Guest bsruther Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Although I don't yet believe Bigfoot exists, many things have happened in my woods that I just can't find an explanation for. Today I found something that about made my eyes bug out of my head. I have to go back to the beginning of April for the incident that caused me to happen upon what I found today. Near the edge of my woods, there is a swale that diverts water from flowing toward my house. The swale is about 75 yards long. In early April, I was in the woods, at the upper end of the swale, checking for obstructions, since we'd had a lot of rain. I looked down, where my cart path crosses over the swale and the outline of what appeared to be a foot, immediately caught my eye. I looked a little closer and could see what to me, looked like the outline of five toes. about eighteen inches behind that was a less clearer impression the same size (about 12"). In my mind, I wrote it off as an abnormality, caused by the flow of water. I took a pic of it nonetheless. We plant a lot of trees and this morning I was near the lower end of the swale checking the growth of a Burr Oak that we planted last year. Since the occurrence in April, I tend to look at the mud up there a little closer. Anyway, I look down at the mud, near the Oak and see toe prints. I look a little closer and see the outline of a foot. At first, I thought to myself, no way, but then I looked a little closer. I lightly touched the area of the first three toes and could feel cupped indentations. The other three toes were a little more obscure, but I could still see their outline. As far as I'm concerned, this is a foot print, and since it's the same size, it leads me to believe that what I saw in April was a print as well. I am certain that no one besides my wife and I go into that area of the woods. There are 200 to 300 acres of woods directly behind me that very rarely have people in them (mostly hunters in the fall). We never go barefoot up there and it wold be foolish for anyone else to either. What I'd like is opinions on the impressions that I've found and if they are even foot prints. Just because I'm not a believer, doesn't mean I won't try to find out for myself, if I find something out of the ordinary. I want to believe they exist as much as anyone. Pic from April. We had a very cold, wet April. Pic from today. The outline could be seen much better visually. Centered in pic, toes on right.
Guest Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Cool that you noticed them and had the foresight to photograph them no matter what made the tracks! Call me crazy, but I'd be taking measurements on the off chance more than one critter is out & about. Better to be safe than sorry.
Guest bsruther Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Cool that you noticed them and had the foresight to photograph them no matter what made the tracks! Call me crazy, but I'd be taking measurements on the off chance more than one critter is out & about. Better to be safe than sorry. I take pics of just about everything. I'm not too concerned about how many of whatever there are that made the print, I'd just like to know what made it. I'd have to say it's less than a week old. Thanks for the suggestion.
Guest Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Sorry! Meant more if you have partying kids OR unidentifyables running around....one something tresspassing is one thing, more than one a whole 'nother ball game!
Guest bsruther Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Sorry! Meant more if you have partying kids OR unidentifyables running around....one something tresspassing is one thing, more than one a whole 'nother ball game! Absolutely not. There is someone her almost all the time. We know our woods very well and know what goes on up there. That's why finding this today shocked me. It's not easy to navigate those woods at night either, even if you know you're way around. I've gotten lost walking up to the pond at night and it's only about 100 yards into the woods.
Guest Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Absolutely not. There is someone her almost all the time. We know our woods very well and know what goes on up there. That's why finding this today shocked me. It's not easy to navigate those woods at night either, even if you know you're way around. I've gotten lost walking up to the pond at night and it's only about 100 yards into the woods. It's still a very cool find! Congrats!!
Guest Boolywooger Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 I would say the next step is to drop off a digital recorder to record the forest sounds that are occurring at 2 and 3 in the morning. The katydids have cranked up in my area, so it's almost impossible to collect audio here, but if they haven't there, that would be the next step if it were me. You can buy a passable digital recorder for 35 bucks at Wally World.
Guest bsruther Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 I would say the next step is to drop off a digital recorder to record the forest sounds that are occurring at 2 and 3 in the morning. The katydids have cranked up in my area, so it's almost impossible to collect audio here, but if they haven't there, that would be the next step if it were me. You can buy a passable digital recorder for 35 bucks at Wally World. I may do that, if I get some positive results from other things I'm trying. I keep most of the woods open, but there is a small area where I let the brush grow. Inside of that area, there's a small blind, with a slight trail through the Nettles that leads to it. Earlier this year, my wife found a Deer bone wedged in the crook of a Honeysuckle Bush, inside of that blind (scapula, I think). I placed a fresh egg from the coop, in the crook, where she found the bone. I stood a log on the ground, below it. On the log I placed three items. A clown squeeze toy, I shiny Agate from our rock tumbler and a section of horn corral fossil, with a hole in the center. If that doesn't get results, I'll try a jar of peanut butter again. I've had something open peanut butter jars twice so far, one was bolted to a hanging chain. We found the squeeze toy up in the woods, last fall, iirc. Was no reason at all that it should've been up there.
skip-n-bit Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Neat find, bsruthers! I'm like you in that I take pictures of everything I see when I'm in our woods, ya knever know what you might walk up on. This past winter we'd gotten a new Australian Shepherd and decided to take him back in the woods to get some exercise. The boy lead us to a weird pile of feathers back there. Before I got to the "pile" I found a solid black feather and wondered if it was from one of our resident crows but after getting up to the pile, it definately had "chicken" all over it. It just seemed really strange to find that pile back there, looked like someone/something plucked the bird and took off with the carcass. We have chickens but both of my black hens were accounted for and none of our immediate neighbors keep them. Still unsure on that one. About a month ago, I found some "odd" hair/fur in a tree down at the garden...a few days ago I saw one of our fox squirrels in that same area. Bingo!
Guest bsruther Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Neat find, bsruthers! I'm like you in that I take pictures of everything I see when I'm in our woods, ya knever know what you might walk up on. This past winter we'd gotten a new Australian Shepherd and decided to take him back in the woods to get some exercise. The boy lead us to a weird pile of feathers back there. Before I got to the "pile" I found a solid black feather and wondered if it was from one of our resident crows but after getting up to the pile, it definately had "chicken" all over it. It just seemed really strange to find that pile back there, looked like someone/something plucked the bird and took off with the carcass. We have chickens but both of my black hens were accounted for and none of our immediate neighbors keep them. Still unsure on that one. About a month ago, I found some "odd" hair/fur in a tree down at the garden...a few days ago I saw one of our fox squirrels in that same area. Bingo! I know what you mean, most things in the woods, I can find an explanation for, it drives me crazy when I can't. I find Turkey feathers, a few times a year.
Guest bsruther Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 how far into the woods from your property bsr? I have a lot of young trees in the yard, near the woods, but the first print was about 40 ft into the actual woods and the second about 20-30ft.
Guest bsruther Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Can bears open peanut butter jars? I would imagine they can, but we have no Bears. Raccoons can do some amazing things and they have all night to do it. So, until I can find a completely Raccoon proof way to serve peanut butter, I'm blaming it on them. I would like to know how they unscrewed the nut and bolt from the jar's lid...crafty devils.
indiefoot Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Careful, next thing you know, you'll be a habituator and we all know what that'll get ya.
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