Need Some "wood Knocking" Help And Some Personal Experiences

[Xion Comrade]

Basically the main reason I am making this thread is that I need a way to do wood knocking ridiculously loud. Banging rocks together just doesn't work but it IS really loud, they always fall apart after a few knocks and the ones big enough to hold together are just ridiculous! All of the wood laying about in my area is deader than crap and useless, so I have to bring something into the field for this activity!

 

So what do you guys use? Something borderline gunfire loud would be beautiful, like potential ear ringing volume but still possessing that deep "Thud" that wood or rocks can produce. I know Timbergiantbigfoot has some sort of wooden mini-bat he uses, but tbh I have no clue where to start to find something decent and really can't afford to just start buying stuff to see if it will work :s

 

 

 

But onto some personal experiences...I have had many experiences with woodknocking in my area now, several times in response to my own knocking, and actually one time hearing it got me a "maybe sighting". Basically it sounds like a gun going off but without that monstrous echo and a little bit deeper, sometimes just as loud and sometimes alot quieter...I will break down some of the more recent wintertime stories here and leave out the few experiences I had in the spring with it...

 

1. So the first one happened a few weeks ago, about 3 inches of snow in my area and zero human presence. I was scouting around a dirt road and heard a loud croaking sound up in the hills to my right. Basically it sounded like a huge bullfrog sort of deal, I have been followed through the woods by this sound and really can't tell if it is a bird or a frog most of the time tbh. I decided to follow it back into the woods hoping it would lead me to a source of fresh water(To camp at some point). I got to the top of the hill, overlooking a valley with a running creek at the bottom which wrapped around the hills and out of my sight. Winded, I decided to do some knocks with two rocks I had in my hand, 1 or 2 of them. Not but 4 or 5 seconds later from around that bend I got 3 very fast and ultra powerful knocks back, some of the most powerful sounds I have ever heard easily as loud as gunfire but lacking that "Snap" a gunshot has. The speed was such that a person would have to be using a semi-auto rifle to produce the same effect, it echoed all through that area like a huge boulder dropped down a stone well. Once I got over the awe and terror of hearing the sounds I was super excited and within a minute or so of hearing them I pursued it, never saw any tracks in the snow or heard anything running away but the creek was pretty well open to travel, so meh...

 

Basically what I figured from this incident was that they MAY imitate all kinds of weird stuff...like all of a sudden you will hear a crow or a frog following you in the treeline, check it out! I also learned there may be one that is just stupidly huge and powerful, because those sounds were stupidly huge and powerful.

 

 

 

2. Next one happened on the 19th and got me my first "Hmm maybe" sighting. Walking way back in the woods trying to figure out a way to cross a boggy area to get to some hills/a area I am sure they hang out in I hear a loud knock coming from that very area and look over to where I heard it from. The trees are all in winter-mode and are white/light grayish in color, treeline is pretty dense but there is a break where I am looking and what looks like a pale white tree that is broken in half, it moves into the treeline. Basically it just looked like a pale white blob moving behind the trees from the distance I was from it, but paying attention to the knocks got me the view.

 

3. The most intense knocking I have ever encountered, about a hour after #2. I get way back in the woods and finally find some good sized rocks to do some knocking with, I do so, 3 of them. On around my side of the boggy area out of view starts up a pretty bizzare screaming sound, and it starts moving closer to me and then stops right out of view around a hill. Then down in the boggy area I get one good knock...then two...then a third, and then the area just explodes, a good 2 to 3 dozen knocks coming from the area I wanna get to, probably at least 3 individuals making them. It sounded just like a gun range going full blast, some of the knocks overlapping each other. These knocks were quiet enough that if I were walking(Through the dead dry leaves covering the ground) I would barely be able to hear any of them, but dead again they were a good ways away and through quite abit of cover. I entered the area, creepiest bunch of woods I have ever been in, and while I was down there I was hearing fairly "light" knocks coming from the brush next to me and in the "cool area". I leave the boggy area eventually, hear a loud knock in the brush next to me and follow it(Against all of my good sense, you can't see where you are going in the cover hardly), in the mountain laurrels I get turned around and come across what appeared to be a heel print, perfectly rounded and pressed deep into the ground, and about as big as the heel of my boot...pretty big! I personally think there may have been something in that brush messing with me, but I never heard it moving around nor saw it in any way, but I am always very loud and slow moving in the woods(Make a point to be) and can't hear(Practically at all, the sound of my own footfalls on dry leaves just blots everything out) or see jack squat while I am moving in general, much less in the sort of crap I was in then.

[bipedalist]

I had very good luck with a solid maple jam block and had high fidelity emulation of same

I am wondering if some form of steel ball bearing clacker arrangement might get you as good as clacking rocks

Edited December 22, 2014 by bipedalist

[NCBFr]

I walked outside my house a few years ago about 3 AM in the morning with an old dog that needed some help.  Within about 5 seconds I hear what only sounded to me as a MLB homerun crack of the bat but 2-3 times louder.   That woke me up pretty quickly with the brain starting processing the what the heck was that process.  About 15 seconds later, after the brain caught up to the events, another one goes off giving me information to pinpoint the location.  About 600 yards away, across the street, in the woods between a couple of houses.  I start peering in that direction while urging the dog to finish her business.  5-10 more seconds passes when a third crack rang out.  At that point i determined it was a warning which I was in no position to argue and quickly retreated inside with my dog and back to bed.  

 

I have tried to reproduce the volume with various pieces of wood on local trees without success and received several bruised hands as a result.  My advise is to leave tree knocking to the experts.  Besides saving you the bruises, if you believe Coonbo's reports it could save you your life or in his case several hundred dollars of truck repairs as tree knocking tends to anger the masters.

[Guest lightheart]

I don't remember that story. Can you provide a recap?

[BobbyO]

XC ( and others ), get the darkest moon phases in to your head with regards for timing of when you utilise your own knocking.

Analysis of over one hundred reports of wood knock reports suggests that knocks are more common at these times.

In WA State, knock reports in the darkest moon phases as opposed to the brightest are at 64%.

Across the entire continent, 75% of the four most common moon phases where knocks have been reported are in the darkest moon phases.

Interpret that how you wish, but it is what it is.

[gigantor]

Nice data mining!

[Doc Holliday]

agreed, well done bobby.

 

as with pursuit of any animal ,  finding patterns in behavior is key. good catch. 

[bipedalist]

I eyeballed that one years ago and have been spouting the wisdom, crescent waxing and waning is a goldmine.  Glad to see it statistically verified. 

 

Edited to add I have heard the explosive, concussive almost sounds made by them, and if that is a wood knock you have to wonder how they don't break bones producing that concussively unless it is organically not produced by an appendage. 

Edited December 23, 2014 by bipedalist

[Doc Holliday]

bipedalist , you've been into this for some time and experience is the best teacher.

 

are there other basic trends / patterns you've noticed that could help XC , or others , in this pursuit ?

[bipedalist]

Well it seems that in montane environments average elevations around 2500 ft. produce almost year round, I think that even holds in the Pacific NW but there is some variability and seasonality even there. Well the diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular thing has been analyzed to death and even though daylight sightings happen and percentages are similar, length of sighting/interaction seems to lean more into the nocturnal/crepuscular zone the way I read the tape.  Not many pictures regardless.  Just spitballing here, guide the reader to the nocturnal, crepuscular threads in that regard. 

[southernyahoo]

I've seen a small wooden box (open on one side) used in conjunction with a bungee cord and hard ball like a golf ball. That makes a real nice loud knock and the projected sound can be directed somewhat towards your target.

 

ETA: The wood knocks I've heard have never struck me as being much louder or more powerful than what a grown man could do with a solid bat on the right piece of wood. It can be puzzling though that return knocks occur within ten seconds or so and one has to wonder how the responder finds a knocking stick and appropriate tree or piece of wood to knock back with so quickly.

Edited December 23, 2014 by southernyahoo

[Doc Holliday]

putting a spin on the old teddy Roosevelt line...... perhaps it walks softly and carries a big stick ?

[Trogluddite]

Go to a local musical instrument store? You don't need to tell them why you want the loudest wooden clapper or block set that they have, you just have to try it and if its satisfactory, buy it.  Alternatively, what about a wooden fungo bat (i.e., a baseball bat with one side shaved flat).   

[Xion Comrade]

I've seen a small wooden box (open on one side) used in conjunction with a bungee cord and hard ball like a golf ball. That makes a real nice loud knock and the projected sound can be directed somewhat towards your target.

 

ETA: The wood knocks I've heard have never struck me as being much louder or more powerful than what a grown man could do with a solid bat on the right piece of wood. It can be puzzling though that return knocks occur within ten seconds or so and one has to wonder how the responder finds a knocking stick and appropriate tree or piece of wood to knock back with so quickly.

 

One researcher I know is pretty sure they don't actually "Wood knock" so much as they just slam their hands together or something, I have gotten knocks back immediately and also sometimes had to wait a good 5-10 seconds before they happened so I really don't know. I have heard some that were more reasonably loud but louder than i could do that were pretty dang close to me(But behind cover, which I followed and found what may well be a pretty big heel print), and some that were like a shotgun or a explosion going off into the air in a way.

 

 

XC ( and others ), get the darkest moon phases in to your head with regards for timing of when you utilise your own knocking.

Analysis of over one hundred reports of wood knock reports suggests that knocks are more common at these times.

In WA State, knock reports in the darkest moon phases as opposed to the brightest are at 64%.

Across the entire continent, 75% of the four most common moon phases where knocks have been reported are in the darkest moon phases.

Interpret that how you wish, but it is what it is.

 

Off the top of my head I am thinking they may have to use the knocks more often at those times due to lower visibility! They seem to use stuff like that to ping each others location!

 

 

I have tried to reproduce the volume with various pieces of wood on local trees without success and received several bruised hands as a result.  My advise is to leave tree knocking to the experts.  Besides saving you the bruises, if you believe Coonbo's reports it could save you your life or in his case several hundred dollars of truck repairs as tree knocking tends to anger the masters.

 

The Giants in my area almost solely use knocking as a means of communication it seems and definitely use it to get my attention, you hear animal imitations sometimes, but the knocks are real common in some parts and getting a response is pretty easy. My experience with these big guys may not apply to all of them, but it seems to me that they just really aren't that serious or mean at all but rather get a kick out of messing with me, and I do too. I personally think the problem with most people who go into the field for research is that they are just to friggin defensive when out in the field...people gotta loosen the heck up and pull the stick out of their butts!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice all! I am gonna look into all suggestions. One thing I would like to say is that when you are out in the field and hear a gunshot off in the distance or whatever, look into whether or not it is even possible for a hunter to be back in the area....so far where I am at it is absolutely not.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Xion Comrade

[NCBFr]

I don't remember that story. Can you provide a recap?

 

Coonbo and his F150 (or maybe 250) went to a place where he heard of activity, began wood knocking, 3 BFs came out of the woods and chucked a log at his truck and did around $750 damages before he could get out of town.  Ask him, I am sure he can provide more detail than I can remember from the interview.