Customer Reviews

The Hoopa Project: Bigfoot Encounters in California

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This book, written by former police investigator Paulides, covers a 3-year investigation into the Hoopa Reservation and town just 14 miles north of the Bigfoot Capitol of the World, Willow Creek, California. He interviews many natives of the area and has each of them sign an affidavit, attesting to each witness' truthfulness. There are photos of all the witnesses, and also of the locations these sightings took place in. An interesting note is that some of the sightings took place in the same proximity and within less than a mile from each other. The witnesses' tales are quite compelling and stark in their detail, but Paulides has gone beyond just giving witnesses' descriptions-he also brings in forensic artist Harvey Pratt, who has done quite a bit of sketch work for the FBI and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and did the initial sketches of the BTK Killer, the Green River Killer, Ted Bundy, Henry Lucas, Otis O'Toole and many other famous cases, and utilizes his skills in forensic art to bring a truer picture of the witnesses' sightings to life, which he does in bold detail. The Sasquatch creatures portrayed by Pratt as described by the witnesses describe a more humanlike face than apelike, whcih is quite fascinating. I highly recommend this book.

Oh, for a world in which cryptozoology were taken seriously!
The Hoopa Project is certainly a large step in the correct direction. This slim book is a credit to the endeavor, and should be read as a practical how-to by any serious investigator. It also contains a wealth of information for anyone else interested in learning about Bigfoot/Sasquatch and the continuing search for proof of its existence.

Mr. Paulides has forged new investigative ground.
He is not a scientist and does not pretend to be. Instead, as a former police investigator, he has created an exemplary template for interviewing even reluctant witnesses and for extracting from them the most useful information possible, including rather startling forensic drawings supplied by Mr. Harvey Pratt.

The book is riveting reading, consisting of one interview after another (with photos of each witness & the forensic sketches that go with their sightings). The writing style is dry, no-nonsense, and has some characteristics in common with lab reports: a methodical, repeatable approach to extracting information. Credibility is given top billing, and there are no bells or whistles.

I was pleased to see that since this research was done in and around a Native American reservation and tribal holdings every effort was made to remain respectful of witnesses and their culture.
There is absolutely no sensationalization herein. It clearly was a relief to witnesses who otherwise feared ridicule and this adds greatly to the serious tone of the book.

It is greatly to Mr. Paulides's credit that his interest in the animal appears to stem from the wish to protect it with legislation--rather than to exploit it.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Cryptozoology or Bigfoot/Sasquatch, and hope that Mr. Paulides will continue his impressive work at other sighting "hotspots" around the continent.

Caveat: The book could have used some editing for "typos" --at times the errors are distracting, but this is a small criticism aimed at the publisher and not at the writer.

This book presents quite a paradox. The author has done yeoman's work in finding and interviewing approximately three dozen individuals who report bigfoot encounters in a small area of Northwestern California over the last 50 years. Lots of interesting stories (paraphrased rather than word-for-word from witnesses) and an unusually large amount of physical detail of creatures said to have been seen. Any bigfoot enthusiast will find much to like about this book (but shouldn't hesitate to skip or briefly skim the first 60 pages or so.)

However, a bigfoot skeptic looking to discredit this work will find a great deal of ammunition. It is very amateurishly written -- apparently self-edited -- and despite containing quite a lot of irrelevant information, very obvious questions to be posed to witnesses were often not asked, or the answers didn't fit the author's objective. Many witness reports contain internal contradictions, and there are numerous simple mathematical errors.

Despite the frustration these deficiencies caused, I found the book quite worthwhile, but bigfoot has been a fascination of mine for several decades. Anyone less interested can probably get all they want from this book by looking at sketches and skimming a few of the encounter reports.

Former law enforcement officer David Paulides has an interest in the bigfoot phenomenon and has set forth his own project to learn more. Using police investigation techniques, Paulides questions witnesses about sightings and incidents involving bigfoot. Paulides restricts his investigation to one local area, the Hoopa reservation in northern California (between Willow Creek, Happy Camp, Weitchpec, and Orleans including the Bluff Creek region). Accompanying Paulides is a prominent sketch artist, Harvey Pratt, who has done FBI work on the likes of major serial killers (BTK, Green River Killer, Ted Bundy, I-5 Killer, and more). This text is the end result of Paulides' investigation which focuses on a limited region so as to get more detailed information on a feasible bigfoot habitat. Nearly all the witnesses are Hoopa, Karuk, or Yurok Native Americans that struggle between being ridiculed about their incidents and the tribal importance of sasquatch. This isn't a place you can just wander into, you must follow the Hoopa Reservation laws and cannot travel from paved roads without specific written permission from the Tribal Counsel/Chairman/Elders.

While it does get a bit dry in some spaces, overall, it is an informative documentation of the purported creatures and their occurances within a selected region. The sketches are developed between Pratt and the many of the witnesses so there is a nice supply of new renderings based on the witnesses. Paulides also indicates he will be doing more such regional project books in the future. This book is excellent coverage for a small region and includes some cultural importance of bigfoot to the Hoopa Reservation and people.

This is one of the best books on Bigfoot that I have read as of yet. I have always been fascinated with the thought that there might be an undiscovered creature such as Bigfoot. This book was a great read, especially if you like Bigfoot. I felt the author did a fine job with his investigating and detective work. It amazes me on how human like the features of the beasts face was in the drawings. I look forward to his next book. ThanksThe Hoopa Project: Bigfoot Encounters in California

David Paulides brings years of experience as a crime investigator to the table, and provides what I believe is the key to the hunt for this elusive creature. With the hindsight to bring in a leading forensic artist, and signed affidavits from most all his eyewitnesses, I think he's on the right track.

Concentrating on encounters in the rich in Bigfoot activity Hoopa valley of Northern California, Mr. Paulides first establishes the needed trust amongst the mostly Native-American community. He even made the search for an established Native-American crime artist, one with many accolades under his belt, and arrived at the extremely gifted Harvey Pratt. The sketches are out-of-this-world, and defy any skeptic to challenge the numerous accounts, that all seem to have seen something very similar and beyond the usual wildlife of the area. What a fascinating read; it will change the thinking of many out there. I can't wait to read his next project, that he drops a few suttle hints about is on the way.

An excellent,well researched and written book,a worthy addition to anyone who has a library/and or interest in Bigfoot.
Full marks to the author for introducing new sighting reports and taking the time to investigate and report on this fascinating subject from a different angle.
A future classic on this subject.

very scientific and professional statistical study of bigfoot sightings, habitat and homeland range with witness descriptions and drawings. The study sight was northern california american indian rez land. 55555 stars A++++++++

I give the Hoopa Project two thumbs up? If your interested. in learning about bigfoot this is the book for you.

Excellent no BS book on the subject reserched and written by an ex-cop. Especially interesting because of Native Americans' age old familiarity with this creature. Including pictures and backgound of interviewees makes the accounts much more authentic. Both this book and Tribal Bigfoot are well worth the money.