1/29/12 Ruben Uriarte and Noe Torres

[trainedobserver]

Back to the episode.

One thing that strikes me about the tale is the bending over backward crazy explanations that were put forward by the USAF. Boy Scouts, non-existent military encampments, etc, etc.

 

[Snidely Whiplash]

I have to say it was great to hear a UFO case that I havent heard that has been rehashed a million times. I have to say I found it hard to believe that they could not get him out of the tree. It seems a little far fetched. The thing I really dont understand is why did he continue to go camping after this encounter. It like surviving a plane crash and still taking to the skies. Most people would never set foot in the woods again after an ordeal like that.

 

[airliebird58]

Long time listener and lurker on the forum, but just had to post about how much I enjoyed this weeks show. I do think the audio clips, actually hearing the person tell of his experiences, added greatly to the credibility of the story. Especially the last clip, when Mr Shrum Explained the reason why he kept going.
Well done Gene and Chris, I listen to the shows podcast every week and never fail to find it fascinating!

 

[the observer]

Great show,thanks guys!
It must have been a very frightening experience to be trapped in that tree with those google eyes entities trying to catch him.

I wonder what happened to the cigar shaped mothership?

It would be interesting to see the whole interview with Donald Shrum.

 

[trainedobserver]

Didn't he say he recovered a third arrow? Whatever became of that and did it strike the "robot?"

 

[Hotkafka]

Really enjoyed that show. The narrative around the encounter is an interesting one, especially if you consider where these beings fit on the close encounter continuum. As usual, there does appear to be some level of cultural contamination that is influencing the perception of the experience and the presentation of said beings, maybe a feedback loop, and even the episode is confluent with a storyline you'd find in some B-grade UFO flick. And then you add the impact of hearing this guy talk which ratchets of the impression of credibility, and well, there you have it. The perfect ingredients for a classic case of chase your tail till the cows come home. I'd love to hear Vallee lean into this case.

 

[wwkirk]

I'm pretty sure I either read or heard Vallee report that there were several Soviet UFO cases involving robots.

 

[MikeDolin]

Well, I hope Mr. Shrum can be persuaded to come on the show. I'm sure he will have have plenty of listener questions to answer.

 

[Cabal]

What about interviewing the companions? One saw a strange light that night? They can attest to the witnesses strange behavior the following morning? I thought you guys said he told the companions some parts of the story in the morning?

 

[jpw.in.wi]

Awesome show!!!! This is the kind of thing that The Paracast has always done the best: analyzing a specific case, doing an objective and informed cross-examination of the researchers who present that case, and following the trails of evidence to see where they might lead. Keep up the GREAT work, Gene and Chris!!!!! And thanks for this outstanding episode!!!!!

 

[Men Around Screen]

I found this podcast breathtaking, to be honest. I was left with the impression, however, that overall not many details were shared (forgotten throughout the years?). Or was that simply a reflection of the narrator's level of descriptive abilities? This thought arose during the description of the "mothership" and secondary craft which I thought was rather limited in terms of adjectives and adverbs.

A critical but well-meaning comment I would like to make is that there are very frequent interruptions to the interviewees mid-sentence. Sometimes it's disappointing to hear the completion of someone's train of thought be drowned out in favour of an urgent question or joking quip. This criticism doesn't relate to the necessary pauses for advertising which are unavoidable and perfectly executed.

 

[Jeff Crowell]

Great episode.

It sounds like a comedy of errors. He signals for help and they come to his aid. They get to him and he appears to be stuck in a tree. They try to get him down, perhaps to return him to his owner (or whatever) and are unsuccessful. They call in "the robot" they use to handle such matters to no avail. He fights his would be rescuers like Aunt June's cat in the neighbors tree, clawing at whoever comes up the ladder. He finally throws money at them. Finding a rare Indian Head penny in the mix or something and deciding he is more trouble than he is worth, they take the coins and leave. I'd love to hear the alien's side of the story. It would probably end with, "If you see a human in a tree, leave it."

LOL!

Yeah, I was saying to myself in the voice of the aliens, "Wilbur! Come quick! We've tree'd a human!" I was also thinking that Mr. Shrum was muttering, "God I hope that's a bear....I HOPE that's a BEAR!" when he first heard the russling in the bushes after seeing the saucer/scout-ship landing.

 

[Jeff Crowell]

I'd like to re-iterate many comments about this show already made; great show and it held me enthralled throughout the entire episode. I had a few critically minded questions...points that stood out that had me wondering;

Mr. Shrum was able to fire off 3 shots from a 60# draw compound(?) bow while perched precariously up in a tree. Those of us who have fired a bow with such a draw know you need quite a bit of leverage and balance to do so, which would indicate either Mr. Shrum is a fantastic shot (he confirms he struck the suited/robot entity at least once of his 3 shots) or the tree had some really thick branches he was able to brace against or upon.

Another point I'd like to make is in Gene's comment, and another reference posted on this forum, that the aliens appear to be pretty low-tech. They had no 'ray' gun or advanced weaponry and were apparently incapable of pulling down a tree'd human (LOL.....I laugh every time I think of that, no disrespect to Mr. Shrum,) but I've always felt like aliens/visitor/whatever you want to call them may not be very sophisticated in weapons at all. Bottom line is they may not be a militant or violent race and have never developed the need to create technology to harm others. Even the vapor-gas employed against Mr. Shrum may have been more of an improvised tool they used in attempt to capture him. Since they are alien, by nature we do not understand their technological development. Their mode of transportation could be infinitely more developed than ours but their weapons or defense technology may be very rudimentary or non-existent. It was mentioned on the show by Noe that he got the impression by the behavior of the entities that Mr. Shrum's discovery was accidental, and that the humanoids may have been there for other purposes. I liken it to this metaphor; you're a biologist on the African Sarangetti trying to get a sample of a rare form of grass. You take with you only what you need...tools to gather samples, maybe some small sampling devices, etc...when you look over and see a male lion watching you from a distance of about 30 feet. Uh oh. The same thoughts flying through your head in considering this scenario may have been what the aliens where thinking when they saw Mr. Shrum, perhaps. The whole "attack" against him may have been solely for the purposes of subduing him so he didn't panic and cause harm either to the aliens themselves nor himself.

Of course that last paragraph is speculation, but thought I would throw it out there for entertainment and consideration value.

Two-pennies provided.

J.

 

[trainedobserver]

I was left wondering what would have happened had he just remained on the ground and greeted the first group that came from the scout ship? Would they have just tagged him and returned him to the wild, or would he have disappeared for good? I'm sure he was thinking the latter. I also wonder if he started carrying a pistol when he went bow-hunting after that.

 

[bigjim455]

I'd like to re-iterate many comments about this show already made; great show and it held me enthralled throughout the entire episode. I had a few critically minded questions...points that stood out that had me wondering;

Mr. Shrum was able to fire off 3 shots from a 60# draw compound(?) bow while perched precariously up in a tree. Those of us who have fired a bow with such a draw know you need quite a bit of leverage and balance to do so, which would indicate either Mr. Shrum is a fantastic shot (he confirms he struck the suited/robot entity at least once of his 3 shots) or the tree had some really thick branches he was able to brace against or upon.

Another point I'd like to make is in Gene's comment, and another reference posted on this forum, that the aliens appear to be pretty low-tech. They had no 'ray' gun or advanced weaponry and were apparently incapable of pulling down a tree'd human (LOL.....I laugh every time I think of that, no disrespect to Mr. Shrum,) but I've always felt like aliens/visitor/whatever you want to call them may not be very sophisticated in weapons at all. Bottom line is they may not be a militant or violent race and have never developed the need to create technology to harm others. Even the vapor-gas employed against Mr. Shrum may have been more of an improvised tool they used in attempt to capture him. Since they are alien, by nature we do not understand their technological development. Their mode of transportation could be infinitely more developed than ours but their weapons or defense technology may be very rudimentary or non-existent. It was mentioned on the show by Noe that he got the impression by the behavior of the entities that Mr. Shrum's discovery was accidental, and that the humanoids may have been there for other purposes. I liken it to this metaphor; you're a biologist on the African Sarangetti trying to get a sample of a rare form of grass. You take with you only what you need...tools to gather samples, maybe some small sampling devices, etc...when you look over and see a male lion watching you from a distance of about 30 feet. Uh oh. The same thoughts flying through your head in considering this scenario may have been what the aliens where thinking when they saw Mr. Shrum, perhaps. The whole "attack" against him may have been solely for the purposes of subduing him so he didn't panic and cause harm either to the aliens themselves nor himself.

Of course that last paragraph is speculation, but thought I would throw it out there for entertainment and consideration value.

Two-pennies provided.

J.

Good observations here, however I didn't hear anyone say it was a "compound" bow, so I'm not sure, but wouldn't it be even more difficult to make the shot with a long bow? I haven't used a long bow, but I think the draw is harder, but he was only 7-8 feet away which is real close range, so maybe it's plausible. A long bow would certainly require more elbow room to use I think.

 

[wwkirk]

Maybe the aliens don't have trees where they live and aren't used to climbing. I'm not good at tree climbing, but at least I'm accustomed to them. I agree that the gas they used sounds like an improvised weapon/tool. Maybe the "robot" was really an alien in some kind of space suit meant for doing outside ship repairs.

 

[Jeff Crowell]

Good observations here, however I didn't hear anyone say it was a "compound" bow, so I'm not sure, but wouldn't it be even more difficult to make the shot with a long bow? I haven't used a long bow, but I think the draw is harder, but he was only 7-8 feet away which is real close range, so maybe it's plausible. A long bow would certainly require more elbow room to use I think.

Yeah, that's why I put a question mark behind it. The type of bow, or arrows, wasn't specified. I'm not familiar with archery technology of the 1960's, but know that today's compound bows and broad-head arrows do massive amounts of damage if they can penetrate. Either way, though, my original observation/curiosity still stands; how does one draw a bow with that type of strength while tucked up in a tree? Not impossible, but it would indicate he had some serious skill and could brace and balance himself pretty well up there.

 

[jpw.in.wi]

Do the "robot" creatures remind anyone else of the Flatwoods Monster? I didn't catch if Mr. Shrum described its appearance in much detail, but I had the impression that the first one was sort of floating above the ground, meandering between trees and boulders as it made its way to Mr. Shrum's tree. And then there's the element of the strong vapor smell near the scene of the sighting. Anyway, just a thought that came to mind.

 

[Ezechiel]

I was left wondering what would have happened had he just remained on the ground and greeted the first group that came from the scout ship? Would they have just tagged him and returned him to the wild, or would he have disappeared for good? I'm sure he was thinking the latter. I also wonder if he started carrying a pistol when he went bow-hunting after that.

I think Mr. Shrum's instincts were spot on. Never in this encounter did the alien beings attempt communication through signs of any sort. The actions point to a clumsy abduction attempt by an alien specie that had very limited information on humans.

Imho, they tried to do something outside of the scope of their mission here. They assessed Mr. Shrum to be a very high value target but didn't have the proper equipment to extract him from a tree without damaging the goods.

In the eyes of these aliens, Mr. Shrum was just another zoo specimen ... Reminds me of that other case with Travis Walton 'Fire in the sky'.

 

[Snidely Whiplash]

@jpw.in.wi I am not familar with the flatwoods monster, do tell.