Valley of the Apes: The Search for Sasquatch in Area X

[Catmandoo]

16 hours ago, BobbyO said:

Camoflauge > Retreat appear to be the go to for these things and one thing that i think that doesn't get anywhere near enough emphasised when we talk about researchers taking pics, unless the researcher who has the sighting has seen one before, the shock that would come of what would be conformation would outweigh the 'quick let me grab a camera' mentality all day, every day.

 

Good points. Light under a forest canopy is complicated. There is very little 'red' light. Human vision compensates for the color temperature shift and we are not aware of the compensation. And, women see colors differently than men ( doesn't explain those purple PT Cruisers though ). At times, camo clothing works  against the goal of stealth ( no green colors ).  We smell.

An animal in statue mode is difficult to impossible for us to discriminate from forest / forest debris and vegetation. We need movement. 'Grab a camera' is too late. Funny things happen when we power up a camera and or audio equipment. As soon as we hit the on / record button, activity stops. A lot of EMF projection.  In 1967, the 2 luckiest cowboys in the world had in-camera image capture without audio, no electric light meter, no auto-focus and a spring motor drive to move film..........hint.  Humans vibrate and emit low level ELF.  We are difficult to hide and what about that smell?

 

A work around on the 'power up' conundrum is difficult. The term 'shielding' appears from time to time and that is complicated and expensive. I do not follow the NAWAC equipment pool.

Powering up a camera, DSLR or P&S, or audio 'all day' would drain the batteries and create too much internal heat. So one needs an external power supply connected to the 'module' that replaces the battery. 'Modules' decrease the internal temperature. If you have an internal lithium battery, you are screwed. The physical volume and weight increases and portability starts decreasing. Cabin / campsite / vehicle blind are suitable due to the requirement for multiple power banks / recharging. The arena of small digital recorders is an important tool in the way of some of them can record continuously for many days, attended or unattended.

 

We trap ourselves with fancy electronics, but I think that a snoring human is good bait.

 

 

[Catmandoo]

On 11/17/2022 at 3:15 AM, wiiawiwb said:

Sasquatching is for those who have a healthy amount of patience.  Those who seek immediate gratification are relying almost entirely on luck; akin to buying a Powerball ticket.  In the end, you put yourself in the best situation possible after having considered a number of factors and issues, then hope for the best.

 

Yes, and I buy Powerball tickets.

 

"Often moments come looking for us"..................Robert Frank

 

Be ready

[wiiawiwb]

On 7/11/2023 at 6:40 AM, BobbyO said:

Camoflauge > Retreat appear to be the go to for these things and one thing that i think that doesn't get anywhere near enough emphasised when we talk about researchers taking pics, unless the researcher who has the sighting has seen one before, the shock that would come of what would be conformation would outweigh the 'quick let me grab a camera' mentality all day, every day.

 

Add in the mixer the thinking of potential danger and uncertainty of the situation and i think it's much more understandable why there are so few, if any, decent pics of these things, PGF aside.

 

The almost-always retreat issue along with fear of potential danger, uncertainty of what's happening, and shock from the moment would all combine to immobilize nearly everyone out in the forest.  Only those waiting and ready for it would be able to calmly capture the moment.

 

I'll add another factor that each of us has to wrestle with. What's the decision--savor every precise second and watch it carefully unfold or take your eyes off the prize in hopes of capturing it with your camera, recorder, or other device? I know my choice. I would listen to and watch it for a period of time and only reach for my device after having gotten the enrichment I've searched many years to find.

 

The "moment" is almost always fleeting and I'd want to observe every breathtaking second. There is no promise that once you reach for your device, the sasquatch wouldn't have silently slipped away and vanished into the forest. You'd be left not having the evidence you sought nor having taken in the moment yourself.

 

10 hours ago, Catmandoo said:

We trap ourselves with fancy electronics, but I think that a snoring human is good bait.

 

I think technology that is available to ordinary folks has been more of a hindrance rather than a better tool. An exception to this would be thermal imagers.  Snoring used as bait is as good as any other technique people employ.

Edited July 12, 2023 by wiiawiwb

[Doug]

I am eating breakfast. My phone is 7 inches away from my hand. I can see the birdbath through the glass of the door. The birdbath is six feet from my chair. The door glass is two feet away. I see a bird that I have not logged into my birding book. There must be a pic that accompanies the entry. I see the bird drink and take a quick bath as I prepare my phone to get a pic. Probably one out ten times, I actually get the pic before the bird is gone forever. And about one out of twenty of the one out ten pics is clear enough to identify it. That is for a close up bird. To get a clear pic of a sasquatch would be a lot harder to do than my calm attempt to photograph a little bird.

[Catmandoo]

8 hours ago, Doug said:

I see a bird that I have not logged into my birding book.

 

Design function comes into play. Close range focus trail cameras have been available for several years. I don't have one but they appear to be popular for bird feeder / close small animal shots including squirrels  and bears raiding the bird feeders.

We are still working on the image capture set ups for large hairy beasts. Small steps.

[BobbyO]

On 7/12/2023 at 9:51 AM, wiiawiwb said:

 

I'll add another factor that each of us has to wrestle with. What's the decision--savor every precise second and watch it carefully unfold or take your eyes off the prize in hopes of capturing it with your camera, recorder, or other device? I know my choice. I would listen to and watch it for a period of time and only reach for my device after having gotten the enrichment I've searched many years to find.

 

 

This is something i believe to be very underestimated by many as is the shock that so many would face with a first time sighting. Seeing one of these things for the first time would really affect many people, even ones that would think they would be more mentally prepared than others. Self confirmation of the existence of this animal via a sighting and the huge mental toll that it would take on someone is very real, especially if it isn't deemed to be on completely friendly terms or isn't in a situation where you feel completely safe.

[Huntster]

On 7/12/2023 at 12:51 AM, wiiawiwb said:

........What's the decision--savor every precise second and watch it carefully unfold or take your eyes off the prize in hopes of capturing it with your camera, recorder, or other device? I know my choice. I would listen to and watch it for a period of time and only reach for my device after having gotten the enrichment I've searched many years to find.

 

The "moment" is almost always fleeting and I'd want to observe every breathtaking second. There is no promise that once you reach for your device, the sasquatch wouldn't have silently slipped away and vanished into the forest. You'd be left not having the evidence you sought nor having taken in the moment yourself.........

 

I was sitting in my blind set up at the edge of the forest in the shores of a pond. Across the pond, 130 yards away, was my bear bait site. A small sow black bear had been hanging out for the past two days. She was at or near the bait as I sat reading. I was waiting for a grizzly.

 

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye at the end of the pond @ 225 yards away. I looked up to see an absolutely gorgeous Toklat grizzly. I grabbed my binocs and started watching him. He was platinum blonde with chocolate color legs and @ 500-650 lbs. He was definitely the bear I was waiting fir. I watched him sniff around for a couple minutes. He popped out if the forest in the same spot as most of the other game showed up, which was clearly a popular game trail. I just knew he would follow the black bear's trail to the bait, so I just watched him.

 

Then, suddenly, he stopped and looked up right at me. I didn't move. After a moment he went on sniffing around, then turned and walked away. I watched him fade away into the forest.

 

The memory is still clear, and I certainly savor it, but I sure wish I had shot him at 225 yards. I'll probably never get another shot at a boar that beautiful again.

 

 

[NCBFr]

On 7/13/2023 at 8:44 AM, BobbyO said:

 

This is something i believe to be very underestimated by many as is the shock that so many would face with a first time sighting. Seeing one of these things for the first time would really affect many people, even ones that would think they would be more mentally prepared than others. Self confirmation of the existence of this animal via a sighting and the huge mental toll that it would take on someone is very real, especially if it isn't deemed to be on completely friendly terms or isn't in a situation where you feel completely safe.

 

The weird thing for me is during my first couple of encounters I never even thought of taking out my camera.  One time I just went back to bed when in hindsite I am pretty sure if I had stuck around and hidden somewhere I would have gotten a clear look at it instead of just hearing the knocks from across the street.  Another time during a roar that must have lasted a full minute I just stared in slack-jawed amazement while thinking if it charges me I am dead.  

[guyzonthropus]

I had a close proximity growl of such volume and sound pressure there's no way it was either a black bear or cougar, that once it was done I set my own land speed record getting to a door and inside. Sure, I tell myself after all I've read and my zoo experience around large animals, that would allow me to remain relatively calm and sane,  but after that growl and my certain flight or fight(ok, no fight) response, i can't say how I would react to an actual visual sighting within anything like close proximity. It might depend on the context or the "vibe" at the moment, then again I might run off screaming no matter what. For like you've all said it's one thing to be certain of their existence, it's another seeing it for the first time.

Edited July 16, 2023 by guyzonthropus

[Catmandoo]

On 7/15/2023 at 6:33 PM, guyzonthropus said:

  once it was done I set my own land speed record getting to a door and inside

 

Did the hair on the back of your neck stand up?  

If you are still working with zoo animals, do you carry any odors from work?

Edited July 17, 2023 by Catmandoo
text

[guyzonthropus]

No I've been out of the public zoo thing since the mid 90s, though I do keep a house full of reptiles(monitor lizards, boa's and pythons)

As for zoo odors, back in the day it was unavoidable....these days, not so much! Lol

 

And I still get goosebumps even just thinking about that growl! It made that deep an impression on my brain....it made me vibrate like standing in front of a bass cabinet at a concert! 

[NorCalWitness]

On 7/13/2023 at 11:13 AM, Huntster said:

 

I was sitting in my blind set up at the edge of the forest in the shores of a pond. Across the pond, 130 yards away, was my bear bait site. A small sow black bear had been hanging out for the past two days. She was at or near the bait as I sat reading. I was waiting for a grizzly.

 

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye at the end of the pond @ 225 yards away. I looked up to see an absolutely gorgeous Toklat grizzly. I grabbed my binocs and started watching him. He was platinum blonde with chocolate color legs and @ 500-650 lbs. He was definitely the bear I was waiting fir. I watched him sniff around for a couple minutes. He popped out if the forest in the same spot as most of the other game showed up, which was clearly a popular game trail. I just knew he would follow the black bear's trail to the bait, so I just watched him.

 

Then, suddenly, he stopped and looked up right at me. I didn't move. After a moment he went on sniffing around, then turned and walked away. I watched him fade away into the forest.

 

The memory is still clear, and I certainly savor it, but I sure wish I had shot him at 225 yards. I'll probably never get another shot at a boar that beautiful again.

 

 

are you a trophy hunter or do you do it for food? 

[NorCalWitness]

On 7/11/2023 at 8:37 PM, Catmandoo said:

 

Good points. Light under a forest canopy is complicated. There is very little 'red' light. Human vision compensates for the color temperature shift and we are not aware of the compensation. And, women see colors differently than men ( doesn't explain those purple PT Cruisers though ). At times, camo clothing works  against the goal of stealth ( no green colors ).  We smell.

An animal in statue mode is difficult to impossible for us to discriminate from forest / forest debris and vegetation. We need movement. 'Grab a camera' is too late. Funny things happen when we power up a camera and or audio equipment. As soon as we hit the on / record button, activity stops. A lot of EMF projection.  In 1967, the 2 luckiest cowboys in the world had in-camera image capture without audio, no electric light meter, no auto-focus and a spring motor drive to move film..........hint.  Humans vibrate and emit low level ELF.  We are difficult to hide and what about that smell?

 

A work around on the 'power up' conundrum is difficult. The term 'shielding' appears from time to time and that is complicated and expensive. I do not follow the NAWAC equipment pool.

Powering up a camera, DSLR or P&S, or audio 'all day' would drain the batteries and create too much internal heat. So one needs an external power supply connected to the 'module' that replaces the battery. 'Modules' decrease the internal temperature. If you have an internal lithium battery, you are screwed. The physical volume and weight increases and portability starts decreasing. Cabin / campsite / vehicle blind are suitable due to the requirement for multiple power banks / recharging. The arena of small digital recorders is an important tool in the way of some of them can record continuously for many days, attended or unattended.

 

We trap ourselves with fancy electronics, but I think that a snoring human is good bait.

 

 

I have had a tent toucher, a camp walk through and a screamer. Those are my 3 bigfoot experiences, and the last thing on my mind was trying to document any of the incidents. My friend and I had 4 UAP events happen in 1 night, and again, even with one of the events lasting upwards of 45 minutes, I did not think to pull out my camera. 

[Huntster]

4 hours ago, NorCalWitness said:

are you a trophy hunter or do you do it for food? 

 

Both, but primarily for meat. I've been on grizzly bear hunts when others harvested bears, but I've never taken a grizzly. They aren't good eating. But I'm ready to take one, anyway, if the right bear comes along. My beloved wife refuses to eat black bear meat anymore, so I haven't shot one in years. But I keep a tag in my pocket, anyway, because if I need to shoot one, he's going into my freezer. I'll eat him all by myself if Mrs. Huntster balks.

[norseman]

41 minutes ago, Huntster said:

 

Both, but primarily for meat. I've been on grizzly bear hunts when others harvested bears, but I've never taken a grizzly. They aren't good eating. But I'm ready to take one, anyway, if the right bear comes along. My beloved wife refuses to eat black bear meat anymore, so I haven't shot one in years. But I keep a tag in my pocket, anyway, because if I need to shoot one, he's going into my freezer. I'll eat him all by myself if Mrs. Huntster balks.

Need to mix him with a big hog. Breakfast sausage. Pork fat makes everything taste better.