The Researchers Habituation And Field Observations Thread "a Place To Discuss Your Activities, Thoughts, Observations, Methods And Results.

[LeafTalker]

I know it seems strange, that giant beings would be afraid of us, but they have good reason to be afraid. 

 

We've shot at them and injured and killed them. Wouldn't you be scared, if you were shot at by individuals with no apparent understanding of the world, and no respect for the other inhabitants of it?  

 

The wonder is that any of them ever want to talk to any of us at all. 

 

They're not creepy voyeurs. They're just cautious. If you look at things from their point of view, it becomes obvious why they do what they do. And if you continue to be kind-hearted and patient, and continue to be in the places where they are, you'll find they become less cautious, and you'll learn a lot more about them.

[Guest]

Hello to all !.. Well, Friday I wimped out and Sadie (my dog) and i slept in the Navigator lol.

By midnight I was pretty well froze stiff even with a decent sized fire. Sadie was in her winter gear and deep inside my mummy bag.

Saturday night was very different. At 10:30pm things started to "come unglued" very quickly.

Sadie was barking uncontrollably and viciously.

I've had her since she was 11wks old and only a handful of times has she ever redacted so aggressively.

Long drawn out screams, very aggressive tree hitting and the most foul smell ive ever run across.

It was like a hog confinement mixed with rotten eggs on a 100° day !

I had no choice but to pack up and leave after a full hour of this. Sadie continued to bark and whimper several miles after leaving .

Again I seen nothing, but something was out there and very angry. I don't know what started this aggressive tantrum ? Sadie was laying quite and I was just finishing up a text to my wife when hell broke loose.

Was it the change in "easy access" food ? Because whatever it was had to actually work to open a meal ? Sadie was posing no threat so it couldn't of been her.

I'm at a total loss to explain these actions.

[SWWASAS]

Nightwatcher just experienced good evidence that we are not dealing with the kind gentle giants of the forest as some seem to believe.    Have you noticed that the gentle giant proponents disdain science  and always claim they know what motivates BF?     BF have their own agenda,  in some cases they want to scare us out of the woods, and in others it seems they have to restrain themselves from killing us.      They do not care one whit if I am a scientist just trying to learn and was innocently walking along a trail I have walked many times before.    Instead of just letting me walk past, one decided to give me a dangerous dose of infrasound.  Why?   The tantrum experienced by Nightwatcher shows how dangerous they are.   There is a fine line between that sort of expressed rage and going beyond that to inflict harm.   Who knows when that kill switch will be triggered in any given BF.     A large rock or branch thrown, can end your life.   Someone with a heart condition could be scared to death.    They are not some big forest teddy bear as some believe.    

Edited November 17, 2014 by SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT

[JKH]

Welcome back Stillwater. Plussed for your entire list, but I do think you're preaching to the choir.

Your group sounds cool, but I would recommend migration to some alternative to FB due to privacy and security issues (even though "closed").

 

NW, it most certainly could have been the dog. Each animal is different in their tolerance of them, I'd imagine. I wonder though, what's the motivation? I don't understand why you'd sit up all night risking frostbite, concussion, or trauma to your dog. Is it that you want to see them? Evidence can be gathered without being present at night, although some people just like to camp, I know. For sure, someone was upset and let you know.

[Guest]

JKH..Yes, I need visual confirmation of what I seen that day to make this all real to me. I know it was not any native or domesticated animal ive ever seen.

Why at night ? My wife recently asked the same question. I've been in the bottoms many times in daylight hours and have had no response.

It really happened by accident. I was run late getting out of the bottoms and it was getting dark 8:30-9pm.

I was power walking at a pretty fast clip when I heard it ..something heavy pasing me . I would run so would it. I would stop dead, so would it.

Then the strange low gurgle like sound .

So almost every weekend since ive returned at night. I can't believe it was my dog. She was actually sleeping when this all started.

And why not Friday night ? It had to of known I was there. It always does.

I mean no harm to whatever is out there and obviously it could take my life with ease.

Brain fart... Could it be jealous of my dog ?

She is nonaggressive and very affectionate.

Wow, is it possible I really have formed a relationship with this thing and not even known it ?

[Bigtex]

Very nice Stillwater, couldn't have said it better myself, very sound advice.

[SWWASAS]

I mean no harm to whatever is out there and obviously it could take my life with ease.

Brain fart... Could it be jealous of my dog ?

She is nonaggressive and very affectionate.

Wow, is it possible I really have formed a relationship with this thing and not even known it ?

It comes back to what is your purpose to be out there. As of now you know what you are dealing with is a BF. How much more can you learn at night? Night research does not lend itself to good sightings, taking pictures,

or any of that. From what happened you would have some great audio. But quite frankly audio of a bigfoot tantrum is not worth it to me to put myself through it to record it. From a scientific stand point if you think it was the dog, leave the dog at home next time. Same reaction from the BF, then it was not the dog. Poor dog is probably not interested in going through that again anyway. The dog may have had some deterrence effect, so without the dog you might be in more danger. Certainly a dog helps you know something is out there moving around. If a BF has had a bad experience with a dog it might not like them, no matter what the dogs disposition is.

My suggestion would be to alternate day and night research if you want to continue at night. If they are there in the day, and I suspect they are, then they might get to know you better and not be as aggressive day or night.

I wonder sometimes if the nasty aggressive ones are young adult males trying to get a reputation with their tribe as being brave with humans. We see that in human behavior, where a more mature male who has proven his worth to the tribe, does not feel the need to put on a show for the benefit of the watching tribe.

[chelefoot]

If you don't think it was the dog, maybe you were right about it being the food. Bad part is, you may never know what caused the outburst, But wow, I bet it got your heart pumping to hear all of that going on!

[Guest]

JKH: Thanks! Good to be back. Been spending a lot of time in the field while away from the group.

Bigtex:Thanks! I appreciate it.

[Guest]

Wow, I have so much to learn and I greatly appreciate everyone's help. I think im done with nights and your right, I can be more productive in daylight hours.

I was just thinking that whatever it is, was primarily a nocturnal creature, but as I said when I first came to the site my first "sighting" was in the AM.

Now I here you speak of juvenile's and tribes ?

Man, that's a lot to wrap my mind around.

Maybe the evidence of their exsistance(sp?) has been right in front of me this whole time !

The little things I seen, never thought they could possibly mean anything.

Like sappling twisting and small trees bent in arches all facing the same direction. And little cove's I've found in the past with fish and rabbit remains in them.

So much to learn Thanks again !

[Guest]

Hello everyone, well yesterday was the first time ive been back to the bottoms since that crazy night I encountered.

I Searched around and found the Tupperware that i had put the shrimp in. It was approximately 300yrds from my campsite and all the shrimp had been taken but one ?

As i said the container has a screw on lid and wasn't damaged in anyway. Lid was on and tight.

Never found the harmonica or the Nutella jar.

I found something very odd at the campsite. I noticed in the base of the hollow tree where i normally sit, there were leaves completely filling it. I mean stuffed ! I would guess 5 good wheelbarrows full easy.

I started carefully pulling out the packed in leaves and tucked in deep to the right side of the trunk was....of all things a frozen stiff Carp and a old zip lock bag with raisins lol.

Obviously neither items were mine. I really don't know how to take this ? The human presence in this particular area is pretty much 0 other than myself. I've been pondering, could this be a peace offering from whatever is out there ?

Or did some critter just simply decide that tree was a great storage place ? Any thoughts to this bazaar event, or am I just over analyzing ?

Thanks to all :-/

[mesabe]

It almost sounds like you were gifted back, being it was your sitting tree & all.

 

In Minnesota in the town of Hugo, I think sometime in the 70's or 80's there is a report of two boys hiking in the woods in the snow. They enter a clearing and spot 2 BF. They take off running towards home. The BF evidently followed them and banged on the house and tipped over a Bobcat in the pole shed/garage etc. When things calmed down, and they went back to look for tracks, they also found a frozen carp, and a moose antler in the trackway, where their tracks mingled with the BF that followed them. 

 

Keep us posted on any other strange finds. Also did you notice any teeth or claw marks from another animal on either item? Or what other animals other than man could have put them there. Was it a large carp?

[Guest]

Mesabe...No, there was no evidence of teeth or claw marks on the carp. I also thought it could be a food cache for ****, badger ext..

The carp was approximately 8lbs-10lbs so fairly good sized. I even inspected its mouth for puncture wounds do to fishhooks, but I found nothing.

Now that we are taking about this, the other odd thing that just came to mind is the carp was perfectly vertical inside this tree.
Iike a broom propt up in a corner.

That means the fish had to of been frozen before it was put in that position. Otherwise it would of just slipped down and froze in the shape of a "U" or halfmoon right ?
*Raccoon*

[SWWASAS]

Field work yesterday. Went to an area I have not been to for some time. Much of the area has been logged but wanted to see how much of that they have done. Pretty much wrecked it for BF habitat. So I took off up a logging road towards the areas that have not been logged. Deep into an area I have never been before. Noticed this rock placement on a stump so hiked up the hillside to take a look. Fairly steep to get there.

Once there noticed it was just one of several that defined a little used trail switch backing up the ridge. Upon examining the trail did not see any deer tracks. But vegetation was knocked down indicating fairly recent used. The largest rocks have to weigh 80 to 100 lbs.

This is the first marker that puts you on the trail. It is two short cut pieces of wood stacked on each other on the stump.

Ok down below what brings you to this marker? This is not natural. This 6 inch diameter cut log was placed on the stump. It points directly up the ridge to what I call the first marker. There is nothing above it so it had to have been placed here.

If you look in the direction the 6 inch log is pointing you can see the stumps where the rocks are on the ridge that define the trail.

My theory is that BF used these rock markers in logged areas to define trails they use. The rocks would be visible in near dark conditions to define the trail in difficult areas. Rocks or sticks on the ground would not be visible in low light conditions. But rocks on stumps would be. This area is remote. It is 1 mile to the nearest trail below.

Now it gets weird. I knew weather was coming in in the afternoon and wanted to get out and down the steep logging road I parked on before the rain hit. I hiked back to my truck, loaded my pack and gear in the truck and started to drive out. Within a few yards of my truck I noticed this along the side of the logging road. I did not see it driving in. It is about 3.5 feet tall, initially stuffed with Styrofoam beads. It had been gutted, where it lay, as if a hand had been thrust into its gut cavity. You can see the beads next to it so that happened where it lay. Not sure what it is supposed to be but looks very BF like. Long hairy arms and it seems to be a boy (look at the crotch). I touched it to photograph it and it smelled to really bad like it had been someplace very smelly. This for sure goes into my weird file. Will not even try to explain how a toy could be miles away from the nearest house along a logging road and end up near my truck. Several times I have set up a spotting scope at this exact spot to look at the adjacent ridge line and spend several hours watching for movement.

[Guest lightheart]

Wow SWW that is quite extraordinary.

Surely you would have noticed this on the way in....

Regarding the pointers, I find them often and in my area as well they seem to be directional indicators. They are often weighed down by a short log placed on the back end so the direction is not altered. They are usually cedar here and anywhere between 5 to 9 feet in length. This past weeken I came across one that was hooked into a dip in a small tree/ bush. It fit into the little u shaped dip very snug and definely was not moving unless something with hands moved it again. These are moved around every couple of weeks I notice and probably indicate where they are currently bedding at night. Just a guess but I have been consistently finding these.