Bigtex Posted May 18, 2013 Author Share Posted May 18, 2013 Had a nice hike tonight, and summer temps are here.......was 96 today, but had 'cooled' down to 91 by 6:30.....5 degrees when it's 90 something makes a difference for sure. Anyway, headed to one of my favorite Springs, always sign of activity there from many different animals, and the dogs can get a drink. Saw this disturbance in the soil leading down to the Spring from a distance, and managed to keep the dogs from running through it. It looked large bipedal, with a few tracks and slides, as it slopes down pretty good, more so than it looks in the photo. Closeup of a print with mini slide, the track-way itself, and the Wolfy enjoying the cool water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 After visiting the Spring again yesterday from the previous post, it appears that the subject was heading up, not down to the Spring, and was coming fast from the other side......maybe chasing something in an ambush mode. What appeared to be slides on the prints heading down, looks more like 'burning rubber' heading up. Also, an older but strange limb 'teepee' type structure, it seemed deliberate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Nice pics, BT. Thanks for the update. Glad you're getting good weather for getting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 More large animal disturbances at one of the Springs I hike to.......and set up a game camera that I will leave out there a week or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanV Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Hi Bigtex, I'm curious about the structure pics posted on 5/20. It seems to me to be an effective blind, possibly for an ambush Was there a trail nearby? As always, I am enjoying your pics and findings - along with the pics of the dogs. Stay safe out there, and keep us posted! Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Hey JanV, there is a game trail just to the left of the structure, and you can see my dog on the trail in both pics. It's a fairly well used game trail by Deer, and the limbs were stacked mostly on the trail side. Somebody made this, whether it be human or not, and was an obvious place for an ambush, as the creek/river are very close by. Spent the weekend camping on the Colorado River, near Bend Texas, but didn't get any good photos.......spent too much time in and around the River, and didn't want to get the camera wet. I swam a game caller across the River Friday, hid it in some brush, and played various animal calls both nights, including some BF howls. The only activity that I had was Friday night when 4 very bold Raccoon's raided my camp. However, I hiked the opposite side on Saturday, and on a bluff overlooking my game caller, and right across from my camp with a perfect view, was a grassy area that was matted down. Perfect lookout spot to observe my camp without being seen, and the matted down area was fairly large, and fresh.......just hours old, as many of the grass stalks were bouncing back up from being laid over. There was an obvious trail that came down to it from the cliffs that run along that side, with many caves also. Can't remember if it was this forum or the 'old' forum, but I had an encounter near a cave in this area several years ago while hiking at night, and is in fact the last time that I did a night hike alone, as something rattled my cage pretty good on this occasion.......I'll look to see if I wrote about this incident in this forum, and if not, can go through it again if anyone is interested. I will say this though.......something strange is going on across the River in this area. There are camp sights all along the side of the river I was on - none on the other - and as I followed the trail from the fresh lookout area across from my camp, it connected to many other lookouts with views of other camp sights. I followed this trail for hours, and didn't find any human tracks or trash, not even a cigarette butt. I was thinking possible hunters, but the trail was used the night before, and they would be poaching, plus I would have found boot tracks.......nothing, no sign of human activity. Something uses this trail on a regular basis, and most likely to observe campers on the other side. Very rugged terrain, and access would be extremely tough if you were coming from the other side. I googled the location, and there doesn't appear to be any roads that would get you anywhere near the top of the cliffs on that side, plus you would need climbing gear to get down. Gonna start going to this place a lot more.......any Texas Footers out there interested in some night hiking in this area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanV Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I have camped and hiked at Big Bend National Park and remember the topography with the river and the Davis mountains. When we were there (years ago) it was really a lonely, isolated place with few visitors. Please do post a link to your earlier experience there. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Hey JanV, I will check if it was posted in this Forum........this place is near Bend Texas close to Lampasas, and a long ways from Big Ben National Park, and the Davis Mountains, different location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanV Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 I looked it up. A very long way from Big Bend. Different river too! Looked at Sulfer Springs. It looks like nice country to camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Sulphur Springs Camp indeedy, near Bend Texas, www.bendtexas.com. I have been going there for many years, and you can rent cabins or camp. It's wild enough on the camp side, especially if you go all the way down the dirt road several miles, but better have a 4 X 4, as the road is brutal. It's the other side of the River that's just plan crazy wild, and is where I go to hike. The owners Dean & Kay are wonderful people, and Dean is quite a character.......a real mans man. My best experience there was several years ago when I was on a solo camp. I waited until around 10:00PM and waded across the River for a night hike. There was a particular cliff that I wanted to climb with a good view, and blast a few calls. Finally got up there, I was enjoying the great view of the valley below, full moon, and decided to just stay quiet and listen. Lots of animal sounds, but nothing unusual, so decided to hike back to camp. I got turned around a bit, and came down a different way. As I was making my way back down on a fairly worn game trail, came to a narrow ledge, which took me by a Cave briefly, and continued downward. I had made it about 20 or so feet down & over from the Cave, when I heard a pretty good commotion up there, followed by a deep growl with substantial lung power. Whatever it was quickly and quietly took up a position well over from the Cave, and directly above me. The change in position so quickly freaked me out a bit, and I started moving pretty fast down to the River. In fact way to fast, and I was lucky not to break anything. The heavy footed creature followed me at a distance until the Rivers edge, which was deeper than the place I had crossed, but jumped in and swam no problem........no further incident or unusual sounds the rest of the night, and didn't sleep to good either:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cervelo Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I'd go in a heartbeat if I was closer!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Heck yeah Cervelo.......Y B on my Top 10 list for sure. Scottie, beam Cervelo up and over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Unseasonably cool weather yesterday at around 86 degrees @ 6:00PM, great hiking temp for June! Hiked one area, and found a huge print. Also a picture of the limb structure shown a few posts back; red arrow shows structure, there is a split in the game trail shown, with the blue line heading to water, and the green line curving around to parallel the creek bed below. The limb structure would allow you to jump something going either way, great placement for sure. And lastly, some late blooming Spring flowers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 and right across from my camp with a perfect view, was a grassy area that was matted down. Perfect lookout spot to observe my camp without being seen, and the matted down area was fairly large, and fresh.......just hours old, as many of the grass stalks were bouncing back up from being laid over. There was an obvious trail that came down to it from the cliffs that run along that side, with many caves also. Wow BT, you've sure got some great stuff going on!!! That cave and the multiple bedding areas with connecting paths for observing campsites sounds very, very interesting!!!! Wish I was closer (but I'm not at all close, lol)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 (edited) Here's a short video from Sulphur Springs Camp, on the Colorado River, and one of the matted down areas over looking our camp. The 'fresher' one mentioned in the previous post was further up and over, directly across from our camp sight, which is by my truck 'Whitey' under the larger trees. This one has been used before, with some of the grass turning brown, but the one above was all green and fresh.......shoulda filmed that one too, but didn't. Edited June 13, 2013 by Bigtex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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