Field trips 2.0

[NCBFr]

On 2/25/2021 at 10:07 AM, wiiawiwb said:

Thanks NCBFr as my math was abysmal. It is 400 sq miles (20x20) which means we're talking about a quarter-million acres as a bright-line test.

 

All that aside, PNWexplorer is blessed to have absolutely gorgeous wilderness to enjoy and lots of it. I'm thrilled he does and wish I had that type of opportunity as well.  I'm tired just thinking about trekking around all of those acres and I get out and hoof it all the time in the woods. 

 

My research area isn't nearly as spacious which provides the added benefit of a more narrowed search.  I've never been to Idaho, Montana, Washington State, or Oregon but they are all on the list of most beautiful parts of this country.

Getting closer.  10 miles in any direction is a circle.  Area of a circle is  pi * R^2 or ~314 sq miles.

[Kiwakwe]

5 hours ago, NatFoot said:

 

What are you driving? You taking a Mercedes SUV out? The front hood looks boxy like one.

Norseman got it. LR 110.

Those Mercedes 230 Gs though..if they had aluminum alloy bodies it would be awfully tempting.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz/gelandewagen

[Skinwalker13]

Spent the day hiking out in Wyoming county, WV following up on a auditory report. Wet day but beautiful area. 

[norseman]

6 hours ago, Kiwakwe said:

Norseman got it. LR 110.

Those Mercedes 230 Gs though..if they had aluminum alloy bodies it would be awfully tempting.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz/gelandewagen

They sure are proud of them...

[PNWexplorer]

Leaving in the morning for Arizona for 3-weeks.  First 300 miles will be in prime Bigfoot country, but then after that, mostly wide open desert.  So won't be much of a Bigfoot scouting trip.  We will end up in Yuma, Arizona and I suspect any Bigfoot sightings down there were the result of peyote trips.

[norseman]

10 minutes ago, PNWexplorer said:

Leaving in the morning for Arizona for 3-weeks.  First 300 miles will be in prime Bigfoot country, but then after that, mostly wide open desert.  So won't be much of a Bigfoot scouting trip.  We will end up in Yuma, Arizona and I suspect any Bigfoot sightings down there were the result of peyote trips.

drive safe!

[Trogluddite]

On 2/26/2021 at 10:35 AM, Kiwakwe said:

 

Headed up N to check out the latest local Class B: https://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=67335

Bushwhacked the woods behind the incident area for a few hours looking for any possible track sign in crusty snow.

Not quite thick as grass but anything sizeable isn't getting through quietly...

Out to the brook which I followed the frozen edge of for a while, passing beaver lodges, black huckleberry, labrador tea, rhodora and alder. Patches of open water in places. Not too fond of ice over moving water:

Headed back into the woods up stream a ways--but not before busting through the ice, kept thin by insulating grasses, I was grateful for waterproof boots and gaiters-- and followed up a skidder trail, coyote and bobcat tracks into a cut/blowdown field that agitated my inner ocd sufferer:

Then back to scope out the camps in an attempt to ascertain the reporters place, may have been the camp with this at the gate. By the look of things, I didn't think I was "here" but obliged regardless:

I saw one trackway of 6 large prints, straight line, ~4' between steps, possible mid-tarsal break before I realized someone with snow shoes had walked down the access road with one foot in old tire track so it only showed every other step. All of this had been rained, lightly snowed upon and refrozen. It was vague but got me hopes up for a sec.

On the way out:

 

 

Kiwakwe,

The witness in that report originally thought it was a moose intentionally knocking its rack against a tree (I think, I read all three new Maine reports recently and may be getting them jumbled together).  As you sound like you're in Maine a lot, any thoughts on the possibility of that moose behavior?  I'm assuming its either mating behavior or get the heck out of my territory behavior - how long would one moose keep up that behavior?  Any experience or thoughts you'd care to share would be enlightening, at least for me.

 

The only moose I've ever seen was running around w/a flying squirrel....

 

[Kiwakwe]

12 hours ago, Trogluddite said:

Kiwakwe,

The witness in that report originally thought it was a moose intentionally knocking its rack against a tree (I think, I read all three new Maine reports recently and may be getting them jumbled together).  As you sound like you're in Maine a lot, any thoughts on the possibility of that moose behavior?  I'm assuming its either mating behavior or get the heck out of my territory behavior - how long would one moose keep up that behavior?  Any experience or thoughts you'd care to share would be enlightening, at least for me.

 

The only moose I've ever seen was running around w/a flying squirrel....

 

The report from Greenbush is the one where the guy thought it could be moose, and I suppose that is a possibility in either case. The guy from Spectacle Pond sounds as if he'd spent a good bit of time in the woods, longtime hunter etc. I'd assume he'd vet that option and judge accordingly but that's the thing with class B, who really knows. I've had a few close run-ins with moose in alder thickets though I've never heard them knock trees but I don't think it's out of their range of behavior during the Fall.  Thing is, the guy reporting said the whack came from just inside the treeline, which was 15yds from where he was standing so maybe 60' away and he heard no other movement.  If the guy has spent that much time in the woods, 50+ years, I'd be inclined to take his word that this was something different, especially since it knocked it's way out.  I emailed the bfro and asked them to hand off my contact info, I'd like to talk to the guy, not holding my breath though.

[Trogluddite]

^^

Thanks.  Don't disagree w/your assessment.  I simply know that I have far too little knowledge of, or experience with, moose, elks, bears of any color, etc. to judge. 

[Wolfjewel]

Any of you in West Virginia — have you checked out New River Gorge National Park? It’s the newest U.S. national park, according to National Geographic magazine which published a story Feb. 24. Has 72,000 wild, rugged acres, with swift water for rafting and lots of places to hike. It’s not near any major metro area, so shouldn’t be too, too crowded. Good place for squatching? Anyone been in it or going? 

[norseman]

Thinking spring!

[SwiftWater]

7 hours ago, Wolfjewel said:

Any of you in West Virginia — have you checked out New River Gorge National Park? It’s the newest U.S. national park, according to National Geographic magazine which published a story Feb. 24. Has 72,000 wild, rugged acres, with swift water for rafting and lots of places to hike. It’s not near any major metro area, so shouldn’t be too, too crowded. Good place for squatching? Anyone been in it or going? 

 

In western Virginia, a couple of hours away. Was at New Gorge about two years ago for some volunteer work. The area is sparsely populated by Eastern standards. Small mountain towns from what I saw. But fairly easy access for people to visit, right off of I-64. Outdoor Life has a pretty good writeup of the park including rafting numbers: https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/blogs/opencountry/national-parks-allow-hunting/

 

Looked up reports in the area and there are a few over the years, including by the New River Gorge Bridge.

 

It'll be interesting to see if there is much of a population draw to the area. The above article states they are hoping for a 21% increase in traffic to the region. When I was there, which is a small sample size, the park was pretty busy but much of the traffic seemed to occur right around the bridge itself. There are also a couple of state parks in reasonable proximity to the new National Park and the George Washington National Forest not too terribly far away either.

 

If I was local to the area it wouldn't be a bad place to check out.There are a few reports in the counties that the park is in. Good water sources, deer and turkey in the area, and once you get away from the visitor centers and I-64 it quickly becomes less trafficked.

[Trogluddite]

Someday soon, if I'm lucky, I'll be retired and living down toward the mountains.

 

[wiiawiwb]

On 3/1/2021 at 9:50 PM, Trogluddite said:

Kiwakwe,

The witness in that report originally thought it was a moose intentionally knocking its rack against a tree (I think, I read all three new Maine reports recently and may be getting them jumbled together).  As you sound like you're in Maine a lot, any thoughts on the possibility of that moose behavior?  I'm assuming its either mating behavior or get the heck out of my territory behavior - how long would one moose keep up that behavior?  Any experience or thoughts you'd care to share would be enlightening, at least for me.

 

The only moose I've ever seen was running around w/a flying squirrel....

 

 

 

Beautiful terrain you were going through...but difficult. The snow melts a bit by day then freezes at night. You step on it and it holds your weight until you try to support your entire weight by lifting your other foot. Then you post-hole through the crusty snow potentially twisting an ankle or breaking your leg.  You have to be careful there....as well you know.

 

Your second picture shows how slow going it would be in summer much less winter.  I grew up and went to school with a guy who now lives in Bangor. He loves it there. Trouting fishing, hiking, and access to a tremendous amount of forest. Maine is #1 of all states in terms of percent of the state that is forested. Nearly 90%!

[Kiwakwe]

On 3/5/2021 at 7:40 AM, wiiawiwb said:

 

 

Beautiful terrain you were going through...but difficult. The snow melts a bit by day then freezes at night. You step on it and it holds your weight until you try to support your entire weight by lifting your other foot. Then you post-hole through the crusty snow potentially twisting an ankle or breaking your leg.  You have to be careful there....as well you know.

 

Your second picture shows how slow going it would be in summer much less winter.  I grew up and went to school with a guy who now lives in Bangor. He loves it there. Trouting fishing, hiking, and access to a tremendous amount of forest. Maine is #1 of all states in terms of percent of the state that is forested. Nearly 90%!

I'm sure the Inuit have a word for that type of frustrating-to-walk-through snow. I would have brought snow shoes but clambering around with them in the thickets and over blowdowns is just another sort of frustrating.

 

No doubt, there is A LOT of forest cover here, much of it looks like the 5th growth thickets posted above but still plenty of older stuff standing.