Ptsd And Bf Sitings

[SWWASAS]

Good point David.     Women get so used to nearly everything they have as far as lotions, creams, and skin products being scented that they forget that to a forest animal you and everything you touch probably smell like the cosmetics section in a department store.     But for all we know that might have some appeal to a BF.    There is just no way of knowing.    Hammer,   rather than try to mask it, which is probably impossible,  maybe a better option would be to get them to know and trust you from your own scent.    That would certainly be easier for you, if you can get them to accept that tactic.    All you have to do is look at what deer hunters put themselves through to try to mask their scents to a deer to know now difficult that process is.       Even without personal scents,  I think electronic gear and batteries give off their own smell so there might be nothing that can be done at that level with the equipment.     They either accept the equipment as not a threat or you have to hide it so they cannot figure out what it is.     Rather than hide a recorder someplace close to them, have you thought about a parabolic microphone that puts you well away from them?    If you have the recorder you can make one for a few dollars, assuming you can find the dish.     Even an old satellite dish can be used if you place your recorder right at the focus.     Here is a picture of one I made.    It will pick up the flutter of a leaf at over a hundred yards.     It is 2 feet in diameter and hardly portable but with a habitation situation,  you could just point it out a window or set it on your porch and pick up a lot of stuff nearby.    Like I said an old Dish Network or Direct TV dish will work if you mount the recorder or a microphone at the focal point.       

Edited September 21, 2014 by SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT

[ShadowBorn]

Good point David.     Women get so used to nearly everything they have as far as lotions, creams, and skin products being scented that they forget that to a forest animal you and everything you touch probably smell like the cosmetics section in a department store.     But for all we know that might have some appeal to a BF.    There is just no way of knowing.    Hammer,   rather than try to mask it, which is probably impossible,  maybe a better option would be to get them to know and trust you from your own scent.    That would certainly be easier for you, if you can get them to accept that tactic.    All you have to do is look at what deer hunters put themselves through to try to mask their scents to a deer to know now difficult that process is.       Even without personal scents,  I think electronic gear and batteries give off their own smell so there might be nothing that can be done at that level with the equipment.     They either accept the equipment as not a threat or you have to hide it so they cannot figure out what it is.     Rather than hide a recorder someplace close to them, have you thought about a parabolic microphone that puts you well away from them?    If you have the recorder you can make one for a few dollars, assuming you can find the dish.     Even an old satellite dish can be used if you place your recorder right at the focus.     Here is a picture of one I made.    It will pick up the flutter of a leaf at over a hundred yards.     It is 2 feet in diameter and hardly portable but with a habitation situation,  you could just point it out a window or set it on your porch and pick up a lot of stuff nearby.    Like I said an old Dish Network or Direct TV dish will work if you mount the recorder or a microphone at the focal point.

Now that's very impressive set up you have there SWW . I like what you did there and seems like a great tool to get sound.

Hammer

I use to think like others that I had to hide my scent and all . That these creatures would not find me out by hiding my scent , even on my equipment. Yes it works fine on other animals but not on these creatures. They will know no matter what you do or how you prevent it from it being found out. It is best just to let them know what you are trying to do and do it. The best hiding place is always in plain site. They will investigate it and leave it alone or they will wonder what it is and recognize it and stay away from that spot.

[Hammer102492]

Hammer. The forager  smelled your recorder and came right up to it. you might want to try some kind of scent killer on your equipment. Keep your recorder in a plastic bag until you are ready to deploy it and handle it very little with some kind of scent killer on your hands.

 

That's interesting!  Never thought about that.  Good one. 

Good point David.     Women get so used to nearly everything they have as far as lotions, creams, and skin products being scented that they forget that to a forest animal you and everything you touch probably smell like the cosmetics section in a department store.     But for all we know that might have some appeal to a BF.    There is just no way of knowing.    Hammer,   rather than try to mask it, which is probably impossible,  maybe a better option would be to get them to know and trust you from your own scent.    That would certainly be easier for you, if you can get them to accept that tactic.    All you have to do is look at what deer hunters put themselves through to try to mask their scents to a deer to know now difficult that process is.       Even without personal scents,  I think electronic gear and batteries give off their own smell so there might be nothing that can be done at that level with the equipment.     They either accept the equipment as not a threat or you have to hide it so they cannot figure out what it is.     Rather than hide a recorder someplace close to them, have you thought about a parabolic microphone that puts you well away from them?    If you have the recorder you can make one for a few dollars, assuming you can find the dish.     Even an old satellite dish can be used if you place your recorder right at the focus.     Here is a picture of one I made.    It will pick up the flutter of a leaf at over a hundred yards.     It is 2 feet in diameter and hardly portable but with a habitation situation,  you could just point it out a window or set it on your porch and pick up a lot of stuff nearby.    Like I said an old Dish Network or Direct TV dish will work if you mount the recorder or a microphone at the focal point.       

 

More interesting info and ideas. 

 

That mic picks up a LOT.  I don't need to amplify it.

 

I'm not changing what I do, if they don't know my smell by now after 15 years, than they will never know it.  But what you say about putting it out there for the first time, I could see a creature wanting to smell it.  The question is, what kind of creature came up to the mic two different nights when it was in two different places?   I know what it sounds like to tromp through those weeds and that was no effing deer.  IMO  Just saying. 

Lets listen again. 

And seriously, if you think it's not a big foot, let me know.  I can take it.  I just want to know. 

 

Engineer said I have no baseline to compare it to.  Friend tells me it is a deer with a solid foot push.

 

I SAY, that it's a big foot fall. 

 

I have to listen to you all though, with more experience and knowledge etc.  What I have on you is that I live here, outside at night as much as possible. 

 

It's just motivation to get something good, so I am as all other researchers, trying to get sound, or proof, or just something interesting to talk about. 

 

Thank you all for your input.  I really do appreciate it.  It helps me learn. 

 

And maybe I help you learn. 

How can you fool a Bigfoot?  That's stupid. 

 

IMO, you just have to be, and maybe they'll show up. 

Like Jerry Garcia sings, "All good things in all good time." 

 

Have to resist putting on tunes.  I have the recorder going 100 feet from me, and if I'm going to make any progress on these tapes, I have to listen in real time. 

 

Thanks again for listening to me and giving your honest input. 

 

Hammer

Now that's very impressive set up you have there SWW . I like what you did there and seems like a great tool to get sound.

Hammer

I use to think like others that I had to hide my scent and all . That these creatures would not find me out by hiding my scent , even on my equipment. Yes it works fine on other animals but not on these creatures. They will know no matter what you do or how you prevent it from it being found out. It is best just to let them know what you are trying to do and do it. The best hiding place is always in plain site. They will investigate it and leave it alone or they will wonder what it is and recognize it and stay away from that spot.

 

Amen Shadowborn!  That's exactly how I feel. 

 

I am me.  They know me by now.  I'm just trying to know them.  How much of that happens close to me, probably has a lot to do with how I continue to do what I do on a consistent basis. 

 

The first two nights with the recorder, I got nothing.  It had been a super active 2 weeks before that.  Then one night, for a half hour or so, all kinds of things were happening, including the foot falls surrounding the mic on day 3 of recording.  Day 4, three days later, also had footfalls near the mic, although it was in a different place.  At that point, I'm thinking, (projecting unscientific conclusions), that it/they know the recorder now.  We'll see what day 5 brings.  I'm listening to it now.

 

Every sound I bring will be building a base of knowledge.  I may learn that my baseball bat knocks were just gas well noises.  The foot falls may be deer.  Whatever, at least I'm sitting out here in the cold, doing what I have always done, except this time, I won't hear what is happening with my ear, I'm on headphones listening to what the recorder picked up.  I am discovering that it hears a lot better than I do.

 Forgot to add the review of foot falls.  Sorry.

 

Last one happened near to when the first foot falls were heard.  Throwing that tree break and owl howl in for fun. 

 

My first three sounds on tape!  I'm proud of myself.  It might not get any better than this though.  I haven't heard a howl since my brother-in-law called it May 2013.  No calls made or heard since. 

9-14-14 BIG foot falls near mic.wav

9-17-14 Forager moves past mic SHORTER.wav

9-14-14 Big break and owl howl SHORTER.wav

Edited November 4, 2014 by chelefoot
Language

[SWWASAS]

Hammer:   Your recorder may increase your ability to hear but it is still limited by the electronics, gain, signal to noise ratio etc.      The parabolic mike can push that out to limits where unless BF understands parabolic mikes, they might chatter, growl, and make other sounds they assume you to be incapable of hearing.  It does that by mechanical means and without incurring any electronic noise.    Any of those sounds would pretty much nail down what you are listening to as not being deer or elk.    Even assuming you get good bipedal footfall sounds, without something else like a footprint or a sighting as other evidence, a skeptic could always say that what you are hearing is a human prowling around on your property.   Unfortunately you need to be as critical as a skeptic is with your own methods to exclude other more likely explanations and that to me requires supporting evidence.   

Edited September 24, 2014 by SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT

[frap10]

Question about the crickets going silent when something came around - When I'm out - day or night - I dont notice anything getting quieter because I'm around whether its crickets, frogs birds etc...   Has that happened to any outdoors/camping people or just when something like bigfoot is around?

 

Just never experienced it.

[SWWASAS]

I have experienced the silent treatment at times.    I find no correlation to anything around but myself.    Of course when I am there to experience the silence I may be the reason that things went silent.     I have two recordings made during BF encounters and in one you can hear a bird repeatedly chirping.   So I would say that one has normal forest noises.      In the second encounter all is quiet except the two BF that were moving through the underbrush and whooping to each other.    Any creature with any sense in the area would have not have been making noise as they approached.    The only noise other than the approaching BF was my excited breathing.      Both happened during daylight hours.    It could be that things are different for night encounters but I normally do not do night research.   I do think frogs tend to go silent when humans approach at night.  I have tree frogs all around my house and they go silent when I come near them.     Other times I have no reason to think anything but me is in the area and things are quiet.    In other words I have not found any correlation with normal animal sounds.    

Edited September 24, 2014 by SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT

[Sasfooty]

Things seem to get louder here when they're close to the house. Besides hearing them walking around in the leaves, the crickets, frogs, & cicadas seem to get louder, & various animal & bird noises appear to "follow them around". Sometimes it sounds like a jungle until they move away & things get quiet again.

[ShadowBorn]

My first encounter,the frogs were doing their things as well as the crickets.As soon as the creatures came near our camp everything went silent except for my dog that kept alerting us of a presence. Same thing happened on our second encounter and our third as well as our forth. The animals in the forest would become silent as though there was a predator roaming in the forest.It would also happen in our other research area as well where the birds and frogs would just go silent all of a sudden and then the animals would resume. To me this would be very strange after spending time in the forest and getting use to this forest after time of hunting this area.

[Incorrigible1]

Once again, for reasons unexplained, bigfoot is different than any other creature in the woodlands.

 

 

Convenient, that.

[Guest DWA]

Well, every animal in the woodlands is different from every other one.  It's called, you know, "species."

 

And this effect is reported where apex predators roam, around the globe.  Including the other primate that goes around on two legs.

[Hammer102492]

Hammer:   Your recorder may increase your ability to hear but it is still limited by the electronics, gain, signal to noise ratio etc.      The parabolic mike can push that out to limits where unless BF understands parabolic mikes, they might chatter, growl, and make other sounds they assume you to be incapable of hearing.  It does that by mechanical means and without incurring any electronic noise.    Any of those sounds would pretty much nail down what you are listening to as not being deer or elk.    Even assuming you get good bipedal footfall sounds, without something else like a footprint or a sighting as other evidence, a skeptic could always say that what you are hearing is a human prowling around on your property.   Unfortunately you need to be as critical as a skeptic is with your own methods to exclude other more likely explanations and that to me requires supporting evidence.   

 

Well, as I am listening to last night's sound on my headphones, I hear foot falls near the mic.  They weren't as large or heavy as the ones in the clip, but it was similar.  Then I heard a deer snort, so I knew that's what it was.  It's disappointing in a way, because it was such a rush to hear those big ones thinking that it could be a possible BF, but on the other hand, it is good to know what it was based on what I just heard. 

And your right, my friend Tom said basically the same thing, unless it's a howl, it's not going to get very far in the BF research world.

 

That big knock / boom that I have been hearing, I have figured out based on multiple recordings of it over this past week, is that it has something to do with the partially peeled off tin from our hog barn roof. 

 

Sigh...learning that some of these sounds are ordinary and mundane.  Well, at least I know.

 

I still believe that there are BFs around here.  Before I put that mic out, I was getting all kinds of knocks.  Maybe those knocks can be explained, or maybe the BF knows that I have tape rolling on him.

 

There has only been one time that BF howled here and there was NO QUESTION about that.  My brother-in-law was the one to call it.  Other than that, I haven't called it since, and I haven't heard anything since.  That's the only way I am going to get something that means anything, is if they start howling.  That could be a rare catch, but, as my lead investigator says, you just have to keep at it and it takes time.  Things happen on BF time, not human time.  So I will continue to listen to the night sounds around me from the recordings, and maybe one day, one of them will let me know they are there.

[Hammer102492]

Another thought about the PTS...  maybe me recording what I think is out there, is helping me to deal with it.  It is empowering, like I can get a piece of this action and show people what has been going on.  Then again, some of this tape I am getting shows me that the boogie man is not out there as much as I think he is.  Do you know what I am saying?  Bottom line is that I think that this recording project that I have started has helped me with the PTS. 

 

Laughing, but if the large ones start having a howling contest in my back yard, I may go back to that feeling again!  This time, I'll think it's cool and it will be recorded. 

 

This is going to be a long project.  Like I should complain, I have met people that have been into this quest for 20 - 30 years.  I have been recording for 2 weeks. 

 

The only thing that I have going for me is that I for sure saw one a few miles down the road, I heard it a few weeks later, and my friend saw it in the back yard.  That much I know for sure.  And maybe, that's all there was.  I still think they're out there though. 

[Hammer102492]

Have been actively researching Bigfoots for two and a half years. Have had alot of activity during those years. May 31, 2014, had first Class A sighting at 2:00 AM with night vision equipment. My partner and I concluded that there was definetly two of them and maybe a third one as lookout. The encounter was not freighting  or stressful to me. It seemed like they were just curious about us. I measured the distance between them and us the next day; exactly 35 ft. My partner was really shaken up by the experience  an said she had seen enough and did not want to go through it ever  again. I developed  quite abit of anxiety over the next few weeks and I have had to work to get it under control. I went out again in June but some of the anxiety was still there. Its something I will just have to work out since I already invested in military grade, 3rd gen. AN/PVS-7B night  vision since the encounter. The anxiety seems irrational  because I usually do my research  alone in places people never go and I have never been freighted in the woods day or night. I guess I will just play it out and see how it goes.

 

I was there.  100% correct.  That's how it was. 

 

Still thinking about it! 

 

Laughing now.  But yeah, I was the one freaking out with him.  Actually, I was proud of how calm I was.  I'm not going to run out of here screaming, but you're not going to tell me what you just saw very clearly in your night vision, (good thing he waited for at least a little while before telling me), I was was looking at two unknown green lights that didn't move, and then he tells me he sees one in a different place behind the tree.  We were hearing BIG steps.  Sitting near the junction of a path crossing, feeling completely surrounded.  I was a about 80% of max for it's happening around us, then he tells me what he sees in his night vision.  He was sitting a smidge behind me to my left, but we were still close.  I wasn't watching what he did, I was totally focused on the two green lights.  It was like it went from peaceful to 100 miles an hour in a matter of 15 minutes.  I flipped my headlamp on and he said to turn it off.  I said, "I don't want to."  He said, "Turn it off!"  And I said "NO."  That's all I had to feel safe, except for just spewing outloud, "Hey, we're just peaceful people.  I didn't stand up.  Stayed cross legged on my carpet sample mat.  Didn't move.  Felt like I had MASSIVE heavy eyes on my back, and in front of me.  I pulled out my phone and texted my life line investigator back at camp.  My hands were shaking so badly I could hardly type the text. 

 

I was just so happy to just sit down and chill and enjoy the beautiful night.  Hadn't been drinking, but I did bring a wine flask with me.  We sat down, had a few sips.  Just breathed the wonderful night air.  We were on a path this time, easy night of fun, except when we weren't on a path and I was getting a little worried.  But to just casually walk down this path, just chilling and talking, then plunk down, kick back and enjoy the night.  THEN BF SHOWED UP!

 

Just like rlwebb said.  I concur.  100%

 

He was just as he said, cool as a cucumber at the time, but he's a veteran.  Knows how to handle it.  I probably freaked him out with my reaction.  It was LARGE and IN CHARGE.

 

I said a prayer to the Angels for protection, and honestly looked for ways to survive.  Turn the light on.  This is real.  Speak out loud to them and ask them not to hurt us because we are peaceful people, text the reinforcements.  As soon as they came down the path, one of them heard a knock. Then the whole situation was neutralized.  But I still saw those lights.  People tried to look where I was looking, but I didn't move one inch off my safe pad.  To look to the left or the right one foot, and you couldn't see them.  It was directly on me as I was sitting there, hunched down in a crossed legged position in a lazy way.  I'm short wasted. 

 

The next day, we went back and my partner, rlwebb, found that there was a big drop off where I saw the green lights.  It couldn't have been farm foundation or trail reflectors.  We weren't shining lights.  We were sitting in the complete darkness and I wasn't scared in the least.  I spend a lot of time outside at night and prefer no flashlights.  I don't own a head lamp, (borrowed that one). 

 

Talking about PTDS, I'm good now, but here I am all jumpy about what's going on around here, and darn it, I want to see if it's going on down there where everyone says it is.  After many treks around that weekend, rlwebb and I decide to take off after night ops came back a little early.  We were still in BF Ridge. 

 

It blew my mind, again.  He would tell me about how it was messing with his head too.  Big smile now becuase we were both in the soup together and will never forget it as long as we live, I'm sure.  He is a wonderful person and I can't wait until the next time.  Spring is not far away.  We'll see what happens.  It may never happen again like that. 

 

I wish I had the recorder then.

 

But yeah, I even started a thread here, why going looking for Sasquatch?   WOW.  That's a door that I knocked on and was opened, and wanted to shut it quickly.  But, taking the husband there this spring.  Ha ha.  We're going to camp almost on top of where it was.  It's the scariest part of BF Ridge. 

 

But I will be sitting there and laughing at anything that happens, because it's going to have to be big for husband to believe.  Laughing.  It will almost be like a dare.  It's all I have ever wanted since this whole BF thing started with my sighting May 2013.  May is a big month in Ohio for BF, if two seasons are starting a trend.  We're not going to go looking for it, just camp out like we have always done.  I will have to control my anxiety, and be cool.  He already thinks that I think everything is a BF now.  I need a person like that to keep me sane.  Laughing, until he experiences it!  If they are still around there. 

 

It's like summer camp entertainment to see how many people BF can scare off of BF Ridge, Salt Fork Stake Park. 

 

It did a number on us that night.  Me anyway.  I may have unduely upset rlwebb, but I am not a brave soldier.  But I didn't run! 

[Guest]

    Like I said an old Dish Network or Direct TV dish will work if you mount the recorder or a microphone at the focal point.       

 

By the way, in this area, the dishes are set up so that the detector part (technical name escapes me this early) is off axis, and it's "pointed" at the satellite when it's about 30 to 45 degrees below it.... This is I think so the dishes don't fill with rain or snow. So, upshot of that is, if using for a mic, ignore the arm that's there, holding the detector thingy and rig an on axis, in focus mount. Same if you're playing with them for long range wifi.

 

Occasionally the dollar stores here had "sonic ears" amplified mic and headphones devices, and there's often close to parabolic salad bowls to be had, head to the toys and get a plastic AR-15 or similar to mount it on, then with a bit of ingenuity, duct tape, epoxy glue, etc, you can rig yourself a functional, "better than naked ears" parabolic setup for $5.

[SWWASAS]

Geometry lesson:    Skip over if this you don't want to make your own dish.   One could even make a dish of out a block of Styrofoam.     To make a cross section of a parabola on cordboard or paper to make a parabolic dish, draw a horizontal line (L) across a paper.    Pick out a focal point (F) well below the line (L) half way across L.   The distance below will determine how deep the bowl is.    Get a string and two push pins.     Push a push pin into F and tie the string to it.    Run the string down to where you want the bottom of the dish, somewhere below F then go straight up to line L.    Push a push pin into L and tie the string to it.    The bottom of the loop of string below the focal point F is P, the surface of the parabola.     Move the push pin with that is pushed into L out at small increments away from the center, keeping it on the line L and keep the string dropping down to P perpendicular to the line L.    As long as you keep the string perpendicular to L, P will define the surface of the parabola, as you move out along the line L.    You could put a pen or pencil at the bottom of the string loop and move the end on line L outwards along the line a draw the surface.    By definition,  the length of a line between F and a horizontal line L above the dish is always equal and defines the surface of a parabola if the line extends down perpendicular to line L.    Once you have the cardboard template defining the surface of the parabola you could just hollow out a block of Styrofoam to make the dish that matches the template.    Anyway that seems like a lot of work and it probably is to make your own dish. 

 

    If you want to check out an existing dish or bowl and determine the focal point,  put a stick or rod into the bottom center of the dish and run it straight out.    Get a cheap laser pointer,  and keeping it parallel to the stick move it gradually away from the stick at the center out towards  the edge of the bowl or dish.     If it is a good parabola, the laser will reflect off the dish and hit the stick at one focal point.    If not, it will move in or out along the stick.     One of those dish sleds would probably be good enough.    Since you are not worried about optics and a microphone is fairly large, the focal point does not have to be perfect.     When I determined the focal point of the my dish I used the sun as the light source and nearly blinded myself.     The dish is shiny metal and the light at the focal point was so bright that it was like looking into a welding arc.    Stupid of me and I had retinal burn as the result.  Not only that but I was not being careful about the sun and the dish,  loaded it into my truck where the sun could shine of the disk.    It burned a hole in the seat cover and foam underneath.     I could have burned the truck up completely.           

Edited March 3, 2015 by SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT