Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: Virginia man dedicated to researching Bigfoot

A couple of weeks ago, this column took a look at a recent Bigfoot sighting in Grayson County, Va. In no time, a dedicated researcher let me know that there are plenty more accounts of Bigfoot or Sasquatch sightings in the Old Dominion.
William K. Dranginis founded and operates the Virginia Bigfoot Research Organization (VBRO). He's been looking into the Bigfoot phenomenon since 15 years ago when he saw one of the elusive creatures himself while doing some metal detecting with two law enforcement officers in Culpeper, Va. In March 1995, they were looking for some artifacts from the War Between the States in the remote Virginia woods but instead came fact-to-face with a large hairy creature. Even though that sighting lasted just a few seconds, it started Dranginis on his quest for finding proof that the creature exists. He has since become Virgina's foremost Bigfoot researcher.
"When you see one of these creatures in the flesh and blood, your whole outlook on life changes," Dranginis wrote to me in an email. "The world is full of mysteries and it's exciting to be part of one."
Over the years, Dranginis, who lives in Manassas, has collected more than 165 credible reports from Virginia alone. He said he tries to personally interview every eyewitness who submits a report to the VBRO. He wants to verify that the people who turn in these reports are sure about what they saw or heard.
Many of the reports he's investigated can be found on the VBRO's Web site. It is like the one that is operated by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Folks can submit their sightings anonymously and without fear of any ridicule. A qualified investigator also takes their reports seriously.
One especially vivid encounter was turned in by an experienced hunter and outdoorsman who certainly would not mistake a bear or some other wild animal for a Bigfoot.
In late November 1997, a man called Walter went deer hunting in Lee County, which is the westernmost county in Virginia. After a period of time, his family noticed that he had not come home from his hunting trip. Walter was 48 years old and had lived in Lee County all of his life.
Some of his friends were notified that he was missing. By that time, the sun was setting and it was getting dark. His friends knew of a place where he liked to go deer hunting so they checked it out first. They found some clues that he had been there but nothing else. Later that night, his buddies were coming back to his house when all of a sudden they found Walter sitting on the edge of his field staring off into space. His clothes were ripped and torn and his face was white as a ghost, according to the report on the VBRO's Web site.
Walter told his buddies what had happened to him. On his hunting trip, he had reached his favorite spot and entered his deer blind. He sat there for about an hour when he heard something coming through the woods. About a half an hour later, a deer came up about 20 to 30 yards away out of the thick woods. Walter fired his rifle at the deer and hit it. The wounded animal took off up the hill from where he was sitting. Walter ran in pursuit of the wounded deer and followed the trail of blood on an old logging road.
Just up ahead, Walter could see what looked like a man ripping the deer apart. In his anger, he yelled out for the man to quit doing that. Then, the figure stood up and Walter realized this was not a man. The creature stood 8 feet tall and was covered with very thick hair from head to toe. Walter and the creature made eye contact for a few seconds. Then, it let out a scream so loud it made Walter cover his ears and sink on his knees to the ground. Then, he felt his body being picked up and slung through the woods like a stick. His head hit something hard and he became unconscious, according to the sighting.
When he awoke, the poor man found himself sitting in the field not knowing how he even got there. His clothes were shredded from his body.
The next day, his friends went back to the spot where he saw the creature. They found some blood that came from the deer but the ground was too hard for any footprints.
As he continues his work, Dranginis hopes that folks who have seen or heard anything strange like this will come forward with their accounts. Perhaps, the scientific community will take the matter more seriously.
You can submit your sightings to the Virginia Bigfoot Research Organization by visiting www.virginiabigfootresearch.org. You can also post your story on the BFRO's site. It can be found at www.bfro.net.

Contact Mike Conley at 652-3313, ext. 3422 or e-mail nconley@mcdowellnews.com.