2023 Texas Bigfoot Conference in the Bigfoot Capital of Texas

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Legend has it, everything is bigger in Texas, and Bigfoot is no exception. Heck, he’s no stranger ’round these parts! The 22^nd annual Texas Bigfoot Conference was held down in Jefferson, Texas – officially declared the Bigfoot Capital of Texas in 2018 by Mayor Carey Heaster. Nearly three-hundred curious adventurers traveled near and far, some from out of state, to gather for the long-running event focused on the Bigfoot phenomenon or Sasquatch, as well as other mysterious creatures and cryptids within the study & culture of cryptozoology.

Friday, October 20^th – Early attendees got to enjoy dinner together at Don Juan’s Mexican Restaurant, a familiar establishment for those who have been to the event before. The buffet was bountiful and followed by a special presentation with a group of the guest speakers. Daryl Colyer, Mike Mayes, and Matt Pruitt held a very casual yet informative discussion about their research while patrons enjoyed their meals and asked questions. The direction of dialogue was very interactive and made for a great conversation with interesting investigative information. As folks are ready to retire for the night, there are a lot of places to stay in and around Jefferson with unique history.

Saturday, October 21^st – The conference begins. The host, Craig Woolheater, welcomed everyone along with Doug Thompson from the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, and Marion County Judge Leward J. LaFleur, who gave a resolution which declares Marion County as a safe haven for Bigfoot or Sasquatch. “If Bigfoot exists, it is not flourishing given the very unusual event of being sighted, and it is likely an endangered species and subject to great harm and extinction if it continues to be unprotected. Whereas, Marion County desires that its citizens recognize the need to protect Bigfoot and now there it be resolved the Marion County Commissioner’s Court hereby requests all citizens of Marion County recognize this county as a refuge for Bigfoot to prove both protection and security and also supports the Texas Bigfoot Conference taking place annually every October.” These exciting announcements were followed by speaker introductions with returning master of ceremony, Howard Goldthwaite, who shared the lineup; Shelly Covington-Montana, Chester Moore, Mike Mayes, Daryl Colyer, Dr. Mireya Mayor, and Matt Pruitt.

First was certified wildlife tracker Shelly Covington-Montana, she has kicked off the event over the years as the first speaker of the day, and this time she gave a lively presentation on DNA collection procedures with Anne Walls as a research assistant for a live demonstration. “The most important thing you can do in this field…if you’re interested in the science, is practice!”, and specifically, “If you’re out in the field and you want to get information through audio, video, DNA collection, tracking, or any of those things that are hard evidence.” Covington-Montana also emphasized the values of learning about other animals as well, “Sasquatch is important to me, but it’s also about new behaviors of other wildlife.” She recommends everyone have their own DNA kits ready while on an outing, “Anything you feel that has importance, you have everything in these kits, multiples of them, to collect that, and send it all in.” Shelly Covington-Montana founded the Citizen Science Sasquatch Inquiry, she studies Alba Vernix and makes her own DNA kits.

Next to present was award-winning wildlife journalist Chester Moore, another returning speaker who gave a presentation called ‘Southern Wildlife Declassified: Opening the Higher Calling Wildlife X-Files’. “Our wildlife now is different than is was fifty years ago with the introduction of exotics, all kinds of things out there. There are lots of mysteries that are not necessarily involving Bigfoot…” Moore covered a wide range of reports about mysterious canids & felids as well as other strange animal encounters, and weird wildlife. He also advocated habitation, “We’re losing wildlife habitat at unbelievable rates and we’ve got to support habitat!” However, he assured everyone that the mystery of Bigfoot can be an enjoyable endeavor. “Have fun with it, take the research seriously, but go out there with joy in your heart and bring other people and have a great time because this is incredible stuff!” Chester Moore hosts the Dark Outdoors podcast, he’s also with the Kingdom Zoo wildlife center and Higher Calling, a children’s ministry outreach wildlife program.

Mike Mayes, author of Valley of the Apes, presented on nearly two decades of work with the North American Wood Ape Conservancy (NAWAC). As for the focus of his book, “This is what it’s really like to go after these animals…hard stuff, the good stuff, successes, failures…to put yourself out there in a wilderness area and try to track down something that clearly does not want to be found.” His presentation showed reported activity in the southeast regions of both Texas and Oklahoma with emphasis on the Ouachita Mountains. “I’ve changed my mind whether groups like ours should be in the collection business.” Mayes confessed his stance on the process of collecting a “Wood Ape” specimen, “Everybody’s hope is that we come across a grandpa sasquatch that had a heart attack at a hundred years old, and he led a good full life, and now he’s donated his body to science!…It’s not likely, however.” Mike Mayes is also the author of Shadow Cats: Black Cats of North America and the children’s book Patty: A Sasquatch Story.

Historian Daryl Colyer gave an innovative presentation, ‘Hypothetical Sasquatch Discovery: Explore Legal, Ethical, and Scientific Dimensions with Generative Artificial Intelligence’. His talk included a number of important and thought-provoking factors to consider with using AI to do research. When dealing with the discovery of Bigfoot, Colyer expressed his views, “Interdisciplinary collaboration involving not only natural scientists but also social scientists is advisable to address the complexities and ethical challenges surrounding such a profound discovery. Such a cooperative approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of the implications for science, conservation, and society.” There seems to be many legal, ethical, and scientific challenges according to Colyer’s conversation with AI and his conclusions.

Keynote speaker Dr. Mireya Mayor shared an in-depth look into her work as a primatologist and a National Geographic explorer as well as scenes from her TV show Expedition Bigfoot. She aims to bring conventional scientific methodology into the world of Bigfoot and offer consideration to the possibility of such a discovery, “I was very fortunate during one of my expeditions in Madagascar to actually be able to discover a brand new species, so I’m very familiar with the process.” As a conservationist, Dr. Mayor provided some insight into the nature of conservancy, “You have to, first, before making let’s say such an announcement, take the necessary steps to make sure that they’re protected after that.” She also spoke to the effectiveness of her show Expedition Bigfoot as a mode of social outreach. “It’s funny because I never thought of bigfoot as a vehicle for science communication…it’s inspiring people to want to go out there and want to search for themselves and explore and I am a huge fan of what I call muddy boots research. Being out there in the field spending the time out in nature, that’s when discoveries made. But most importantly, with a platform like Expedition Bigfoot, which is on a major network like Discovery, is that it starts to become a little bit more mainstream in conversation, and in society, in science, and the idea that perhaps we can lessen the stigma surrounding witness stories, who might be ridiculed for sharing their Bigfoot encounters. It’ll encourage people to want to tell their story and that is going to help researchers really move that needle.”

Finally, Matt Pruitt gave a presentation on “The Georgia Dashcam Video” that was featured in the premier episode of Finding Bigfoot. “There’s an interesting story behind that that’s never been told. I’ve actually never talked about this on podcasts, interviews.” Pruitt shared about his time in Appalachia and working on this case for Finding Bigfoot. “I certainly can’t sit here and say it was or wasn’t a sasquatch…If there’s a person in a suit who can run like that in the dark in front of a car moving fifty-five miles an hour downhill and hurdle a four strand of barbed wire fence who chicken with an officer with a spot light and hand gun, then good. I’d like to meet that person!” Matt Pruitt also produces the podcast Bigfoot and Beyond and is the author of Phenomenal Sasquatch.

After the conference ended, VIP’s enjoyed a “meat ‘n greet” dinner with the speakers catered once again by Riverport BBQ. This was followed by a Q&A panel which I moderated. Overall, attendees enjoyed talking with the speakers and browsing the vendors during breaks, Bigfoot-themed food provided was by Warrior Taco.  The raffle helped to raise funding for the Texas Bigfoot Scholarship for Jefferson High School graduates, and Chester Moore honored Craig Woolheater with the Higher Calling Award to recognize his generosity. There are several fascinating people and concepts to learn about, this was my ninth time to go! I’m fortunate to be a part of this event over the years in various capacities, and also to provide media coverage along with Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas Monthly, and NPR out of Texarkana. Next year will be the 2024 Texas Bigfoot Conference on Friday, October 18^th and Saturday, October 19^th. See you there!