Rockape Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 4 hours ago, FarArcher said: Wow. Great narrative. Curious thing about a thick bunch of cedars - there are usually no bugs in there. No flies, no mosquitoes, no bugs. Probably has something to do with why some folks line closets with cedar or use cedar chests, or put cedar blocks around a closet. Good point, I hadn't considered that aspect, only that it would be a good place to hide and also to stay cool. Quote But I do see lots of narratives of these critters being mighty curious, and approaching windows. Yeah, some of the things that happened I have since learned are reported in many other cases. Makes me wonder, ya' know, just maybe.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIB Posted August 21, 2016 Moderator Share Posted August 21, 2016 Cedars ... I'm not buying that part of the tale for a couple reasons. Cedars grow in moist soil, exactly where the mosquitoes hatch and are thickest. Second, cedars do not give off the pungent odors that kill bugs until after the wood is cut or a substantial amount is broken. I'm not deliberately questioning your claim about bigfoot in the cedar clump, but if true, your rationalization for why they would be there is based on a mistaken understanding of cedars, insects, etc. MIB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockape Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 1 hour ago, MIB said: Cedars ... I'm not buying that part of the tale for a couple reasons. Cedars grow in moist soil, exactly where the mosquitoes hatch and are thickest. Don't know much about Texas, do you. You're hard pressed to find water anywhere here and cedars don't grow near them. And all I said was it gave me the creeps. That's probably because it was so open but dark under them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Wait. Texas.....I think what your calling a "cedar" is really a juniper bush. I ran into that in the oil field. Yah juniper grow in very dry climates The stuff they make closets out of is western red cedar. it looks like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockape Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 5 minutes ago, norseman said: Wait. Texas.....I think what your calling a "cedar" is really a juniper bush. I ran into that in the oil field. Yah juniper grow in very dry climates No, Cedar trees, we got a lot of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIB Posted August 21, 2016 Moderator Share Posted August 21, 2016 Yeah, I forgot the Texas part. "Its like a whole 'nother country." Here our cedars mostly grow in damp and sometimes cold places. If I saw something like that pic in dry country here I'd think "juniper". MIB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Yah that's not the cedar they make closets out of.... Are you sure that's cedar and not juniper or cypress? Exactly what is the scientific name of that tree? And is it wild or planted? Redwood makes good closets too. Found it.....its Juniper, I think. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_ashei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 14 minutes ago, MIB said: Yeah, I forgot the Texas part. "Its like a whole 'nother country." Here our cedars mostly grow in damp and sometimes cold places. If I saw something like that pic in dry country here I'd think "juniper". MIB Here is what we call a juniper in the west. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_occidentalis 2 hours ago, MIB said: Cedars ... I'm not buying that part of the tale for a couple reasons. Cedars grow in moist soil, exactly where the mosquitoes hatch and are thickest. Second, cedars do not give off the pungent odors that kill bugs until after the wood is cut or a substantial amount is broken. I'm not deliberately questioning your claim about bigfoot in the cedar clump, but if true, your rationalization for why they would be there is based on a mistaken understanding of cedars, insects, etc. MIB QFT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockape Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 33 minutes ago, norseman said: Yah that's not the cedar they make closets out of.... Are you sure that's cedar and not juniper or cypress? Exactly what is the scientific name of that tree? And is it wild or planted? I don't care what they use for closets, around here we use them for fence posts because they don't rot. And we call them cedars here in Texas so dagnabbit, they're cedars! And they do have a smell to them if you get into a thicket. Whether they actually repel insects I don't know but it sounds plausible to me. And it looks like this is what I'm referring to, Eastern Red Cedar, I guess they are a juniper also. I think we have some overlap with the Mountain Cedar more common in central and west Texas. Some here are the shorter, more shrub like though nearly all of them have been planted for windrow, they're common around old homesteads. http://www.arborilogical.com/arborilogical-newsletter-articles/tree-species-profiles-top-rated-shade-trees-eastern-red-cedar/ I've learned more about cedars than I ever wanted to know. Fun fact : There is an old, hillbilly belief that if you plant a cedar tree in your yard, as soon as it gets large enough to cast a shadow over a grave, someone in your family will die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DWA Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 I'm not seeing this. When people with clearly relevant scientific chops, like Meldrum and Bindernagel, who know from bears, show that very subtle but repeatedly reported cues, cues that would raise the eyebrows of any primatologist paying close attention, say "hominid primate"... Bear is one of those things that keeps coming up. It needs to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 32 minutes ago, Rockape said: I don't care what they use for closets, around here we use them for fence posts because they don't rot. And we call them cedars here in Texas so dagnabbit, they're cedars! And they do have a smell to them if you get into a thicket. Whether they actually repel insects I don't know but it sounds plausible to me. And it looks like this is what I'm referring to, Eastern Red Cedar, I guess they are a juniper also. I think we have some overlap with the Mountain Cedar more common in central and west Texas. Some here are the shorter, more shrub like though nearly all of them have been planted for windrow, they're common around old homesteads. http://www.arborilogical.com/arborilogical-newsletter-articles/tree-species-profiles-top-rated-shade-trees-eastern-red-cedar/ I've learned more about cedars than I ever wanted to know. Fun fact : There is an old, hillbilly belief that if you plant a cedar tree in your yard, as soon as it gets large enough to cast a shadow over a grave, someone in your family will die. Yah....Americana terminology. Dakotans called theirs cedar as well. A cedar to us is a massive tree that loves water and shade. And we cut them down to build decks, etc. Back in the old days there was a whole cedar shake industry for roofing. In fact my house had cedar shakes on it when I bought it. Thanks for the fun fact! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWWASAS Posted August 21, 2016 BFF Patron Share Posted August 21, 2016 (edited) DWA I think bear is in the sighting equation because of how the human mind works. We see an object, or in this case a large animal, and our mind compares it to everything we have seen either in person or in books and pictures. Kind of like running through a deck of flip cards. Sighting report after sighting report reads like the witness saw something, his mind assumed was a bear because that was the only thing that fit, until the BF did something not bear like such as get up and walk away on two legs or the witness saw the face and realized it was not a bear face. That brings in the human like facial description that is so common. Also, since the BF spends some time on all fours, or drops into a crouch when caught in the open, some bear sightings may not be bear at all but BF that do not betray behavior that is different than bear. If they stay down and do not face you, it would be difficult to tell the difference at at distance. In the case of bear, most humans with any sense would back away and not promote any sort of response from the bear. There has to be a certain rate of misidentification just because of not hanging around long enough to tell what you are really looking at. So I think misidentification could go both ways. Edited August 21, 2016 by SWWASAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarArcher Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 (edited) All klnds of cedar trees around the world - some say 30 types, some identified as types of juniper. From Texas to Lebanon. Juniper berries - that's the only difference between vodka and gin. In clusters of cedars - bugs bug out. Edited August 21, 2016 by FarArcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module12/CreaturesofSwamp.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedSallis Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Great (though occasionally sidetracked ) discussion, everyone. Hifier, I can maaaaybe grant you that some of the so-called "dogmen" sightings could be bear, but what about the fact that the vast majority of up close BF sightings indicate a flat face, and rounded, not pointed, ears? Seems to me when you take away these attributes, you really are out of the "bear" game altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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