Why I'm Not A Fan Of Stick/tree Structures......

[Guest]

Ok, well if anyone's paid attention to some of my posts in various "stick/tree structure" threads, you'll probably note that I've been somewhat critical, and skeptical in the past about them. I have suggested that in many cases there's a perfectly natural explanation, or that sometimes things just happen that seem hard to believe. I've suggested several times that I've seen things similar to what was being discussed, and had good reason to believe that no Bigfoot's were involved in the making of them. I have been challenged at least once or twice to put up some pictures... well I found a real doozy of an example.

So tonight, I was over at my Dad's house over across the Hudson River from where I live, and we were outside walking in his back yard looking at a few large trees that tipped over this past winter, that he'd like me to cut up w/ a chainsaw.

As I turned to my right, I saw the following "structure", and because of seeing so many on here, and youtube, and other places on the internet- it immediately jumped out at me, or was a recognizable pattern that set off an alarm in my head.

So first of all a picture of of the "structure".....

Now, when you look at it, it's got alot of the "hallmarks" of other structures I've seen offered up as possible Bigfoot/Sasquatch manufactured....

It's somewhat pyramid shaped.

It's made up of several different trees and logs that dont look like they came from the same place.

It appears that the components of the structure have been leaned or balanced to form what you see....

But, when you turn about 45 degrees to the right, from where the first picure was taken- here is what you see....

Yep, that's their house- about 20 or 30 yards from where I took the picture, and maybe 40 or so from the "structure".

I can assure you of several things...

#1 its very close proximity to their house would suggest strongly that there are no squatches living in their backyard.

This location by the way, is on the outskirts of Poughkeepsie NY, a densely populated area, and my dad and his wife are lucky to have a place that's a little bit off the main road, and actually sits in the woods.

#2 to the left of the first picture is another house, about 50-75 yards through the woods also in view of the area.

#3 both of their neighbors are older folks- no kids, so its doubtful that this is the result of any human effort.

When I asked my Dad if he did it/ leaned the branches up like that, he gave me a look like I was from Jupiter or beyond the asteroid field somewhere.

#4 the area is forested, but it is a fairly densely human populated residential neighborhood, so again in my mind, it kind of eliminates it as good sqautch habitat

.

#5 the ground around the structure is extremely "mushy" and wet- as it is in the general area, because their backyard is on the bottom flat area below a downslope, which also explains why tree's have a hard time rooting, and every time the wind blows strong- another tree topples over.

#6 there is no other evidence of anything other than a few occasional deer wandering through the area. Lots of deer tracks everywhere (like i said its wet mushy ground)- but no big honking footprints anywhere, including in and around the "structure".

So... what am I getting at ? What's my point ? Am I saying that because of this particular case that all structures are naturally occurring, and that there's little or no chance that Sasquatch made them ?

NO... I am not.

But what I am saying, and asking... is for people to keep an open mind, both ways...

When you find something like this, or an arched over tree- my other "favorite" often attributed to Bigfoot occurrence, that you consider that there always is the possibility that it happened by chance, or naturally.

Funny things do happen in the woods. Tree's fall over, get blown over, and when they do- often times they get caught up in one another. Over time another tree topples into the other two, or a large branch falls from above and gets snagged- and you wind up with what's shown in the first picture above.

I fear sometimes that because people have suggested so many of them to be "constructed" by squatches, that when people find them- they automatically think they've found evidence of Bigfoot living on their property, or that its something that can't occur on its own in nature, and must have been constructed.

Ive seen so many formations like the above, so many arched trees, and odd things in my years of stalking through the woods of upstate NY, and for the very large part- I believe they happened naturally. Most, even some very far off the beaten path, just didnt strike me as being constructed- and when I stood there for a minute and looked at them, you could also "puzzle" your way through it, and see how it could have happened.....

Either that, or my Dad has a Bigfoot living in his backyard, and its comes VERY close to their house, but I really dont think that's the case.....

-Art-

[Guest JVDBogart]

Also, I know when I was a kid, my friends and I would constantly build stick teepees in the forest just for fun. As I have since grown older, I have been to numerous survival schools and practicing how to buld a "debris hut" is one of the most important skills. There are many survivalists out there building these huts and I am sure many just leave them standing. So there are two things that I have personally done unknowingly that could be attributed to a Bigfoot shelter. When you add up all the kids building teepees, all the survivalists building debris huts, and random acts of nature, you are left with mostly human explanation.

[Guest thermalman]

I would agree that stick structures would fall into two main categories; 1) man made, 2) naturally formed by nature.

[Sasfooty]

I'm not a big fan of tree structures either, & have never seen any around here that I thought might have been done by the hairy folks. There are several bent-over elm trees in the woods behind my house that got bent during an ice storm & never straightened back. They look almost exactly like the ones that are often attributed to the BFs, but I saw how these were made. Even so, that doesn't mean they aren't making them at other places, & it would be presumptuous to say none are made by them.

Having said that, I still think they do often make blinds. I have a friend who took pictures of the progression of one being constructed behind her house. She said she would hear them breaking limbs out in the woods during the night, & then rustling around in the area where the blind was being built. The next morning, there would be new branches added to the blind. She said there were bare places on the ground behind it where they would sit or stand & watch the house.

[Guest]

Well for the record, the one in my above post I am 99.9% confident is a result of windfall trees and branches....

While it looks like it could have been set up that way- the situation around the house, lack of other human involvement in the area, and lots of other blown over trees around it- make me believe its just a natural occurrence.....

Now a blind or the skeletal remains of a debris hut do make me think "human involvement"- but depending on the size, where it was found, etc- I am open to the idea of BF making them...

Just some- like a well known one in the "Marble Mtn" footage drive me NUTS because its so obvious that it was done by people.....but you still to this day hear people referring to it and BF in the same sentences.... really gets under my skin !

-A-

[salubrious]

I found a 'structure' and posted a photo on another thread. Funny thing was that it had some oak limbs in it that were fairly substantial- about 4-6" diameter, and there was no oak anywhere nearby. When I see these things I look for natural explanation- where did the sticks come from?? In this particular case there was no good explanation- it certainly was not kids.

[BobbyO]

Like so much of this subject, we have no idea unless the behaviour has been observed, that BF make any kind of stick structures of course.

But it's the guessing that keeps us sane..

[Guest]

I'd wager that 99.9% of stick structures attributed to BF are more appropriately due to natural explanations or human involvement.

I'm not a huge fan of *stick structures* being attributed to BF either.

I'm not a big fan of tree structures either, & have never seen any around here that I thought might have been done by the hairy folks. There are several bent-over elm trees in the woods behind my house that got bent during an ice storm & never straightened back. They look almost exactly like the ones that are often attributed to the BFs, but I saw how these were made. Even so, that doesn't mean they aren't making them at other places, & it would be presumptuous to say none are made by them.

Having said that, I still think they do often make blinds. I have a friend who took pictures of the progression of one being constructed behind her house. She said she would hear them breaking limbs out in the woods during the night, & then rustling around in the area where the blind was being built. The next morning, there would be new branches added to the blind. She said there were bare places on the ground behind it where they would sit or stand & watch the house.

Dang, seems we found common ground.

It would also be presumptuous to state any were made by BF sans corroborative proof.

More likely explanation would be humans or natural occurences perpretrated them.

I can walk out of my backdoor and within minutes find easily explained *stick structures* many would claim were BF related.

But the truth of the matter is we had some tornadic activity here in the last year and they are a result of nature.

I did find a cool tee-pee last year but I also found an Oui magazine and a Playboy or two inside of the structure. From several years back though as they featured Drew Barrymore and Vanessa Williams respectively.

Sort of rules out a BF I think.

99.9% of stick structures are going to be due to natural phenomenon or human involvement.

Not too sure 0.1 warrants too much viable interest being attributed as BF related.

I found a 'structure' and posted a photo on another thread. Funny thing was that it had some oak limbs in it that were fairly substantial- about 4-6" diameter, and there was no oak anywhere nearby. When I see these things I look for natural explanation- where did the sticks come from?? In this particular case there was no good explanation- it certainly was not kids.

And, that might just fall into the 0.1%. Cool that what you found included Oak limbs and there were no Oaks nearby.

Sort of the stuff that keeps me going in all sincerity.

Still, I think I would effort to rule out any measure of human involvement before I jump to BF.

99.9% of stick structures can be explained by nature or human involvement IMHO.

Just my opinion but it is taken/formed with much consideration.

[yowiie]

I have been researching these hairy guys for close to 20 years and have never in that time come across a stick structure that I could attribute to a Yowie.

The structures don't serve as a shelter in any shape or form, some say they are directional markers, that I very much doubt. These guys now the bush like the back of your hands, these animals hide themselves so why leave evidence suggesting that they are in the area, it just doesn't sound like something they would do

Stick structures are a thumbs down for me, but when it comes to bed structures, well they are a different kettle of fish, they are legitimate

[Guest]

I can walk out of my backdoor and within minutes find easily explained *stick structures* many would claim were BF related. But the truth of the matter is we had some tornadic activity here in the last year and they are a result of nature.

Pics?

I also found an Oui magazine and a Playboy or two inside of the structure. From several years back though as they featured Drew Barrymore and Vanessa Williams respectively.

...pics...?

Edited May 28, 2012 by forestguy

[Guest]

I have been researching these hairy guys for close to 20 years and have never in that time come across a stick structure that I could attribute to a Yowie.

The structures don't serve as a shelter in any shape or form, some say they are directional markers, that I very much doubt. These guys now the bush like the back of your hands, these animals hide themselves so why leave evidence suggesting that they are in the area, it just doesn't sound like something they would do

Stick structures are a thumbs down for me, but when it comes to bed structures, well they are a different kettle of fish, they are legitimate

Trail marking is known as a primate behavior in other non-human primates (bonobo chimpanzee for certain, others possibly).

http://articles.lati...2/news/mn-21722

So there is no reason to exclude trail makers as potential BF/Yowie evidence.

Edited May 28, 2012 by Mulder

[Guest]

Every time I have found structures, I have never found just one. I have only found 3 places that have them so far, but the last place had dozens. I find them to be compelling ,especially when found while I'm investigating sightings.

[Guest]

In general, I'm not impressed with stick structures, either..after noting hundreds in the field, that could have occurred naturally (even the odd looking ones). I saw a large teepee structure once (well off trail), that could have been built by people, but always wondered how they twisted off the main 6" center support, from the nearby tree.

This.. I've probably mentioned here before (somewhere), but there was one that really rocked me. It was built in the same locale, we experienced other unholy strangeness (summer of '09 Adirondack Park). It was an area that we had walked by at least a half dozen times during the long weekend outing (expedition). We certainly would have noted it before, as we were noting everything. It was built overnight by something (not nature), and showed no signs of beaver activity or chewed branch ends, and contained a live bent over sapling (bent at 90 deg) within the extended "x" structure...that in itself, was not impressive to look at. I had an audio recorder running there, the entire overnight.. and would have easily picked up human activity, a vehicle, and anything else that came that close. The results of the audio, only produced more unexplained movements (and a tongue pop) that started up, and stopped.. and totally lacked the sounds of anything walking in or out of the area.

I guess, when someone explains how that was all pulled off, to me.. I can abandon the idea of stick structures meaning something.

[Guest Cervelo]

Looking at stick structures is no different than looking at clouds and they have about as much meaning

[Guest]

Thanks for the thread, Art.

I was just in the field last week with one of my students and I pointed out several stick structures to him. There were a couple of good teepees and some others. If you look for them, you will find them. If you understand that wind, ice, and other forces can bend trees and pile them up in ways that to us look "intentional," then you will recognize the so-called "structures" for what they are.