(Hoax) Mike Sells Videos

Oh what a tangled web we weave. There has been a lot of information come forward about Mike Sells and his video tapes of "purported" Bigfoot activity around his place back in the early 2000s, and most of it has been that he hoaxed the activity that was captured on video. Supposedly by placing a camera pointed at a mirror, he was able to capture Bigfoot doing multiple things around his land. Years later, despite knowing the videos have been classified as hoaxes by the many researchers who had direct contact with Mike Sells, M.K. Davis began "reviewing" the video and proclaiming them to be of real Bigfoot, even though it's obvious on many occasions that it is Mike Sells actually running around in the video.

Mike Sells was an associate of Robert Dominguez and Tom Biscardi. Sells found tracks around his property, and throughout Lamar County, Texas. He was most recently involved with Biscardi’s publicized searching around Paris, Texas.

In 2007, November 10th, Mike Sells passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 55 years old.

Memorial Tribute.

“Mike was born September 4, 1952 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a son of Sgt. Henry Monroe and Wanda Yvonne New Sells. He later moved with his family to Wichita Falls, where he completed High School. He attended Midwestern State University and Paris Junior College. Until his illness prevailed he was an electrician for Kimberly-Clark in Paris, but his favorite lifelong avocation was his music. An excellent guitarist and songwriter, he played in numerous bands and enjoyed giving of himself to others by performing in benefit concerts—especially those helping children. A student of archaeology, he had a keen sense of the American Indian and their history as well as a deep knowledge of their artifacts. He enjoyed making bows, arrows and knives and sharing his talents with others. He was a friend of the Ancient Ones.

On August 5, 1975 he married Sandra Kay Kampstra in Dalton, Wisconsin.”

Some of the background information from some of those who have dealt with the Mike Sells videos, over the years, it also contains information about "Bear" Jim Grant who got tangled up into the whole mess and ended up getting a black eye from the entire affair.

Mike Sells information from multiple message boards, forgive the punctuation and spelling, we left it exactly as it was posted.

Coonbo Posted September 18, 2012 (edited)

Ontario Squatch called this correctly. This is indeed a portion of one of Mike Sells' videos. It was produced outside of Paris, Texas. Back in 2003, IIRC, several researchers, myself included, were contacted and asked to come down there and see some of these videos, visit the sites where some of them were taken and spend some time in the field with some of the local "researchers". I picked up Matt Knapp and Chad Scott and we drove down there on a Friday. We met the folks and after dinner that evening went out to some of their local "hotspots". We (Matt, Chad & I) had done enough prior study of the area to know that there really was a lot of reported BF activity in the area, aside from the folks we were going to see. On Saturday, Mike Humphrey, Jim Grant and others were also supposed to meet us down there and we were supposed to get a "private screening" of these amazing videos Saturday night.

As soon as I met the folks, something just didn't seem right to me, but I couldn't put my finger on it exactly. A couple of them just didn't seem genuine to me. When we went out "calling", a couple of the folks that we had met at dinner, conveniently had "other things" to do, so they left. We went to sites that they had preselected for us. At the first site, when a guy named Lance started calling, my first thought was "Hell, even the BFRO knows calls better than that..." And his knocks were totally unlike anything that I've seen get results at other places around the country. The answers that we got to Lance's calls and knocks sounded totally hokey and fake to me, and would to anyone that has put in serious time researching BF. On the way to the next site, at Pat Mayse Lake, Matt, Chad and I came to the unanimous conclusion that we were being hoaxed. At Pat Mayse Lake, we were shown "tracks" and heard other "calls". Total BS. We were ready to go home then, but since it was late and others were coming down tomorrow (Saturday) we decided to stay anyway.

Next day we went out to "see" some of the sites where these "amazing" videos were taken. However, we weren't allowed to actually walk around on the property, "because of the landowner's requirement of privacy", so we had to look at it from the county roads that go around most of the perimeter of the property. The site this video was taken is visible from the road which is maybe 20 yards behind the camera position. IIRC, the fence in question is 36" woven wire topped by a couple of strands of barbed wire, which puts the top strand at around 45 to 48" high. Again, IIRC, the fence posts were mostly steel T-posts. We were told ahead of time that this was a "significant" site in the videos. The thing that struck me immediately about the Sells property was #1: it was relatively small (maybe about 20 acres??) and rather exposed on most sides, and #2: I couldn't see anything special about the property that would draw or hold BF in the immediate area, unless it was possibly a travel corridor between much larger tracts of forest or riparian habitat.

That afternoon, Mike, Jim and some others showed up. The folks hosting this fiasco had a nice bar-b-que/potluck dinner for us and then started showing us the videos. To me, the videos absolutely SCREAMED hoax and were total, nauseating BS. I watched a few of them, including this one, one depicting a "BF" climbing a tree, and others of supposed "BF" running around in the scant woods behind the Sells house. Some of them were so blatant that I think it was just a guy in jeans and a denim jacket running through the trees. I got to where I couldn't stomach any more of it and stepped out for some air.

I was totally pissed that I had wasted my time and money coming down there for a bunch of hoaxed BS. Matt and Chad showed up seconds later. They felt the same way. We had just agreed that were leaving town right NOW, when Mike came out and he was fuming. He'd come to the same obvious conclusion as we had. I told him what I thought about it and he had even more choice words for the situation, saying something to the effect of "Screw this manure, I'm taking my a$$ back to Oklahoma." We agreed and I said I'd be right behind him. I left so fast that I backed into a light pole in the yard of the place and bent my rear bumper. I didn't even stop to assess the damage.

Believe me, if you saw the other videos from that place, you'd have even more problems with them.

Posted September 18, 2012

I want to add something to my above post. I've met M.K. Davis. He is a sincere, very intelligent, and, I believe, honest man and has done some highly technical and excellently executed analyses of various videos of BF material. I'll go on record as saying that he's brought up some points worth considering about this particular video. He's not saying it's genuine, just that it at least deserves a second look. M.K. does NOT deserve to be considered a hoaxer or lumped in with that bunch.

But, I'll tell you from personally being around some of the folks who perpetrated these hoaxed videos around the Paris, TX, area, that a couple of them were big, athletically built guys that I believe were physically capable of doing the things shown in those videos. Because this is a Sells video and because of what I know about the people in that group down there, I classify it as a bald-face hoax. Also, several on this thread have correctly pointed out that BF movements are much smoother and more ape-like than those depicted in this video, but NONE of us know how all BF move under all circumstances.

Posted September 18, 2012 (edited)

I'd like to add my comments to the rock and bottle throwing video and the tree climbing video. First, those are NOT bigfoot vocalizations on either one of those videos and second, that is NOT a BF climbing that tree. These are more of the pathetic Sells videos. I haven't yet looked at the rest of them posted in this thread. Also, notice how loud the road noise of passing vehicles is in these videos. The property is NOT very large. You can see most of it from the road. If there were as many boogers running around on it as they purport, I'd have a gate across the road and charge a 100 bucks-a-head for folks to get to see the Bigfoot Zoo.

David Holley Oct 27, 2006 #1

To begin with, I want the posters and the membership of the GCBRO to know it's been a while since I paid a visit and posted. However, since approximately July 30, 2006, I've been busy building a case against a definate hoaxer. OklahomaSquatch recently post on this forum telling all of you about a video manufactured in the Lamar Point area of Lamar County.

Matt was too kind when he posted he wouldn't publish the hoaxers real names, but I have no complusion to protect some of these people. I have spoken to the Monster Hunter and he assures me this will be posted. I do have to tell you this...their have been more victims to this special tea than some know. The individual who was subjected to this tea was extended TBG membership last year. Let me repeat this. He was the FIRST victim to this ruse and hoax. I will not devulge his name. I will tell you this...the equipment used to film these creatures was his. At the time of the events which were alledgedly filmed of the Bigfoot creatures, all the active participants were members of the TBRC.

[Note: I spoke to Craig Woolheater about this last night in order to get the TBRC position. It's the same as most of ours. The films a hoax.]

Former TBRC member Mike Sells and a neighbor of his for reasons known only to themselves hoaxed the video footage. The "Bigfoot costume" is a real nice gillie suit, and those of you who have the CABELA'S MASTER CATALOG FOR THE FALL OF 2006 drag it out and turn to page 82. A tall/big man wearing one of these suits, staying just out of good camera range "might" be misidentified as a Bigfoot. There was no chance of the person protraying Bigfoot being in danger as the camera equipment was on Mike's land. Mike pulled the tape each day and transfered it to VCR tapes. [This is the story we were told]

I first became aware of the footage in 2004 prior to the TBG's Fall hunt when another former TBRC member [Ken Marvel] told me they had footage. He described several scenes from the footage to me. Like Matt, I was promised a copy, but never recieved it. During our fall hunt that year we were informed by one Rodney Mixon that the person who actually owned the camera equipment had pulled the equipment and had quit Bigfoot research. [This would be one of our current members] And, he had sold all his equipment.

Now then, in september of 2005, I recieved a phone call at my work [Wal-Mart Super Center in Paris, Texas. I no longer work there.] from Rodney Mixon who informed me he and his family would be attending the hunt, and a few minutes later I recieved a call from the individual who owned the film equipment. he explained to me why he had quit and why he had pulled his equipment. he asked if he might come to our hunt, I extended him an invitation and that was that.

On the last night of our hunt, our guest offered to show us to videos. Edited from the master copies. [Let me rephrase this] EXTREMELY EDITED videos. He explained that he himself wasn't sure what to make of them, and that all he asked was that we keep our opinions to ourselves. he didn't want to know what we thought.

During the first video we saw figures walking through the brush at distances too great to make out any clear features. We saw two scenes in the first video which we labeled a 100% "maybe". This was based upon what my son John David and I have seen in the field. We called for an intermission after the first video and John, Brandon Smith, Michael Ashley and myself walked to the beach and considered what we had seen. Michael wanted to call it what the four original members of our group thought it was. A fake, but we couldn't call it a complete forgery because of the two scenes we all agreed upon which "might" be legitimate.

We returned to watch the second video and were treated with a surprise. The creatures spoke broken English. They called out the name of the owner of the equipment, they called out Mike sells wife's name, and another name which made John and myself sit up and take notice. A name not unfamilar with those who read his postings here on this forum in 1999 and 2000. [Jim, feel free to delete the name as I know how you feel about him] The name was NASHOBA!

Those who have visited that poor dolphin woman's site and have looked at the photographs on her site of the messages the creatures have left for her will not be surprised to read the same name written in this notebook.

[Now this happened in Oklahoma a lot more recently than I'd care to think about, and the film is a lot older] All it tells me is that Mike Sells owns land in the Kiamichi Mountains of Southeast Oklahoma, and he's doing the same things there as he did at Lamar Point.

Our guest was offered TBg membership before we turned in for the night, and he accepted. he did not make the hunt this year citing work. There's no reason for me to think he was nervous about all this.

[Folks, I apologize for the length of this post, and ask that you stay with me]

A couple of months after our hunt, our new member called John david and spoke for some time to him about several things. One of them was why he had dropped out of sight between 2004 & 2005. he told John he was confused about the things which were happening to him. he told John about the creature named ANDAN had left him some seeds and instructions to mix the seeds in some tea and he would "see" the creatures as they really are.

Our friend did as he was instructed and told John he had then left his tent and met this ANDAN who took him through a portal in time where he was allowed to see the creatures as they really were. Apparently this trip through time and space must have taken about five hours, as this is what Mr. sells told our friend the next morning when he asked him where he had been. That he had seen him leave his tent [the dolphin lady had a cabin at least] and walk off.

Now why didn't Mr. Sells follow his friend and colleague? Kind of hard when you're pretending to be his bigfoot spiritual guide.

Anyway our friend left Bigfoot research following this. He has no equipment on Mr. sells property now. But, he does express tremendous loyalty to both Mr. sells and his wife.

Now, let me tell you about the white BF which looks into the camera on Mr. sell's back porch. The person performing this farce wore a white Halloween witches wig, had their right eye covered over by the wig and had masscara on. We had the image run back several times second video if we could make a copy. We were refused a copy.

I hadn't thought a lot about it until recently when on July 30, 2006, in an article in the Paris News by Sally Boswell, Mike Sells stated to the News that he had never had a Bigfoot encounter, he just like to look into these things. This was unusual since Mike had told John and myself of several sightings of Bigfoot. He was even assaulted in the video by a creature which of course declined to appear on camera. Mike Sells and wife Sandy had invited Tom Biscardi to research the Pat Mayse Lake are. he appears in Biscardi's new DVD about the Bigfoot creatures, and remains Biscardi's Paris, Texas, contact. I wonder how long it will take before Tom is offered a night time cup of tea by the creatures?

Mike sells and those who are involved in this farce are dangerous individuals. Please make no mistake about this. Anyone who manipulates a good man and a poor, naive woman from Hawaii into drinking herbal tea laced with sprunes is dangerous. What his agenda is anyones guess.

I am encouraging all who have knowledge of his hoaxing to send him the same message I'm sending him. My group researches Pat Mayse Lake and surrounding areas. I don't need some sicko with a warped sense of humor to muddy up the water any more than its already been muddied.

Mike Sells, a man who I thought was trustworthy and honorable. This is the same offer I extended to you on my message board. before I decided to go public with your identity.

You have two choices:

[1] ADMIT YOU HOAXED THE LAMAR POINT VIDEO FOOTAGE, AND GET OUT OF BIGFOOT RESEARCH. [2] GET OUT OF BIGFOOT RESEARCH.

I want to thank the GCBRO for allowing me to post this here. I also encourage those who have seen the video or who have a strong aversion to hoaxers to join with the TBG in exposing these people. Thanks and take care

Timberghost Oct 28, 2006 #3

This is the same bunch "Bear" Jim Grant was running with when he got his ass busted for sending around a fake picture of a supposed BF that actually came from a archaeology site on the net. He swore this is what he's had been seeing and when I questioned him on it he said "hell yea, that's the real deal"..He said it was a picture of a 7 year old male that had got the hell knocked out of him by a alpha male and shoved in front of the camera.. He said "you can even see the scuff mark on his forhead"..

Now this guy has started his crap here in the Kiamichi's has he? Well then let me give you some fair warning Lamar Point boy's. Everyone here carries a gun at all times and will shoot your ass. Folks in these mountains are a little nervous about these creatures anyway so don't get caught with your pants down because you may end up a gelding.

These kind of people kill this field folks... Nail the coffin shut on people like this when you catch them hoaxing.. Good work David and Matt.

David Holley Oct 28, 2006 #4

Hey folks, to my knowledge there were Mr. Sells, his wife [both are definate no-kill and no capture types], the neighbor who lives behind the Sells home , and one other who sent out the orignial "photograph" from the video after it was cleaned out. Most every group doing legitimate research has disavowed this particular clown. This would bring the total to 4, with at least 3 gulible researchers who felt they had to defend every inch of video because of their friendship and loyality to the Sells family.

After i posted this information last night, I went back and relooked at the dolphin lady's website, and you can see in the notebooks where Mr. & Mrs. Sells are mentioned, but it appears to me [and I may be mistaken] that their names were whited out as only the initals of M & S appear.

Also there are two photographs which are on her site where she is near a tree and there are two men with her. One man with shoulder length hair is Mike Sells. Even though his image is blurred, it is Mr. Sells.

The area of this cabin is near Broken Bow Lake where I've had encounters in 1971 and again in 2000 when John David and I both observed a creature behind our camp scoping us out. The guy is up to the same kind of crap in Oklahoma as he pulled in Texas, and what's important is this; he doesn't need to hoax anything in that area, nor did he need to hoax in Lamar Point. The creatures are there.

The Bigfoot community needs to unite in this and run the rascals out. Our jobs are hard enough without having to deal with these guys.

Ya'll take care and I'll keep in touch.

TEXOMA BIGFOOT RESEARCH & INVESTIGATIONS Oct 30, 2006 #8

from what we were able to piece together after John david spoke to the gentleman who drank the tea; a creature calling himself ANDAN left seeds with instructions to mix it in tea and drink it, if he desired to see the creatures as they really were/are.

Now the gentleman who drank this concoction has never researched the creatures just to prove to the general population they were real, but to prove it to himself. Now what has bothered us is he had seen the video footage as the camera equipment belonged to him, so he must have seen the footage his friends in the Lamar Point area had, so why drink the tea?

My best "guess" is he drank the tea because for a long time he was convinced these creatures were not simply apes/monsters, etc. But something passive and gentle in nature.

I am happy to tell you that by the end of the 2005 TBG Fall Hunt, he was still videoing in the field, but he was slowly coming around to what accepting the fact that not all these creatures are passive.

The hallogene used is sprunes (?) [hope I pronounce this correctly] and they grow in abundance in the Lamar Point area. One of the sites along the shore of Pat Mayse Lake is called "Hippie Point", and this is where in the first few years of the lakes existence, that the "children" of the drug culture would gather and party.

Just thought I'd give you all a little more background on things. Thanks and take care.

OklahomaSquatch Oct 30, 2006 #4

Really not hoaxed but stolen from a magazine with him claiming it was taken by a game camera...I'll put it up when I have some time today...

Because people don't know the facts. I do. I was there. I was the first person to be sent that picture. I want to make this perfectly clear. Jim "Bear" Grant did NOT, I repeat, did NOT have anything to do with the hoax other than being a victim himself. The only thing Bear is guilty of is taking someone's word on something and co-signing for it. People apparently already had personal issues with Bear, so this photo gave them the last bit of fuel they needed for the fire. Certain individuals, such as Timberghost, had private conversations with Bear in regards to that photograph. Within those conversations things were said that gave those people reason to doubt Bear's apparent knowledge on the creature due to him claiming that the photo was the "real deal" and looked just like what he had seen. Does that mean he's never seen one, and has lied about his previous sightings? Could be, but it could also be him co-signing for something, and trying to generate interest in other researchers to look into this case, because at the time it was believed this was an opportunity to "solve the mystery." I'm not defending him by saying this. I just want the facts to be straight. Bear should not have lied. He should not have co-signed for something he didn't have all the facts to, but he did. The photo, and Bear's involvement with the person responsible for the photo make up about 1 percent of the entire story. Bear had already severed ties with the person long before the photo was even found to be a fraud. The photo itself did not come from a magazine, it came from a website. It had been photoshopped and altered extensively when it was sent to me. The photo posted on this board is the one that I "fixed" not the one that was the original. The ONLY people responsible for actual hoaxing are the family who lives there, and at least one of their neighbors, possibly two. Anyone else associated with the case are either victims of the hoax, or researchers who looked into the case. As far as the TBRC being involved, and by that I don't mean just the few ex-members who have looked into the case, I mean the entire TBRC, at their second conference I believe it was, MK Davis had a large life-size blow up of the Patterson creature. At this conference the TBRC presented evidence from their recent research endeavors, and also provided some unusual game camera photographs. Well all of that "evidence" came from that property and the hoaxers. So if Bear is going to be dragged into it for sending out a photo he received from someone else, and co-signing for it, then the entire TBRC organization needs to be dragged into it as well for presenting falsified evidence as authentic and genuine to not just a few private individuals, but to an entire Bigfoot conference. See my point? This isn't about them, it's not about Bear, it's about the hoaxers. The ones who are deceiving people.

David Holley Oct 30, 2006 #8

Hey guys, after reading all the posts and responses, mixed with the confusion of whether or not Bear is a part of the hoax or what, it's apparent why hoaxers become so sucessful. We over analyze the hoax and who's involved.

I know Matt knows what he was talking about when he first spoke about it. I know what the Timberline Bigfoot Group and our guests saw the last weekend in Sept. 2005, and what we were told.

I know what Mike Sells has told me about his experiences with the creatures, and what he states in the July 30, 2006, article of the Paris News [which is a contridiction of claims]. I also know this same man is Tom Biscardi's connection in the Paris, Texas, area, and I know as long as we keep wondering where "Bear" comes into all this, then the hoaxers are going to continue to sit back and laugh because we started chasing rabbits all over the place instead of remaining focused on what they have done in the past and what they have done since they could no longer hoax on his property in Lamar Point.

I assure the Bigfoot community that I do know what I'm talking about. I have spoken to others who had no knowledge of what was on the video, but they knew the video was in existence, and that there are many questions about its legitimacy.

Think about it, are we really worried about "Bear" [who has just about ruined any reputation he might have had in the past as a legitimate researcher] or should we say "Ok...let's get everything out in the open about Mike Sells and his photogenic creatures".

Take care.

OklahomaSquatch Oct 30, 2006 #10

Lamar point

by Timberghost

is where he told me he got the picture and a bunch of video. I don't guess I know anything about a skeleton?

<Sounds to me bear was a little more involved then mentioned...the skeleton apparently had a mind of its own moving from state to state depending on bears disposition at the time...the man is plum full of sxxx...this reminds me of the same crap that went on with "Buckets of Blood"...damn nuts...every one of them...

1. TBRC investigates property at Lamar Point, shows evidence at conference.
2. a year or so goes by
3. Ex-members of TBRC start researching Lamar Point. TBRC is no longer associated with property.
4. Photo is sent to Bear, Bear sends photo to me, I enhance it, send it back to Bear. Bear sends out new enhanced photo to various individuals to get their opinion.
5. Bear goes to Lamar Point to look for evidence.
6. A secret conference is held at Lamar Point to present evidence, including casts, hair, and video.(June or July)
7. Bear breaks ties with Lamar Point.
8. Several more months go by.
9. Photo is found by someone while randomly surfing the internet and immediately sent to me. (late November/early December)
10. I contact researchers handling the case to notify them photo had been found on the web.
11. Hoaxed photo is brought forth publicly on the internet. Nobody knew where the actual photo had come from, just that Bear had sent it to them. Bear labled as hoaxer because of this.

Now I don't know what happened during private conversations with people and Bear. I do not know who has problems with who and why they have those problems. People are allowed to think what they want. I'm just saying that I know for a fact that Bear did not hoax this photo, nor was he in on it. Even on this forum it says "Bears hoaxed photo." Well it's not Bear's hoaxed photo, it's Mike Sells hoaxed photo. Bear's just the one who fell for it and sent it to everyone. The TBRC were the ones who were initially contacted about the property, by the property owner. They investigated, they found supposedly credible evidence, and presented that evidence at their conference. Apparently they eventually figured out what was going on or lost interest in the property, and broke ties for whatever reason.

Whatever the skeleton story is, it has nothing to do with Lamar Point.

Monster Hunter Oct 31, 2006 #13

Hey guys, after reading all the posts and responses, mixed with the confusion of whether or not Bear is a part of the hoax or what, it's apparent why hoaxers become so sucessful. We over analyze the hoax and who's involved.

I know Matt knows what he was talking about when he first spoke about it. I know what the Timberline Bigfoot Group and our guests saw the last weekend in Sept. 2005, and what we were told.

I know what Mike Sells has told me about his experiences with the creatures, and what he states in the July 30, 2006, article of the Paris News [which is a contridiction of claims]. I also know this same man is Tom Biscardi's connection in the Paris, Texas, area, and I know as long as we keep wondering where "Bear" comes into all this, then the hoaxers are going to continue to sit back and laugh because we started chasing rabbits all over the place instead of remaining focused on what they have done in the past and what they have done since they could no longer hoax on his property in Lamar Point.

I assure the Bigfoot community that I do know what I'm talking about. I have spoken to others who had no knowledge of what was on the video, but they knew the video was in existence, and that there are many questions about its legitimacy.

Think about it, are we really worried about "Bear" [who has just about ruined any reputation he might have had in the past as a legitimate researcher] or should we say "Ok...let's get everything out in the open about Mike Sells and his photogenic creatures".

Take care.

If a person was willingly involved knowing this was a hoax then they are guilty by association...no different then the man that drove the get away car...

Mike Sells, the family and anyone else that were involved including the TBRC and members if they knew this was a hoax...after looking at the photos and not knowing it was a hoax they need to fold their tents and take up another hobby...or at least get someone involved that knew what these creatures looked like to expose these people for what they really are...

We do appreciate both you and Matt coming to our forum to discuss this matter...this should open some eyes as far as newer people interested in this creature of who and who not to associate with...

It would be informative to have the TBRC explain their involvement in this matter...I'll not hold my breath...

OklahomaSquatch Nov 01, 2006 #17

OK wrote:

It had been photoshopped and altered extensively when it was sent to me. The photo posted on this board is the one that I "fixed" not the one that was the original.

<who sent you the picture and why?

Bear forwarded me the original photo that he had just received from Mike Sells. He forwarded it to me in hopes that I could clear it up a bit, since he knew I work with photos as a hobby, and had pulled some detail out of previous photos. The original picture was hard to see.

The reason Bear had the photo to begin with was because of the researchers handling the Mike Sells case had contacted him for an outsiders opinion. At that time,Mike Sells sent Bear this picture that had supposedly been pulled off of a video taken there on the property.

OklahomaSquatch Nov 01, 2006 #18

I have one question for this whole damn bunch....why?...explain to me why you would hoax or be associated with a hoax or hoaxer?...

I don't know why someone would hoax. The only reasons I have seen were for entertainment purposes, and financial gain. Now when I say "hoax" I mean physically hoaxing evidence, not just lying and making up a story, which I guess you could consider hoaxing as well to a certain extent. Plus there seems to be a new breed of hoaxer. The ones who do have actual Bigfoot activity going on, but for some reason they think they need to make it even grander than it actually is. For instance, Lamar Point.

As far as associating with hoaxers, I don't know anyone who willingly does. In the Lamar Point situation, the people who continue to associate with them, believe the claims and evidence to be true. I saw enough to convince me otherwise. As did many others.