Cryptozoology is a new scientific field which is receiving increasing interest and at last a little grudging respect. Some of the creatures studied have been recently recognized by "legitimate" scientists, while there are a number of cryptids still rumored to be out and about. The animal that gets the most interest is Bigfoot, whose existence is still doubted by most. However, there are earnest researchers compiling evidence and even actively searching for the elusive entity. To keep abreast of the field I recommend two groups: the Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) http://www.bfro.net and the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization (GCBRO) http://gcbro.com/recent.htm. Half a dozen other organizations in Georgia have formed and disappeared, or remain as websites that have not been updated for years.

Both BFRO and GCBRO report current sightings, maintain databases of past sightings around the country, and offer features on the topic. The number of Georgia sightings is startling-BFRO has compiled a list of 76 separate Bigfoot sightings in 47 different counties in Georgia. GCBRO has tallied 29 cases in 23 counties. By the way, the hottest Bigfoot location in Georgia is White County.

This past fall the Newnan Times-Herald published three articles about previous sightings of their own home grown Bigfoot dubbed the Belt Road Booger. You may check those stories out online http://www.times-herald.com/.

2009 was an unusually quiet year for Bigfoot, with only two reports made public, but Georgia has had a number of reported sightings. Many are related in both of my Weird Georgia books.

Our first sighting of 2009 occurred around three a.m. of June 28. A young man who plays lead guitar in a popular Atlanta band lives in rural Cherokee County with his girlfriend. The couple had left a gig and were nearing home off GA 140, traveling through an area of woods, farmland, and chicken farms. The sky was clear and the road dark as they approached a pasture and a figure quickly crossed the road in front of them. The couple agreed that it was about six feet in height, walking on two legs, and covered by reddish hair. The woman had noted the animal's eyes, which she described as reddish.

For some time they had heard a large creature walking through woods near their house, and said it sounded like a two-legged being, not a four footed forest animal like a deer.

BFRO researcher Mary Snyder spoke with both witnesses and wrote that they "seemed very certain about what they saw that night."

At eleven p.m. on July 17, 2009 a woman was driving home from work on Lee's Mill Road, in an area near Tyrone in Fayette County, a rural place with scattered houses located among pine trees. The sky was clear and she was going 40 mph when a figure walked into the road in front of her car, some 30 feet distant. The driver slowed to avoid hitting the figure, which she described as being covered in gray-brown hair, six to seven feet tall, with a medium build. The creature loped across the road, apparently never noticing the car. After an observation of 10-15 seconds, the animal disappeared into thick woods.

Mary Snyder also investigated this case, finding the witness serious and still very upset about the encounter.Watch for additional sightings of big hairy humanoids in the coming year.

Jim Miles is the author of two Weird Georgia books and nine books about the Civil War.  See Jim's books.

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