Dave: When you go out in the field do you camp or go out on day trips?

Jon: My fieldwork starts every morning. My travel trailer sits on a ridge, which overlooks a large wash. I can look up the wash toward the Santa Ritas and see quite a bit of the country as far as a mile and a half away. Down the wash toward the Patagonias, I can see a couple of miles. The ridge above me is less than a half-mile away and the far side of the wash and beyond can be seen for a mile or more. There’s a lot of relatively open country with the largest trees being mesquites, few taller than 15 feet. Some folks would be surprised at how many horses and cattle can be recognized at these kind of distances even without binoculars. I’m also pretty obsessive about looking as far as practical while driving the highways and roads. This may mean out to fifty yards or sometimes a mile, depending on the terrain. Occasionally I’ll take walks in the washes and on the ridges after a rain but finding tracks or animals this way hasn’t been productive. For me, it’s really just good exercise.

Dave: What are some essential items every “bigfooter” should take with then when out in the field?

Jon: I carry a camcorder (24 power) and a 35 mm camera with a telephoto lens. I have recently purchased a compact digital camera (10x), which should be a good addition. Also among my optics is a 7x20 pair of binoculars. I carry several liters of water in my pack, which is a necessity here. My shiny head demands protection from the heat and cold, so a hat is another essential item as well as appropriate clothing, sun-glasses and footwear. In my car is extra water and Fix-All for casting tracks.

For me, that’s about it. Others may want to carry more items that they consider essential. One should carry what is appropriate for the climate and topography of your search area.

Dave: What’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to you while being out in the field?

Jon: Hmmmm…Can’t say that I ever really had anything scary happen in the field. Sasquatches have never seemed like a threat. Perhaps others have sensed a threat. I have not. I did get a bit stressed once while playing golf. A huge swarm of Africanized bees surprised me. They flew over and around me while I pretended to be a stump for several minutes.

Dave: Any advice for those new to the field that would like to have an encounter or find evidence?

Jon: About the only thing that I can say in that regard is they’ll need lots of patience or they may end up getting frustrated with what they might think is failure. It’s not. Although I’ve seen lots of sasquatches in the last 19 years, it took 17 years before I saw my first sasquatch in prime sasquatch country in northern Idaho. I interviewed folks who had had sightings of sasquatches. I worked in the areas where sightings had occurred. I hunted and fished. I collected rocks and gemstones and took pictures. For me, it was a lot easier to be patient when I had other things to do in sasquatch territory besides just focusing on the search. They might also keep in mind that most of the researchers in this world have never seen a sasquatch. Rene Dahinden never saw one. Dr. Grover Krantz never saw one. Patience.