HOME
Hunting for Bigfoot
By Russell A. Graves
When Texas was just a burgeoning state, fantastic tales of human-like creatures permeated the folklore.
“In the spring of 1845 when going to my work one morning I discovered the tracks of three persons who had been near the house the night previous,” wrote Samuel Rogers, whose story was re-told in the J. Frank Dobie book Tales of Old Time Texas.
“…the unknown folks had been around us nearly one year. Then we missed the tracks of the big one and the little one. I must say that I felt a little sorry that the one that made the small tracks was gone without ever finding out who it was or what induced the person to live such a life. I spent many nights watching but never could get a glimpse of any of the three wild ones.” Sam Rogers’ accounts, perhaps the first written, gave rise to the Bigfoot legend in Texas even though spoken accounts of a creature living along the banks of the Navidad River began as early as the 1830s.
Settlers along the southeast Texas river bottoms had numerous, secondhand encounters as reports about pilfering crops, livestock and supplies in the rural area were numerous.
Today, the legend of The Wild Woman of the Navidad persists and stories of an unknown creature even found its way into a retro-styled, 2008 independent horror film that draws upon journals written in the 1970s by Dale Rogers of Sublime, Texas.
However, there’s been no gap in Bigfoot sightings from the 1830s to the time the film was released. Texas is peppered with historic and contemporary Bigfoot sightings (the reports come mainly from the densely forested land east of I-35), and there’s even a group who’s dedicated to uncovering the mystery of the cryptid by using old fashion detective work and high tech science.
A New Breed of Hunters
“The combined total amount of forestland in the four-state region [Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas] equates to roughly 65,000,000 acres, or 100,000 square miles,” said Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy (TBRC) conference coordinator and organization co-founder Jerry Hestand.
By day, Jerry is an elementary school teacher in Bells, Texas, but on weekends and the summer, he dedicates much of his time to researching the anomalous Bigfoot (sometimes referred to as Southern Sasquatch).
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
One of my professors out at Texas Tech University always told us that we aren’t just raising cattle, we’re raising grass, because without grass there is no cattle business. The same applies to most livestock species and crops we seek to raise- without good land management, no good yield can grow.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
-
Country Lifestyles2 years agoScott & Stacey Schumacher: A Growth Mindset
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoStyle Your Profile – What your style cowboy hat says about you and new trends in 2017
-
HOME8 years agoGrazing North Texas – Wilman Lovegrass
-
Equine1 year agoThe Will to Win
-
Country Lifestyles5 years agoAmber Crawford, Breakaway Roper
-
Outdoor9 years agoButtercup or Primrose?
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoJune 2016 Profile – The man behind the mic: Bob Tallman
-
Country Lifestyles8 years agoDecember 2016 Profile, Rusty Riddle – The Riddle Way