Veteran Researcher Mike Hartman Discusses Bigfoot App and Conferences

If you're looking for a podcast that takes the research side of the Sasquatch phenomenon seriously, the Sasquatch Experience has been doing it for two decades now, and their latest episode features a guest who's been in the trenches even longer. Ohio researcher Mike Hartman sat down with the hosts for episode 144, and the conversation covers everything from his unlikely origin story to a brand-new tool for researchers and witnesses alike. Hartman's journey into the subject started back in the third grade, around 1983 or 1984, when he stumbled across a copy of John Green's "On the Trail" in his elementary school library. For anyone unfamiliar with Green's work, he was one of the original serious investigators, and his book remains a foundational text in Sasquatch research. What hooked Hartman wasn't just the famous Patterson-Gimlin film photo tucked inside the pages, but the questions surrounding it. What is this creature? What does it eat? Where does it live? That curiosity never left him, and four decades later, he's still pursuing answers in the Buckeye State. The conversation also dives into the Bigfoot app, a project Hartman has been building toward for years. It's designed to put reporting and information at people's fingertips, which is huge for a field where timing and location data can make or break an investigation. With more people documenting encounters on their phones than ever before, having a centralized tool to catalog sightings, collect evidence, and connect witnesses could be a game-changer for researchers trying to build patterns across regions. The hosts also touch on the recent Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference in Gatlinburg, sharing perspectives from their executive producer Brian and YouTuber Tampa Jay, who attended and offered a fresh take on the event. It's a good reminder that conferences like these aren't just for seasoned investigators; they're for anyone curious enough to show up and ask questions. Hartman comes across as exactly what this field needs: someone who knows the history, can recite the facts, and isn't afraid to keep it entertaining. The episode runs long, but it's the kind of long where you don't notice because the conversation keeps moving. Definitely worth checking out if you want to hear from a researcher who's been doing the work since before most of today's investigators were born.