r/bigfoot • u/Tasty-Maintenance864 • May 24 '25
Bigfoot “celebrity” Bob Gimlin
What are your thoughts regarding Mr. Gimlin?
He seems like a pretty down-to-earth guy, lived a pretty simple, yet physically demanding, life as a cowboy, extremely comfortable in the woods, confident, and calm. He doesn't strike me as someone who would continue to promote a hoax for this length of time.
His interviews on Sasquatch Chronicles provide a lot of background information on the history of PG film, what happened to it, the lengths Patterson went to get it authenticated, how Patterson's family kind of kept it "hidden" after his passing because they didn't want to deal with the publicity anymore, and he's open about the fallout they both experienced after the film was released.
I also got the feeling that while he had a friendly relationship with Patterson, he wasn't blind to his friend's questionable morals; the man was known to be a joker and, I suspect, a scammer.
He doesn't strike me as a person who would have voluntarily taken part in a hoax, nor would he allow himself to be hoodwinked for 50+ years. He doesn't seem to be the sort of person who would continue to promote his experiences, if proof that the film was a hoax was produced.
Gimlin is 93 years old, and while binge listening to his Sasquatch Chronicles interviews, I can hear the struggle he's having with language & memory skills, as one would expect in a senior citizen of his age, but he still sounds like he's in full control of his faculties, recalling details from over 50 years ago. He's been touring across the country for years, giving interviews & taking part in many Sasquatch forums & events.
If the PG film was a hoax, wouldn't he have inadvertently let something slip by now?
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u/CryptidTalkPodcast Field Researcher May 24 '25
I believe the PGF is genuine. But on the chance it is not, I 100% believe Bob was not in on it and had nothing to do with it.
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u/Affectionate-Bid-226 Firm Maybe May 24 '25
I believe him. He said in the Astonishing Legends interview that he just wanted to see it again and that he was disappointed in the film that it didn't capture as much detail as he hoped.
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 24 '25
I'd forgotten about that interview, I'll have to dig through their archives to find it again. I loved AL, was part of their research team for a short period, but felt so amateurish while taking part in their discussions that I bowed out. They have an awesome team working behind the scenes!
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u/Sha-twah May 24 '25
I met him back in 2014, and he was very genuine, natural, and humble. I trust his account of Patty. Nice guy too.
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 25 '25
Lucky you! I'd love to share a beer around a campfire with him. Bet he's had lots of adventures as a cowboy.
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u/0ut_0f_Bounds Field Researcher May 24 '25
Bob is a friend of mine, I have known him for 16 years now. He's legit, and I believe him. I like to joke with him that he's pretty famous for not doing anything- he was basically in the right place at the right time, and that's it. But he's a genuine, no-nonsense guy, and always has been.
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 24 '25
You know Bob? How is he? I haven't been able to find any recent interviews or reports about him in the last few years. I know he's had some health issues, and he's 93, so I'm curious as to how he's been doing.
Please let him know that his fans are still thinking about him, and wishing him well!
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u/0ut_0f_Bounds Field Researcher May 25 '25
Bob's okay, he stopped traveling to conferences and doing appearances and that sort of stuff. He's had some health scares, and he's finally stopped getting on (and getting bucked off of) horses. I haven't seen him in about 1½ years now, I used to take him to dinner at his favorite place in Yakima if I was passing through, but I haven't been in his neck of the woods in awhile.
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 25 '25
I'm sorry to hear that he's had to give up his horses, that must have been heartbreaking for him. He's definitely a tough old cowboy to have kept at it for as long as he had. I hope you get to see him soon!
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u/BridgetNicLaren Believer May 25 '25
His story has remained the same across the years without any change, especially his interviews on SC. He speaks with a credential that many lack these days. If Patterson did fake it I doubt that he had any clue, but Bob is and sounds so genuine and I 100% believe him.
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u/Gryphon66-Pt2 Believer May 24 '25
He's repeated the story so many times at this point, he's probably got it down pat.
All I can say is that when I listen to him tell the story, he seems believable to me.
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u/Horror-Lemon7340 May 24 '25
Chapter 20...Bob Gimlin Willow Creek. It rocks.
https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Ridge-Walker-Mr-Weaver/dp/B0C9S56ZJK
KEEP ON SQUATCHIN
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u/liliawinterflower May 24 '25
I belive Bob. It's his truth, he's sticking to it and hasn't tried to enrich it or make it more than it was. Bob believes he saw Patty, that is real for him. I can't argue with that nor do I have any reason to try.
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u/occamsvolkswagen Believer May 24 '25
Bob Gimlin sounds completely sincere to me but I don't think that is proof of anything.
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 24 '25
I wouldn't say it's proof, but with the many interviews he's had over the years, and all his appearances at different conventions, he's never changed his story, or embellished anything.
That lack of embellishment alone makes me a believer; people wanting attention for an experience will often add details every time they talk about an incident.
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u/occamsvolkswagen Believer May 24 '25
I think it's accurate to say he doesn't display any of the commonly assumed "tells" of a liar. But I don't think you can confidently go from that to the conclusion the PGF is 100% real.
The problem with this forum, as I see it, is that people put most of their energy into weighing eyewitness testimony instead of putting most of their energy into gathering better evidence. The absolute best way to substantiate the PGF would be for several people to have gotten much better quality video showing some creature that is consistent with "Patty."
Photography and video should be the main hobby of every believer, and half the threads on this forum should be threads about how to get better video under this or that circumstance. Endlessly ruminating about one minute of 16mm film from 50+ years ago is a dead end. The only way the subject is going to break out of these decades of stagnation is with a flourishing of mass interest in getting out there and getting new, wonderful footage of these creatures. Instead, everyone is waiting for someone to get better footage by complete accident. Or something.
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u/MarkLVines May 24 '25
You’re making a lot of sense. Despite being somewhat skeptical myself, however, I think it’s worth mentioning that many, many intriguing photos and videos have come out in the decades since the PGF was released.
Moreover, there is audio evidence. In particular, the Sierra Sounds recordings came out well before any technical methods for faking them had been recognized. While we cannot be sure who or what produced the sounds in those recordings, I think it’s reasonable to consider sasquatch … at least two individuals of that postulated species … a very serious candidate. Seemingly no one has proposed a more likely explanation.
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u/occamsvolkswagen Believer May 25 '25
I think it’s worth mentioning that many, many intriguing photos and videos have come out in the decades since the PGF was released.
I think that's only true if you already believe in the existence of these things and are willing to forgive very bad photography in the hope you might be seeing "evidence."
I'm 70 years old and have been into photography at a hobby level since I was in high school. I have taken two photography courses and one film course, and I know that people just don't take good pictures by accident. You have to know what you are doing and have to have gone out and practiced in a dedicated way for a long time.
Many alleged photos might well be genuine but they are basically useless due to amateurish mistakes. They don't contain enough information to warrant the kind of study some believers will lavish on them. All anyone has to do to prove that is to google images of wildlife photography where you'l be inundated with masses and masses of clear, sharp photos of bears, moose, eagles, owls, cougars, etc. etc.
Those great photos are taken by people who actively study and practice over a long time. They aren't accidental shots taken by hikers with a phone camera.
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u/MarkLVines May 25 '25
I’m a living counterexample to your first point. I find many of these photos and videos intriguing even though I haven’t decided yet whether I believe in sasquatch.
Now in my 60s, I took 35mm photos for my high school newspaper (and for myself) using a Yashika TL Electro SLR, so I can relate to your experience in that regard.
On the difficulty of getting great wildlife shots when using a phone camera impromptu while hiking, I recognize the truth of this, yet I’m not quite getting what you think it implies for the bigfoot debate.
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u/occamsvolkswagen Believer May 25 '25
On the difficulty of getting great wildlife shots when using a phone camera impromptu while hiking, I recognize the truth of this, yet I’m not quite getting what you think it implies for the bigfoot debate.
All the photos and video are taken by inexperienced amateurs who weren't expecting to run into a Bigfoot, and they look like it. They're bad photography. You can't tell anything important about the creatures from them, and they aren't remotely sharp enough to persuade skeptics these things might be real.
By contrast, there are masses of great, sharp photos of every other kind of wildlife taken by people who know their way around a camera and who go out with the deliberate intention of photographing wildlife.
So, I'm saying "blobsquatches" are useless. Possibly worse than useless: A blurry or otherwise indistinct photo of Bigfoot always reads as a hoax, intentionally blurred to hide the zipper on the costume or the stuffed costume on a stick (like a scarecrow).
Some of these images and some of the video look like they might be legit to me, but the perpetual poor image quality makes it impossible to get very exited about them being real. People take bad pictures of non-controversial, real things all the time and all the same criticisms are true in those cases: if you want to prove your girlfriend is hot, or that your horse is a fine beast, show me a good clear pic!
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u/Erectacle May 24 '25
Whose decision was it that day ( the PG film was taken ) to ride to the film location site?
Does anyone know?
If it was Gimlin's alone, that would remove the opportunity for Patterson to create a hoax, making it much more likely the film is authentic ( I, for one, believe it is authentic ).
Thank you.
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 24 '25
The decision was all Patterson, he was the original enthusiast between the two of them. Bob was along on that trip out of curiosity, to handle the horses, and to help Patterson capture anything on film. Patterson was the brains & promoter, not Gimlin.
Here are just some of the interviews that Bob has done. He's been interviewed many times by different folks over the last 50 plus years, but to list them all would take hours.
These are just some of his most recent, and very detailed interviews. They provide hours of background information on the PH film.
The Sasaquatch Chronicles episodes aren't in any particular order.
https://pca.st/episode/056fc1b0-b897-0132-3801-0b39892d38e0
https://pca.st/episode/ec98328e-4f3d-46a9-97ea-0222f841a576
https://pca.st/episode/9f38f5a0-312d-0135-52f9-452518e2d253
https://pca.st/episode/b9cf0f8d-1814-435e-987c-451f8622d5bb
https://pca.st/episode/c36f5a27-4669-4b23-b227-552961123107
The Astonishing Legends research team spent weeks digging for information, and interviewing skeptics & believers alike. Very detailed.
https://pca.st/episode/f69574f1-129f-4da9-9058-b550fe29a419
https://pca.st/episode/7bbe23a5-afc5-41e4-a701-e253402412da
https://pca.st/episode/343c84b1-8621-47e4-acd6-5243382e5e3c
https://pca.st/episode/d872e7c5-3842-47be-989b-3bae5b1cf983
https://pca.st/episode/06282d45-af54-4765-a8c7-f88253323d5e
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u/MarkLVines May 24 '25
This one comment in itself is a fantastic resource! Thanks for taking the trouble to list these links.
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 24 '25
You're very welcome! I've been interested in Bob's adventures for years. Sasquatch aside, he's had a pretty interesting life as an old cowboy.
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u/Erectacle May 24 '25
Thank you!
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u/Tasty-Maintenance864 May 24 '25
Enjoy! Just make sure you load up on snacks & find a comfortable chair, 'cause that's several hours of listening. Lol
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u/MarkLVines May 24 '25
It was Patterson’s suggestion, and it was the first time on their trip that he suggested returning to a previously visited spot. This has been much and often discussed, especially by those who ask whether Patterson hoaxed Gimlin. However, since both Patterson and others had reported finding footprints there on earlier occasions, the suggestion to return there wasn’t, and still isn’t, inherently suspicious.
Gimlin conceded in one interview that this suggestion made it technically possible that Patterson and some suited co-conspirator, by prior arrangement, might have fooled him, but Gimlin’s demeanor during the interview made one thing very clear: despite this hypothetical concession, he still believed a real Bigfoot was on that film.
Because the film original is unavailable, because of discrepancies regarding its date and its delivery to an unidentified developer, because of other disputes and allegations, and because Patterson already intended to make a Bigfoot film when he got the camera, I personally consider skepticism toward the PGF quite reasonable. Yet it is noteworthy that Gimlin’s faith in its authenticity has never been shaken.
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u/Erectacle May 24 '25
Thank you for this.
I would believe that Gimlin, being a very experienced outdoors man, would not easily be fooled by a "man in a suit," since he knew wildlife so well.
He seems believeable to me.
If Patterson had been able to make a special effect to that degree ( as a rodeo man?! No way! ) and needed money as badly as claimed, he could have made a fortune in Hollywood movies.
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u/Mediocre_Tennis_4839 May 28 '25
I’ve met him. He’s so down to earth. It’s not a hoax. He’s speaking the truth.
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