About this project
Ever been stalked by a thousand-pound hominid-primate that tosses pebbles at you and smells really really bad? What about that weird sound you heard way down by the railroad tracks when you were just a kid—you know, the one that made your blood run cold and you tried to explain away as being a bear? Remember that time you felt like you were being watched way out in the woods and it totally creeped you out?
We're Bigfoot field researchers, and we're going into the field and pledge to not come out until we have evidence that Bigfoot exists (or until we run out of Little Debbie Snack Cakes). We’re going to camp in the deepest gnarliest woods we can find, armed only with night vision scopes, low-light cameras, and sensitive recording equipment. We need your help to purchase such equipment, as Bigfoot has night vision and we don't.
I'm Chinle Miller, and I'm the founder of Bigfoot Research & Rescue. I’m an anthropologist, writer, and filmmaker. I never gave Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, a second thought until recently, I always thought it was a Pacific NW phenomenon, and I live in Western Colorado.
I hike and camp a lot, often alone (not any more), and I've been stalked by something really really big that walked on two legs (no, it wasn't Shaq). It never occurred to me that it could be Bigfoot until one day when I came upon a list of sightings on the internet. I discovered that many of these sightings weren’t in the PNW, in fact, some were right out my back door, in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.
Being an anthropologist, I’ve became more and more fascinated with Bigfoot. North America is the only continent that doesn’t have a resident ape population, and the fossil record in Asia shows that a 12-foot-tall primate-like creature lived there (Gigantopithecus) 100,000 years ago and could have easily been the direct ancestor of Bigfoot, coming across the Bering Straits. Anthropologists think that this large creature was bipedal, walking on two legs.
I've put together a small team of people who share my interest in Bigfoot, but in order to continue, we need equipment such as night vision goggles and high-end video equipment that can film in low-light situations. We also need sensitive sound recorders with multi-directional microphones. And travel funds, even though we camp and tread lightly. And I need to get some good running shoes.
If this project is funded, we’ll spend the next six to eight months in the field. We’ll travel to Bigfoot hotspots all over the country. I’ll share our adventures with you, so you can be an armchair Bigfooter. Field research is not for the faint of heart, but you can join us from the comfort and safety of your living room.
We’re going to have a lot of fun looking for Uncle Hairy! Check out the rewards.
Let’s go squatchin’!
Note: If we get an additional 10k above our goal of 16k, we'll be able to do a book! We'll send every donor at the $50 level and above an autographed copy (all other donors will receive a 25% discount if they decide they want to buy it). The book’s title will be “Let’s Go Squatchin’: Bigfoot Stories From the Field.” Those who donate $50 or more will also be listed in the book as donors/producers, with the level of accolade dependent on the amount contributed (yup, as usual, money can buy you fame and glory).
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on May 4, 2010.
Pledge $5 or more
All contributors will have a link to our new blog, which will launch upon funding and will feature interesting notes from the field plus fascinating stuff about Bigfoot. Amaze your friends with how much you know about something not yet proven to even exist! Warning: Highly Addictive! You will also be able to access all Kickstarter updates.
Pledge $15 or more
The above + a personalized postcard from an actual real-life Bigfoot R&R Field Researcher, written while in the field. If things get really hairy, you might get something that starts out like a letter and deteriorates into “RUN LIKE H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEYSTICKS!!”. And if we get lucky and find Uncle Hairy himself, you might get a one of a kind postcard from a real Bigfoot (assuming he doesn’t first eat the card). And if it’s from a real Bigfoot, we guarantee the return on your investment will be pretty huge.
Pledge $30 or more
All the above + your choice of a custom visor in the color of your choice, with YOUR locale embroidered on it, i.e., Colorado Bigfoot Field Researcher. These are real conversation starters, and we especially recommend wearing these to your local zoo or Humane Society because of the animal people there. Political and AA meetings work well, too.
Pledge $60 or more
All the above + a custom embroidered t-shirt to match the visor. Wearing both visor and t-shirt doubles the odds for getting attention. Who knows, you may end up doing some field research of your own, maybe indoors, such as at your fav watering hole (just for the record, I thought I once saw a Bigfoot at a bar in Bozeman, Montana).
Pledge $100 or more
All the above cool and unforgettable stuff + you’ll receive regular podcast updates from the field for six months from the Bigfoot R&R Team telling you about our adventures and new findings. These podcasts will be unique (especially if we can record an actual Bigfoot commenting on the football game in a Bozeman bar). If we record some wood-knocking and whoops and monkey chatter, you’ll be the first to hear these...as long as our chattering teeth don’t drown it all out. You will also receive special mention on our blog as a Really Big Bigfoot Contributor and receive a hand-made (think calligraphy) certificate espousing your contribution to science.
Pledge $250 or more
All the above (an awesome lot of stuff) + you will receive a personalized autographed copy of Chinle’s fun and acclaimed new book, “Desert Rats: Adventures in the American Outback” (check it out on Amazon.com and see the video at http://vimeo.com/3169059). You will also receive special mention on our blog as a Really Majorly Big Bigfoot Contributor. And don't forget the cool hand-made certificate of Bigfoot appreciation, which you can put above your psychiatry license in your office!
Pledge $500 or more
All the above + special mention as a Humongously Big Bigfoot Contributor on our blog (and the snazzy certificate of appreciation). You will also receive an actual sample of Bigfoot hair or scat (your choice) IF we find any (not sayin’). As you should guess, this part of this reward is highly speculative. But just think, you’re supporting a really BIG cause. You will also receive a stuffed Chinese Bigfoot (not to scale).
Pledge $1,000 or more
All the above + Most Honorable Bigfoot Producer status on our blog. You’ll also receive the warm and fuzzy feeling that you supported a worthy and honorable cause, and we will personally dedicate a portion of a National Forest in Oregon or Washington to you by burning part of a dead tree in a campfire while trying to keep Bigfoot away during a long and harrowing night. OK, along with the tree, for that much money, you really should get something cool. How about a disposable camera filled with photos from a field trip, and when you get them developed, those shots are yours to keep, even if they have a Bigfoot or two in them. And don't forget that stuffed Bigfoot and special cool certificate!
Project By
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I'm an anthropologist, linguist, writer, and filmmaker. I have a B.A. from Colorado State U. and an M.A. from the University of Colorado. I've written for a lot of nature magazines and have authored several books (Google my name or go to Amazon.com). I've also worked as an archaeologist in Western Colorado and SE Utah. I currently live way out in the middle of nowhere in Western Colorado, where I can eye civilization from a safe distance.
My field research team is made up of only the highest qualified adventurers, that primarily being a pack of search and rescued dogs, who are too ignorant to know better than to hunt Bigfoot. But I also have some highly-qualified humans on the team, whose primary qualification is also being too ignorant to know better. Wish us luck, it's a tough job, trying to find Uncle Hairy. (And not to worry about the dogs, they actually sleep in the camper all night while we're squatchin', they being the smarter species.)
