Crazy 1981 Rome Ohio Bigfoot incident

[scowl]

I posted this on the UFO section a couple of years ago and no one knew anything about it. The Bigfoot fans may know more. If true, this is a series of the most extensive Bigfoot encounters and investigation ever. And not just Bigfoot... UFOs, creatures that can morph into a horse, and a creature that looked something like an alien owl. This is nearly Mothman Prophecies quality stuff.

I'm thinking it's all made up because I have found no mention of it hardly anywhere. Bigfoot proponents never refer to it. There was a cheap self published booklet with the wild title "Night Siege: The Northern Ohio UFO Creature Invasion" which described every encounter over several days and that was the last of it. Also the "investigation" involved traps and guns and men running around in a field all night, yet no cameras and no lights stronger than a flashlight. They sound like a bunch of yokels fixin' to bag themselves a Sasquatch.

Investigator Ron Schaffner wrote a report that was supposedly three parts but I was only able to find the first two. The third was supposed to be a reasonable explanation for it all and I've never found a trace of it. To see the first two parts, you even need to use these Wayback Machine links since the original web pages have been removed:

Part I

Part II

[Sakari]

http://www.unknownexplorers.com/ronschaffner.php

Ron Schaffner's friend passes: George Greene: 1951-2008

Investigative team in Vinton County, Ohio: Left to right: Bill Johns, Ron Schaffner, Earl Jones and GEORGE GREENE. Copyright Ron Schaffner, 1980.

POSSIBLE HOAX IN THE WAYNE NATIONAL FOREST

MacArthur, Ohio Reports

Vinton County - Southern edge of the Wayne National Forest.

The alleged sightings occurred on August 11, 24 and October 5, 10, 1980

Investigators: Ron Schaffner, Earl Jones, Bill Johns, George Greene

The MacArthur sightings were probably the most talked about case of 1980. The Columbus Dispatch and the AP wires were pouring out stories of hunters who believed to have found several Bigfoot creatures. The majority of sightings occurred east of MacArthur, Ohio, on U.S. 50. To make sure that you - the reader fully understand the scope of the situation, we will present the background of the incidents in question and our investigative documents. There will be conflicting statements between the media and others involved. With all the facts before us, it will show that this particular case has a high probability of hoax.....................................

Source : http://www.mcclean.org/bigfoottimes/blog/2008_12_01_archives.html

[scowl]

I think this is a different case. The encounters described in "Night Siege" happened June 25th through July 7th in 1981 followed by a semi-successful bait experiment on August 21-22.

That's right. A farm was being terrorized by Bigfoots with glowing eyes and other paranormal creatures for two months with no serious investigation. They didn't set traps. They didn't install lighting. They didn't take pictures. The family chose to sit on their roof all night and shoot at the things. That doesn't sound very plausible. Schaffner claimed to have an explanation but that's gone missing.

"Night Siege" is available at this link. I really enjoy the matter of fact style of it, much like John Keel's fiction-as-fact books.

[Q-C]

One good thing, these creatures are light eaters. A couple ducks, a chicken, split between how many red-eyed entities...they'd probably choke on a human. But darn, they sure must like poultry.

Thanks for the stories.

[scowl]

There are more head-scratchers in Night Siege. One Bigfoot apparently attacked a horse. And they didn't eat the ducks -- just bit their heads off. No one can tell me what those things eat, especially during the winter.

The witness describes Bigfoot in sharp detail in the booklet but the officer's report says "He said it looked like it could be a bear" and "It has always been dark when they see it so he hasn't gotten a real good look at it." They found several "paw prints" in the ground. The pictures of the casts look like paw prints to me. I'd hate to jump to a conclusion based on a police report and some pictures. Fortunately these boring details are quickly forgotten in the more exciting parts afterwards.

How can you not like Bigfoots carrying blue flashlights? Really, they saw them carrying blue flashlights. Also the researchers "saw the back woods light up as bright as day... three times in a five minute period." Too bad they only had guns instead of cameras.

[Q-C]

I thought they may have eaten the ducks' brains. lol

Sounds like they could have used some smarts. Risking buckshot repeatedly for a bit of poultry?

I like how that investigator took off cross country in the middle of it all. A very typical bigfoot investigation modus operandi, that.

A lot of it makes no sense and I'm not talking about any of the cryptid/paranormal either.

Always amusing to read these stories, though.

At the time I lived one hour from there and my best friend much closer. Never heard about it though.

Edited June 29, 2012 by QuiteContrary

[csspwns]

shouldnt the shots have atleast wound the animal?

[NatureBoff]

I posted this on the UFO section a couple of years ago and no one knew anything about it. The Bigfoot fans may know more. If true, this is a series of the most extensive Bigfoot encounters and investigation ever. And not just Bigfoot... UFOs, creatures that can morph into a horse, and a creature that looked something like an alien owl. This is nearly Mothman Prophecies quality stuff.

I'm thinking it's all made up because I have found no mention of it hardly anywhere. Bigfoot proponents never refer to it. There was a cheap self published booklet with the wild title "Night Siege: The Northern Ohio UFO Creature Invasion" which described every encounter over several days and that was the last of it. Also the "investigation" involved traps and guns and men running around in a field all night, yet no cameras and no lights stronger than a flashlight. They sound like a bunch of yokels fixin' to bag themselves a Sasquatch.

Investigator Ron Schaffner wrote a report that was supposedly three parts but I was only able to find the first two. The third was supposed to be a reasonable explanation for it all and I've never found a trace of it. To see the first two parts, you even need to use these Wayback Machine links since the original web pages have been removed:

Part I

Part II

Wow, amazing story with great details!! The three toed prints too!! Much appreciated! One of the best cryptid sagas around!

[scowl]

shouldnt the shots have atleast wound the animal?

They said that they had wounded the animals several times. They heard screams several times after they shot at them. One time they believed they saw one fall to the ground but think other Bigfoots dragged the injured one away. Of course they didn't bother to follow them into the woods after this happened. At one point they did go slightly into the wood line and believe they heard an injured animal in the brush but there's no explanation as to why they didn't pursue it like any competent hunter would have.

They never thought to set trip wires or snares or bear traps like any hunter would have. Instead they set up a ridiculously elaborate "trap" using rabbits tied to milk crates that would... wait, what were they supposed to do? They never said what they expected to happen other than the Bigfoots would have been lured to them and break a cyanide capsule inside the rabbits if they were immediately eaten. Did they expect a 900 lbs. Bigfoot to start munching on a bunny and immediately fall to the ground? Did I mention these guys were incompetent?

Instead they brought flashlights and guns. Obviously their plan was to bag themselves a Bigfoot (assuming the story is true) but it's not clear they even had the weaponry to do it. They were shooting at bear-sized animals from long distances. Despite the many many shots fired and the complete ineffectiveness of their shots, the story didn't mention what guns they had been using other than a 12 gauge shotgun and a tiny .410 shotgun. These two will stop and injure a bear at close range but good luck killing a nine foot monster with one. It sounds like they had also been shooting high powered rifles later on (it mentions "loaded guns of various power [sic]") but there were no specifics about the guns they used. This is odd since two shotguns were specifically mentioned in the beginning and their inability to kill or seriously injure one with any gun is the largest mystery of the tale.

One correction: Night Siege mentions that they did have 35mm and larger 120 format (incorrectly described as "120 mm") cameras with them yet they only used them to take pictures of prints afterwards. Even in 1981 there existed powerful flashes that could light up a large backyard enough for ISO 100 film. They could have rented or bought powerful spotlights that would have instantly illuminated the area at any time they creatures appeared, yet it never occurred to these incompetent investigators to take pictures of the frightening creatures. They had several very close encounters which could have easily been photographed to some degree using high speed film and a tripod. At one point the story vaguely says they were photographing "to the best of our ability." Sounds like they didn't know how to do that.

Edited June 29, 2012 by scowl

[NatureBoff]

Here's a link Night Siege The Ohio UFO Creature Invasion by Dennis Pilichis

Edited June 30, 2012 by SunnyBlues

[para-mythologist]

Greetings! The Rome Ohio event was not a hoax. Any links to the original report are not legal or authorized. Please remove any links to the original report.

The author dis-aasocated himself from Ron Shaffner having an intense falling out over 30 years ago. Ron mentions a Willaird McIntyre. Williard was the one obsessed with bigfoot.

One could write a whole book on Mcintyre.

The author was treated badly by certain sountern ohio "researchers"

There is much more documentation regarding this incident.

The original report was stolen out from under him by a southern researcher, posted on the net, and offered it to anyone who wanted it. As of 2005, he was still freely offering it.

I am sorry to bring this up but it is true.

The author and some of the family witnesses were made fun of in a horribly mean newspaper article punlished in 2006. The "researcher" was an associate and buddy of Ron.

There was more then one family involved in the manifestation.

There was four families, three different police agencies, and a total of about 16 people involved.

You all will hear from me again. I speak wiuth authority and honesty.

We have been silent all these years. after 30 years nobody changed their story.

Thank you peace!

[Q-C]

Greetings! The Rome Ohio event was not a hoax. Any links to the original report are not legal or authorized. Please remove any links to the original report.

The author dis-aasocated himself from Ron Shaffner having an intense falling out over 30 years ago. Ron mentions a Willaird McIntyre. Williard was the one obsessed with bigfoot.

One could write a whole book on Mcintyre.

The author was treated badly by certain sountern ohio "researchers"

There is much more documentation regarding this incident.

The original report was stolen out from under him by a southern researcher, posted on the net, and offered it to anyone who wanted it. As of 2005, he was still freely offering it.

I am sorry to bring this up but it is true.

The author and some of the family witnesses were made fun of in a horribly mean newspaper article punlished in 2006. The "researcher" was an associate and buddy of Ron.

There was more then one family involved in the manifestation.

There was four families, three different police agencies, and a total of about 16 people involved.

You all will hear from me again. I speak wiuth authority and honesty.

We have been silent all these years. after 30 years nobody changed their story.

Thank you peace!

Did I read the article correctly?

9-1/2 feet tall

six-foot stride

feet shorter than mine?

I wear a size 8 US

Northern Ohio?

Rome, Ohio?

Exactly where in Ohio was the location of this event?

Lived in one and went to school near the other, at the time, never heard about this.

Edited April 11, 2013 by QuiteContrary

[scowl]

Greetings! The Rome Ohio event was not a hoax. Any links to the original report are not legal or authorized. Please remove any links to the original report.

Where might someone be able to legally purchase it?

If it's not a hoax, it's one of the most important and well documented paranormal incidents in history. It is more important than the Patterson footage. Odd that no one knows anything about it.

[scowl]

Northern Ohio?

Rome, Ohio?

Exactly where in Ohio was the location of this event?

Lived in one and went to school near the other, at the time, never heard about this.

That's one of the most confusing things about it. Rome is in Southern Ohio, right? Apparently the events took place in some unspecified farm somewhere in Northeastern Ohio, even though it says it's near Rome.

[Q-C]

That's one of the most confusing things about it. Rome is in Southern Ohio, right? Apparently the events took place in some unspecified farm somewhere in Northeastern Ohio, even though it says it's near Rome.

Apparently, the Rome, Ohio in Ashtabula County (northeast Ohio). Didn't remember a "Rome" town up there.

Again, not far from where I a from and have lots of relatives, friends up there. Never heard anyone talk about it.

These events are not isolated and "effect a cross section of microcosm Americana"!

Edited April 11, 2013 by QuiteContrary

[para-mythologist]

Greetings!

There will be updated edition of Night Siege and will be give away free of charge.

The forward ws written by Berthold Eric Schwarz, M.D. You can read about

him here:

http://beyondmkultra.50megs.com/whats_new_19.html

He interviewed the author and listened to the raw interview tapes of interviews. There was 8 hours worth. ONLY then did he decide to write the forward.

The author has been in the field now for over 40 years. There is a rich history.

Photos were taken, many of them. Check out the Linda Moulton Howe book:

Mysterious Lights And Crop Circles. go to page 212. See the photo taken in 1995. Note The swirl effects on the grass. Her book was printed in 2001!

Swirl effects around "footprints" were documented and photographed in Rome Ohio. They were witnessed by at least four other people.

Two photos were taken years before the 1995 photos and publicationed of her book. This case is not related to Night Siege, but is similar. The uncanny synch is startling!

The Rome photos of the swirl had a five toes foodprint in it!

All we ask is that everyone calm down and have patience.

And YES the horse that was injuried was photographed and documented.

Sometimes the paranormal does not make sense. This is Unexplained Mysteries is it not?

If I can figure out how to post attachments I will do so although they may be too big. If that does not work I will try something else.

If people are seriously interested in this subject matter, I wil continue, if not then I will go away from this post.

Thanks for carefully reading.

regards.

Para-Mythologist.

[scowl]

All we ask is that everyone calm down and have patience.

We're talking about a series of events that allegedly happened forty years ago and were so unbelievable and so poorly investigated that no other investigators have bothered to even mention it much less reference it. I doubt anyone cares about it enough to get excited about it.

BTW, you'll see these swirls in tall grass everywhere. They are usually created by small animals nesting in it.

[para-mythologist]

read the forward to Night Siege! I'll be back...

[para-mythologist]

warning

[Q-C]

warning

"Bigfoot says Stop! Stop the thugs, bullies, skeptics and researchers...."

We're rewriting the Constitution, maybe you could get that in.

[para-mythologist]

From The Forward to the authors Night Siege Report. By Dr. Berthold Schwarz MD:

“It takes courage, dedication, a high degree of curiosity, and hard work to go out into the field where the action is, find out what is going on, and then above all, try to maintain one’s humanity by being of some help to the often harassed and beleaguered victims. For this we thank Dennis Pilichis. It takes a hard-headed approach, objectivity, and some knowledge of oneself to record peoples accounts as given, even when their own experiences clash with our own preconceived notion…

Dennis Pilichis, a veteran Fortean investigator, presents a breathtaking account of a series of ufo-creature encounters taking place in rural Ohio. Although I have not been directly involved with his astonishing investigation, but he has kept me informed via letters, news-clippings and tape recordings. He has skillfully boiled down hundreds of hours of data into a detailed documented coherent narrative” (1982) (Pilichis currently has 45 years’ experience in the research field as of 2013)

[scowl]

And then after the forward, the book(let) is a series of unsubstantiated stories at unidentified locations with changed names. The stories contain the clumsiest investigations of the most incredible paranormal encounters ever claimed to have actually happened (excluding Mothman Prophecies of course). They claim a Bigfoot took the shape of a horse! Add a bunch of typos and confusing sentences and you have something a high school student could have written during summer vacation.

The main investigative technique they used was shooting at Bigfoot. After that didn't give them a squatch body, they decided to keep shooting at them. After that, they shot at them some more. This is the level of scientific curiosity in these investigators. The "trap" they devised of rabbits with cyanide capsules was so unnecessarily elaborate that it was twenty times more likely to fail than succeed. Wile Coyote couldn't have failed better than these guys.

If you think the heroes on "Finding Bigfoot" are an entertaining joke, find a copy of Night Siege.

[Drums]

I live in the northwestern area of Ohio, but I have family that are around the north eastern area of Ohio and I never heard this story before. Now if you go more south east, there are stories of the Grassman, which is a Ohio bigfoot.

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

The articles were so sophmoric, I can't help but think that the entire incident is nothing more than a made-up adventure for someone.

the police names removed...? really? anyone living in the area should see if a police report was ever even filed, for one.

nobody - including BF researchers thought to take pictures of any kind...? record those screams...?

the police never returned to the scene..?

smells like BS to me. Sorry.

[Sirius Knott]

On 4/12/2013 at 11:59 AM, para-mythologist said:

Greetings!

There will be updated edition of Night Siege and will be give away free of charge.

The forward ws written by Berthold Eric Schwarz, M.D. You can read about

him here:

http://beyondmkultra.50megs.com/whats_new_19.html

He interviewed the author and listened to the raw interview tapes of interviews. There was 8 hours worth. ONLY then did he decide to write the forward.

The author has been in the field now for over 40 years. There is a rich history.

Photos were taken, many of them. Check out the Linda Moulton Howe book:

Mysterious Lights And Crop Circles. go to page 212. See the photo taken in 1995. Note The swirl effects on the grass. Her book was printed in 2001!

Swirl effects around "footprints" were documented and photographed in Rome Ohio. They were witnessed by at least four other people.

Two photos were taken years before the 1995 photos and publicationed of her book. This case is not related to Night Siege, but is similar. The uncanny synch is startling!

The Rome photos of the swirl had a five toes foodprint in it!

All we ask is that everyone calm down and have patience.

And YES the horse that was injuried was photographed and documented.

Sometimes the paranormal does not make sense. This is Unexplained Mysteries is it not?

If I can figure out how to post attachments I will do so although they may be too big. If that does not work I will try something else.

If people are seriously interested in this subject matter, I wil continue, if not then I will go away from this post.

Thanks for carefully reading.

regards.

Para-Mythologist.

Is the report included in Gray Barker's Newsletter alongside Jim Moseley's account (both subsequently printed in Gray Barker's Bigfoot Shooutout) accurate? Did you ever run into Misrley during your research into this encounter?