georgerm Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) Last week I hung some food for bigfoot about 9 feet up on a small limb next to a forest trail. The limb was so small a raccoon would not be able to crawl down it. The food was higher than a black bear can reach unless they can reach 9' up while on their back feet. I saw no tracks since the ground was soggy grass. The area is squachy and has several recent and historic reports of bigfoot. A wire held an orange, apple, and the bottom was a sardine can that was barely cracked open. The can was just barely opened, and the juice did drip out on the ground. It was left there for about a week. Yesterday, the entire bait was missing from the branch. The can was on the ground empty and the lid had been peeled back all the way and was next to the empty can. The apple was gone. The orange had been peeled and was gone. The peels were scattered around and did have some mouse chew marks on the edges. Something held the tab and peeled the lid back until it came off. So what did this? Edited February 8, 2016 by georgerm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasfooty Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) So what did this? Sorry. Deleting that. Didn't mean to say it here. Edited February 8, 2016 by Sasfooty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWWASAS Posted February 8, 2016 BFF Patron Share Posted February 8, 2016 Now that you have introduced the sardines leave another can that is not partially open. If something pops the lid and does not leave tooth marks it has to be something with hands. I kind of worry about an open can being left because it could spoil and make the BF sick. I can see that BF would like the salty fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norseman Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Darn, need to invest in a trail cam pointed at your bait station! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgerm Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) Now that you have introduced the sardines leave another can that is not partially open. If something pops the lid and does not leave tooth marks it has to be something with hands. I kind of worry about an open can being left because it could spoil and make the BF sick. I can see that BF would like the salty fish. This is a great suggestion and thanks. Yesterday, I left another can with the lid cracked. If it's pulled down, I will leave a can that's sealed. Sardines should last quite awhile in the opened can I believe. We don't know how spoiled meat can be before BF gets sick. Darn, need to invest in a trail cam pointed at your bait station! Well Norse, I will see if the creature comes back today. I will look at the ground closer for prints. picture 1 brush and hard to see trail picture 2 wet area with skunk cabbage I need to get the can farther up too, to make sure a black bear is not reaching it. How high can a black bear reach would you guess? Some say trail cameras scare off BFs. Edited February 8, 2016 by georgerm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockape Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 So what did this? Some hobo who lives in the woods? Not saying that's what did it, but we have to consider the most likely suspects. You should hang that over an area of soft ground in order to get footprints if you don't want to use a trail cam. Maybe some of that dust that glows under ultra-violet light? Not sure how expensive it is though or available it is for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmaker Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) How remote is this? In picture 1, there is something obviously man made. What is it? The USFS recommends hanging food above 10 feet to put it out of reach of black bears. Edited February 8, 2016 by dmaker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWWASAS Posted February 8, 2016 BFF Patron Share Posted February 8, 2016 Spoilage depends on what it is packed in (oil or something else), salt content, and temperature. Best getting them to pop the can open because I think it would take thumbs to do that. If something is ripping the lid off it already has the idea on how to open it. I think a raccoon could get into a can like that but a bear would likely leave tooth marks on the can. I looked into having a raccoon as a pet one time and after I read up on it, decided not to. Not only do you have to keep your refrigerator padlocked shut, they get into every cupboard in the house. They have little hands and are very handy with them. I had a bear get into my water bottle one time back packing and it chomped the bottle several places. I had Gatoraide in the bottle and it decided it needed it. Bears normally leave a real mess when they get into human food, usually destroying the container. Have you thought about trying to be CSI and get some fingerprints?. Wipe your prints off your sardine can with alcohol and then handle it with gloves until you get it hung in the tree. After the contents are eaten, you could dust the sardine can to see if you pick up any fingerprints. Copier carbon powder and dusting with a fine artists sable brush should show any prints. You can practice the technique with your own prints before you try it in the field. To save a print, put clear packing tape on it on the can, remove the tape from the can, then stick it onto a piece of white paper. It will transfer the carbon powder forming the fingerprint from the can to the paper. I say packing tape because an adult BF print would likely be larger than you could cover with Scotch Tape. That guy Chilton in Texas would be interested if you got any prints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgerm Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 So what did this? Some hobo who lives in the woods? Not saying that's what did it, but we have to consider the most likely suspects. You should hang that over an area of soft ground in order to get footprints if you don't want to use a trail cam. Maybe some of that dust that glows under ultra-violet light? Not sure how expensive it is though or available it is for that matter. Good point about the hobo. Hobo, Racoon, Wood Rat, Possom, Porkypine, bear and bigfoot are possibilities to greater and lesser degrees. How would the glow dust be used? How remote is this? In picture 1, there is something obviously man made. What is it? The USFS recommends hanging food above 10 feet to put it out of reach of black bears. There is a rotten fallen down small cabin on this sight. The site is about 5 miles from town. I'll try the 10' mark. Spoilage depends on what it is packed in (oil or something else), salt content, and temperature. Best getting them to pop the can open because I think it would take thumbs to do that. If something is ripping the lid off it already has the idea on how to open it. I think a raccoon could get into a can like that but a bear would likely leave tooth marks on the can. I looked into having a raccoon as a pet one time and after I read up on it, decided not to. Not only do you have to keep your refrigerator padlocked shut, they get into every cupboard in the house. They have little hands and are very handy with them. I had a bear get into my water bottle one time back packing and it chomped the bottle several places. I had Gatoraide in the bottle and it decided it needed it. Bears normally leave a real mess when they get into human food, usually destroying the container. Have you thought about trying to be CSI and get some fingerprints?. Wipe your prints off your sardine can with alcohol and then handle it with gloves until you get it hung in the tree. After the contents are eaten, you could dust the sardine can to see if you pick up any fingerprints. Copier carbon powder and dusting with a fine artists sable brush should show any prints. You can practice the technique with your own prints before you try it in the field. To save a print, put clear packing tape on it on the can, remove the tape from the can, then stick it onto a piece of white paper. It will transfer the carbon powder forming the fingerprint from the can to the paper. I say packing tape because an adult BF print would likely be larger than you could cover with Scotch Tape. That guy Chilton in Texas would be interested if you got any prints. I will try the finger prints. The oily sardine can may be difficult. The oily sardines give off quite a strong odor which helps bring in animals. thanks for the tips guys ................................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiflier Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Hello georgerm, As long as you are open to suggestions I have a couple. Hang the can over the soft earth in the skunk cabbage. If not then sprinkle some baking flour on the ground as it will show footprints. It's an old trick to see of animal burrows are still active. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasfooty Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Don't try to trick her with cameras, flour & glow dust. It rarely works once & never twice. You'll only make her distrust you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWWASAS Posted February 9, 2016 BFF Patron Share Posted February 9, 2016 Sometimes I wonder if we do not give BF enough credit. OK they don't want to be seen or get their picture taken. But there is some indication that they understand the gifting / trade concept. Leave them food and they will leave feathers or something they think has value. If trading is a concept they understand, perhaps they could be persuaded to trade a sighting or their picture for something they feel is worth getting. I have wondered what would happen in a an active situation like Georgerm seems to have going, if we simply showed up, set up a smaller version of a Golden Corral Buffet line and left. No tricks no cameras. See what they seem to like and keep providing it for a long period of time. Perhaps given enough time and trust, they would come out and let humans see them in the buffet line. The problem with that is the same one we have with humans that are become dependent on handouts. You cannot stop once you start. Habituation situations have gotten ugly when the humans stop providing food they have done on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasfooty Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Some people will take everything you will give them, & then steal from you if you turn your back. Others are insulted if you offer them a handout. They don't want to feel obligated. I think BFs are that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCBFr Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 I was wondering who to thank for the fruit and my cat appreciated the sardines:} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWWASAS Posted February 10, 2016 BFF Patron Share Posted February 10, 2016 Some people will take everything you will give them, & then steal from you if you turn your back. Others are insulted if you offer them a handout. They don't want to feel obligated. I think BFs are that way. As a side note, a common comment from those that are gifting food to BF is that the BF will eat most of something but rarely take it all. That is an interesting trait not wanting to take the last of something in a group environment. That sort of report is so common with BF I do not think it accidental. That to me indicates some sense of fairness on the part of BF. But I suppose with predators like lions that take a kill, eat much of it themselves, then leave the rest for the young ones, that "leave some" behavior is fairly common in the animal world with predators. With lions it may not be fairness just their way of perpetuation of their families. Humans exhibit the same behavior in not wanting to take the last cookie on the plate. Is that an age old behavior ingrained into our behavior or learned manners from our Mother? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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