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The key to even beginning understanding knocks and vocalizations is careful documentation, putting things in a data base, and at some point starting to do some analysis. As long as we can rule out human sources of both which seems to be reaching a problematic level. Perhaps at some point patterns will start to develop. I do not think at this point there is enough data to produce anything meaningful. Too many organizations collecting data, many of which do not share data, infighting in certain groups, and strong personalities are all roadblocks to that sort of thing. Even my own experience, I cannot know for sure what was happening. The whoops were obviously vocally generated and the back and forth nature was obviously some level of communication but the source of the knocking sound and it's intent is unknown. There was plenty of dry down wood at the site to provide something to knock with. When I investigated I was amazed that anything could travel through it because of the density all the down wood. I was crawling over and under logs getting to the point where I found disturbed forest floor. Certainly the 15 sec pause between the earth shaking thud and the knocking sound was time for the FB to evaluate the situation, select a stick, and make the sound. It could have meant several things to the BF. Possibilities are warning to the other BF, warning to me to stay away, or others unknown to me. Should someone else encounter a similar situation, perhaps some commonalities would be observed. Randy

My only experience with knocking was when I nearly got run over by a BF. I heard it coming right at me through the undergrowth, with heavy bipedal footsteps, then a loud crash / thud when it either saw me or smelled me and went into a crouch because the wind was at my back blowing right towards it. About 15 seconds after the thud it produced a rapid series of knocks that I believe was either 3 or 4 knocks. Since the one coming towards me and another one on another side of the creek had been whooping at each other for several minutes as they approached, I assumed the knocking was a warning to the other BF to stay away or that I was there. So in this case it seemed to be a warning since the whoops would have served to let them know their position relative to each other. So this implies that to BF whoops and knocks serve a different purpose. Until some audio study is done in some remote area where humans are never present, we cannot be sure knocks are not in some way connected to human presence. They may feel no need to do them when humans are not around. Researchers doing knocks is troubling to me. First of all, we really do not know for sure what they mean to a BF. If it is a warning about humans in the area, how is doing that of any help if you seek an encounter? Human vocalizations trying to imitate BF is also problematic when we do not know what the meaning of the different vocalization sounds are. Does anyone really think BF cannot tell the difference between their vocalizations and ours? A full blown BF howl carries for miles and is quite unique. But many humans try to imitate them. BF use various animal imitations for their own purpose and that primary purpose seems to be deceit or to trying to fool humans into thinking they are an owl or other normal forest animal but maintain positional awareness with each other. The owl like whoops I experienced were an example of that. So logically, if they are capable of higher analytical thought, humans using BF vocalizations, are being deceitful and up to no good. Finally, I am concerned that my own field behavior, may be perceived to BF as a hunting behavior. I may not be carrying a rifle, but I do carry a handgun for cougars etc, and if watched by a BF when I am looking at footprints, scat, and other animal sign it would be obvious to a sentient being that I am hunting something. Put a bunch of me in the woods in a given area and they might feel quite threatened. Perhaps to the point where they might move away from an area for a while. I have wondered if that is one reason why some research areas suddenly go cold. Randy

I think the freeze tactic is just the first option towards not being seen. They more than likely will observe us using this tactic and wait until we are distracted well enough from an opposite direction or we move on. Once they feel like they have not been detected they'll move on or follow / flank and escort occasionally.

Crazy is being unwilling to follow the data because you don't like where it leads. MIB