BobbyO Posted February 1, 2022 SSR Team Share Posted February 1, 2022 They're ALL reports yeah. You want a specific time frame ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapper Posted February 1, 2022 Author Share Posted February 1, 2022 any advice for what i should do while im up there other than just looking around for them? ive got two weeks at leaste up there and want to make the best of it. i dont want to be invasive and definitely want to be and am respectful of their existence but if there are things i can do that make an encounter more likely i would be very grateful if any of you could share that with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapper Posted February 1, 2022 Author Share Posted February 1, 2022 1 hour ago, BobbyO said: They're ALL reports yeah. You want a specific time frame ? no not at all just wondering. as ive said ive had a feeling about a certain place there and its withing 5 miles of 4 different sightings!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyO Posted February 1, 2022 SSR Team Share Posted February 1, 2022 2 hours ago, trapper said: any advice for what i should do while im up there other than just looking around for them? ive got two weeks at leaste up there and want to make the best of it. i dont want to be invasive and definitely want to be and am respectful of their existence but if there are things i can do that make an encounter more likely i would be very grateful if any of you could share that with me. I wouldn't even think about them if i were you, i'd just be completely normal and predictable if possible, do very normal things, stick to the trails that everybody else uses, enjoy myself and maybe with a bit of luck, you'll get something happen and hopefully a sighting or some interaction of some kind. For Campers actually seeing them, i know the west overall is down by the 15% (though closer to 25% in the mountainous states of UT, WY, ID, AZ, NM etc) mark of all camping encounters being an Actual Visual sighting so i don't like those odds, Hiking it rises to up near 40% being Actual Visual reports which is obviously much better. For two weeks, i'd really aim for predictability in my daily routine and hope one is watching you. If you're being watched and they are ok with what you're doing, two weeks worth of predictability i'd hope would be enough time for something to happen. Good luck ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWind Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 If you're up in that area with time to kill, maybe try smoking some salmon or meat like bacon (Costco sells pork bellies). Perhaps the scent will act as a lure. Heck, if it's bacon, it would attract me! I'll steer clear of the salmon though - I hate fish. But BF might like it. I have heard reports of them raiding salmon from camps. Even if you don't attract a hairy guy, you'd end up with a bunch of great food for sometime later. Take notes doing what you do, they may come in handy later. Record things like activities you do, date, time, temperature, moon phase, GPS coordinates, etc. Record feelings you have. I think moon phase can have a lot to do with BF activity. Pay attention to the sounds of the woods. And the ravens. And good success to you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPSH Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 Northwind, I used to work in HR, and I think that moon phase has a lot to do with all kinds of activities . Those experiences make me wonder what you are observing that tells you that moon phase impacts BF activity, and if you are finding your observations to be predictive in any way. Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyO Posted February 2, 2022 SSR Team Share Posted February 2, 2022 I'd be interested in why you're thinking that too RE moon phases NW ! I've looked at moon phase data across the board and split-tested all kinds of behaviors, seasons etc and haven't found anything at all within the moon phases that excites me. and that's not a problem i may add, but i just haven't found anything that has really jumped out, that's all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWind Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 Well, I will just keep it simple for now, because it is just a theory I have, and I am doing a little testing of it. I think we can agree that in most cases, BF don't like to be seen. And, I think that many of us would agree on them having superior eyesight to humans. So, I think a cloudy night, or a moonless one might be the best chance to catch them with their guard down so to speak. We humans have our tech, and might be able to capitalize on this by watching for them with our tools on really dark nights. Of course, I could very well be wrong, because the two we saw with the FLIR on July 5, 2020, was the day after a full moon at close to midnight. But they were ducking behind dark tree cover as though they thought we could see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyO Posted February 2, 2022 SSR Team Share Posted February 2, 2022 2 hours ago, NorthWind said: Well, I will just keep it simple for now, because it is just a theory I have, and I am doing a little testing of it. I think we can agree that in most cases, BF don't like to be seen. And, I think that many of us would agree on them having superior eyesight to humans. So, I think a cloudy night, or a moonless one might be the best chance to catch them with their guard down so to speak. We humans have our tech, and might be able to capitalize on this by watching for them with our tools on really dark nights. Of course, I could very well be wrong, because the two we saw with the FLIR on July 5, 2020, was the day after a full moon at close to midnight. But they were ducking behind dark tree cover as though they thought we could see them. My head was very much where yours is NW, but the data didn't suggest that that was how they done things. Admittedly i could drill in to it more and more of course (and i will in time for sure) but like i said, and i have spent a ton of hours on this with huge datasets, there is no stand out where moon phases are concerned. We can't let our own self bias, no matter how logical to us it may well seem, dictate the reality of how these things go about their daily lives. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWind Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 7 hours ago, BobbyO said: My head was very much where yours is NW, but the data didn't suggest that that was how they done things. Admittedly i could drill in to it more and more of course (and i will in time for sure) but like i said, and i have spent a ton of hours on this with huge datasets, there is no stand out where moon phases are concerned. We can't let our own self bias, no matter how logical to us it may well seem, dictate the reality of how these things go about their daily lives. Thanks, @BobbyO, I can appreciate your thoughts. And, I completely respect the massive work that you have done with the data! Like I said, I was keeping it simple. I do have data that support my theory, but I am not willing to fully disclose them at this time. They are strong enough for me to want to explore into that rabbit hole and see where it leads. As soon as I confirm or deny, I will be glad to relay the info as to what I have tried, etc. And you and the rest of the gang here, will be among the first to know when I am ready. I just think working a little outside the box is a good fit for me right now, and while incredibly valuable your data (and it is), I need to try some things that are different than what many people are doing, because it's not working. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyO Posted February 3, 2022 SSR Team Share Posted February 3, 2022 I'll add some moon data which i thought was at least 'interesting' to this thread over the next few days, it may well help trapper too in his Utah outing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWind Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 Thanks! I'll be interested to take a look, too. One can never have to much info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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