Need Help In Central Texas.........

[Bigtex]

Another unfortunate victim in the Kill Zone 2......it's a Deer.

[NCBFr]

You too JanV........and everyone else too!

 

Took my first hike for 2014 yesterday, and found something a bit strange, and since I don't hunt, maybe some hunters could shed some light. Was hiking in a remote area, and found a fresh Deer Skin. I could see tufts of hair nearby in several places, disturbed ground, and must have been where it was killed. It just seemed odd to find such a thing, and the rest of the animal wasn't in the area, as my wolfy would have surely found a snack. Would a hunter skin a Deer and take the rest of it away, guts and all?

 

I found this exact thing last year about 100  yards from the front of my driveway.  Creeped me and the kids out for sure.  I found a paw of the dead deer a few days later on my kids playground.  I am thinking it was coyotes but am looking forward to what other people say.

[Guest]

Bigtex, i remember seeing chester on southern fried bigfoot. Has he come across anything interesting since then?

Great pics. Keep em coming, interesting stuff.

[Guest]

I just checked out the last a few pages and your new camera trap questions about where to set them up. You answered your own question when you described a favorite spot as " the funnel" 

 

A good funnel is a hunters dream, a great place for a stand or a game camera, But with the bridge I would be more weary of theft than a bigfoot destruction. Especially if you think that it is used in low light conditions where the flash is needed, if that bridge is used by vehicles than the bigfoot may be used to sudden light.

 

One tip is to set up the trap, but do not arm it for a period of time that you deem long enough for it to be encountered a couple times without incident and it may be accepted as simple debris, drop in when you think it is less likely to be visited and arm the trap, and by drop in, I mean in and out, no poking around for tracks, no dogs, this is not a hike about, it is a tactical mission, low impact, arm and later on to check for activity.

 

I really enjoy reading your experiences, thanks for sharing.

 

gp 

[Bigtex]

Thanks for the posts guys, very much appreciated! Hey GP, was already planning on setting one up in/near the funnel for sure. The key is to get this on a game trail with known BF activity......if I get this on the right trail at the right time, I will get him to say "cheese" Would I lend one of my rigs to someone to use with a good chance of success.......ABSOLUTELY!

 

As far as setting one up for a spell and not armed, I really don't think that is necessary, as great time and care is taken to conceal. Here's a picture of a game trail ready to go with buried trigger mat. Don't know how far you went back, but had posted this pic of me tripping the camera before, and notice the area around my foot where the trigger is. Also, it is nice to know exactly where the subject will be, so I can set my cameras (X2) in the perfect position.

 

Hey ItsAsquatch.......good to hear from you. Chester is a good friend, and is currently filming Season 2 of his show 'God's Outdoors with Chester Moore', and you can find last years episodes on YouTube. Here's a link to the Promo for Season 2. One episode features Wolves, and he & film crew came down a few weeks back to do some filming with my Wolf Lulu........she is featured 3 times in the Promo!

 

https://vimeo.com/82795696

 

Also, Chester is coming here next month for some BF'ing, and we will be doing the 'Funnel' set up together.

[Bigtex]

Was on a business trip the last few days, first to Dallas, then down to Lafayette Louisiana Sunday night. I took I-49 South from Shreveport, it was late around 10:30 PM, and I was somewhere between Natchitoches & Alexandria.. Beautiful country from what I could see for many miles.

 

I had an odd occurrence........I was approaching an area that had around fifty yards of grass before the wood line, and noticed several Deer feeding there. I saw a flash of black near the wood line, but before I could look closer, the Deer spooked, and were all coming my way across the road in front of me. I don't know how I missed them, lucky swerve and breaking I guess. Pulled over a little rattled from the near wreck, got out, and walked toward the area of the black flash. Didn't hear or smell anything, but had a creepy feeling and left.......there was very little traffic that night, and none either way during this event.

 

I started wondering if the black flash was indeed a Bigfoot, and was he/she setting me up to make a kill? I have read many driving reports over the years, and this certainly seems to be the case, has anyone  had this experience before?  

[Guest]

There are alot of BF in the area you mention Nac-Alx route. Very well could have been, have wondered the same thing of them spooking game into on coming traffic and then to retrieve quickly afterward.

[Sunflower]

Yes, I had a near miss on my road going to work early one morning.  A doe just flew out of the heavy woods from my left, she hit the edge of the road on my right side.  I saw her in time to break but the bar ditch was a few feet deep and then the incline was quite steep.  She got tangled in the barbed wire and landed on her head on the other side of the wire.  One leg was stuck on a barb and she was fighting furiously to get unhooked.

 

I decided to grab some pliers from the tool box and cut her loose.  It was not easy dodging her feet but after a couple times I put the pliers on the top wire and started to press down and get a cut on it.  For a few seconds she stopped kicking and yelling, I tried once more and she broke free but with a bloody leg.  The last thing I saw was her butt...........

 

After what I had experienced years later I sometimes think of that morning and wonder it she was chased on purpose into my oncoming truck.

[Bigtex]

Great story Sunflower, and especially the last part where you freed the Deer! Now the BF hanging back in the woods might have been upset.......

 

Found this Deer leg bone off trail the other day, with the bone cracked, and marrow gone. Other than my Wolf and big Cats (Cougar & Jaguar), I haven't noticed any of the other predators that are able to crack leg bones. Big Cat's and their kills are hard to come across down here thank goodness, but they are certainly around. This wasn't a big cat though. I have often wondered if BF's carry around Deer legs as a 'on the go' snack, as I have found these for years, and seemingly out of place. Kill sights always follow a certain MO, given the suspected predator species, and I have seen plenty over the years. I do get a feeling sometimes when the kill area just doesn't look right, and in this case, the fresh leg was just dropped with no sign of the rest of this poor fellow. Hiking with 2 dogs and a wolf, they always find anything dead in my hiking arc, and there weren't any other parts of this Deer in the area.

 

Also, the marrow was gone.......sucked out? It's near impossible for known predators to create a sucking motion.  

[Bigtex]

One thing about weather in central Texas, there's always hope:) Up to near 80 yesterday from the freezing rain & sleet Friday, but back down to 23 tonight with more sleet 'n snow.

 

Did offer some great hiking weather, and went for a looooong one both Saturday & Sunday........here are some interesting pictures;

 

   - Trap-door spider borrow, open & closed

   - Print with leaves blown in

   - Juvie print 

   - Toe Slide on muddy incline coming outta creek

 

The last picture was creepy, and looked like some kinda large den. I would hardly have noticed it, but saw the fresh looking print, and was more of a toe-slide on the muddy part shown in red, with the entrance in green. The whole area creeped the dogs and I out, and was hearing strange unidentified animal sounds coming from a thicket nearby. Would love to say it was BF sounds, but have never heard the sounds before from any creature, and hard to describe other than a very high pitched moan. I almost thought a bird alarm of some type, but haven't heard that species before, and would be a larger bird due to the volume. 

 

Also went to see my 'tree', which is a 200+ year old Live Oak.......massive tree. I only go there in winter though due to a killer bee nest inside one of the lower limbs, but the warm weather made the lil buggers active yesterday, got hit & marked twice (not stung), and had to retreat post haste:)

[Bigtex]

I have wanted one of these for a while, and finally found a deal on a good working unit. I'm not gonna use it, but is a bit of history for the hobby:) This is a Kodak K-100 'Turret' camera, and the same model used by Patterson for his famous film. Lemme tell you, this baby is amazingly well made, heavy, and must have been a beast to use. I completely understand the shakiness of the film! Mine did not come with lenses, and can only imagine the additional weight for those. I found some lenses from another source, so will have this thing working soon. My intention is of course just to have it, but also field test it to see just what Patterson had to deal with.

 

I have heard that he was using the 25mm lens, and was determined by Bill Munns......does anyone know which lens was used for sure?

[Bigtex]

I have posted this tree-trail block before, and is even more impressive now. This tree was pulled down and twisted across one of my main hiking trails, and the fact that the top part, now down across my trail, is still living gets my attention every time I hike by. In fact, it's spring loaded, and I am getting the feeling it was intentional, and 'designed' this way to pee me off, and make me bleed.......several times! If it had fallen over naturally, the top and/or tree would be long dead, and if it was wind or other weather phenom, the surrounding area would show sign of it. 

[Bigtex]

Daddyfoot seemed to be out and about recently.......couple of prints out of a fairly distinct track-way. 

[Bigtex]

Had some amazing weather this weekend, and was about 20 minutes into a long hike on Saturday when a miss step resulted in a head laceration & concussion.

 

I've been hiking in the wilds for over 50 years, I know to never be overly confident or cocky about it, and ALWAYS tell folks to forget about the wild animals and other things that can get ya out there.......your next step is always the most dangerous thing you will face.

 

Heads fine, and had the wifey put a few staples in it, and hiked yesterday.......better than a 2K emergency room visit:)

 

Now I'm not recommending this, but you can get a medical staple kit at Amazon fairly cheaply, and is a nice addition to the first ad kit, just make sure you thoroughly clean the wound before stapling.

[JanV]

OMG!

Do you carry a cell phone when you hike?

You were lucky to be able to get back on your own. Don't scare us like this.

Did you have your dogs with you?

Please take care!