“It is our job as researchers to reach out into the unknown and find answers to questions that cannot be answered by simplicity”
- Michael Cook




Described as one of the most open minded Bigfoot researchers in the field, Madison County, Kentucky resident Michael Cook is always eager to go on an adventure - to experience more and to learn more - especially when it comes to cryptids and unexplained beast encounters. Cook has had a passion for studying cryptozoology since his first Sasquatch experience in October of 2000, and since then, he has been more than eager to throw his backpack in his vehicle and hit the open road to investigate the hidden mysteries of our forest lands. His research has taken him from his Bluegrass home across the country to the vast expanse of Montana high country and to the mountains of Northern California

“Michael has an insatiable curiosity about him, and that is a strong attribute for any good researcher to have,” said veteran cryptid researcher and popular Bigfoot genre YouTube host Ed Brown. “He is always ready to go and eager to learn.”

Cook, however, doesn’t have to venture far from his back door, as he lives in one of the nation’s hotspots for Bigfoot activity. In area of central Kentucky, Cook has been studying the migratory movement of Sasquatch creatures through the region for many years. Working on a theory that these creatures have winter and summer homes. Which, the area of central Kentucky is a gateway to the Appalachian Mountains, where the most Bigfoot sightings have been reported in the country.

“The Appalachian Mountains are definitely a hotspot for Bigfoot reports,” Cook said. “People may not think they are here, but they are. I have seen them. Besides the encounters, there is also a vast amount of evidence pointing toward the presence of Sasquatch in Kentucky hill country. Not only myself, but other very experienced and noteworthy researchers and colleagues of mine have seen and documented tracks, tree structures, and audio that conveys some pretty compelling proof.”

“It’s all about being open minded, and not limiting your thoughts to what can actually be found and discovered,” Cook said. “There is an incredible number of things unseen and places unexplored on this Earth, so how can we even say that we’ve seen it all and done it all? We haven’t. Man knows more about the surface of Mars than we do the bottom of the ocean. And right here locally, there are some places in Eastern, Kentucky that is not inhabited and never have been walked upon. We are limiting ourselves and doing ourselves an immense disservice if we simply settle for what we know. It’s what we don’t know that most fascinates me.”

And Cook has invested thousands of hours investigating the unknown - especially cryptozoology - and his experiences have culminated into fascinating lectures that have drawn large audiences from all walks of life.

Cook has 18 years’ experience of Bigfoot research under his belt, and he’s been the leader, as well as a member, of popular Bigfoot research teams throughout the region. He headed up the Kentucky Sasquatch Team in 2016, before it disbanded to enable Cook to conduct more rigorous, independent research. Currently, he leads Cook Cryptid Research, and hopes to delve more into his independent field studies after taking a sabbatical to spend more time with his son. Described as a “dedicated father,” Cook feels his research and wildlife involvement is just as important to instill within his son and the younger generation.

While Cook strives through community education to make the public, as well as the younger generation, more open minded, that trait is what his colleagues say sets him apart from the rest in terms of Bigfoot’s existence. Bigfoot theories are as varied as the many squatchers who are in pursuit of the beast, and while Cook may have his own beliefs concerning the creature, he remains open to all proposed hypothesis, including the theory that Bigfoot is more paranormal - a supernatural phenomenon - as well as the more popular notion that Bigfoot is a flesh and blood unidentified creature.

“What I believe is not important,” Cook maintains. “The truth is out there, and maybe someday we’ll know the truth and fully understand, but until then, the different beliefs and viewpoints that are out there deserve close examination and research.”

While Cook experienced his first Bigfoot encounter in 2000 at Martins Fork Lake in Harlan County, it was an encounter he had near Berea, Kentucky in 2016 with his research colleague Glenn Mink that has most affected him. Cook said he and Mink were in one of their research areas when they started hearing tree knocks, and even saw a blue flash that penetrated the night. When the two journeyed farther down the trail, Cook said a rock the size of a football was thrown with force at them.

"We could easily tell that we were not wanted there, or the creature was playing with us,” Cook said. “It was a fascinating experience, and one you don’t readily forget. When you have an encounter, it stays in your thoughts and messes with your mind. But, it also drives you that much harder to find out just exactly what these creatures are.”

While Cook is just coming out of a sabbatical for family purposes, his determination to improve his research skills has been intensified. His research has taken Cook from coast to coast, to the tops of mountains, and to the most desolate swamps searching for Bigfoot, and he has had the opportunity to team up with renowned researchers throughout the world in his pursuit.

“It’s good to see Michael back in the research field,” Brown said. “Michael’s open-minded approach in his research makes what he does standout, and he also has the ability to maintain a professional research style. I consider him the consummate professional.”

Michael Cook currently resides in Richmond, Kentucky.

He can be reached by email

mcookmusik@gmail.com