Guest Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 If you were investigating a potential site for footprints or other potential evidence, how would you do it? What would you bring? If you found something, what would you do with it/how would you store it? And then what do you do with it or how do you get it tested? What steps would you take to avoid site contamination? I'm bringing a tape measure, latex gloves, ziploc baggies, tweezers, camera, flashlight and batteries, a larger container (hard sided). Any other ideas for this hopeful newbie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyO Posted September 11, 2012 SSR Team Share Posted September 11, 2012 Here you go, here's how to preserve a print, all the way through. http://science.howstuffworks.com/impression-evidence2.htm & if that's too long for you, look at this one.. http://www.bear-tracker.com/plastertracks.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salubrious Posted September 11, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 11, 2012 The more you know about tracking, the more it will help you. Tracks contain information about where the next track is, and what the animal was doing when it left the track. I would get some books on the lore as they can be helpful. A tracking box is helpful too- 4' x 8' box of soil that you can make tracks in, and watch how they degrade over time. If you have a dog, before you feed it have it go through the box. Then feed it a big dinner and have it go through the box again. Similar, before the dog is walked, and also after. The tracks contain information about all these states and you will see the difference. Stand in the box barefoot and look straight ahead. Then do it looking to the left. You will see that info in the tracks too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronD Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 If I found tracks in the mud I'd scoop em up with the bob cat and keep it under roof. We don't have any actual prints on display do we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Nope, just want to have a bag to throw in my daypack when I go out and about in "squatchy" looking places. Someone recently welcomed me "to my new addiction". He was right, lol, I'm now obsessed! Besides if I make it interesting, my kid will be interested and leave his beloved computer and books and get outside for a while! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronD Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Secret to getting boys to go outside--buy them quads! They never let you alone; always wanting to ride off LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thermalman Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I'm interested in hearing how the "skeptics" would go about collecting evidence, seeing that no one else seems to be able to gather or witness "accurately" in their views. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BFSleuth Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Given the debate about dermal ridges as a casting artifact I would want to be prepared to document the trackway and individual tracks with video and still photo shots extensively before I poured my first cast. Have a very good quality HD video camera and try to have a light source or sources at the sides with a slight angle to be able to document dermal ridges in the track before casting. I would recommend using a Lytro camera for still photos of the prints. This will allow anyone viewing the photos to focus on any part of the picture after the fact. I've been working on making a lightweight, portable light box set up to have consistent lighting from photo to photo. Attached is an image of a studio light box set up for photographing small objects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salubrious Posted September 13, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 13, 2012 BFS, you want the light to come into the track at an angle so features can be highlighted. The worst time of day other than night to track is noon. Its also harder if its overcast. So if you can set up the lighting to come from different angles it could be really useful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BFSleuth Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I agree, Sal. I inserted that image of a Light Box to give a general idea of what a LB is. I'm trying to figure out a very lightweight, backpackable system with fixed positions for lights at a 30º to 45º angle to the ground and that can eliminate other light sources so there is consistency from image to image. The position of the camera should also be fixed if possible, with each track getting a set number of images taken from different angles and lighting configurations. I'm hoping that this could then be used to enter into a program for creating 3D renderings. If this is successful then it would eliminate the need to carry heavy casting materials into remote locations and speed up the work of documenting long trackways. It would eliminate the issues of casting artifacts as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cervelo Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) As a skeptic, here anyway (in the outside world I'm a believer) always find that amusing I've stopped lugging around stuff to do casts with, mostly because I've never found anything worth making a cast of. A few interesting things in the Dismal Swamp but nothing to write home about. I just try to keep the camera, iPhone or recorder as ready as possible. The most important thing to me about footprints is the context (how remote) and size. Tree structures mean nothing to me, Va must be Bigfoot central if their made by biggie. Recordings I find fascinating but for the most part they are audio blobsquatchs. If you find a body chop off something indisputable take a bunch of pictures, vids and haul butt out! Just go out and enjoy the great outdoors without any prejudice one way or the other and you will have fun regardless of what you find! Edited September 13, 2012 by Cervelo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunflower Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Just don't find the body at dark thirty lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VioletX Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 As a skeptic, here anyway (in the outside world I'm a believer) always find that amusing I've stopped lugging around stuff to do casts with, mostly because I've never found anything worth making a cast of. A few interesting things in the Dismal Swamp but nothing to write home about. I just try to keep the camera, iPhone or recorder as ready as possible. The most important thing to me about footprints is the context (how remote) and size. Tree structures mean nothing to me, Va must be Bigfoot central if their made by biggie. Recordings I find fascinating but for the most part they are audio blobsquatchs. If you find a body chop off something indisputable take a bunch of pictures, vids and haul butt out! Just go out and enjoy the great outdoors without any prejudice one way or the other and you will have fun regardless of what you find! "In the outsider world I am a believer" -That is funny! In your experience there are a lot of wood structures in Va? Or is that popular opinion? I am interested! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Lights Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 If you were investigating a potential site for footprints or other potential evidence, how would you do it? What would you bring? If you found something, what would you do with it/how would you store it? And then what do you do with it or how do you get it tested? What steps would you take to avoid site contamination? I'm bringing a tape measure, latex gloves, ziploc baggies, tweezers, camera, flashlight and batteries, a larger container (hard sided). Any other ideas for this hopeful newbie? That's a pretty good list, but you are forgetting one very important item. Always make sure you bring along someone you can outrun. And maybe an extra pair of shorts in your car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cervelo Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 VioletX, Oh yes on the stick structures so much so it takes something like this to even warranty a second look Or this both manmade for sure but interesting when you find off the beaten path Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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