Incidents That Happened In The Field, You Can't Explain.. But Want To Know More About

[jayjeti]

Petersen5710,

 

We were just standing with no lights and just enjoying a clear night sky.  Suddenly, we heard what sounded like a jeep crashing through all the brushes and trampling everything ahead of it.  Whatever it was, it was approaching us with no lights and it   was big.  We thought it was a jeep because the noise sounded as if something huge was crushing everything ahead of it, but we never heard an engine, heard people or saw headlights.  We also thought it could be a jeep, because there are jeep trails in this area and are popular in Sedona (although not at night).  However the noise was coming from an area much closer to us and away from the dirt road.  I decided to get closer to the noise and shine my head lamp into the direction.  The second I shone my light, the noise stopped and we never heard it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lights are the best way to deter a sasquatch.  Turning on your light and the noise stopping would be consistent with a sasquatch going silent.  Also, walking straight through bushes instead of around them seems to be a not uncommon tactic.  Here is a story about a 7-year-old who was lost in the woods at night during a family camping trip, and a female sasquatch took him by the hand and led him back to his camp.  In his description it never walked around any bushes, but walked straight through them all, and he was getting slapped with branches.

 

http://sasquatchresearchers.org/forums/index.php?/topic/316-child-lost-led-back-to-parents-campsite-by-female-sasquatch/

Edited October 4, 2014 by jayjeti

[Guest KY Squatcher]

In 1991 while serving in the Army in Washington state. My two brother in laws and I would go deep into the forest on a Indian reservation and cut cedar singles and shake. We would store our equipment (saws, fuel, and other items) in the brush as not to have to pack it in out each day. Upon returning the next day we would find our equipment had been scattered about and our gas can had been torn apart. On one of these occasions one of our saws had been bashed and the bar was bent at a 90 degree angle. Now we were 20 miles off any main road. Also noted was that we would stack our cut wood with a sling rope around it so it could be picked up by helicopter and transported to the nearest logging road.  While having a lunch break we would hear our stacks being knocked around. This happened on several occasion's no tracks found but our ropes would be missing. I can't say for sure it BF, but something disturbed our things. Needless to say we all started packing when we went into that location.

[OKBFFan]

I have always liked this thread.

This incident has always bothered me, so time to get it off my chest, so to speak. I grew up on a very rural Long Island (does not even resemble the Long Island that you will see today), Suffolk county, sayville. We had a very protective dog. An Irish wolfhound. He was a Watcher, not a barker. Mom had him on his chain in the front yard, and he would sit there looking all regal with his front paws crossed like a real gentleman..and he would watch the vacuum cleaner salesman come up the driveway while my mom would frantically wave at him to STOP DONT COME ANY FURTHER. My dog knew exactly how far that chain would reach and he would wait for that exact moment when the guy was within reach...

Anyway you get the idea. When I was a kid I liked to play "wilderness" in the back woods and I had a "fort" that I played in alone most of the time. It was just a small clearing but it was secluded. One evening I announced to my parents that I was going to sleep on the back porch and I was going to be "in the wilderness" so please don't come talk to me. The back porch was enclosed and screened in about waist high upwards. I had my dog with me. I was on a lounge with a blanket, and he was laying on the floor right beside me, between the screen and the lounge. I began to hear what sounded like someone walking on the patio just beyond the porch. I heard the scraping of (what I pictured as) a mans dress shoes on concrete. That's what I imagined in my head anyway. When the dog sat up, silently, and watched whatever this was as it moved towards us, I was absolutely terrified. I couldn't see over the wall as I was laying down on the lounge, but my dog watched silently. I watched his head turn and follow the footsteps of whatever or whoever this was as it approached. He didn't bark, as he never did. His ears were perked up as he watched. He never lunged or moved a muscle..just his head as he followed it.

When it got to about 4 feet away, just on the outside of the wall, I jumped up and RAN as fast as I could into the house. Dog followed. I never saw anything. I have NO clue what it was, but that incident has stuck with me for these past 40'years. I told my dad and he said I was imagining things and to go upstairs and go to bed....

[SWWASAS]

Now such an intruder would most likely be a drug addict trying to burglarize your place.     Even where I live in the country and most people have guns, in the last few weeks there was a burglary just down the road.    As soon as the alarm system salesman hear of a burglary, they are in your area trying to scare you into buying systems.   They scared me because solicitors normally do not work out in the country and they showed up after dark with an old van.     For all I know they were casing the place.   

[OKBFFan]

It could have been a deer I suppose?

[SWWASAS]

If he heard what sounded to him like shoe noises it probably was shoe noises.     BF in stealth mode do not make much more noise than soft padded thuds. 

[OKBFFan]

Never said it was bf. That thought didn't even cross my mind, and certainly didn't back then. Drug crazed hippies? In rural Long Island in the 60's? I wasn't aware of any such activities back then, but I was a clueless, blonde child with a vivid imagination. So I don't know..

[Guest]

I have experienced what I call the (freight train) only twice in my life. Both times happened late at night in September 1995 in the Abiqua Basin in Oregon within an 1/2 mile of each other. And both times it happened after two of us would do calls, screams, and yells together for up to 30 minutes. Then we would wait and listen. Both times sounded like something single, large, and moving fast breaking everything in its path towards us. The first time it came from a patch of old growth timber and the second time it came from the ridge above us.

 

After the second time it happened we came back to the area a week later and the spot where we were doing the calls looked like a tornado hit it. There was about a 100 feet of fir and hemlock trees on both sides of the road that were broken and pushed or pulled over.

 

Later a teacher went to that spot to check out the broken trees we told him about and he found and photographed a 16 inch footprint.

 

You know, I always used to think of BF so much as "wood ninja" that I may have ignored the obvious once or twice, like a crushed down "tunnel" through some blackthorn and scrub, thinking at the time "some yahoo on an ATV done it". 

[JKH]

Good stories everyone. Randy, that sounds disturbing. Old van after dark in the country = not good. I hope you're armed when you answer the door.

 

My campout I wrote of last fall was canceled, but have scheduled another there in a couple months. In further reading about wildlife behaviors, I learned that black bears don't growl.

[Kiwakwe]

An incident that occurred during the Spring of '14 has me constantly re-visiting it, wondering what it could have been.  I was up in Northern ME camping in good habitat, as most of the state is but especially up N, more than 5500sq miles of forest or what passes for forest nowadays. I was in the older growth area, bushwhacking up along a stream to its source in a saddle between two mountains, 5 miles from the trailhead and 2 off the trail. It was the height of blackfly season and they hatch out of moving water so they were THICK.

 

As Hiflier can attest to, I have a hard time stopping when the flies are like this so as much as I wanted to spend time taking in some more details I didn't to the degree I'd have liked. I made it up to the saddle, scoped out the boggy area and small pond for a bit but had to keep moving up towards the E summit.

 

As I moved away from the pond I stopped to take a bearing with the brunton pocket transit that also doubles as back up defense. Bearing taken, I walk 3 or 4 steps and hear a low, guttural WOOOMPH from my 8 o'clock.  It freezes me in my tracks, no, not literally, but I'm instantly in F or F mode and at the same time surprised by my reaction, which I watch objectively with mounting disbelief. I'm no survivorman but I'm perfectly comfortable solo in the woods, day/night on or off trail, have been for decades. I've never heard that sound nor had that reaction in the woods.

 

I stood there for maybe 20 sec, said out loud to what/whoever: "I'm going this way" and did. I got about 30 yds and says to me self: Self, you just heard a sound you didn't recognize, in prime BF habitat, that gave you a good fright and you walk away without investigating??? That too is puzzling and I think on it a good bit. I head back, against my word, so say out loud "maybe I'll have a look around, don't mind me" or some such.

I look over the area, you guessed it, nada. I go as far as the stream but don't cross it, there is an erratic collection of boulders around, up to 3-4', some larger. The woods are lush spring green, not an overly dense understory but good visibility is not much more than 40' or so.

 

If it was something large--bear, moose, and by the sound that's what it seemed, I would have seen it. I've watched from a short distance as a bull moose with about a 4.5' rack disappeared near instantly into an Alder/Balsam thicket that I'd have difficulty getting through so I know it's possible. Thing is I heard nothing other than the woomph, and it sounded nearby. I'm open to it being a chipmunk mating call or some other obscure known source but I've listened a lot in the woods, this one is new to me.

 

I'm not suggesting this sound was or had anything infra about it, just straight up fear at something unrecognizable. Continued the bushwhack up the mountain and back to camp without further oddities. 

 

 

[Kiwakwe]

This one happened yesterday. I was in a different section of my more local area, scoping it out. It's a working forest and I traveled through some recent cuts. Turned off on an older spur that used to be a primary haul out years ago, now it ends for vehicles other than 2 wheels or atv at a high bridge put up by a local club that spans a wide, deep and fast moving stream, the original had been washed away most likely. 200yds before this bridge is another spur branching off that heads in for about 2 miles roughly along the stream. I park at its head and start walking just before dusk.

 

Got in about a mile, through primarily dense young regrowth and a narrowing trail, especially in the low areas where the cedars almost formed a tunnel. Stopping to listen frequently and notice the old moose tracks and coyote scat. Am greeted by a roving band of curious chickadees but not a peep from anything else. Temps are getting down to 26 ish so head back in gathering darkness which is full on by reaching the truck.

 

I get out the thermos for a spot a tea and wander down to the bridge to drink it. I'm staring at the sky waiting for passing clouds to clear so as to get an idea where I'm facing based on the stars. Still staring up, I hear a stick break at my 10 o'clock and about 30-40' into the woods which here has significant edge growth that is full and dense to the forest floor. It's a muffled break as in, under something and preceded by a light crumple of leaves. It really is a distinctly different sound from say breaking a stick with ones hands. The bridge is about 8' over the bank of the stream with a ramp going up to it so my vantage point is pretty good. I give the lispy chickadee call (not the one that gives them their name but the one they do when bouncing between branches foraging) and continue drinking my tea, calling again every few sips. Nothing more heard from the break area but a distinct knock is heard across the stream at my 2 o'clock. I continue with tea and lispy calls every once in a while for maybe another ten minutes then another clear knock, this time at my 4:30. There is no wind yet and the only other sound are the rapids down stream and around the bend. The old road is between 2 and 4:30, it's pretty dark out but the gravel road is light colored so any movement might be seen. 

 

When I finally walked off the bridge 20 minutes later after hearing no more sounds, as I passed the break area I heard movement quite a bit further in, unable to gauge anything from it though.

 

Things I left there thinking about were the silence after the break which I interpret as an "oops I've been heard"  because that's what I'd be thinking if I were trying to be stealthy and goofed it.  And about the knocks, those 2 were the only heard that evening. They were clear and distinct but not really loud, they matched the tree growth, young, smaller caliper trees and a smaller caliper "club" with resulting higher pitched knock. If they were knocks at all.

 

Trees pop or crack when it's cold but that's usually below 10f in my experience living in the woods and why only those 2 all evening and at just the time I happened to be blocking the way across the stream thus splitting up junior from ma & pa??  Who knows, bottom line is-- it's good to get out and pay attention regardless of whether I read too much into it.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Kiwakwe

[LeafTalker]

What great reports, Kiwakwe! 

 

...Bearing taken, I walk 3 or 4 steps and hear a low, guttural WOOOMPH from my 8 o'clock.  It freezes me in my tracks, no, not literally, but I'm instantly in F or F mode and at the same time surprised by my reaction, which I watch objectively with mounting disbelief. I'm no survivorman but I'm perfectly comfortable solo in the woods, day/night on or off trail, have been for decades. I've never heard that sound nor had that reaction in the woods.

 

I stood there for maybe 20 sec, said out loud to what/whoever: "I'm going this way" and did. I got about 30 yds and says to me self: Self, you just heard a sound you didn't recognize, in prime BF habitat, that gave you a good fright and you walk away without investigating??? That too is puzzling and I think on it a good bit. I head back, against my word, so say out loud "maybe I'll have a look around, don't mind me" or some such..... I'm open to it being a chipmunk mating call or some other obscure known source but I've listened a lot in the woods, this one is new to me.

 

I think your responses were great. To acknowledge the maker of the noise, as you did ("I'm going this way"), and to do it as respectfully and politely as you did, is not something most people can manage -- not when caught by surprise like that. I think it's so cool you responded that way. And it's cool that you did go back -- and again, were so polite about it. You're the kind of person they like to hang with. 

 

 

 

Things I left there thinking about were the silence after the break which I interpret as an "oops I've been heard"  because that's what I be thinking if I were trying to be stealthy and goofed it.  And about the knocks, those 2 were the only heard that evening. They were clear and distinct but not really loud, they matched the tree growth, young, smaller caliper trees and a smaller caliper "club" with resulting higher pitched knock. If they were knocks at all.

 

Trees pop or crack when it's cold but that's usually below 10f in my experience living in the woods and why only those 2 all evening and at just the time I happened to be blocking the way across the stream thus splitting up junior from ma & pa??  Who knows, bottom line is-- it's good to get out and pay attention regardless of whether I read too much into it.

Totally! I'm sure that WAS an "oops". They're good, but they're not perfect.  

 

And you didn't read too much into anything. You clearly have a lot of experience in the woods -- so you can trust that, if you hear something that you know can't be attributed to anything but a BF, you've heard a BF.

 

You can even trust these things if you haven't spent a lot of time in the woods. All you need is an open heart and a curiousity about what's around you.

 

I didn't grow up in the woods and know nothing about them, but when I started visiting the woods on a regular basis a few years ago, because of my new interest in some of their inhabitants, I learned really fast.

 

A few nights ago, I paid a quick visit to a 50-acre parcel of land owned by a friend of mine. I've only been there a few times, so I'm not that familiar with the neighborhood, so to speak. I stood in the same spot for about half an hour, watching a light in the forest. I was pretty sure I was looking at eyeshine, but I also knew there was a house somewhere nearby, so I stared at the light very intently, waiting to see what would happen. After about 10 minutes, the "light" began moving slowly upward (a few inches? a few feet? it was hard to tell how close I was to the light) and then stopped. 

 

That was the confirmation I needed that the light was housed in a body not too different from mine, although very likely much taller, and probably with hair all over it.

 

But here's the thing: I knew before I saw the movement what I was looking at. Something in us just knows. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure these things out. You don't have to have lived in the woods all your life to sense that something is out of place or is unusual in some way. We were built to notice these things. 

 

All you have to do is pay attention (which you clearly do).

 

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us, Kiwakwe. I'm sure that, if you keep visiting the spots you've mentioned -- and you keep imitating that chickadee (what a great idea) while drinking your tea -- you'll have a lot MORE stories to share in very short order.  

[Incorrigible1]

The default assumption for unknown noises in the deep woods shouldn't necessarily be "bigfoot."

[SWWASAS]

^^^ True.      Some of the buzzing noises discussed in this thread could be a hummingbird.    Often they move so fast and if they are not in your field of you will never see them.      I was listening on my parabolic dish one time and one flew in front of it.   It could not have been more surprising than if a WWII bomber flew right over me.   That highly amplified sound was downright scary.     But,  the buzzing I experienced when I was zapped,  was centered in my guts, and items in my pack were buzzing as they rattled together.    A hummingbird does not do that.    Of course,  while I did not see the offending BF, I have physical evidence in the form of a digital recording.    It certainly is possible that some other known to science animal may have infrasound capabilities unknown to science.   It is only recently that some of those animals have been discovered to use infrasound.     We spend most of our time inside with walls separating us from the outside world.   There is a lot going on out there that we do not understand.       

[Kiwakwe]

Glad you enjoyed them LeafTalker. I've a lot of respect and admiration for the natural world and all its critters. Noticing your posts here and there it sounds as if you've a good supply of interesting incidents.

 

The view from the bridge, upon first arriving, looking 12 o'clock:

 

and 6 o'clock:

 

 

The default assumption for unknown noises in the deep woods shouldn't necessarily be "bigfoot."

Most definitely true. I can't recall how many times I've heard a sound, even from inside the house, and shrugged it off only to later find the garbage cans out back have been ransacked or the bird feeders stolen, which at times necessitated ripping out four 4" screws. Or the dogs bark at night and I ignore it, later to find the porcupine pruning trees in the front yard. The garbage Is presumably racoon the feeders, bear, I've caught them red handed several times.

 

Point is,  I don't think we typically give the proper due to most sounds we can't immediately explain. No doubt, the large majority of those unexplained, even in good habitat are not BF related but unless we start sussing them out with an open yet reasoning approach we won't know squat...ch