Here's why the Poconos has become a Bigfoot hotspot

There is a Bigfoot presence lurking about northeast Pennsylvania thanks to pop culture: That includes a local country music station ( Bigfoot Country 103.1 ), a website dedicated to sharing Sasquatch related stories, and even a podcast.

"Strange Familiars" podcast host and author Timothy Renner is a certifiable Bigfoot fanatic — he's written books on the burly beast including "When the Footprints End: Vols. 1 and 2," and "Bigfoot in Pennsylvania," and loves to discuss everything cryptid. This is not to say that he jumps to the conclusion that Bigfoot is a paranormal creature; he tends to err on the side of caution, employing proper research, interviews, and, when it's available, evidence.

Renner's wife Alison, on the other hand, was a "huge skeptic." That is, until she saw something that became a cornerstone of Sasquatch lore in their very home: "the Flannel Man," a lumberjack-like entity they say appeared at the foot of their bed one night.

After introducing the experience on his podcast, Renner began hearing suspiciously similar tales from fans.

"I started getting people from all over contacting me: 'I've seen this guy too,' 'I've seen this guy too.' We soon realized that this was a very much a thing that people were seeing. It doesn't appear to be the same fellow, but they're seeing entities in flannel shirts. And then I started getting people telling me things like, 'Hey, I was out driving and I saw this guy in a flannel shirt. He was acting really weird. And then I drove down the road and saw Bigfoot.'"

Stories of an odd connection between Bigfoot and another being — the Flannel Man, or perhaps something else — weren't relegated to recent history, Renner said, relating a tale he heard from a man who originally heard it from his father.

"It was just north of Scranton, and he said his father was there with some friends, and they heard something pounding down the road. It was at night; they were just out drinking, I think. And they just hear this thing pounding on the roads, very much like a Bigfoot encounter, and it's coming closer and closer to them," Renner said. "(They say) 'Let's get in the car and get out of here,' and this thing came up behind the car… it either banged on the car or lifted up the rear end… these are things we get in Bigfoot encounters. But the guy said his father looked in the rearview mirror, and all he saw was red flannel."

Renner eventually found these stories of peculiar characters connected with Bigfoot encounters extended back quite some time, with references found in the works of John Keel, UFOlogist and author of "The Mothman Prophecies." In some circumstances, particularly "when people have particularly intense encounters (with Bigfoot)," there have been reports of two individuals appearing on or near the scene, Renner noted.

"One guy is a big rough guy, they will describe him as a biker, and then the other guy is dressed more formally. They'll sort of suggest that they are from a government organization, and, you know, kind of collect the person's story and then warn them, and they'll say, 'You're not to talk about this.' It's almost like the Men in Black phenomena, but with Bigfoot," Renner said.

By the way, that biker? He is often described by witnesses as wearing flannel or plaid.

Could there be a team of government agents out there tracking the world's favorite cryptid? We can't be certain — even Renner won't say he is — but the circumstances are peculiar, and creepily convenient.

More: There have been some creepy, beloved UFO sightings in the Poconos. Here are the best

Looking for aliens? You may be more likely to see UFOs in the Stroudsburgs, Lords Valley than other areas of the Poconos

Cryptid canines

Lon Strickler has been enamored with cryptids since 1981, when he says he had a personal encounter with Bigfoot in Sykesville, Maryland. Strickler, an author and publisher for the Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research team , has been fascinated by the idea of the inexplicable ever since.

And while Bigfoot may be the main event for the cryptid curious, Strickler has found far more examples of another beast that haunts the forests of northeastern Pennsylvania.

"Cryptid canines basically are upright canines, 'Dog People,' people call them — basically an unknown species of canine that have the ability to to go bipedally. And their size is just not that of a regular canine, they're just huge. And we've had several those," Strickler said.

In a report published on Phantoms and Monsters in Oct. 2022 , Strickler recounts the story of a former Marine, who was taking a hike through the forests of Northeast Pennsylvania in 2002 when he heard concerning sounds indicating he was being followed.

Spooked enough to head back to his vehicle, the man eventually came across a creature he had never seen before — he described it as having the longest legs he had ever seen, around seven feet perhaps, with a skinny waist, a thick upper body lacking in musculature, huge feet, hair hanging off the elbows and arms, a hairy chest, stomach and shoulders, and a solid black appearance.

"Its head reminded him of a wolf, or a Great Dane, medium length snout with tiny ears atop its head. It also had a really long red tongue and double rows of teeth, not unlike a shark. Had it stood up, he guessed that it would have been around 11 feet tall," Strickler's report reads.

After making a subtle move, the man noticed the creature followed him with its eyes, and a stare described as "two laser-like beams (that came) out of its eyes and the beams were red with green trim around it." The witness sensed danger, and ran for his vehicle, assuming that had the creature not been preoccupied with a deer it was consuming, he would have been dinner himself.

Another account, this one from Monroe County in 1975, showed some striking similarities — the witness described the creature as a massive bipedal wolf they had seen on their property. The creature was easily able to touch the branch of a mulberry tree that reached 12 feet high, capable of running "at an unbelievable speed," and a look described as "plain evil."

A few nights after this sighting, "all hell broke loose" when the witness heard "dogs fighting, madly yelping and being slaughtered." Shots from a gun were heard, and later on, the witness would state their neighbor reported nine of their 12 guard dogs had been killed.

The witness reported several Pennsylvania State Police troopers showed up on the neighbor's property that night, in addition to a tactical team with a helicopter, barring anyone else from entering the property. Further gunshots were heard, and shortly thereafter, the helicopter took off with "something huge wrapped in a tarp with a cargo net around it."

According to the witness, their father had been told by officers to forget what he had seen that day. A barracks commander allegedly reinforced the order on his way off the property.

"We pestered my father to tell us what it was they shot and killed. This was the only time I had ever seen fear in his eyes. All he said was that he saw them shoot and kill an extremely large wolf," the witness told Strickler.

Northeastern PA offers optimal cryptid conditions

So what is it that makes Pennsylvania, especially the Poconos and the northeastern region of the state, such a hotspot for claims of cryptid encounters?

Our panel of experts noted some basic elements that appear in abundance across our area: plenty of forest — much of it remote or rarely by humans — and access to water and food.

"Well, it needs some woods, certainly. And you need creeks. It seems like at least in Pennsylvania, a lot of these sightings tend to be around places with creeks. One of the questions I ask people if somebody sees Bigfoot when I go out to take their story is, 'Well, where's the nearest creek?' I've not yet had somebody say, 'Well, there's no creek around here.' It's always like, 'Oh, yeah, there's creek over there,' " Renner said.

Woods also provide access to food. As to what Bigfoot eats, that is up for debate, though cryptid canines would almost certainly indulge in meat, at least according to accounts from Strickler's reports. Whether they're carnivores, omnivores, or maybe herbivores, based on size descriptions, these creatures would need to consume a hefty amount of food — something that's not lacking in the area of the state.

As for living space, it appears that Bigfoot — and maybe even some of those canine cryptids — like to make use of both man-made and natural resources.

"We do believe a lot of the areas where there are mines, old coal mines, or mines that are caves and such, they utilize those," Strickler said.

Being that Northeastern Pennsylvania has its fair share of caves — and a few old mines, to boot, it seems like the Poconos make for a perfect spot to live if you're a cryptid. Reports of encounters with cryptids throughout the years are noted by Google across the expanse of NEPA, particularly in Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties, so perhaps it isn't outside the realm of possibility.

What draws us to Bigfoot and other creepy cryptids?

At Mahoning Drive-in Theater in Lehighton, the legend of Sasquatch loomed large during a double screening of cryptic classics, "Harry and the Hendersons," and "Bigfoot."

The event was inspired by recent claims of Bigfoot sightings in the area.

"Here in Mahoning Township is where reports have been coming from lately. People have said they have seen him, not just here, but in Packer and Coaldale townships," said Alice Wanamaker, CEO of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce, and one of the event's organizers.

At the film fest, attendees learned how to call Sasquatch by using a wooden stick and knocking three times, and practiced mating calls on a microphone.

Sadly for fans, Bigfoot didn't appear that night, but one of the movie theater's managers has spotted what he thinks may be the creature.

"I was coming home very late at night and I saw on the side of the road a shape. I thought it might be a deer because where I was driving there is a lot of deer, so I slowed down and realized it was much taller and it was not moving on four legs and it crossed the road and went up the bank," Dave Wert told us. "It was way too tall to be a human and I believe that I saw something I could not explain that night crossing the road in front of me. It did not look like a person."

So why are people obsessed with this furry beast?

"Sasquatch for me represents the total unknown. When it comes to a kid who grew up in the theater, and sang in bands for years, who loves rock music, Sasquatch is mentioned many times. He is as mythical as the [Star Wars'] Rolling Hills of Endor," Virgil Cardamone, Mahoning Drive-In's co-owner said.

"I always looked at Squatch as a kind of a king figure and a symbol of cool." Cardamone continued. "Nobody knows. There is something mysterious about him and if the legend is true and this beast has been able to hide from us all these years, to me I think that's pretty metal. He's able to live off the land."

Renner notes that these mystifying creatures could be a complex representation of our own inner selves, a veritable "wild man."

"Every culture in the world has a wild man that lives next to him in the woods, and ours is Bigfoot. I don't think it's an animal. I think it's something more like a Jungian archetype or something," Renner said.

Strickler describes his drive to find proof of these creatures as a "whole thing about trying to find a reason as to why they exist, basically."

Both men were adamant that they do not simply take accounts at face value, utilizing numerous cross-referenced interviews, research, and evaluation of evidence when it is available, to apply a scientific approach to the field of cryptids.

As to whether anyone will prove that Bigfoot, canine cryptids, or other creepy critters inhabit the Poconos is up for debate, but without question, there are plenty of people out there who want to believe — with the proper proof, of course.

So the next time a friend regales you with a story of a a monstrously tall Dog Man, or a rogue Sasquatch sighting, maybe ease up on the skepticism and keep an open mind — after all, do we really know everything that's out there?

"Maybe some of them are mistaken with what they saw, and maybe some of them are making up stories,'' Renner observed. "But I truly believe there's no reason for people to make up stories — you're not getting money, you're only going to get made fun of in most cases. And most of these people seem very, very genuine to me.

"I've met some people who are very affected by these sightings. So I would say, you know, listen to the witnesses, and keep an open mind and an open heart.''

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Here's why the Poconos has become a Bigfoot hotspot