| Is it dangerous to go Devil Hunting alone? |
| YES! I cannot stress that enough. It's not dangerous just because you're out there in the middle of the woods searching for a creature that we have absolutely no idea what it would do if you find it, either (although that in itself is pretty dangerous). It's dangerous for a million other reasons. You step in to the Pine Barrens, you suddenly disappear. You are swallowed up by the woods, and no one from the road can see you. That's it! Then, no one can know exactly where you are, and you could be lost out there for days. Not to mention the bugs, snakes, and other animals you may encounter while out there. There are definitely bears in the northern corner of New Jersey, and we've got reports of cougars in the southern part of the state now. As Devil Hunters, we have specific rules where NO HUNTER is ever allowed to go out alone. Never. There is always a team, always at least two people. So please, if you decide to do any kind of investigation on your own, please be careful! |
| The 1740 exorcism was apparently pretty successful. How would that fit in with the undiscovered species theory? I guess no one tried again after that - do you think they should, or that it would work? |
| Proving that the exorcism was truly successful is almost impossible, and definitely a topic for discussion. During the time period of 1740 to 1840, there were sightings. Each sighting, however, seemed to take place in the Jersey Devil's own environment, and he did not seek out contact with humans. But then again, if the Jersey Devil was an evil spirit, then why would it still be found in the Pine Barrens after an exorcism? Wouldn't it have been removed for 100 years? I'm not completely sure on how that kind of thing is supposed to work, but I don't understand why it would be allowed to hang out, just not bother anyone... Anyway, I don't think it's likely that the Jersey Devil is a form of evil. I've heard sightings upon sightings, none of which people could tell me that the creature did something particularly evil to them. It did react like a typical animal would, but nothing out of the ordinary. There are even animals out there who seem more likely to attack a human. So in my opinion, exorcising the Jersey Devil could quite possibly be a lot like exorcising a bear. I don't think doing it again would really make much difference, and I even think that the success of the first exorcism could have been nothing more than coincidence. Of course, that's just my opinion. |
| Was the Jersey Devil ever named before it turned into a devil? |
| Good question! We've been researching that for a while. Somehow, somewhere along the lines of my studies, I dug up the info that the name was "Smith J. Leeds". We've found two graves in Smithville for boys named "Smith J. Leeds", each living only to the age of 2. However, both children were born long after 1735, in the 1800's. Perhaps they were named after the supposed Jersey Devil child? |
|
| I've seen the picture that you linked us to, and to me it looks like the negative of a giraffe. Do you know the origin of this photo, and do you believe it's really a picture of the Jersey Devil? |
| Well, I completely agree with you that this photo is disputable. I'm not sure what it is. Supposedly, it came from an old battleground field somewhere in South Jersey. There was an e-mail address that was from the submitter, but I tried to contact it and got permanent fatal errors. So the picture is surrounded by controversy. If you had taken that picture, wouldn't you definitely have a story to go along with it?! I know I would! |
| How much longer do you think the Jersey Devil will live? |
| That depends on what the Jersey Devil is. If it's an entire family full of little Jersey Devils, then I imagine the family line will continue for quite a while until some outside influence puts an end to it. If it's one creature, then there's really no way of knowing. |
| What happened to the remains found many years ago of an unknown biological entity that fit the description of the Jersey Devil? Was it ever examined by scientists? |
| I don't know, and I don't think we can find out at this point either. It's probably disappeared or been covered up by now. I don't think anything actually came of it, and I'm not sure if the Dept. of Conservation, etc., actually took it seriously. Besides the fact that the remains were charred, probably dismissed... |
| Would the Jersey Devil hurt people? |
| I don't know, but I do know that right now it hasn't. I think it's more scared of us than we are of it, you know? I can't promise or guarantee anything though. And I'm sure it would probably retaliate like any animal when confronted. |
| Is the Jersey Devil immortal? |
| I don't have any proof either way, but in my opinion, no. I've been researching the creature's behavior lately, especially when it comes to being shot by cannons and such. I found out through a very helpful associate member that a bird or other large flying creature could actually take damage to its wing mid-flight and continue to glide through the air due to inertia. So the fact that it was shot by Joseph Bonaparte still doesn't prove immortality - a bird could do the same thing. I think it's just been reproducing (or perhaps has a very long life expectancy). |
| If there are more than one Jersey Devils, do you think he could mate with other ones? |
| Well, I would assume so, if it's just your average biological creature. Unless there's some sort of strange Jurassic Park type Jersey Devil plant genetically engineering them... |
| What is Phenomenal Week? |
| Phenomenal Week was the week of January 16th through 23rd, 1909, when the Jersey Devil was seen in NJ over a hundred times. For more info, go to the sightings section of this website and read all about it there. |
|
