. So I was on BFRO looking around. There's another Class A sighting as well that's really interesting on Mounds Road

near West Memphis in 2006. The creature that was seen that time, reddish brown hair, but also kind of similar to they said an orangutan. Anything, does that jog any, any memories or things that you've heard as well? Or? You know, I think I read that report at one time, and I do know where Mounds Road is. And, yes, it's not far at all from where we were, where we had our experience. So maybe, again, as the crow flies, maybe five miles, there are no roads that go directly between the two. So my road is probably 25 miles. You know, I wouldn't have called what I saw in orangutan.

I would not have made that connection. But, you know, who knows? Absolutely. And, you know, maybe an interesting question here. So in that same area, you know, sometimes when we hear reports of Bigfoot or we see weird things, have there been other things reported that you've heard of as well? You know, sometimes people see things like UFOs or dog man or. Any other weird things that you've heard of over the years in that area? Yeah, the only thing I can think of, which it turns out it was not, you know, the unusual or supernatural paranormal thing was we, like I said, we used to hear screens that we kind of thought were mountain lines.

And supposedly they were, I don't know if extinct is the right word, but they were not found in that part of Arkansas for like the previous 100 plus. years. And, you know, we heard them, and we even saw footprints of them, you know, giant cat cramps outside of our cabin. And, you know, we told people, I think they're out here. I haven't seen one, but I think they're here. And then eventually it was documented. You know, there's there, since then, there have been, you know, photographs and videos of actual mountain lions in, well, really, on both sides of the Mississippi River. So they definitely are there, although, you In times past, that might have been considered something of, you know, a cryptid, I guess. Oh, sure.

Absolutely. Another thing that just came to mind, we know there's fish in the area because you were fishing in the boat. How are there other food sources that you remember seeing around the area as well? Well, there's lots of animal sources. I mean, there is, there are cattle. not too far away. You know, every once in a while, like I said, a cow would escape and make its way down to the lake.

And other than that, there certainly was deer. There was certainly turkey. And lots of small animals, you know, rabbits, squirrels. We saw a skunk every once in a while. So it was very, you know, biodiverse, I guess you would say. I mean, it was full of wildlife, of various and lots of snakes, too. snakes

They have alligators Yeah they didn't have Alligators But apparently they do now Somebody's found an alligator In that area So maybe the alligators Are coming back there too

Man That's something I've never heard of a Bigfoot Alligator interaction That would be interesting If anyone's heard of that Let me know

But man I wonder if that would be Considered a food source Who knows I'll give you my hypothesis on it Absolutely Absolutely. If you like, yeah.

So that summer, the summer of 1980 in that area was like the hottest on record for the time. They had had like 30 plus days in a row of temperatures over 100 degrees and without any rain. So it was very dry. It was very hot. I wondered if the creature was trying to get. down to like, if nothing else, maybe just to cool off in the water. Because I remember it was way hot that day. You know, and I can't imagine a creature that's covered by hair wouldn't be, you know,

very hard to cool off. So I always thought, you know, in retrospect, I thought. And maybe this thing was coming to the water either to get a drink or to get in. I even had the, you know, the thought later on, maybe he was going to, you know, get in and swim in the water. I don't know. But it certainly seemed like it to me in retrospect that that would be a reasonable conclusion as to what he was doing there. Oh, I think you're absolutely on to something there. Because I've heard similar hypothesis from some other people that have more, I guess, researchers, you know, that have told me say, hey, if it's hot out, it's probably you want to be by somewhere where there's a,

water source because it just, it makes perfect sense. I mean, imagine how hot you are and now imagine if you were completely covered by hair. Yeah, a big hair covered creature. He must be sweltering. Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned that seeing this back in the 80s, it kind of opened up your minds of other interesting things. any any other interesting things happened because of this or you've noticed certain things in your life or anything cool or anything that's anything that you care to elaborate on when you when you said that uh well sure you know i have always been interested i've been interested in old hotels um and particularly

if I have a haunting story. So it's part of my job. I have had to travel a fair amount across the U.S. And when I go to some, when I have a trip coming up to somewhere, I will look for, you know, an old historic hotel in the area that I can stay at. I can't say, and my wife will laugh at me for this,

because when she goes with me, she says it's because of her. You know, we don't see any ghosts because she's there. If I'm by myself, I'd probably see them. But I can't say that I've absolutely seen are experiencing anything at any place. I will tell you interestingly, and this is just another chance happening. So we actually live in New Orleans now.

I was in Arkansas for, I grew up there. But for most of my adult life, I've been in New Orleans. Our house in New Orleans is in the uptown area, which is one of the older parts of town. The house was built in 1880 by a retired Confederate general, who died in the house. And there have been haunting stories in the house concerning, presumably, the general. I have not, me and my family have not experienced anything with the general, but the people we bought it did, and they told us a story.

They had a five-year-old girl daughter who was in the house one morning. Her mother was in the kitchen. She was in another part of the house. and came in the kitchen and told her mom, I asked her mom, who is the policeman standing on the stairway? We'll be back with more Bigfoot Society after these words from our sponsors. This is Matt Rogers from Los Culture Eastas with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang. This is Bowen-Yang from Los Culture Reesters with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang.

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It's a simple way to get rewarded on things you're already buying, whether that's groceries, coffee, or your go-to-e- two online shops. Everything lives right inside the Venmo app so you can track your spending, check your balance, and see your rewards all in one place. The Venmo debit card works just like the app you already use, fast, flexible, and built around your day-to-day life. It's a great option if you want a debit card that fits seamlessly into your routine and gives you a little extra back on the things you're already doing. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bankorp N.A. Pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. Venmo Stashbundle terms and exclusion supply. Max $100 cash back per month. Requires $500 plus indirect

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And with a second free membership for someone in your household, you'll receive AARP benefits for touch. go to AARP.org slash iHeart to join today. And the mother said, oh, there's nobody else here. I don't know what you're on that. So they went and looked, and there was nothing there. And so the little girl describes it. And then later on, apparently they took her and her sisters, I guess,

to the Confederate Museum, which is also in New Orleans. And the little girl pointed to the picture of the general who built her house, which is on display in the museum. It said, oh, that's the guy. And apparently she was looking at was the general in his, I guess, like, dress uniform. So this little girl supposedly saw something in a uniform standing on the stairwell of her house, which is the original part of the house. But as I say, neither me or my family can say that we've experienced anything.

Extremely interesting. not the first time that, you know, I've heard a younger child seeing things. It's almost like, you know, maybe they're not at the point where their minds are clouded by the, who knows. But it's some very interesting things. Exactly. Yeah. Oh, man, that is wild. The question for you, if you.

if you had the chance to or not, if you could make the call, and someone was like, I can put you in a situation where you would absolutely see another Bigfoot. Would you take or not take that opportunity? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I'd love to.

In fact, believe it or not, I went on my first sort of Bigfoot expedition, I guess for lack of a better word, just this spring, we didn't see anything. But that's what it was designed for. And I'm going to try to go again, hopefully this fall sometime. So yeah, absolutely. I'd do it again. And what is it, you think, that draws you back to trying to see one again?

Oh, I just think it's fascinating. You know, and I, how to a phrase this? if you ask me what I think it is, number one, I think the thing we saw couldn't be anything else other than whatever a Bigfoot is. You know, whatever, that's what it was, whatever a Bigfoot is. Now, if you ask me, what is Bigfoot, I have to believe it is some kind of undiscovered primate. In other words, it is some kind of living creature. it is not paranormal, not supernatural. I know there are people who, as you mentioned, you know, associated with some of those things.

But I, you know, I guess my mind is still logical enough that I can't believe it's anything other than an animal that we just hadn't found. I think it's a very rare animal. I think it's probably to some degree migratory and that there are probably clusters of them in certain parts of the country. but there's probably not more than a few thousand in the whole United States, and they're relatively intelligent, so they know how to hide. You know, you think about it, whoever sees a mountain lion in the wild, very few people. For something that's even more intelligent than that, you know, it makes sense to me that this is a living, breathing, real thing, probably a primate of some kind that we just haven't found yet.

Oh, absolutely. And, you know, the great thing about this show is there's many different viewpoints, but I personally as well have the viewpoint that we are looking at some kind of, you know, undiscovered great ape that, you know, can be found in most states, but definitely loves to hang out around southeast Oklahoma in the Pacific Northwest and maybe even Southeast Iowa, all over the place, right? Down in Arkansas specifically, you know. as you'd said, but, you know, I think, here's my other sort of hypothesis about it. I think you could surmise that it uses the river valleys in the southeast as sort of a highway. Like if you look at the Mississippi River, lower Mississippi River Valley, it's surrounded on at least one side, almost completely up and all the way up and down from, say, certainly from Memphis down to New Orleans, by wide patches of swamps and forests on either side, like, you know, 20 and 30 miles or more of forests on either side. So it's a very undeveloped, very, you know, undisturbed natural area. I wonder if these things use that as something of a, you know, a highway or a migratory path, you know, to get to some other part of it.

So you might be, like, as you said, in southeast Oklahoma and western Arkansas and, excuse me, East Texas, you know, there's, in theory, there's a sort of cluster of sightings. Well, what if they followed, say, the Red River or the White River or the Arkansas River down to the Mississippi Valley and then could go up or down the Mississippi Valley? You could certainly stay undercover. A large creature could stay undercover in those river valleys for long periods of time. and for long distances. So I kind of wonder if that's, you know, how they're doing it. Like I said, like this thing, I suspect it did not live full time where we were, where we saw it, but was passing through for whatever reason.

And like I said, it just came down to get a drink or get in the water or something, but was on the way to somewhere else. And it just seemed logical to me, again, to think it could be walking along the, the green space on either side of the river valley to get there. Oh, I think you're absolutely definitely onto something. And there's actually been some really interesting maps that have been created. You know, my friend Scott with Bigfoot mapping project has made some maps that are pretty similar to what you were saying there, how they call out different byways that, you know,

Bigfoot could take. But you had mentioned earlier that, you know, you're down in the New Orleans area, so down in Louisiana. In your time down there, have you run into any sightings or reports that you've heard about of Bigfoot or even other cryptids like I know they have the Rougaroo down there, other dogman talk things? Yeah. Yeah. You know, I have heard the stories, you know, perhaps the most if famous for lack of a better word or recognized is the Honey Island Swamp story. So Honey Island Swamp is just to the east of New Orleans proper. And it's basically the delta of the Pearl River is an empties into the Gulf of Mexico. And it is a stretch of about, oh gosh, 50 plus miles across by probably that long.

of swamps and unbroken, you know, Cypress swamps and forests. And so there's a wide area. And there have been reports in there for years of a bigfoot-like creature in there. And there have been several that were pretty well documented. There was a, I want to say it was an episode in the, I don't say it was the 1970s, although I can't remember for sure now, that made like various newspapers around the country about the Honey Island swamp monster. So that's probably the most recognized, I guess.

You know, the idea behind the Rougaroo, it was sort of a, that came more from Cajun country, which is kind of to the west of New Orleans in the swamps, you know, near Lafayette and so forth. And so it has more of the Cajun French, I guess, culture attached to it. And the Rougaroo supposedly was something like a werewolf or like you said, a wolf man or dog man or what you want to call it.

You know, I don't know that there's anything that I would say has any significant documentation. But, you know, I always wondered if that was mostly a way for a relatively poorly educated culture. And I don't mean that in a disparaging way to use, you know, to keep the kids close to the house. And, you know, if you live in the swamp where the alligators can get you, you scare the kids into staying close to the house by tell them, you know, the roo-a-ru-a-ru will get you. You know, I always wondered if that was more of that story. But, you know, who knows? Yeah, and I mean, you know, I'd even say that probably, you know, runs across many different cultures, you know, as a way for the adults to maybe, you know, throw a story out there and so that their kids would, uh, you know, behave when it's time for bed.

Like, you know, the boogeyman will get you if you're not quiet or something like that. Yeah. Yeah. Do you think... No, I wonder if that was a, you know, I sort of a French, an old French story or custom that just kind of marked into the Rougaroo when they came to Louisiana. Absolutely. You know, that area, I've talked to a few people from down in New Orleans and it just seems to be, you know, just, Like there's so many interesting things that happen in that area.

Have you ever thought about like, are there certain reasons why this area is so, you know, drenched in just really interesting. I don't know if you could almost say, you know, spiritualism or things of that nature. Have you ever noticed that? Yeah. I think it's several reasons. I think one of which is that Louisiana. New Orleans, particularly, among American cities, even American cities in the South, was overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. You know, it still is, still is largely Roman Catholic.

And it was a Roman Catholicism that was very, you know, intense or very devoted Roman Catholicism. You know, and that, you know, it's somewhat mystic to some degree. So I think that leaves people, you know, with kind of an open mindset about, you know, unprovable or fantastic events. So I think that's part of it. I think the fact that New Orleans is maybe the most multicultural city in the United States and has been, you know, forever. The, you know, is originally founded by the French and Spanish, had a large black population both from refugees from Haiti after the Haitian Revolution,

as well as Africans brought over his slaves. Then obviously it has the Anglo population that came a little bit later on, probably from 1800 on. And there's a significant Native American population in New Orleans. And all of those things, I think, contribute to, to the stories. You know, if you mix all those cultures together, you know, you're bound to get something new. It's kind of like the food.

You know, you get something good. You get gumbo when you mix all of those things together. So same idea, I think, although you mix those, those cultures together and you get better stories than any of them would have had otherwise. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, one other thing I think, and again, I don't mean to disparage anybody, but, and I don't think anybody will deny that both. Both New Orleans and Louisiana in general are and have been a relatively poor part of the United States. And as a result, they've been relatively poorly educated. You know, in the planter area, there was a fair amount of wealth, but it was concentrated in the hands of, you know, very few people.

So that most of the population was not educated and did not have, you know, access to, you know, more cultural things. So they depended on the stories they told more than he would, perhaps, if you had more education. So I think he throw all of that together. And I think that's what makes for, you know, all the good stories we hear from New Orleans. And they are good ones, you know, I'll enjoy it too. Absolutely. And, you know, haven't been able to visit yet, but it's just, it's a beautiful culture, you know, beautiful folklore. It's very, very cool.

and it looks like delicious food as well. But a few more questions at the end here. And I appreciate you hanging out with me. You know, you've said that, you know, you have the account of seeing the Bigfoot. And, you know, sometimes I'll ask people, what's the weirdest thing that you've ever seen? Would you say that that is the weirdest thing

that you've ever seen out in the woods? Or was there maybe something even weirder than that? You know, as a physician and a surgeon, I've seen some pretty weird things. But if you were just limited to what I've seen outdoors, yeah, that's got to be the weirdest. I mean, I've gone fishing and hunting for many years, but I can't say that I ever saw anything, you know, that I couldn't explain like that was. You already mentioned that you have this, you went big footing already, but if you had the ability to go big footing anywhere in the U.S.

And there is no limit to where you could go or who you could go with, what would be your perfect spot to look for Bigfoot app? You know, I guess it would be the Pacific Northwest, you know, maybe like, maybe I would say Northern California where, you know, the Bluff Creek, Willow Creek area where the Patterson-Gimland family shot. I mean, obviously, that's, I would say most people would agree. That's probably the single best piece of evidence that exists. So, you know, why not go to the source in a sense?

Yeah, I think that would be probably where I would go to, if I, you know, if there were no limits, So that's probably what I would do. Awesome. I agree with you. I've heard the stories and I've talked to plenty of people from that area. And it's definitely one of the best areas I think you can go to in order to see Bigfoot. And listeners, if you have another idea of a better idea, feel free to share in the YouTube comments. But Rusty, it's been a pleasure chatting with you.

And we went places I wasn't expecting, but it was a fun chat along the way. And I wish you best of luck in your field. future Bigfoot expeditions. Great. Thank you so much. I enjoyed it also. Here at Bigfoot Society, our goal is to provide a platform for those that have encountered Bigfoot to share their encounter in a safe and respected environment. But we need to hear your story. If you've experienced something that you just can't explain, please send me an email at Bigfoot Society at gmail.com.

then we can start the conversation. I know a lot of you have not shared your encounter at all. It's been 20 years. And it's time that you get this off your chest. And then you can get some well-deserved for rest because I know you haven't been sleeping. I understand what you're going through. And I appreciate every one of you listening. This is Matt Rogers from Las Cultureistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang.

This is Bowen-Yang from Las Culture Reasters with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang. Spend your balance instantly with a Venmo debit card and earn up to 5% cashbacks on your favorite bundle of brands when you join Venmo's stash. Your rewards come from bundles of brands you can keep or switch every 30 days so you can choose the ones that match your everyday spending. The more you do with Venmo, the more you get. Earn 2% cash back when you set up auto reloads. Earn 5% cashback with direct deposit. Great for anyone who doesn't want to transfer funds or wait days. No monthly fee, no minimum balance. Cashback is earned automatically.

Just use your Venmo debit card and the rewards show up without extra steps. It's a simple way to get rewarded on things you're already buying, whether that's groceries, coffee, or your go-to-on-line shops. Everything lives right inside the Venmo app so you can track your spending, check your balance, and see your rewards all in one place. The Venmo debit card works just like the app you already use, fast, flexible, and built around your day-to-day life. It's a great option if you want a debit card that fits seamlessly into your routine and gives you a little extra back on the things you're already doing. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the BankCorp Bank N.A., pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. Venmo stash bundle terms in exclusion supply. Max $100 cash back per month.

Requires $500 plus in direct deposits. See terms at Venmo.me. forward slash stash terms. It may just be the world's greatest eraser. Mabeline Instant Eraser Concealer is your secret weapon for erasing signs of a sleepless night. Instantly covered dark circles and undereye bags in a tap, swipe, blend, leaving a bright, refreshed look without feeling heavy. Instant Eraser does more than cover and conceal.

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Just a natural, skin-like finish that looks fresh from morning, coffees to late-night RSVPs. Mabelene Instant Eracer. Find your shade of instant eraser concealer at your local retailer. Mabelene, New York. Today, every dollar counts. Make yours go further with AARP. For just $15 for your first year with automatic renewal,

an AARP membership delivers benefits and savings you can use right away. You can also access trusted resources and tools to help you stay healthy. Protect your money and plan ahead. And with a second free membership for someone in your household, you'll receive AARP benefits for two. Go to AARP.org slash IHeart to join today. This is Matt Rogers from Los Culture Rees with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang. This is Bowen-Yang from Los Culture Reesters with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang. Spend your balance instantly with the Venmo debit card in an end up to 5% cashbacks

on your favorite bundle of brands when you join Venmo's stash. Your rewards come from bundles of brands you can keep or switch every 30 days, so you can choose the ones that match your everyday spending. The more you do with Venmo, the more you get. Earn 2% cash back when you set up auto reloads. Earn 5% cashback with direct deposit. Great for anyone who doesn't want to transfer funds or wait days. No monthly fee, no minimum balance.

And now you can earn up to 5% cash back at select brands in your bundle every time you check out online with the Venmo button. Cashback is earned automatically. Just use your Venmo debit card and the rewards show up without extra steps. It's a simple way to get rewarded on things you're already buying, whether that's groceries, coffee, or your go-to online shops. Everything lives right inside the Venmo app so you can track your spending. check your balance and see your rewards all in one place.

The Venmo debit card works just like the app you already use, fast, flexible, and built around your day-to-day life. It's a great option if you want a debit card that fits seamlessly into your routine and gives you a little extra back on the things you're already doing. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the BankCorp Bank N.A. pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. Venmo Stashbundle Terms and Exclusion supply. Max $100 cash back per month.

Requires $500 plus in direct deposits. See terms at Venmo.com. me forward slash stash terms. Venmo checkout not available at all merchants. It may just be the world's greatest eraser. Mabelian Instant Eraser Concealer is your secret weapon for erasing signs of a sleepless night. Instantly cover dark circles and undereye bags in a tap, swipe, blend,

leaving a bright, refreshed look without feeling heavy. Instant eraser does more than cover and conceal. With 24 shades, you can correct, highlight, or sculpt. from a subtle brow lift to defining your pout. This is the multitasker that keeps up with you. The best part, the formula delivers flawless results for up to 16 hours with crease-resistant lightweight wear. Instant eraser won't settle into fine lines

and stays smooth, breathable, and hydrating. No cakey vibes here. Just a natural skin-like finish that looks fresh from morning coffees to late-night RSVPs. Mabeline Instant Eraser. Find your shade of Instant Eraser Concealer at your local retailer, Mabelene, New York.

Today, every dollar counts. Make yours go further with AARP. For just $15 for your first year with automatic renewal, an AARP membership delivers benefits and savings you can use right away. You can also access trusted resources and tools to help you stay healthy. Protect your money and plan ahead. And with a second free membership for someone in your household, you'll receive AARP benefits for two.

Go to AARP.org slash iHeart to join today. This is Matt Rogers from Los Culture Reesis with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang. This is Bowen-Yang from Los Culture Reesters with Matt Rogers and Bowen-Yang. Spend your balance instantly with the Venmo debit card and earn up to 5% cashbacks on your favorite bundle of brands when you join Venmo's stash. Your rewards come from bundles of brands you can keep or switch every 30 days so you can choose the ones that match your everyday spending. The more you do with Venmo, the more you get. Earn 2% cash back when you set up auto reloads. earn 5% cash back with direct deposit.

Great for anyone who doesn't want to transfer funds or wait days. No monthly fee, no minimum balance. And now you can earn up to 5% cash back at select brands in your bundle every time you check out online with the Venmo button. Cashback is earned automatically. Just use your Venmo debit card and the rewards show up without extra steps. It's a simple way to get rewarded on things you're already buying, whether that's groceries, coffee, or your go-to online shops.

Everything lives right inside the Venmo app so you can track your spending, check your balance, and see your rewards all in one place. The Venmo debit card works just like the app. already use fast, flexible, and built around your day-to-day life. It's a great option if you want a debit card that fits seamlessly into your routine and gives you a little extra back on the things you're already doing. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bankcourt Bank N.A. Pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusion supply. Max $100 cash back per month. Requires $500 plus in direct deposits. See terms at Venmo.com.

forward slash stash terms. Venmo checkout not available at all merchants. It may just be the world's greatest eraser. Mabelian Instant Eraser Concealer is your secret weapon for erasing signs of a sleepless night. Instantly cover dark circles and undereye bags in a tap, swipe, blend, leaving a bright, refreshed look without feeling heavy.

Instant eraser does more than cover and conceal. With 24 shades, you can correct, highlight, or sculpt. From a subtle brow lip, to defining your pout. This is the multitasker that keeps up with you. The best part, the formula delivers flawless results for up to 16 hours with crease-resistant, lightweight wear. Instant Eraser won't settle into fine lines

and stays smooth, breathable, and hydrating. No cakey vibes here. Just a natural, skin-like finish that looks fresh from morning coffees to late-night RSBPs. Mabeline Instant Eraser. Find your shade of Instant Eraser concealer at your local retailer.

Mabling, New York. Today, every dollar counts. Make yours go further with AARP. For just $15 for your first year with automatic renewal, an AARP membership delivers benefits and savings you can use right away. You can also access trusted resources and tools to help you stay healthy. Protect your money and plan ahead. And with a second free membership for someone in your household,

you'll receive AARP benefits for two. go to AARP.org slash IHeart to join today. Today, every dollar counts. Make yours go further with AARP. For just $15 for your first year with automatic renewal, an AARP membership delivers benefits and savings you can use right away. You can also access trusted resources and tools

to help you stay healthy. Protect your money and plan ahead. And with a second free membership for someone in your household, you'll receive AARP benefits for two. Go to AARP.org slash iHeart to join today. This is Daniel Fischel. And Ryder Strong from PodMeet's World. As cat parents, writer and I know the feeling of being ignored by our cats.

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To learn more, check out shiba.com. On this episode of Plant Killers, we'll explore one nation's most notorious fruit and vegetable killer, bad dirt. What makes bad dirt so bad? The answer? The ingredients. But fear not, true crime enthusiasts. This story has a happy ending. Miracle Grow organic raised bed and garden soil. It's made with quality organic ingredients

from upcycled green waste like compost and aged bark. Unlike the other guys who can't say the same, looks like bad dirt's murdering days are over. Thanks to Miracle Grow. Join us next time on plant killers.