The Eaglecam Footage - but What if it is Real?

The camera nestled in the branches of a Michigan forest treetop, and 85' off the ground, was meant to give us an intimate look into the domestic life of a newly expanded eagle family. Instead, we caught a glimpse of a dark figure stalking the forest floor, starting rumors of Bigfoot. But the dark, stooped figure could simply be a starving bipedal bear according to some experts. The sighting occurred on the Platte River State Fish Hatchery near Beulah, Michigan and was caught on the “Eagle Cam” streaming on CarbonTV, which broadcasts live streams of cameras in natural areas. The camera that caught the mysterious hulking figure was placed above a bald eagle nest in order to record a family of recently-hatched eaglets.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources runs the hatchery on whose land the sighting occurred. Ed Eisch, manager of Fish Production for Michigan DNR, told the Detroit Free Press that while some are speculating like mad about what the shadowy hulk in the video might be, the footage is ultimately inconclusive.  "Like most videos purported to be Bigfoot, it's grainy and out of focus — of course, the camera wasn't set up to be focused on the ground; it was focused on the nest," Ed Eisch, DNR Fish Production manager of Michigan, told USA Today.  The footage was not noticed for quite some time after the recording...not until CarbonTV’s editors began reviewing their archives.

I still find this footage very interesting. Assuming that most, if not all of the best videos today happen by accident, this video would fall into that category. The subject doesn't appear to know that the camera is there. It seems to be just passing through. I'm wondering what is going on with the movement in the trees to the left.  It doesn't appear to be wind as it is only those trees moving...as if something very large is thrashing about or shaking trees, or a pack of something went barrelling through there in fear running for their lives. 

The first thing I noticed about the subject, was the manner of walking...as a human would walk if trying not to leave footsteps in the mud, or get mud on their feet.  This would be typical behavior for something not wanting to leave impressions in the open trail, but not likely behavior for a hoaxer.  What I find most intriguing is the part where it appears to gather it's composure and steady itself to make a jump up on what appears to be a rather large fallen tree. Considering the distance from the camera to the subject, this appears to be a pretty high jump.  Once the subject jumps up, it gathers its balance with the help of a nearby tree, and then jumps down from the fallen log, proceeding down a rather steep embankment at a pretty good rate of speed....an embankment that takes a sharp decline down hill.  If it's a hoax, that's a pretty risky move to leap up onto a log on the edge of a steep embankment like that out in the wilderness, and then run down the steep and treacherous slope.  I think what has my attention is how it looks even from that distance.  The subject uses its arms to maneuver, and I have witnessed this move myself in one of my encounters.  Another thing we have to consider with this footage is size of the subject.  This footage was shot 85 feet off the ground, so something that may appear small on the ground from this viewpoint, could in fact be extremely large.  So keep in mind the distance of the camera, and the slope distance when determining the size of the subject. I think the truth here is in the little signs...how it appears to think through it's movements, has patience, calculates and plans, and then the movements just make sense. Notice when it jumps onto the fallen tree, it places one hand on the log briefly and comes up with both feet planted at the same time on the tree as it manages to stay balanced and fully extended in a standing position instantly, and appears to do all that with substantial size.  A human does not jump upwards onto objects at a substantial height distance, with both feet planting on the log at the same time & maintain balance that way.  Especially if they are wearing a bulky fur suit and maneuvering a move like that.  Well unless you are a pretty damn good gymnast, that is.  And let's face it, a gymnast is usually lean and not bulked up.  As with any footage, it could indeed be a hoax, but we owe it to the field to evaluate the footage on a scientific level, based on what we have gathered over the years in research.  I know I speak for everyone when I say the number of hoax videos circulating are exhausting, so it makes it a chore to even view and evaluate for validity the number of alleged captures being circulated.  I know I myself have even been guilty of automatically assuming "hoax" and not even looking.  However, that is not what we are here for...we as researchers, owe it to the field to take an objective and scientific look at footage that at least warrants a second look. 

Obviously an Eagle Cam is too far away to pickup much detail, but the footage is interesting to say the least.  That doesn't stop all the theories from circulating though.  Comments on various outlets covering the sighting have spiraled out of control. Some stand firmly behind their belief that this is a true Bigfoot sighting, while others are not convinced and believe it is a bear or a hoaxer in a suit.  I'm not sure how many people would even know that camera was there 85 feet above the terrain below, but anything is possible.  

Barring the possibility that it is, indeed, the legendary Bigfoot Creature, could it be … a bear? Well, sure: According to Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources, the state home to roughly 15,000 to 19,000 black bears — 90 percent of which are in the state’s northern reaches — where Platte River State Fish Hatchery is located. Black bears normally walk on all fours, but they have been known to walk upright to get a better look at things. Is this maybe-bear scoping out its next snack? The amount of time it spends on its hind legs seems extraordinarily long, but malnourished bears have been known to go bipedal for longer.  So let's take a look at the possibility of a malnourished bear.

In 2015, footage of a black bear that walked like a human went viral, but later shown to be evidence of malnourishment. As The Dodo reported, it’s likely that the bear — which is thought to have been rescued by Laotian wildlife rangers from an illegal, inhumane “bile farm” — was so malnourished (you can tell by its short legs, small body, and large head) that it was easier for it to walk on its hind legs. Indeed, the starved Laos bear walked fairly comfortably, not unlike Michigan’s maybe-bear, although it strode with far less confidence, as we can see below.  Notice how short the arms and legs are, and how awkward the movement is....I can't see this malnourished, short limbed bear making that leap up onto that tree, and then jumping down and running down an embankment on two feet. It just my opinion, but malnourished bears look entirely different than what we are seeing in this video footage.

Ok, so now let's address the hoax.  I know there is a guy who claims he lives in Michigan, and claims it was him in a suit.  I have included a screen shot image below which shows him wearing his alleged hoax suit. Although I find this idea ridiculous, I am laying out the facts for everyone to form their own opinion.  I think it is also worthy of mention that this same man has claimed responsibility for several Bigfoot captures that have been released to the public, ranging  from Michigan to North Carolina, as I outline in the stories below. 

Here is another article where the same man claims he is responsible for a sighting in North Carolina and claims he lives in Minnesota rather than Michigan.

'That was me': Minnesota shaman who was wearing hair-covered animal skins says he is the SASQUATCH spotted by the Bigfoot 911 team

• A group called Bigfoot 911 claimed to have encountered the creature on Friday 
• Gawain MacGregor, 36, claims that it was him that the group saw in the woods
• He was performing a shamanistic ritual in North Carolina when he saw the group
• He wears a special garment made of raccoon skins in an attempt to connect with an ancient character called Enkidu, which is similar to Bigfoot, during his rituals

 "A Minnesota man says that cryptozoology enthusiasts have mistaken him for Bigfoot after reports surfaced about an alleged sighting in North Carolina last week."  What, again??  This guy sure does get around the U.S. alot showing up in Bigfoot videos and sightings!

Gawain MacGregor, 36, claims he was performing a shamanistic ritual in the woods of Pisgah in western North Carolina on Friday night when people claimed to encounter Bigfoot in the same area.

As part of his ritual, MacGregor was wearing a special garment made of raccoon skins in an attempt to connect with an ancient character called Enkidu, which is similar to Bigfoot.

He said he was in the woods performing his ritual while traveling through North Carolina when researchers from Bigfoot 911 encountered him believing he was the creature they were looking for.

According to Gawain MacGregor, 36, he was performing a shamanistic ritual in the woods of Pisgah in western North Carolina on Friday night when people claimed to encounter Bigfoot in the same area. As part of his ritual, MacGregor was wearing a special garment made of raccoon skins.

'That was me,' he told The McDowell News . 'It's not a coincidence.'

The Charlotte Observer revealed earlier this week that a member of the Bigfoot-watching group claimed to have had an encounter with a 'large bipedal animal covered in hair,' on Friday night at about 11pm, in a wooded area in North Carolina's McDowell County.

John Bruner, of Bigfoot 911, reported that at the time of the apparent sighting, he and six others were in the woods, spreading out glow sticks in hopes of attracting Bigfoot's attention.

Greenville, South Carolina police warned its community against shooting during a close encounter with Bigfoot.  In the post, police exhorted: 'If you see Bigfoot, please do not shoot at him/her, as you'll most likely be wounding a fun-loving and well-intentioned person, sweating in a gorilla costume.'

MacGregor said that it wasn't Bigfoot that the group saw on Friday - it was him.

He claimed that he walked away from the group quickly and did not throw rocks at anyone, as Bruner had previously claimed.

He says that he is a Christian who incorporates the ancient Assryo-Bablyonian religions predating Christianity into his faith.

'Shamanistic traditions are the oldest in the world so to me it's not that out of the ordinary,' he told The

McDowell News. 'For me, it's no different than going to church on Sunday.'

He said that wearing the raccoon skins and wandering the forest is part of practicing Enkinduism.

'The foremost sacrament I practice is the wearing of hair-covered animal skins and wandering in the forest, the same way Gilgamesh honored him thousands of years ago,' he said.

See Full story from U.K.'s Daily Mail Here.


I'm just going to go ahead and throw this out there...this guy appears to be a hoaxer himself...not to mention, he is obviously not what we are looking at in this  Eaglecam footage.  What are your thoughts on the video footage?

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