Say Hello to our "Furry Friends"

Sasquatch Are Here Says Outdoorsman
By Bernice Tick
Prince George Citizen Staff
8-15-5

A Prince George man whose greatest passion has been hunting for big game admits he's hooked on proving the existence of sasquatch. Leo Selzer, who has spent 41 years hunting in the bush around Prince George, is convinced the illusive creatures are around, and he spends as much time as he can in the bush area where he believes they live. He says he's had one pretty clear sighting and several occasions when he's convinced he was communicating with his" furry friends." In the mid- 1980s when Selzer was moose hunting in the Gregg Creek area west of the city, he did his loud moose calls that bring in the bulls during rutting season. "after a few calls I heard a response -- like someone banging on a tree about a kilometer away. I would call. The right away, bang, bang. A small black bear appeared, wandering towards the banging sounds. The bear stopped and stood up on its hind legs looking towards a tall fir tree, and then all of a sudden it hightailed in the opposite direction toward me, veered off and went over the ridge." It was then that Selzer saw a tall, dark-coloured creature step out from the cover of the fir tree into the open, and then quickly stepped behind the tree and was gone," said Selzer, noting that logged-off has little human activity. In 2000 Selzer was again hunting at Gregg Creek when, at about 400 metres, he spotted what he first thought was a large bear standing on its hind legs watching the hunters. "It was standing next to a large, broken-off fir tree and was about the same dark colour, maybe greyish around its shoulders and on its chest. Thinking it could be a grizzly, I kept a close eye on it, watching it shift its weight from one leg to the other a couple of times for about a half hour. "All of a sudden it was gone, but later I realized a bear would never stand on its hind legs for that long without getting down and back up again," said Selzer. After studying that area closely, he's concluded the creatures leave landmarks and directional signs by piling trees into X marks behind closely knit trees, and bending and shaping spindly trees into arches and shaped pointers carefully threaded through willow tops. He believes Sasquatch eat bark from trees like aspens, and has seen markings showing large fingernails and teeth were used to remove bark. He's also seen large footprints, but hasn't been fortunate to be able to photograph then fresh or complete. "One footprint, going up a grade, was pretty clear, about 13 to 14 inches long, eight inches wide at the heel, and about six inches wide at the top of the ball of the foot. There were indications of possible toe impressions about one to three inches beyond the ball of the foot." In 1994 on the Hoodoo Lakes road he could hear three individual voices give out a holler or two which was responded to by"jabbering type of language." "I thought it must be some drunken people back there on a bush road or something, but I later found out there is no road or clearing in that area." In mid-June, Selzer came across an area in the Gregg Creek, about 300 to 400 yards long, containing a series of blinds and shelters, and tepee-like frameworks he believes were built by a sasquatch. The blinds are waist to shoulder height with logs and trees pushed together to form a lean-to like structure. "The frameworks, up to 50 feet high, are made with long spindly trees intricately intertwined to form the structure., "said Selzer. Brian Vike in Houston, who reports on unidentified flying objects and such matters, has received reports from residents about sasquatch sightings in the Buck Flats area. "Two Houston women, driving up Buck Flats road, were startled recently when a large animal walked upright across the road in front of their vehicle. "The animal, described much like a sasquatch, mad long strides into the forest, but did not turn to look back at the women." He said a camping party at Silverhorne Lake reported hearing chilling screams in the night coming from around the lake, which cannot be associated with the known animals in the region. "One other sighting was reported on the Morice River Road when two people fishing witnessed a large two-legged animal on the opposite bank of a river walk slowly into the forest and disappear," said Vike. American William Dranginis, said he saw a bigfoot once - hairy, 7 feet tall, and sprinting through the woods of Virginia. The 12-second sighting changed the life of Dranginis, who outfitted a 24-foot mobile veterinary clinic as a Bigfoot Primate Research lab. Equipped with scopes, radios and a Night-Sight camera that can detect an animal in the dark at 800 yards away, he heads out at least two weekends a month. But still no second sighting for Dranginis, who would like to push legislation to protect the creatures. "Do not shoot it," said Selzer. "They mean no harm, but they are curious, and incredibly intelligent beings." Selzer's latest reported sighting on July 20 came from a visiting couple from Saskatoon. They told Selzer that, while driving Highway 16 East at about 8 p.m. near Tabor Mountain, they saw what they first thought was a large man crossing the highway. Describing the creature as about 7 1/2 feet tall covered with hair, thick barrelled shoulders and narrow waist, they said it crossed the road about 100 yards ahead of them in about three steps. The couple, who have never believed in the sasquatch theory, were so haunted by the experience they couldn't sleep. After they got home they contacted Selzer, who has added his investigation of the area to his website: http://sasquatch-pg.net. http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/