Feeling Of Being Watched?

[georgerm]

The 'feeling of being' watched is reported by humans, and in this case a BF seems to know it's being watched. We may not be able to explain this in terms of science, but this ball needs some kicking around again. If a BF is spotted, do you look away, or it will sense being watched and look at you? If you have this feeling in the woods, what should you do? Read the report below:

It was a very cold 3:00am sighting on the NW edge of Decatur, Il. The moon was full enough to make our whole back yard visible. I was standing in the dark at our second story window looking (south) out at the back yard, partly because I am an insomniac, but this time because our 3 Beagles at the bottom of the hill were all barking in a way I'd never heard.

From the SW corner of the house walked a very large 'thing' covered in either a lighter greyish or beige fur, moving diagonally SE in front of me toward where our dogs were. My first thought (because my mind couldn't wrap around anything else) was that it was our neighbor looking for his horse again, but this 'thing' was ALL fur, huge, muscular. As I stood there, fixed, it suddenly stopped and turned a little sideways and looked straight up into my eyes...like it knew I was there. We stared at each other for almost a full minute.

I was frozen, but knew I was witnessing something truly wonderful, that I'd made a connection to a wondrous creature, and was in awe. I could see perfectly its facial features, more human than ape, no fur on it, and sensed from the expression that it was a curiosity there, not an aggressiveness...............................read on..................http://www.bfro.net/...rt.asp?id=37522

Edited February 2, 2013 by georgerm

[Guest]

Stop looking at me.

JK I assume they are always watching me when I am out there. If I get the feeling more strongly, I conduct myself with care and try to give them a wide enough berth that they will be comfortable. If I get the feeling I am unwelcome, I might leave but I might not. I talk to them and say hello, cousin, I am just taking pics of birdies, so relax. I will be gone soon, and mean you no harm. If they are there, maybe they might be able to pick up my meaning. If they are not there, I am just talking to myself, but lots of people do that. I announce my arrival with lots of noise, I shuffle leaves and make racket as I go along, appear interested in the plants and tracks etc. around, take pictures of this and that. I am careful not to appear to be sneaking around.

If I hear stick breaks, I break sticks back at them. Which surprised me the first time that I did that--I guess it kind of makes me mad when they do that, it's like a little harassing and I don't like it. I am not going to hurt them and I have a right to walk along a path same as they do.

I am pretty sure I do not look too threatening, older arthritic yet jolly person that I am. I might sing a bit as I walk or sit down and whittle or read while humming to myself if I think they need to realize I am a harmless old coot.

I figure if they want me, they are going to catch me so unless I am ready to be caught I should really keep my distance and not gallivant about in the shadows, bushes, and undergrowth where they hide. I think they might have home type establishments up in big trees or underground with entrances hidden in big and impenetrable bramble thickets. Or maybe in the thicket. So I avoid those.

They apparently do not want open war or they would pick us off a lot more quickly and often. We can relax, I guess, but I am not sure I want to be buddies.

Edited February 2, 2013 by Kings Canyon

[Guest VioletX]

I enjoyed your post Kings, the topic and the BFRO report as well

[Guest]

If a BF is spotted, do you look away, or it will sense being watched and look at you? If you have this feeling in the woods, what should you do?

I've had that feeling very strongly in the woods a few times but most of the time, there's nothing. If I sense it, you bet I look around everywhere and am hyper-alert to my surroundings. I do NOT like that feeling at all. I do not like feeling lower on the food chain than whatever is watching me!

[Guest]

I'm a believer that there's definitely a sixth sense that we humans possess- something tucked away deep in our brains, and left over from our day's when we were dwellers of deep dark forests, and open grassland plains.

I also believe there's two different types of feelings though.

#1 Is a general sense of unease, or wariness that might be experienced by someone who's unfamilar with their surroundings. If you take someone who's a city dweller, and used to street lights, sidewalks, and lots of other people around- and plop them down in the woods, especially at night, they're going to have that "I'm being watched" feeling pretty much constantly. It's more of a reaction to an environment that they're unfamiliar with, much more so than that there's actually something there.

#2 That being said- even for those who are experienced and have grown accustomed to being well off the beaten path, and have spent years traipsing around wilderness areas, hiking, camping, and/or hunting, there are certainly instances where we are overcome with the very strong sense or feeling that you're not alone, or that you're being watched. In my opinion, this feeling or sense is not one to be ignored.

Sure it's possible that even being comfortable with your surroundings, that your mind might play tricks on you once in a while, but it also has an uncanny ability to process information on a subconcious level- stuff that you're not even aware of at the time. Sounds, smells, something in your peripheral vision maybe, that you didnt notice.

I can remember something that happened with my step-brother and myself years ago. We're just a little less than a year apart in age, and during our late teen years, and into our early 20's, we did alot of hunting together. It so happens that both of us were (and still are) big fans of small game and bird hunting. Mostly because its more active, in that its kind of like taking long hikes through the woods, toting a shotgun with you of course. No sitting in one spot, and you dont have to worry about being silent, or stealthy- in fact you want to make noise. We used to hike to the top of the hill behind our house, and then walk along the ridgeline / plateau that ran all down the length of the mountain. The area has a decent ruffed grouse population, and we also raised and released pheasants every year, so even without a dog along- you could normally count on kicking out at least a pheasant or two to get a shot off at. If not, there were squirrels, and occasionally a rabbit might make an appearance. (Yes we grew up hunting, eating, and appreciating all of these critters). Anyway- on this particular late Autumn day, we were working our way from one end of the mountain to the other, and were concentrating on ******* through some pretty dense brushy areas, as that's where we always had the best luck with birds. In upstate NY, if you're bird hunting, and you come home without a bunch of scratch marks and thorns stuck in your clothing- you're probably not going to have anything in the game pouch of your hunting jacket when you get home. So we'd been walking for about an hour, and we came out of the real dense scrub brush, into a section of open woods. So far, we'd been skunked and hadnt seen anything worth taking a shot at. On the back side of the mountain- to our right as we walked, was a large tract of State Forest land that had been planted years before with Norway/Red Pine trees. Along the edge of and into this pine forest is another "hot spot" for birds, as they seem to find a good deal of cover in some of the downed trees that fall each year during wind storms.

As we walked along, and out of nowhere, I suddenly started to feel uncomfortable, and had the sensation that we've described- that you know that somehow you're not alone, or that you're being watched. As we continued to walk, I scanned the woods ahead, and didnt really say anything to Rob, my step-brother. Oddly enough, and proving to me that its not just something that only certain people feel, it was my step-brother who stopped, and turned to look behind us (there's no doubt that he'd had the same sensation). When he did so, I caught the look on his face, which caused me to wheel around and look myself. About 75 to 100 yards behind us, and walking perpendicular to, and crossing over the path we had just travelled, into the pine woods- was one of the larger black bears I've ever been privileged to see in the wild. We both immediately froze in place, watching intently and being completely silent as he ambled casually on his way into the pine woods.

I have no idea whether he'd been standing off to the side when we went by, or if he'd been following us, or if just by chance and timing that our paths intersected, but there's not a doubt in my mind that both of us "felt" that bears presence somehow before we saw him. Is it possible we picked up a smell subconciously? Picked up on some slight noise that I dont recall hearing? I honestly have no idea how it happens- but there's simply no doubt in my mind that it does. As it turned out, it was completely uneventful- as he continued steadily on his way, and we watched quietly from a distance as he did so.

Now- you ask about Sasquatch? and how to react ?

I dont even know how to begin to answer that question. Why ? If you see a bear in the woods- you know its a bear. You might have even seen one before, or if not you've heard stories, and learned what you're supposed to do, and what you're not supposed to do. Same goes with other predators, or even large game animals that can be dangerous (think Moose for example).

It is exactly the unknown that makes the idea of crossing paths with a Sasquatch seem like a terrifying prospect to so many. Not so much because of the "Legend of Boggy Creek" monster idea- but more so because you're dealing with something that you have no idea how its going to react.

If you run, do you appear like "prey", like with some other predators? If you stand your ground, and make eye contact- are you challenging its territory ?

Phew... I dont know... I mean there's so many stories that involve them exhibiting stalking behavior, which I would hope would be out of curiousity, but when you start to factor in some of the rock throwing, and banging on trees, and other behaviors that would seem to be intended to intimidate, again its not really easy to figure out what the true message is there.

All I know, like I said earlier in this post- is this: There are times when you might get the feeling that you're being watched, and think " nah, this is silly... there's just nothing out there". Well, there just might be something out there after all, and if you're smart, you'll pay attention to those feelings, and if you're standing there and the alarm bells and whistles are going off, and your minds inner voice is telling you; "dont walk down that path", or "turn around and go back", it's not a bad idea to do just that....

-A-

[georgerm]

I have no idea whether he'd been standing off to the side when we went by, or if he'd been following us, or if just by chance and timing that our paths intersected, but there's not a doubt in my mind that both of us "felt" that bears presence somehow before we saw him. Is it possible we picked up a smell subconciously? Picked up on some slight noise that I dont recall hearing? I honestly have no idea how it happens- but there's simply no doubt in my mind that it does. As it turned out, it was completely uneventful- as he continued steadily on his way, and we watched quietly from a distance as he did so.

Nice read Art.

I had a similar experience happen. My friend and I were camping in the woods near Prospect, Oregon, a few hours due north of Medford. While sleeping soundly under the stars my dream state mind caused my head to jerk up, and to look forward. As if my subconscious mind forced my eyes and brain to focus on this big furry head looking over a log at me. In the moon light I saw a huge bumpy topped head, with obscue ears but no facial features since it was back lit by the moon, My thoughts, were bear...............bear...........tired................lay back..........so my head went back down...............then think what!..............head up..........it's gone.....................was it real? This all happend quickly, and still am not sure it really was something there.

[NCBFr]

I have had this sensation 2-3 times when hiking alone with my dogs. The first time it hit me I was running with my husky in NJ woods during a snowstorm. I had been back in these same woods dozens of times and was never more than a few hundred yards to civilization. All of a sudden I was overcome with fear. I looked all around but with the snow and woods the visibility was probably less than 10 yards. I took off back towards the condo at a full run. After about a hundred yards or so I realized that it was probably nothing and stopped to calm myself down. I heard nothing, saw nothing, and could smell nothing, but was terrified. Weird huh.

[MarkGlasgow]

This phenomenon is certainly not limited to being in the great outdoors.

Back in the early 90's I used to play in band and we were based in the the town of Middlesbrough in the North-east of England. We rented out an apartment that we used an HQ. This apartment was a large converted attic space in a four storey town house. There was nothing seemingly untoward about the place except for the fact that I was completely convinced that I was being 'watched' most of time I spent there.

I am not one to be spooked easily and I've never had an experience like that before or since. The feeling actually got so intense and disturbing that I could not spend any time alone in that apartment. I don't believe in the 'supernatural' and I'm still pretty confused by what happened during my time there. None of my fellow band members who spent much more time there than I did, found the place most agreeable and certainly didn't experience the same feelings I did.

[JDL]

I've had this feeling in the woods and in urban environments. A couple of times I've had it when there turned out to be a squatch there. You talk to vets, especially from Viet Nam and they've got all sorts of stories involving this sense. Some say it's the mind subconsciously putting together things that you don't consciously perceive and warning you. Others claim it is an out and out extra sensory capability. Could be a combination of both.

I do know that I have been in noisy bars and suddenly got the feeling someone was staring at me. On at least three occassions I recall turning around without thinking about it and looking the person staring at me directly in the eye as if I knew exactly where they were before turning to look at them. Startles the heck out of them.

[Guest]

Well, there just might be something out there after all, and if you're smart, you'll pay attention to those feelings, and if you're standing there and the alarm bells and whistles are going off, and your minds inner voice is telling you; "dont walk down that path", or "turn around and go back", it's not a bad idea to do just that....

I second this bit of advice. I've been focussing on one particular research site for the past year, I've been there by myself and with others, from 10 minutes to check temptation baits, to the best part of a day hiking deep off track.

There's been more than one occasion in that time when I've pulled up, got out of the car, heard that voice in my head, hopped straight back in the car and gone home. You might feel silly, but if that's the vibe you're picking up, then I figure there's probably a reason for it.

[Guest VioletX]

Since I have had my possible encounters I have had these experiences as well. Sometimes it is just getting creeped out, but when it happens to my dog and I at the same time, I do think something is out there.

Sometimes my dog looks over his shoulder like he is being followed, which is a little bit funny looking I have to admit. Most of these occasions I am sensing something as well.

[norseman]

I've had this feeling in the woods and in urban environments. A couple of times I've had it when there turned out to be a squatch there. You talk to vets, especially from Viet Nam and they've got all sorts of stories involving this sense. Some say it's the mind subconsciously putting together things that you don't consciously perceive and warning you. Others claim it is an out and out extra sensory capability. Could be a combination of both.

I do know that I have been in noisy bars and suddenly got the feeling someone was staring at me. On at least three occassions I recall turning around without thinking about it and looking the person staring at me directly in the eye as if I knew exactly where they were before turning to look at them. Startles the heck out of them.

It was standard operating procedure in Nam to NOT look at the enemy straight on. You looked at them out of the corner of your eye. Very common with Recon teams behind enemy lines.

[Guest]

I'm a believer that there's definitely a sixth sense that we humans possess- something tucked away deep in our brains, and left over from our day's when we were dwellers of deep dark forests, and open grassland plains.

I also believe there's two different types of feelings though.

#1 Is a general sense of unease, or wariness that might be experienced by someone who's unfamilar with their surroundings. If you take someone who's a city dweller, and used to street lights, sidewalks, and lots of other people around- and plop them down in the woods, especially at night, they're going to have that "I'm being watched" feeling pretty much constantly. It's more of a reaction to an environment that they're unfamiliar with, much more so than that there's actually something there.

#2 That being said- even for those who are experienced and have grown accustomed to being well off the beaten path, and have spent years traipsing around wilderness areas, hiking, camping, and/or hunting, there are certainly instances where we are overcome with the very strong sense or feeling that you're not alone, or that you're being watched. In my opinion, this feeling or sense is not one to be ignored.

Sure it's possible that even being comfortable with your surroundings, that your mind might play tricks on you once in a while, but it also has an uncanny ability to process information on a subconcious level- stuff that you're not even aware of at the time. Sounds, smells, something in your peripheral vision maybe, that you didnt notice.

I can remember something that happened with my step-brother and myself years ago. We're just a little less than a year apart in age, and during our late teen years, and into our early 20's, we did alot of hunting together. It so happens that both of us were (and still are) big fans of small game and bird hunting. Mostly because its more active, in that its kind of like taking long hikes through the woods, toting a shotgun with you of course. No sitting in one spot, and you dont have to worry about being silent, or stealthy- in fact you want to make noise. We used to hike to the top of the hill behind our house, and then walk along the ridgeline / plateau that ran all down the length of the mountain. The area has a decent ruffed grouse population, and we also raised and released pheasants every year, so even without a dog along- you could normally count on kicking out at least a pheasant or two to get a shot off at. If not, there were squirrels, and occasionally a rabbit might make an appearance. (Yes we grew up hunting, eating, and appreciating all of these critters). Anyway- on this particular late Autumn day, we were working our way from one end of the mountain to the other, and were concentrating on ******* through some pretty dense brushy areas, as that's where we always had the best luck with birds. In upstate NY, if you're bird hunting, and you come home without a bunch of scratch marks and thorns stuck in your clothing- you're probably not going to have anything in the game pouch of your hunting jacket when you get home. So we'd been walking for about an hour, and we came out of the real dense scrub brush, into a section of open woods. So far, we'd been skunked and hadnt seen anything worth taking a shot at. On the back side of the mountain- to our right as we walked, was a large tract of State Forest land that had been planted years before with Norway/Red Pine trees. Along the edge of and into this pine forest is another "hot spot" for birds, as they seem to find a good deal of cover in some of the downed trees that fall each year during wind storms.

As we walked along, and out of nowhere, I suddenly started to feel uncomfortable, and had the sensation that we've described- that you know that somehow you're not alone, or that you're being watched. As we continued to walk, I scanned the woods ahead, and didnt really say anything to Rob, my step-brother. Oddly enough, and proving to me that its not just something that only certain people feel, it was my step-brother who stopped, and turned to look behind us (there's no doubt that he'd had the same sensation). When he did so, I caught the look on his face, which caused me to wheel around and look myself. About 75 to 100 yards behind us, and walking perpendicular to, and crossing over the path we had just travelled, into the pine woods- was one of the larger black bears I've ever been privileged to see in the wild. We both immediately froze in place, watching intently and being completely silent as he ambled casually on his way into the pine woods.

I have no idea whether he'd been standing off to the side when we went by, or if he'd been following us, or if just by chance and timing that our paths intersected, but there's not a doubt in my mind that both of us "felt" that bears presence somehow before we saw him. Is it possible we picked up a smell subconciously? Picked up on some slight noise that I dont recall hearing? I honestly have no idea how it happens- but there's simply no doubt in my mind that it does. As it turned out, it was completely uneventful- as he continued steadily on his way, and we watched quietly from a distance as he did so.

Now- you ask about Sasquatch? and how to react ?

I dont even know how to begin to answer that question. Why ? If you see a bear in the woods- you know its a bear. You might have even seen one before, or if not you've heard stories, and learned what you're supposed to do, and what you're not supposed to do. Same goes with other predators, or even large game animals that can be dangerous (think Moose for example).

It is exactly the unknown that makes the idea of crossing paths with a Sasquatch seem like a terrifying prospect to so many. Not so much because of the "Legend of Boggy Creek" monster idea- but more so because you're dealing with something that you have no idea how its going to react.

If you run, do you appear like "prey", like with some other predators? If you stand your ground, and make eye contact- are you challenging its territory ?

Phew... I dont know... I mean there's so many stories that involve them exhibiting stalking behavior, which I would hope would be out of curiousity, but when you start to factor in some of the rock throwing, and banging on trees, and other behaviors that would seem to be intended to intimidate, again its not really easy to figure out what the true message is there.

All I know, like I said earlier in this post- is this: There are times when you might get the feeling that you're being watched, and think " nah, this is silly... there's just nothing out there". Well, there just might be something out there after all, and if you're smart, you'll pay attention to those feelings, and if you're standing there and the alarm bells and whistles are going off, and your minds inner voice is telling you; "dont walk down that path", or "turn around and go back", it's not a bad idea to do just that....

-A-

Yep, definitaly. A light definitaly goes on when you step out of your comfort zone. It makes you more aware. With most people it just makes them jumpy, but if you watch a great nature mind like Steve Irwin in action, you can see that they use it the way our ancestors and animals do... heightened awareness with their surroundings.

Animals... especially large ones... probably make sounds that are below our hearing register. They breathe, their heart beats, their blood flows. All of these things make very subtle noises that could probably be picked up subconsciously, especially when in a heightened state of awareness.

[georgerm]

Below is an attempt to explain the staring sense.

Rupert Sheldrake, a biochemist who studies the psychic staring effect, has found that people who observe others for a living – such as police officers, surveillance personnel and soldiers – are convinced that the psychic staring effect is a real phenomenon. He revealed that when detectives are trained in surveillance methods, they are told not to stare at a person's back any longer than necessary. Otherwise, the person may turn around and make direct eye contact with the detective and blow his/her cover. Sheldrake argues that the sense of being stared at makes evolutionary and biological sense in the context of predator-prey relations. That is, prey that could detect when a predator was staring at them would probably stand a better chance of surviving in the wild than prey that could not.

http://www2.binghamton.edu/news/the-newsroom/ask-a-scientist/index.html?date=2010-06-15

What is the mechanism?

[Guest VioletX]

It is pretty instinctive not to look at someone when you are trying to avoid detection, the teacher when you haven't done your homework...the police officer that is beside you at the traffic light...just in case,lol.

Yes, so what is the mechanism, do the eyes emit some sort of energy? What happens if you merely think strongly about that person whose back is to you, will they still sense it? Will thinking intensely and looking at the same time cause more of a reaction?

If you can find the mechanism than it would bring something that sounds sort of paranormal into a scientific realm I would guess. Maybe into that realm where thoughts are things, etc.