Sasfooty Posted August 2, 2016 Posted August 2, 2016 When I first realized that they are here, it was the night before my birthday in May of 2005. They were obviously around for a couple of weeks, then the "obviousness" stopped & they appeared to be gone until just before Thanksgiving that fall. There was quite a bit of activity for the next 3 or 4 months, then it got quiet again. By that time, I had the bionic ear & was listening to them every night. At some point, I noticed that when the winter noises stopped, there were suddenly several new spring noises. After a while I realized that they aren't changing locations. They're just changing the noises that they make to fit the seasons. 1
guyzonthropus Posted August 3, 2016 Posted August 3, 2016 After reading the post two posts back, I was thinking that the periodicity of the knocks may represent a shift in foraging behaviour rather than a migratory pattern, as if for certain food types they spread out more to gather it up and use the knocking to stay in touch with each other as they go about. And as Sasfooty was saying about one sound form being switched out in favour of other sounds, they must stay seasonally appropriate, and don't want to rely on just one basic noise as that would become rather conspicuous. Maybe they're doing the knocks to get your attention every now and then.. "Ok...we're going back to the knocks...Yeah...seems like that's the only one of our sounds that gets him outta bed looking for us.." you just never know.
Lake County Bigfooot Posted August 3, 2016 Posted August 3, 2016 (edited) Truth fully I do not know, the knocks are at different times of the night, generally after 1am, around 3am and again around 445 am, it seems like a pattern of 3, 5, or 8. It does not diverge, it is one of those. I have heard the knocks come on the heals of coyote activity, no other animal activity, and when cars are buzzing by shortly before or after. The consistent thing is they come from a similar area of the marsh, and they happen during the early summer going into July, which is also when I have heard vocalizations. I have allot of recording hours in and have been rewarded to an extent capturing the knocks, but I really was after the vocalizations. I theorize that the juvenile was trained not to vocalize since that original event in 2013, I would have caught him doing so by now. The moans I have captures could be canine, I am not certain. I will continue my quest to know...I just returned from Northern Wisconsin, and spent a considerable amount of time on the roads late at night, star gazing, as well as squatching passively. It is always impressive how much wilderness actually is available to these creatures, considering how little they actually need to remain discreet. Edited August 3, 2016 by Lake County Bigfooot
Lake County Bigfooot Posted August 26, 2016 Posted August 26, 2016 My area of consideration has expanded somewhat due to working to the north and hour from home, I drive the rural country roads allot, sometimes in the early am, and sometimes in the early night. It does not really take all that much imagination to see how they survive in and near civilization. Although we are out and about, few if any are exploring the non-prescribed wooded areas that dot the landscape. Patches of forest and acre more or less, farm fields ripe with crops, streams and river valley relatively untouched. The means of survival is to remain hidden and to have ample food sources. All that is available and then some. The question really is how can they remain only known by so few of us. If they move in and about these areas, no doubt they must leave some traces of their movements, it is not an impossible task, but given the stealth and intelligence they employ to hide those movements, a task that takes an attention to detail and dogged persistence. Where Sasfooty lives, the creatures may very well be year round residents, the snowfall here makes that a difficult task, not that they cannot survive the brutalist of winters, but it becomes difficult to hide movement. I know of 4 snow track ways found in this area, some very detailed. That reveals their presence here in the winter, but it seems to show them looking for places to hide or perhaps hibernate for a time. I think they limit their movements and kind of lay low in a state of torpor or something like that. Several times a winter they arouse themselves to hunt and eat, and possibly seek a different shelter. Fall activity is always high and I think that is due to them fattening up for the longer winter months. If they move about in the winter they can be exposed, unless the snow is sparse, then it might be on for a long time.
JKH Posted August 26, 2016 Posted August 26, 2016 Here's a good recent BFRO report of a juvenile. Not much to the report itself, but the investigator did a good job detailing the surroundings. http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=49621
Lake County Bigfooot Posted August 29, 2016 Posted August 29, 2016 This last little blurb at the end of the report is all I have been saying over and over again in this thread, but it is nice to actually get confirmation of these types of movements of the creatures, I think that encounters like these will become more common as more areas have been restored and wildlife numbers increasing. Larger predators such as the Mountain Lion and Timber wolf are making a comeback in the Midwest, so with that I am sure Sasquatch numbers might be on the rise here as well..... BFRO Report 49621 Quote There are reports of sasquatches venturing into towns for various reasons, this park is located close to downtown Lansing, which has a population of almost 114,000. But, the waterways and the small and large landholdings, provide valuable habitat within an urban environment that benefit fish and other wildlife. The contiguous green space created from the proximity of several park areas in the city as well as the rivers provide key wildlife corridors in the city. There are two areas where the combined park land creates large wildlife corridors. One of these areas is over 128 acres and includes Bancroft Park, Groesbeck Golf Course, Ormond Park and Fairview Park. Natural areas provide habitat for wildlife for rodents, wild turkeys, fox, deer cranes and other birds. Lansing has abundant water resources. The Grand and Red Cedar Rivers, as well as Sycamore Creek, flow through the city. The Grand River flows by, only a mile from this park. Rivers are believed to be travel routes for Sasquatches.
Lake County Bigfooot Posted December 29, 2016 Posted December 29, 2016 Believe me when I say I am not finished with this subject, even now sitting in a beach side resort in Clearwater, I am reminded of the natural surroundings that still allow for movement of creatures. From the 11th floor view you can clearly see that although the area is very developed, small corridors of wild areas exist. Several years back a Class A sighting took place in the City of Clearwater, it occurred near a power line easement as well as near shoreline that could serve as a travel route. If you look at the map of that sighting it seems nearly impossible, but I say nearly, and by that it remains possible. If such movements do occur near cities such as Clearwater, perhaps our best bet on capturing evidence is to look for the needle in the smallest haystack.
guyzonthropus Posted December 29, 2016 Posted December 29, 2016 Interesting thought, there, LCB! One has to wonder though, if the frequency with which they might use these corridors is often enough to warrant staking them out? Perhaps they are only used in extraordinary circumstance. Of course, I don't know one way or another. If their population density is such that some individuals are pushed closer to human developments, then the likelihood of such travelways being used regularly surely goes up considerably.
hiflier Posted December 29, 2016 Posted December 29, 2016 A thought. Winter in Lansing. Because it all comes down to shelter and food supply. LCB spoke of winter migration possibilities for the region but that's not the thought that I have. I was curious if there have been any unusual deer kills in the area by an unknown predator. Maybe there is a way to find that out through local wildlife resources? Missing pets etc.
ShadowBorn Posted December 29, 2016 Moderator Posted December 29, 2016 5 hours ago, hiflier said: A thought. Winter in Lansing. Because it all comes down to shelter and food supply. LCB spoke of winter migration possibilities for the region but that's not the thought that I have. I was curious if there have been any unusual deer kills in the area by an unknown predator. Maybe there is a way to find that out through local wildlife resources? Missing pets etc. Small missing pets I blame on large birds whether they be like a hawk or what ever or they just go missing. Deer kills is a little bit hard to explain since it could be a range of things that could have done some thing like that. But migration is possible with these guys and I can see how some might see these creatures that might have come from another state. We have no way of knowing what their range may be. As us as humans do we expect us to believe that they believe in borders or even respect state lines . If you believe that they are apes then we should expect them to at least migrate like most apes out of Africa. But if they have any human in them then we should have some understanding of them acting like us, as humans. I see them as moving or staying as long as there is a strong supply of food. If the supply of food is good in a given area then I am sure that these creatures will shelter in that given area until the supply is gone. But it is like a game with them on trying to be in the right spot and try to know if they are there. I have nothing against you Hiflier and really want to help you and am not looking for confrontation. I just want to get to the bottom to what I have encountered and this comes from sighting of them . Sighting that were up close visual of them, so I truly have nothing against you. So I hope that you are not upset with me on what I have said about your book. Public apology that's very deserving. SB
hiflier Posted December 30, 2016 Posted December 30, 2016 ShadowBorn, please, I truly enjoy your posts and having you around so say no more. Never a reason to apologize. Differences of opinion are good things and all of us learn from them. In the end of course it would be nice if all of us knew firsthand that they are real. Having seen them with out own eyes I mean. And you are right, birds of prey should be the first though on any missing small animals. When I wrote about unusual deer kills I was thinking of BigTreeWalker's experience in the field with th teeth marks on the rib pile that he discovered. I thought anything like that even in an urban area would be very interesting indeed. I thought if there were unusual kills in the region that the FW or LEO's would know- especially if there were signs of predation by a large animal. Bigger than say coyotes. And this would be for urban areas where bears might either be few or non-existent. It's getting harder and harder to stop my brain these days
Lake County Bigfooot Posted January 3, 2017 Posted January 3, 2017 I kind of side on the view that they will move to where the available resources are in winter, but also that they are hunkered down. I think that what you thought I meant as migration toward the south of the Metro of Chicago in winter, is actually just taking advantage of the resources more abundant in that area during the winter. The confluence of the Fox and Illinois rivers is the area I am speaking of. Very close to that is a nuclear cooling lake, which has a large fenced area closed to the public. I am suspecting that such a place might serve as an ideal winter hideout. Many animals coming to the area for the open water nearer to the discharge, but plenty of places for the creatures to hide. While such areas are not easy places for animals to reach, and I am not sure about the perimeter security and fencing near the discharge, I would think access for animals would still be possible. Another interesting sighting semi-recently on the BFRO is the one from the villages, near Ocala Florida. The famous retirement community apparently has a couple of insomniacs, huge surprise there, and these two ladies happened to be visited by a hairy bipedal creature passing through a green way in the heart of the community. Demonstrating the exact point of much of this thread, namely that they will not be afraid to travel under the cover of dark in such areas.
ioyza Posted January 4, 2017 Posted January 4, 2017 Alright LCB, I have something from Chicago I want your opinion on. I work at U of C in the hospital, and following some heavy rain and wind in maybe mid-October, a structure appeared against one of the trees lining the parking area of Midway Plaisance. Let me get straight to the point: the construction of the structure would have led me to believe it was almost certainly Sasquatch-made, had it been in deep woods, but the specific location made me almost certain it could not be. It began as a low teepee structure in a semi-circle made from maybe 20 broken branches leaning up to a point maybe 4 feet high on a tree. Over the next two months, the structure gradually gained branches, then eventually was filled in with leaves and smaller debris to enclose a tiny area against the tree. Then one day in mid-December, it was completely annihilated basically without a trace. The area it enclosed would not have been big enough to shield a single adult homeless person from the elements, nevermind a Sasquatch, and I never saw any sleeping bag, belongings, empty bottles or broken glass around (which are common items on the other side of the Midway). My best guess is that it was a fun activity for the kids at the elementary school that it was in front of, but it wasn't much of a fort hangout either - one kid at a time inside at most. Still, there is absolutely no cover anywhere near this spot, no water corridor. I very much agree with your ideas on the subject of this thread, but am I right in thinking this specific location would be impossible for Sasquatch? And if I am right, it makes me much more wary of jumping to conclusions on stick structures, because this one would have counted as a dead-ringer for me if it had been in the woods. Here's the exact location: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7868537,-87.5981744,17.2z Also worth mentioning I found a teepee structure in Potowatamee Woods, which I feel is a more promising sign (along Des Plaines River corridor). I'll post more on this thread later, and give some background about my experiences on the outskirts of the suburbs of my previous home in Colorado.
ioyza Posted January 10, 2017 Posted January 10, 2017 Well, the structure reappeared again overnight. And by 'overnight' I mean I was walking by that spot at maybe 4:15 on my way out yesterday, and walked by around 8:45 this morning. Same tree, same construction, in fact it's even on the same side of the tree. Could it be a grounds crew gathering up the broken branches from storms to be mulched later? But they didn't gather all of them, and why leave them there for months at a time? I'm planning a little trip to the Camp Pine Woods area this weekend if the weather isn't tooo horrible, these are directly south of the Potawatomi Woods we checked out last time and found the large teepee structure. I said I'd give a little background on my Colorado semi-suburban experiences, so here goes. I'll start off by pointing you to a BFRO report that should definitely qualify for this thread: http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=12802 This canyon I've had encounters in is basically two valleys West of that sighting into the mountains. This will be copied and pasted from elsewhere I've written this up, forgive me if there's context missing in places. My folks live on the edge of the suburbs, just behind the first ridge of the mountains. There's a road just to the south that runs up a canyon and into the mountains, and if you take that just a little ways up to your first left, there's a trail that's not that well marked or hiked. It's the back side of a system of trails that are well marked and hiked, and it connects with that system at the top, but is hidden - if you went down it from the main system, you'd end up far from your vehicle. It's densely forested, doesn't get much sun, and is almost always snowy, muddy, or both. The first time I brought one of the friends from the Lost Creek expeditions on this trail we heard knocks - two sharp cracks when we stepped out of the car, and another two when we started hiking up the trail. I don't remember if we heard anything else that time, but it was enough to get me hiking this trail pretty regularly by myself, since I was living at my parents' house at the time. The closest encounter I've had occurred on my way down the trail after I'd been hearing little noises on the way up, making me suspect they were around. I suddenly heard a loud "WOO!" from down to my right. I was feeling good so I went "WOO!" back. In immediate response to this, from off to the right, came a loud squawking/screeching sound. I grinned and sat down to see what would happen. Pretty quickly, I began to hear what I thought at first was someone walking a dog up the trail toward me - a quiet panting, "huhuhuhuh..." But as it got louder, and louder, and louder, I could only imagine the chest cavity of whatever was making this sound to be utterly massive... "huhuhuHUHUHUHHUHHUHHUHHUH" rapid, loud, heavy breathing, and it was CLOSE, it sounded like it was within 20 or 30 yards of me, but I couldn't tell where. It definitely scared me, but I had my voice of reason present enough to think "Well ok, I'm pretty sure I know what this is and what it's trying to tell me, I should just take the hint." I stood up and started walking down the trail, and the huffing stopped immediately. I never saw what was making the sound. I tried to entertain the possibility that it was a bear or lion for a while, but it just doesn't seem possible anymore. It was bigger than a mountain lion, bigger than a black bear, not to mention neither of those animals seem like a prime candidate to try to scare me away by breathing heavily while remaining completely hidden. I suspect the initial vocals I heard were bold curious youngsters, and Dad got nervous and wanted me out of there. It's not the only time I've felt like I was being warned to back off there. Near the top of the trail, near a big tree that's been broken and bent to the ground (it's still alive though), I found a stick structure that's a staple in the Sasquatch repertoire: a teepee (1, 2, 3). I went back and got my camera and snapped those three pictures, but... I felt really uncomfortable while doing so. It's hard to explain the "vibe-y" things that go along with this hobby, but I felt like I was violating them somehow, doing something that they'd strongly disapprove of. I had no indication that they were watching me, it's just a feeling I had. Less than 24 hrs later, I hiked the trail again, and just inside the trees at the bottom, right on the middle of the trail, was a deer skeleton, fresh, skull with three vertebrae attached, broken femurs, scattered about. I can pretty much guarantee nobody had hiked there since me yesterday, and I had a big feeling that this skeleton was left for me specifically. I decided then and there never to bring a camera with me again. Which is a bit of a shame considering the next thing I found, but I want respect for them and their wishes to be my number one priority. Fortunately, you can see the arched aspen tree that served as the base for the structure that I found a week or two later in the second picture of the teepee structure. That arch that starts just to the left of the teepee was the base and mouth for a lean-to type structure, at a time in July when we were getting an absurd amount of rain for Colorado. There were sticks placed perpendicular to it, all along the arch, weighing it down so the opening was probably 3-4 ft. high in the middle. All across these sticks, perpendicular again (so parallel to the arch) were 6 in. x 12 in. strips of aspen bark, making a very impressive roof. Maybe one more thing worth telling on this trail, which was another possible brief sighting, but again distant and obscured so I can't be completely sure. I was coming up to the steep spot where I'd heard the breathing, and a crazy amount of loud knocking issued from up the cliff to my left, almost like a belated "GUYS, HUMAN, MY BAD!" I just stood there looking up the slope, and something caught my eye - it looked like a tree trunk broken off about 10 ft. up, but I didn't remember seeing such a tree there. I just kept staring at it intently, sort of jokingly wondering if it would suddenly move, when it did. It moved smoothly to its right behind a tree and out of view, almost like it finally got unnerved by my staring at it. As with my previous sighting, not a clear enough look to say for sure it wasn't a trick of light, but plenty of non-sighting evidence to support that they at least frequent the areas. 1
JKH Posted January 10, 2017 Posted January 10, 2017 Very interesting experiences! I'm a widespread-species proponent, suburban/urban movements aren't generally a problem for them, IMO. Hard to say about your recent observations, but overnight manipulations unlikely to be made by humans are suspicious. You could try adding to or changing something there to see what happens.
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