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Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah
The author of the controversial bestseller Brain Trust brings his scientific expertise to the chilling true story of unexplained phenomena on Utah's Skinwalker Ranch -- and challenges us with a new vision of reality.
For more than fifty years, the bizarre events at a remote Utah ranch have ranged from the perplexing to the wholly terrifying. Vanishing and mutilated cattle. Unidentified Flying Objects. The appearance of huge, otherworldly creatures. Invisible objects emitting magnetic fields with the power to spark a cattle stampede. Flying orbs of light with dazzling maneuverability and lethal consequences. For one family, life on the Skinwalker Ranch had become a life under siege by an unknown enemy or enemies. Nothing else could explain the horrors that surrounded them -- perhaps science could.
Leading a first-class team of research scientists on a disturbing odyssey into the unknown, Colm Kelleher spent hundreds of days and nights on the Skinwalker property and experienced firsthand many of its haunting mysteries. With investigative reporter George Knapp -- the only journalist allowed to witness and document the team's work -- Kelleher chronicles in superb detail the spectacular happenings the team observed personally, and the theories of modern physics behind the phenomena. Far from the coldly detached findings one might expect, their conclusions are utterly hair-raising in their implications. Opening a door to the unseen world around us, Hunt for the Skinwalker is a clarion call to expand our vision far beyond what we know.
For more than fifty years, the bizarre events at a remote Utah ranch have ranged from the perplexing to the wholly terrifying. Vanishing and mutilated cattle. Unidentified Flying Objects. The appearance of huge, otherworldly creatures. Invisible objects emitting magnetic fields with the power to spark a cattle stampede. Flying orbs of light with dazzling maneuverability and lethal consequences. For one family, life on the Skinwalker Ranch had become a life under siege by an unknown enemy or enemies. Nothing else could explain the horrors that surrounded them -- perhaps science could.
Leading a first-class team of research scientists on a disturbing odyssey into the unknown, Colm Kelleher spent hundreds of days and nights on the Skinwalker property and experienced firsthand many of its haunting mysteries. With investigative reporter George Knapp -- the only journalist allowed to witness and document the team's work -- Kelleher chronicles in superb detail the spectacular happenings the team observed personally, and the theories of modern physics behind the phenomena. Far from the coldly detached findings one might expect, their conclusions are utterly hair-raising in their implications. Opening a door to the unseen world around us, Hunt for the Skinwalker is a clarion call to expand our vision far beyond what we know.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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4124 people want to read
About the author
Colm A. Kelleher
4 books40 followersSince obtaining his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Dublin Trinity College, Colm Kelleher has spent 35 years of his working life in a wide variety of diverse careers. Between 1991-1996, he was an immunology research scientist at the National Jewish Center in Denver Colorado.
Between 1996-2004, Kelleher led the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) team on Skinwalker Ranch as well as multiple other NIDS projects. From 2004-2008, Colm served as laboratory director at San Francisco biotechnology company Prosetta where he led teams of scientists in executing DoD contracts to discover drugs against Ebola virus, Rift Valley Fever Virus, Junin, Machupo, Marburg and other viruses of interest to DoD.
In 2008 Kelleher became deputy administrator of Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) where he led the day-to-day operations in executing the AAWSAP contract with Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
From 2012-2020, Kelleher led the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Department at Bigelow Aerospace. where he managed eleven separate projects that cumulatively resulted in the building of life support systems for expandable spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Kelleher is author of Brain Trust (Simon & Schuster) and he co-authored Hunt for the Skinwalker in 2005 with award winning journalist George Knapp and Skinwalkers at the Pentagon in 2021 with Dr. James T Lacatski and George Knapp
Between 1996-2004, Kelleher led the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) team on Skinwalker Ranch as well as multiple other NIDS projects. From 2004-2008, Colm served as laboratory director at San Francisco biotechnology company Prosetta where he led teams of scientists in executing DoD contracts to discover drugs against Ebola virus, Rift Valley Fever Virus, Junin, Machupo, Marburg and other viruses of interest to DoD.
In 2008 Kelleher became deputy administrator of Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) where he led the day-to-day operations in executing the AAWSAP contract with Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
From 2012-2020, Kelleher led the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Department at Bigelow Aerospace. where he managed eleven separate projects that cumulatively resulted in the building of life support systems for expandable spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Kelleher is author of Brain Trust (Simon & Schuster) and he co-authored Hunt for the Skinwalker in 2005 with award winning journalist George Knapp and Skinwalkers at the Pentagon in 2021 with Dr. James T Lacatski and George Knapp
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 395 reviews
May 24, 2009
I'm not placing this book with the few UFO books in my possession, nor with the books on the occult, or science. Not even with the books on folklore, although it contains all those elements. I am firmly placing this with my growing collection of books on the trickster—although I suppose it would fit in just as well with my collection on Faery. Because although the authors mention the Native American myth of the skinwalker (or shapeshifting witch) in the title, that's just a convenient moniker, taken from the Ute Indians of Utah who live near that "remote ranch" in an attempt to put a name on the phenomena occurring there.
There's plenty of phenomena: fully half the book is a detailing of the wealth of high strangeness that takes place, first to the Gorman family, then to the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) researchers. The area had been known to the Utes and Navajos for generations as a wrong place, an abode of skinwalkers, and simultaneously a sacred place, where this world and the otherworld intersect. The white family who bought the ranch came from out of state and didn't know the ranch's bad reputation. They just knew they were getting it cheap and that finally they had a shot at making their cattle-ranching dreams come true. Unfortunately, the dream turned into a nightmare, replete with strange lights in the sky and buzzing "craft," incursions of sasquatch and other weird and impossible animals, cattle mutilations, poltergeists, and sabotage—a veritable state of siege. After three years of that and more, dreams shattered, the Gormans sold the ranch to NIDS so the scientists could do a thorough investigation. The scientists themselves soon came to feel as if they were the ones being investigated, toyed with, and made to confront the limits of science.
As I said, fully half the book is a recounting of the frustrating experiences of the researchers on the Gorman ranch. Interesting at first, this section got repetitive. I enjoyed the drama of the first section, where the Gormans were being faced with the onslaught of high strangeness, and I enjoyed the final section wherein the authors engage in philosophical and scientific discussions about what might be causing all this. Whatever was happening at this ranch seems to have more in common with quantum physics than Newtonian, giving an uncomfortable glimpse into the very strange universe we inhabit. Not only stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we can imagine.
There's plenty of phenomena: fully half the book is a detailing of the wealth of high strangeness that takes place, first to the Gorman family, then to the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) researchers. The area had been known to the Utes and Navajos for generations as a wrong place, an abode of skinwalkers, and simultaneously a sacred place, where this world and the otherworld intersect. The white family who bought the ranch came from out of state and didn't know the ranch's bad reputation. They just knew they were getting it cheap and that finally they had a shot at making their cattle-ranching dreams come true. Unfortunately, the dream turned into a nightmare, replete with strange lights in the sky and buzzing "craft," incursions of sasquatch and other weird and impossible animals, cattle mutilations, poltergeists, and sabotage—a veritable state of siege. After three years of that and more, dreams shattered, the Gormans sold the ranch to NIDS so the scientists could do a thorough investigation. The scientists themselves soon came to feel as if they were the ones being investigated, toyed with, and made to confront the limits of science.
As I said, fully half the book is a recounting of the frustrating experiences of the researchers on the Gorman ranch. Interesting at first, this section got repetitive. I enjoyed the drama of the first section, where the Gormans were being faced with the onslaught of high strangeness, and I enjoyed the final section wherein the authors engage in philosophical and scientific discussions about what might be causing all this. Whatever was happening at this ranch seems to have more in common with quantum physics than Newtonian, giving an uncomfortable glimpse into the very strange universe we inhabit. Not only stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we can imagine.
December 13, 2020
Science fuck yeah
April 16, 2020
The subtitle “Science Confronts the Unexplained...” needs to be reworded. Even the author who is eager to “prove” something throughout this book makes the declaration near the end that nothing related to hard evidence or scientific data was collected through this whole process. Uh? So what was this book all about. The usual paranormal stuff. People telling stories, which amount to hearsay, about weird occurrences or feelings they had while at this ranch. Again. No solid evidence. A few cattle mutilations. Some pepper found in the salt shaker (and yes you read that correctly). Then a final diatribe about how closed-minded science is to the paranormal with a couple examples being given. Remote viewing which was studied by the CIA and found to be bunk. And Uri Geller of all people, a 70s spoonbending and ESP whack job who tried to convince the world he had real psychic powers then when he was outted by James Randy he denied it, only to ultimately change his profession in the 2000s to magician and illusionist. I guess the author missed that whole episode because even Geller admits he’s a fake at this point. So don’t go into this book expecting to find anything groundbreaking. But I suppose it wasn’t boring, so it had that going for it.
April 2, 2022
An intresting read but didn't get as invested and intruiged in the book as I had hoped. Usually enjoy stuff like this but was more of an alright book
June 29, 2010
In 1994, a rancher and his family moved to remote northeast Utah to live out their American dream on the nearly 500-hundred acre ranch they'd scrimped and saved to buy. The property had been long abandoned and all the windows and doors of the ranch house had double bolts inside and out. The family wondered why but didn't give it much thought -- until the weirdness started happening.
Their cattle started dying; mutilated by unseen trespassers. And then there were the other odd phenomena that plagued the frightened family: UFOs, giant wolf-like animals that refused to bleed or die when shot, ghostlike apparitions, Bigfoot-like creatures, blue or orange glowing flying balls, disembodied voices, entities that slammed doors and moved and hid family possessions, etc.
Fed up, economically bankrupt and scared to death, they sold their property to a unique investigative organization (NIDs, for short) that attempted to bring a scientific rigor to studying the paranormal strangeness. Even though the scientists could hear and see the weirdness themselves, they found that scientific methods and instruments were virtually incapable of measuring or documenting any of it. Could the entities, forces, or whatever be playing a sophisticated game of cosmic counter-intelligence, in effect, "jamming" the instrumentation of the investigators? Is it the work of the "skinwalker" a shape-shifting witch entity from Navajo legend exacting revenge against the enemy Ute tribes of the area? A super-secret military psycho-warfare experiment? A case of interdimensional contact with aliens?
These are just some of the hypotheses offered in this chilling, creepy book, that manages to be more than just a story of terror, but also a rumination on the nature of the universe and consciousness; and the limits of science. Although repetitive at times, the book offers a lot of interesting background into Native American legends, paranormal phenomena, UFO theories and well as some of the more far-out speculations of modern physics.
If you're looking for a freak-out read with some thoughtful benefits, this is a good choice
Their cattle started dying; mutilated by unseen trespassers. And then there were the other odd phenomena that plagued the frightened family: UFOs, giant wolf-like animals that refused to bleed or die when shot, ghostlike apparitions, Bigfoot-like creatures, blue or orange glowing flying balls, disembodied voices, entities that slammed doors and moved and hid family possessions, etc.
Fed up, economically bankrupt and scared to death, they sold their property to a unique investigative organization (NIDs, for short) that attempted to bring a scientific rigor to studying the paranormal strangeness. Even though the scientists could hear and see the weirdness themselves, they found that scientific methods and instruments were virtually incapable of measuring or documenting any of it. Could the entities, forces, or whatever be playing a sophisticated game of cosmic counter-intelligence, in effect, "jamming" the instrumentation of the investigators? Is it the work of the "skinwalker" a shape-shifting witch entity from Navajo legend exacting revenge against the enemy Ute tribes of the area? A super-secret military psycho-warfare experiment? A case of interdimensional contact with aliens?
These are just some of the hypotheses offered in this chilling, creepy book, that manages to be more than just a story of terror, but also a rumination on the nature of the universe and consciousness; and the limits of science. Although repetitive at times, the book offers a lot of interesting background into Native American legends, paranormal phenomena, UFO theories and well as some of the more far-out speculations of modern physics.
If you're looking for a freak-out read with some thoughtful benefits, this is a good choice
February 8, 2012
Legitimate scientists investigate paranormal activities on a remote Utah ranch . . . No, it's not fiction. It is compelling reading. Between the covers you'll find riveting accounts of some truly amazing incidents that at the very least illustrate that there is more to life on this planet than many people are prepared to admit, much more that does not fit comfortably into the philosophies and religions of man.
Bridging the moments of sheer terror, there are mysteries that hint at majesties beyond this realm; there is humor and horror, head scratching bafflement and life altering surprises. The rancher family who lived on this property before it was purchased by a privately funded research-based organization not only suffered devastating financial loss, they lost their entire foundation for life. They were forced to grow into new realities by forces beyond them that manifested in forms ranging from UFO incidents, to possible Sasquatch sightings, encounters with mythical beasts, and trickster poltergeists. The comfortable relationship they had with "reality," the generally anomaly-free reality most of us share vanished like the specters and shadow people that roamed their pastures, both in the dark night and in the bright sun of a summer Utah afternoon.
Science is at a loss . . . Do not read this book unless you're willing to admit there is more to this world than can be explained through the collection of data. At the very least, we have to admit that the strange doors opened by theoretical physicists suggesting the reality of alternate dimensions may indeed open up wide occasionally.. In some special places, peoples throughout the millennia may have been aware of portals wide enough to allow admittance from other planes of existence. This ranch—considered off limits to the Native American Utes living in the surrounding areas—appears to occupy such a place. Scoff at your own risk.
Bridging the moments of sheer terror, there are mysteries that hint at majesties beyond this realm; there is humor and horror, head scratching bafflement and life altering surprises. The rancher family who lived on this property before it was purchased by a privately funded research-based organization not only suffered devastating financial loss, they lost their entire foundation for life. They were forced to grow into new realities by forces beyond them that manifested in forms ranging from UFO incidents, to possible Sasquatch sightings, encounters with mythical beasts, and trickster poltergeists. The comfortable relationship they had with "reality," the generally anomaly-free reality most of us share vanished like the specters and shadow people that roamed their pastures, both in the dark night and in the bright sun of a summer Utah afternoon.
Science is at a loss . . . Do not read this book unless you're willing to admit there is more to this world than can be explained through the collection of data. At the very least, we have to admit that the strange doors opened by theoretical physicists suggesting the reality of alternate dimensions may indeed open up wide occasionally.. In some special places, peoples throughout the millennia may have been aware of portals wide enough to allow admittance from other planes of existence. This ranch—considered off limits to the Native American Utes living in the surrounding areas—appears to occupy such a place. Scoff at your own risk.
May 26, 2020
So boring...
August 2, 2017
If I were rating this book on the quality of scientific "confrontation" taking place, I'd be a lot harsher. Here's how a typical "confrontation" plays out:
Ranchowner/Farmhand: You guys! Get out here! Ultradimensional varmits stole my cow's butthole!
Scientists: Yowza! We'll be out in two days!....hmmmmm not much to see here. Our night-vision goggles are detecting no strange fluctuations. Whelp, gotta go.
*A month later*
Ranchowner/Farmhand: Dudes! A portal to another dimension just opened up in my yard and UFO's are zooming out! No I didn't get a picture! I never do consarnit!
Scientists: We'll fly right out!...Seems to have stopped but our excitable member totally swears he saw a pterodactyl over in that tree. I didn't see it but, then again, I didn't have any night-vision goggles. Call us again next time you suspiciously are the only one to encounter something spooky. Bye.
So, like I said, the promise of honest science being done is wasted and disappointing. I am a sucker for a good, strange, "true" story of this type, however, so I enjoyed reading about all the supposed whacky stuff taking place in this valley in Utah. It's the same way I can still enjoy reading The Amityville Horror knowing it was all a hoax. A good strange story can get a lot of mileage if it's told well. Think of this as a kind of campfire tale and you'll probably get more out of it.
Ranchowner/Farmhand: You guys! Get out here! Ultradimensional varmits stole my cow's butthole!
Scientists: Yowza! We'll be out in two days!....hmmmmm not much to see here. Our night-vision goggles are detecting no strange fluctuations. Whelp, gotta go.
*A month later*
Ranchowner/Farmhand: Dudes! A portal to another dimension just opened up in my yard and UFO's are zooming out! No I didn't get a picture! I never do consarnit!
Scientists: We'll fly right out!...Seems to have stopped but our excitable member totally swears he saw a pterodactyl over in that tree. I didn't see it but, then again, I didn't have any night-vision goggles. Call us again next time you suspiciously are the only one to encounter something spooky. Bye.
So, like I said, the promise of honest science being done is wasted and disappointing. I am a sucker for a good, strange, "true" story of this type, however, so I enjoyed reading about all the supposed whacky stuff taking place in this valley in Utah. It's the same way I can still enjoy reading The Amityville Horror knowing it was all a hoax. A good strange story can get a lot of mileage if it's told well. Think of this as a kind of campfire tale and you'll probably get more out of it.
June 4, 2019
One star rating for what I'd call false advertising. Supposed to be a rigorously scientific investigation, and I kept waiting for some actual... ya know... SCIENCE. But that didn't happen.
Anyone interested in the quantum weirdness discussed at the end of the book would do better to check out any of the dozens of popular science books on quantum physics. "In Search of Schröedinger's Cat" is a great intro to the topic. And at least that book doesn't START with aliens and end with physics. It's just physics--weird enough stuff as it is without the need to pull in Bigfoot, UFOs and a lot of other hocus pocus.
I'd also recommend Sagan's "Demon Haunted World" to lend a huge dose of skepticism to this kind of nonsense.
I suppose for this review the authors would paint me as the kind of close-minded science snob they spend half the book criticizing. Too bad they didn't put near as much effort into providing evidence for their claims.
Anyone interested in the quantum weirdness discussed at the end of the book would do better to check out any of the dozens of popular science books on quantum physics. "In Search of Schröedinger's Cat" is a great intro to the topic. And at least that book doesn't START with aliens and end with physics. It's just physics--weird enough stuff as it is without the need to pull in Bigfoot, UFOs and a lot of other hocus pocus.
I'd also recommend Sagan's "Demon Haunted World" to lend a huge dose of skepticism to this kind of nonsense.
I suppose for this review the authors would paint me as the kind of close-minded science snob they spend half the book criticizing. Too bad they didn't put near as much effort into providing evidence for their claims.
March 25, 2015
Never has a book lived up to the old football adage as a game of two halves. First half of the book and the personal experiences are genuinely frightening.
Second half of the book and the scientific community arrive and it is utterly boring.
Last 4 or 5 chapters try to explain what went on and do absolutely nothing.
Very disappointing overall
Second half of the book and the scientific community arrive and it is utterly boring.
Last 4 or 5 chapters try to explain what went on and do absolutely nothing.
Very disappointing overall
May 24, 2011
A freaky foray into the paranormal and the world of extraterrestrial activity by a group of serious scientists on a private ranch infamous for extreme "activity." Riveting. Disturbing. Highly recommended, if this is a subject of interest.
February 7, 2013
In time, this book will find it's way to a special shelf in the Library reserved for The Amityville Horror and the collected works of Lance Armstrong. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad read, it's bad research and documentation.
If you are any kind of a paranormal geek, you have heard of the Skinwalker Ranch and it's myriad of paranormal events. The stories about the ranch have blown up to the proportion of urban myth; and I picked up this book thinking that I would get a well researched look at the genesis of those stories. While the book is a real page-turner, I came away very disappointed with the research, documentation, theories, and investigative techniques of the book.
The book is broken into 3 parts: "The Hotspot", "The Investigation Begins", and "Aftermath and Hypotheses". The Hotspot describes the background of the location. While I knew much of the background already, I was really hooked with what may be some of the best parts of the book. However, some of it had me rolling my eyes.
What part the Masonic Buffalo soldiers play in the strange occurrences of the ranch is never developed, but what story isn't made better with Masonic conspiracy theories?
"The Investigation" portion of the book had some amazing and occasionally hard-to-believe events. Having said that, I came away with the thought that the most dangerous creatures roaming the grounds of the ranch were the investigators.
Basically, these guys shot at something at night that they couldn't identify and they believe that it must be paranormal because they couldn't find a body.
People, if you happen to see a hairy humanoid, don't shoot it. That's all we need is a bunch of armed ding-dongs shooting at what they think is Bigfoot. Besides I don't want the world to know that Bigfoot is a Freemason and leader of the New World Order.
Is the book an entertaining page-turner? Yes. Is it solid research that would change the mind of a skeptic? No! I give it 3 1/2 stars. In the future, I hope a serious book looks at the phenomena of the Skinwalker Ranch. We deserve something with more research and less shooting.
If you are any kind of a paranormal geek, you have heard of the Skinwalker Ranch and it's myriad of paranormal events. The stories about the ranch have blown up to the proportion of urban myth; and I picked up this book thinking that I would get a well researched look at the genesis of those stories. While the book is a real page-turner, I came away very disappointed with the research, documentation, theories, and investigative techniques of the book.
The book is broken into 3 parts: "The Hotspot", "The Investigation Begins", and "Aftermath and Hypotheses". The Hotspot describes the background of the location. While I knew much of the background already, I was really hooked with what may be some of the best parts of the book. However, some of it had me rolling my eyes.
Conspiracy theorists suspect that the Freemasons are adept in the mystical arts, that they have mastered certain supernatural abilities, and that they consider their upper-echelon members to be gods, beings who have achieved spiritual perfection. On a more mundane level, critics also allege that the Freemasons, or their alleged co-conspirators the Illuminati, the Trilateralists, and the Bilderbergers, are intent upon imposing a new world order, a one-world government, a system under which national interests are subservient to the greater planetary good, that is, “good” as determined by the Freemasons. This is one hell of an ambitious conspiracy theory.
What part the Masonic Buffalo soldiers play in the strange occurrences of the ranch is never developed, but what story isn't made better with Masonic conspiracy theories?
"The Investigation" portion of the book had some amazing and occasionally hard-to-believe events. Having said that, I came away with the thought that the most dangerous creatures roaming the grounds of the ranch were the investigators.
Tom steadied the rifle on the open door of the truck ... The rifle’s sharp report rang out, and instantly, like a light being snapped off, the eyes disappeared.
“Got him,” yelled Tom triumphantly. “I saw him fall to the ground.” We scrambled back into the truck and Tom stopped about forty feet from the tree. There was no sign of the large creature under or near the tree.
Basically, these guys shot at something at night that they couldn't identify and they believe that it must be paranormal because they couldn't find a body.
Another time, Jim saw one of the hairy humanoids running beside the corral and he shot it with his rifle. He says he definitely hit his target, but the creature barely flinched. He found no blood or other trace at the spot of the shooting.
People, if you happen to see a hairy humanoid, don't shoot it. That's all we need is a bunch of armed ding-dongs shooting at what they think is Bigfoot. Besides I don't want the world to know that Bigfoot is a Freemason and leader of the New World Order.
Is the book an entertaining page-turner? Yes. Is it solid research that would change the mind of a skeptic? No! I give it 3 1/2 stars. In the future, I hope a serious book looks at the phenomena of the Skinwalker Ranch. We deserve something with more research and less shooting.
April 4, 2018
I have thoroughly enjoyed this eye opening book. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the least bit interested in the fascinating subject matter. Some of the events described in the book are disturbing and frightening, whilst others can only be described as wondrous. I'm happy to have this book in my collection of books related to ufology etc. The authors did a great job. I am a big admirer of George Knapp, I find him to be a very credible and honest reporter.
February 14, 2020
DNF at 75%. I just couldn’t put myself through finishing this book. The premise is entirely misleading; there is not a scientific investigation into the purported occurrences at the ranch. I was expecting an unbiased investigation into the family’s experiences, but instead I got a one sided tale full of every cryptozoological, and paranormal phenomena the authors could think of.
Ultimately this is just too far fetched and far reaching to be taken seriously. It very well could be an episode of the twilight zone. Or maybe it already is! I certainly felt as though I was stuck in another dimension while reading it.
Side note- If you want an unbiased and well researched history of the Skinwalker Ranch, I highly recommend listening to the podcast Astonishing Legends. Scott and Forrest released a 3-part series titled Skinwalker Ranch that puts this book to shame.
Ultimately this is just too far fetched and far reaching to be taken seriously. It very well could be an episode of the twilight zone. Or maybe it already is! I certainly felt as though I was stuck in another dimension while reading it.
Side note- If you want an unbiased and well researched history of the Skinwalker Ranch, I highly recommend listening to the podcast Astonishing Legends. Scott and Forrest released a 3-part series titled Skinwalker Ranch that puts this book to shame.
November 18, 2013
I found this book to be both fascinating and terrifying. I would recommend this to anyone interested in paranormal phenomena and UFO studies. It easily encompasses both interests. Just don't read it before bed.
June 10, 2022
"For eight years, a team of highly trained scientists and others came face-to-face with a terrifying reality that, on superficial examination, appeared to break the laws of science but that, in fact, was consistent with modern-day physics. At the ranch, scientists found a world where a great deal of activity was hidden from visible sight but, as the researchers soon discovered, was detectable with state-of-the-art instrumentation... In addition to eyewitness testimony, we obtained an intriguing body of physical evidence to support many of the accounts described in the book. We compiled photos and videos and accumulated reports of demonstrable physical effects on people, animals, equipment, everyday objects, and the environment..."
So, this book has been on my list for years, and wanting to read something a little... different..., I figured I might as well check it out finally. I'm generally pretty skeptical when it comes to stuff like this, but at the same time I think I'm open-minded enough to consider it. (In other words, I don't have a Fox Mulder poster on my wall that says "I want to believe" but I realize that a lot of people would be skeptical of my religious beliefs, too).
"Skinwalker Ranch" is located in eastern Utah in the Uinta Basin. It's probably best known for nearby Dinosaur National Monument. Apparently there's a TV show about the ranch, too. A family of cattle ranchers moves from New Mexico and immediately experiences all manner of strange stuff: Enormous wolves who are impervious to bullets. Menacing demons. Surgically precise cattle mutilations. Strange lights. UFOs. Mysterious portals to other dimensions. Crop circles (sorta). Disembodied voices. Poltergeists. Frightening demi gorgon-like dogs. Freemasons and Buffalo Soldier graveyards. And Bigfoot. Yes, he's here too. Eventually, when the family is ready to cry 'uncle,' a well-funded investigation takes over the ranch to study it scientifically.
"... the incredible variety of paranormal experiences we encountered at the Skinwalker Ranch... It’s as if some cosmic puppet master had written a laundry list of every spooky phenomenon of modern times and then unleashed them all in a single location, resulting in a supernatural smorgasbord that no one could possibly believe, even less understand."
I'm a bit familiar with the area, since my grandma lived out there (Duchesne and Roosevelt) and we spent most of our vacations there while I was growing up. My grandpa would take us fishing all over the area, usually on the Indian reservations (which needed a different fishing license than the ones we'd brought with us). It's a place with its own unique beauty. I never saw anything paranormally unusual myself and don't recall hearing talk of it, but chalk that up to being a kid, I guess. And while the book is strenuously earnest about its investigation, I just didn't see any compelling evidence presented. Many of the local narratives are supposed to be believable because the witness was 'reluctant to talk' and 'wanted to remain anonymous.' There are none of the mentioned photos in the kindle version I read. There isn't really even much in the way of the experiences of the scientists, and what there is, is pretty weak. The last few chapters go through the possibilities one-by-one, but it's structured to lead the reader toward the suggested conclusion.
"The ideas of visionary thinker Giordano Bruno were so unsettling to the political, religious, and scientific establishment of his day that he was burned at the stake for espousing them. The modern science establishment, which is viewed by some as the equivalent of a harsh and unforgiving religion with its own strict commandments and rigid code of conduct, no longer burns its outcasts, but it certainly excommunicates those who stray too far from the fold."
I can sympathize with the argument that the institution of "Science" is as dogmatic as any of the religions it disdains, but there's just not much to go on here. I wanted to give the author and the family the benefit of the doubt and tried to read it with an open mind, but I was constantly bothered by the lack of skepticism where I thought it was obviously warranted. It was a (grudgingly) "okay" read, but I had to push myself to finish the book. (And no, I won't be watching the TV show.)
So, this book has been on my list for years, and wanting to read something a little... different..., I figured I might as well check it out finally. I'm generally pretty skeptical when it comes to stuff like this, but at the same time I think I'm open-minded enough to consider it. (In other words, I don't have a Fox Mulder poster on my wall that says "I want to believe" but I realize that a lot of people would be skeptical of my religious beliefs, too).
"Skinwalker Ranch" is located in eastern Utah in the Uinta Basin. It's probably best known for nearby Dinosaur National Monument. Apparently there's a TV show about the ranch, too. A family of cattle ranchers moves from New Mexico and immediately experiences all manner of strange stuff: Enormous wolves who are impervious to bullets. Menacing demons. Surgically precise cattle mutilations. Strange lights. UFOs. Mysterious portals to other dimensions. Crop circles (sorta). Disembodied voices. Poltergeists. Frightening demi gorgon-like dogs. Freemasons and Buffalo Soldier graveyards. And Bigfoot. Yes, he's here too. Eventually, when the family is ready to cry 'uncle,' a well-funded investigation takes over the ranch to study it scientifically.
"... the incredible variety of paranormal experiences we encountered at the Skinwalker Ranch... It’s as if some cosmic puppet master had written a laundry list of every spooky phenomenon of modern times and then unleashed them all in a single location, resulting in a supernatural smorgasbord that no one could possibly believe, even less understand."
I'm a bit familiar with the area, since my grandma lived out there (Duchesne and Roosevelt) and we spent most of our vacations there while I was growing up. My grandpa would take us fishing all over the area, usually on the Indian reservations (which needed a different fishing license than the ones we'd brought with us). It's a place with its own unique beauty. I never saw anything paranormally unusual myself and don't recall hearing talk of it, but chalk that up to being a kid, I guess. And while the book is strenuously earnest about its investigation, I just didn't see any compelling evidence presented. Many of the local narratives are supposed to be believable because the witness was 'reluctant to talk' and 'wanted to remain anonymous.' There are none of the mentioned photos in the kindle version I read. There isn't really even much in the way of the experiences of the scientists, and what there is, is pretty weak. The last few chapters go through the possibilities one-by-one, but it's structured to lead the reader toward the suggested conclusion.
"The ideas of visionary thinker Giordano Bruno were so unsettling to the political, religious, and scientific establishment of his day that he was burned at the stake for espousing them. The modern science establishment, which is viewed by some as the equivalent of a harsh and unforgiving religion with its own strict commandments and rigid code of conduct, no longer burns its outcasts, but it certainly excommunicates those who stray too far from the fold."
I can sympathize with the argument that the institution of "Science" is as dogmatic as any of the religions it disdains, but there's just not much to go on here. I wanted to give the author and the family the benefit of the doubt and tried to read it with an open mind, but I was constantly bothered by the lack of skepticism where I thought it was obviously warranted. It was a (grudgingly) "okay" read, but I had to push myself to finish the book. (And no, I won't be watching the TV show.)
October 17, 2023
OMG This book couldn't end soon enough. It was SUCH a slog. If you're looking for the actual rigorous science testing, data, and methodology to back up all the bigfoot and UFO sightings at this little ranch in Utah DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH! There is literally none of that!! It's a bunch of he said, she said weird sightings of paranormal activity. And it's not just at this ranch; the author feels the need to bring up cases all over the US and that does nothing to add to the story. I guess he's just trying to prove weird shit happens all over?! Stupid, long, repetitive. God I wish the aliens would beam this author up into their UFO.
November 6, 2023
Throw every thing that’s unexplained or supposedly paranormal into the book, claim to do scientific study in without any particular method, and credulously believe every report. Then write it up in the most boring way and use every weaselly phrase you can come up with.
My review halfway through this book would have been “ZZZZZZ“.
My review halfway through this book would have been “ZZZZZZ“.
September 27, 2018
This book was a fascinating, well written, and fairly objective account of unexplained events at Skinwalker ranch in Utah which is considered the Area 51 of paranormal activity. Sightings have included orbs, UFOs, animal mutilations, unknown creatures, poltergeist-type activity, and many other strange goings on. Some aspects of what may have happened are really terrifying.
A lot of care and a ton of research went into this book and it shows. They attempted to investigate these strange events and happenings using the scientific method and careful documentation. Most of the events were very elusive of the investigators and almost seemed to toy with them which was frustrating for obvious reasons.
If you like to explore the what ifs? in our not always cut and dry world then you might like this book.
Also, I listened to an interview with the award winning journalist George Knapp and the film maker Corbell on Mysterious Universe podcast and they were both fascinating. George Knapp is convinced the things that were happening were very real. He is a credible person and respected journalist. A movie called Hunt for the Skinwalker (directed by Corbell) about all of this has come out very recently with apparently a lot of footage that Bigelow and NIDS (the then owner of Skinwalker Ranch) didn't want them to release at the time all of this research was going on so a book was written instead. Now the movie is out. Find the podcast on Mysterious Universe, then read the book. It really doesn't disappoint. Now I will most likely have to watch this documentary as well.
Lots and lots of interesting stuff in here even if you believe none of it. The lore information alone is fascinating. I enjoyed this a lot and it makes for some interesting conversations with your friends. 4 stars and best reads pile.
A lot of care and a ton of research went into this book and it shows. They attempted to investigate these strange events and happenings using the scientific method and careful documentation. Most of the events were very elusive of the investigators and almost seemed to toy with them which was frustrating for obvious reasons.
If you like to explore the what ifs? in our not always cut and dry world then you might like this book.
Also, I listened to an interview with the award winning journalist George Knapp and the film maker Corbell on Mysterious Universe podcast and they were both fascinating. George Knapp is convinced the things that were happening were very real. He is a credible person and respected journalist. A movie called Hunt for the Skinwalker (directed by Corbell) about all of this has come out very recently with apparently a lot of footage that Bigelow and NIDS (the then owner of Skinwalker Ranch) didn't want them to release at the time all of this research was going on so a book was written instead. Now the movie is out. Find the podcast on Mysterious Universe, then read the book. It really doesn't disappoint. Now I will most likely have to watch this documentary as well.
Lots and lots of interesting stuff in here even if you believe none of it. The lore information alone is fascinating. I enjoyed this a lot and it makes for some interesting conversations with your friends. 4 stars and best reads pile.
September 15, 2020
In 1990's Utah a Morman family was living on a small (480 acre) remote ranch and were subjected to almost every paranormal experience imaginable. It would almost be laughable if the family wasn't so terrified: poltergeists, Bigfoot, a hyena-type animal with a bushy tale like a Persian cat, a wormhole, dire wolves, cattle mutilations, and lots of UFOs. These events are presented as fact.
Paranormal investigations normally suffer from lack of funds and grants. The government doesn't want to waste money (or at least waste money for this type of thing) on questionable research. Neither do universities. A wealthy businessman, Robert Bigelow, decided to eliminate this obstacle by supplying state-of-the-art equipment and funds to build a carefully selected scientific team and send them to Skinwalker Ranch. The team was instructed to use strict scientific method. The trouble is that such events are not subject to measureable or repeatable results. The scientists experienced some activity but nothing like the rancher's family. So the "Hunt for the Skinwalker" was a bust.
I chose this book to read because it is the beginning of my Halloween reading season. I wanted to be entertained and not really taught anything. To my surprise the author eloquently defended continued research of the paranormal and why. I read his arguments with interest. I try to have an open mind.
Paranormal investigations normally suffer from lack of funds and grants. The government doesn't want to waste money (or at least waste money for this type of thing) on questionable research. Neither do universities. A wealthy businessman, Robert Bigelow, decided to eliminate this obstacle by supplying state-of-the-art equipment and funds to build a carefully selected scientific team and send them to Skinwalker Ranch. The team was instructed to use strict scientific method. The trouble is that such events are not subject to measureable or repeatable results. The scientists experienced some activity but nothing like the rancher's family. So the "Hunt for the Skinwalker" was a bust.
I chose this book to read because it is the beginning of my Halloween reading season. I wanted to be entertained and not really taught anything. To my surprise the author eloquently defended continued research of the paranormal and why. I read his arguments with interest. I try to have an open mind.
February 5, 2020
Whatever your stance is on the supernatural, the unexplained and the downright freaky, there is bound to be something in this story to interest you and make you think "what the bloody hell??????"!!!
From ghoulish unstoppable beasts to lights in the sky to mutilated cattle, we then travel to possible Area 51 type conspiracy theory to string theory to dark matter to black holes!!
This book has literally got it all.
Whilst I'm still unsure what the hell happened at Skinwalker Ranch, I find it a highly captivating subject matter and am inclined to agree with the local Native American population- leave it well alone!! That said, the idea of alternate multiverses where beings pop in and out via time portals really appeal to me!
If you like a sense of the mystery, read this, you won't be disappointed.
From ghoulish unstoppable beasts to lights in the sky to mutilated cattle, we then travel to possible Area 51 type conspiracy theory to string theory to dark matter to black holes!!
This book has literally got it all.
Whilst I'm still unsure what the hell happened at Skinwalker Ranch, I find it a highly captivating subject matter and am inclined to agree with the local Native American population- leave it well alone!! That said, the idea of alternate multiverses where beings pop in and out via time portals really appeal to me!
If you like a sense of the mystery, read this, you won't be disappointed.
October 18, 2020
Well that was interesting, even if I'm not sure quite what I believe about it all. I was turned onto this book through the episodes about the phenomena at the ranch on Astonishing Legends. Those episodes scared me, so I figured the book would be a great Halloween read. But rather than being scared, I found both the descriptions of what happened to the family and researchers fascinating. And ultimately it's hard to just shrug everything off as a hoax or delusion. It's frustrating not to have answers, but as the authors point out at the end, science is constantly showing that reality is often weirder and more unpredictable than we could ever guess.
August 23, 2023
This book gets one star because not only does it prove that “alien” activity is constantly linked with paranormal activity (because it’s demonic), but the epilogue was almost too frustrating to listen to (I did). The author states matter of factly that an infinite number of dimensions/realities exist, dimensions where other “you’s” exist, and that one day we’ll all just have to come to terms with it.
The level of arrogance some of these educated fools demonstrate when they state these preposterous ideas is astounding.
It also never fails to boggle my mind that they can spout off the most ridiculous things that anyone has ever heard of (nothing created everything? Really? How’d that work?), and just because they are “scientists” people will believe them without hesitation. Yet those very same people will look at Christians and accuse us of believing in fairy tales. What?!
As Christian’s, we know that God created one reality. One earth. One universe filled with other planets and stars. But Jesus Christ came HERE, to THIS planet, to die ONCE for the salvation of all humanity. He did not die an infinite number of times for an infinite number of universes. If so, He’d never be able to stop dying for humanities sins since infinity is by definition endless. This book was a waste of my time to listen to. I would not recommend it.
The level of arrogance some of these educated fools demonstrate when they state these preposterous ideas is astounding.
It also never fails to boggle my mind that they can spout off the most ridiculous things that anyone has ever heard of (nothing created everything? Really? How’d that work?), and just because they are “scientists” people will believe them without hesitation. Yet those very same people will look at Christians and accuse us of believing in fairy tales. What?!
As Christian’s, we know that God created one reality. One earth. One universe filled with other planets and stars. But Jesus Christ came HERE, to THIS planet, to die ONCE for the salvation of all humanity. He did not die an infinite number of times for an infinite number of universes. If so, He’d never be able to stop dying for humanities sins since infinity is by definition endless. This book was a waste of my time to listen to. I would not recommend it.
March 15, 2018
Among the Utes, Navajos, and other tribes, the Skinwalker is a shapeshifting figure who represents pure evil, believed to cause people all sorts of grief.
The Gorman family of four bought a ranch in beautiful country in northwest Utah, not knowing that it was reputed to be the Skinwalker's home ground. They soon began to experience various episodes of weirdness. Their car was attacked by several huge wolves, three times the size of normal wolves, and when Tom Gorman fired at one point blank with a large caliber pistol, the wolf ignored the shots and seemed completely uninjured. The Gormans often saw small balls of light of various colors, which could change direction instantly in any direction. The Gormans were raising a small herd of pedigreed Blank Angus cattle (about 40 of them). They found several of their expensive cattle dead and mutilated, with cuts as clean as surgical incisions, and no blood evident, at a time when yellow lights were racing around their property. Once their dogs took off after a blue orb; the Gormans found the dogs burned to death in its path. They also saw UFOs of various sizes and shapes. Tools would disappear and be found later in odd locations.
Tom eventually started writing about the strange phenomena, and through people who saw his reports, found out about the reputation of his property. He was contacted by a group of scientists from the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) who asked to come personally to investigate. About this time the Gormans had had enough; they sold their ranch to NIDS and bought another half an hour's drieve away. Tom was employed as caretaker of the property and guide for the NIDS guys, who brought a trailer full of lights, cameras, infrared and night vision binoculars and cameras, magnetometers, geiger counters, seismographs, etc.
They witnessed many strange things, including more cattle dissections, disappearance of calves and a dog, locks taken from the dog pen, dancing lights, etc. Perhaps the strangest was the time five huge bulls disappeared from a pen and were discovered to have jammed themselves into a tiny one-man-size trailer.
This is not the kind of stuff I usually read. It was mentioned in an article about the US Army releasing some of their information about UFOs. It certainly held my interest.
In the end, though, the NIDS scientists admitted, in their own words: "Throughout the years, the surveillance cameras had continued recording data, and with the exception of maybe a dozen instances of fast-moving meteorlike objects and suspicious aircraft activity (possibly due to drug smuggling), we managed to obtain no sustained evidence of anomalous phenomena."
The Gorman family of four bought a ranch in beautiful country in northwest Utah, not knowing that it was reputed to be the Skinwalker's home ground. They soon began to experience various episodes of weirdness. Their car was attacked by several huge wolves, three times the size of normal wolves, and when Tom Gorman fired at one point blank with a large caliber pistol, the wolf ignored the shots and seemed completely uninjured. The Gormans often saw small balls of light of various colors, which could change direction instantly in any direction. The Gormans were raising a small herd of pedigreed Blank Angus cattle (about 40 of them). They found several of their expensive cattle dead and mutilated, with cuts as clean as surgical incisions, and no blood evident, at a time when yellow lights were racing around their property. Once their dogs took off after a blue orb; the Gormans found the dogs burned to death in its path. They also saw UFOs of various sizes and shapes. Tools would disappear and be found later in odd locations.
Tom eventually started writing about the strange phenomena, and through people who saw his reports, found out about the reputation of his property. He was contacted by a group of scientists from the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) who asked to come personally to investigate. About this time the Gormans had had enough; they sold their ranch to NIDS and bought another half an hour's drieve away. Tom was employed as caretaker of the property and guide for the NIDS guys, who brought a trailer full of lights, cameras, infrared and night vision binoculars and cameras, magnetometers, geiger counters, seismographs, etc.
They witnessed many strange things, including more cattle dissections, disappearance of calves and a dog, locks taken from the dog pen, dancing lights, etc. Perhaps the strangest was the time five huge bulls disappeared from a pen and were discovered to have jammed themselves into a tiny one-man-size trailer.
This is not the kind of stuff I usually read. It was mentioned in an article about the US Army releasing some of their information about UFOs. It certainly held my interest.
In the end, though, the NIDS scientists admitted, in their own words: "Throughout the years, the surveillance cameras had continued recording data, and with the exception of maybe a dozen instances of fast-moving meteorlike objects and suspicious aircraft activity (possibly due to drug smuggling), we managed to obtain no sustained evidence of anomalous phenomena."
December 9, 2008
This book scared me. I liked it.
June 26, 2022
Really good informative book!!
October 14, 2023
★★★★ - it was great
This was a really entertaining and interesting UFO/paranormal conspiracy book with a scientific focus, and a solid follow-up to Communion, one of my favorite books of all time. I liked that Hunt for the Skinwalker expanded the scope beyond aliens and included other phenomena like alternate dimensions, bigfoot, and the possibility of the military's involvement/orchestration. I liked all of the other theories that the authors dived into like the supposed Skinwalker witches of various Native American tribes--they were fun to learn about.
I did feel like despite the book's title, the details of the scientific investigation took a back seat to the descriptions of the phenomena that took place on the Utah ranch (I was fine with this, I was more interested in the descriptions anyway, and the descriptions were all super cool). I did enjoy the epilogue of the book though, when the author explains the prevailing multiverse theory that's become more accepted by leading physicists in the realm of science today (and this book was written I believe ~20 years ago).
Overall Hunt for the Skinwalker kept me thoroughly engaged from start to finish. I also really liked the audiobook narration, even though it was a bit fast for me (I had to slow the speed down to 0.90).
This was a really entertaining and interesting UFO/paranormal conspiracy book with a scientific focus, and a solid follow-up to Communion, one of my favorite books of all time. I liked that Hunt for the Skinwalker expanded the scope beyond aliens and included other phenomena like alternate dimensions, bigfoot, and the possibility of the military's involvement/orchestration. I liked all of the other theories that the authors dived into like the supposed Skinwalker witches of various Native American tribes--they were fun to learn about.
I did feel like despite the book's title, the details of the scientific investigation took a back seat to the descriptions of the phenomena that took place on the Utah ranch (I was fine with this, I was more interested in the descriptions anyway, and the descriptions were all super cool). I did enjoy the epilogue of the book though, when the author explains the prevailing multiverse theory that's become more accepted by leading physicists in the realm of science today (and this book was written I believe ~20 years ago).
Overall Hunt for the Skinwalker kept me thoroughly engaged from start to finish. I also really liked the audiobook narration, even though it was a bit fast for me (I had to slow the speed down to 0.90).
March 28, 2022
Finally visiting this classic! Do you love tales of paranormal intrigue and people struggling to make sense of the unknowable? Then you'll dig this. A fortean classic about a group of scientists and journalists trying to understand the paranormal on a remote ranch being visiting by all manner of UAP and cryptid craziness. It's a wild ride that our tax dollars would eventually help fund!
March 20, 2022
Although I’ve never felt more uncomfortable asking for a book at the bookstore than this one, I did like it. Decided to read it after watching the first two seasons of the Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch show on the History Channel. I don’t believe one way or another anything about the place but I am certainly intrigued by the anomalous happenings there. I find enthralling the friction of uncertainty.
August 26, 2021
I read this book because the current History channel show, "The Secret of the Skinwalker Ranch" refers often to events that happened to prior owners of the ranch. This account is spooky and very different to what scientists are studying on the show currently. I did skim part three of this book. I have no idea how someone can interpret the strange events of this ranch and I prefer to make up my own mind.
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