Bigfoot ??

[mdvaden]

Hmmm.... the trap seems to be empty. =)

Oh yeah ...

Been empty for almost 30 years, except for maybe a bear or two when it used to function.

See the bench?

That's how close it came to getting crushed by a fallen pine tree, almost 3 years ago during a winter.

[Excursionista]

The tall, tattooed, bald heavy-metal bar manager at my local watering hole is, believe it or not, a member of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization (http://www.bfro.net/). He goes on multiday excursions in the backcountry at least once or twice a year with his friends, and they try to find Bigfoot using cameras, infrared equipment, and other gear.

The site is really cool, in a weird, geeky sort of way. I'm pressed for time and can't find the right page, but I especially like the tips about what to do if you see a sasquatch - they detail ways to act non-confrontational, natural, etc so that you give yourself time to snap a photo.

I wonder if the BFRO is aware what comedian Mitch Hedburg said about Bigfoot... "The reason there's no good photographs of Bigfoot is because Bigfoot IS blurry! There's a big blurry monster running around in the woods! That's even scarier!"

[jeffstatt]

At the ranger station prior to a recent backpacking trip up to the Alpine lakes Wilderness, the ranger there was giving advice about dealing with the aggressively "friendly" goats up there. She made the comment to those present: "They know your habits!".

That line stuck with me as we encountered critters small and large throughout our weekend....when a little field mouse joined us for dinner one night at our camp site....when a grey jay stood on a branch a foot away from my shoulder as I munched on some almonds, and as a marmot poked his head out of his burrow and posted for photos right along the trail...I've been following the same pattern of activity that countless hikers before me have.

I had forgotten about this until hearing about these groups of folks that go up and "hunt" for big foot. If he (they?) do exsist they likely have a lot more control over being found than we have over finding them!

[MultnomahVet]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for answering the post about possible Bigfoot sightings. As I was saying to my brother the other day "if this group of people hasn't seen them, then they might just not want to be found at all". As we enter the fall time, let's keep our wits about us and those cameras ready for anything

Multnomavet

[chameleon]

Multnomah Vet,
I haven't seen any evidence of a big-foot like creature yet, save for one hair I found on a tree about 5 1/2 feet off the ground that was not a bears while bushwhacking to Blackbear falls last year. However, Eagle creek does have a number of cougars and from what you describe I would wager that it might have been that - watching you from cover. Eagle Creek and the tributaries are prime cat country with lots of deer, and excellent places to hide. Especially in the area of Tunnel Falls and Eagle Creek falls, I have found numerous cougar kills and scat.
-Zach

[rdp14theroad]

Rest at night. The danger is in the daytime when the humans are active. Those sounds, especially at night are deceiving. I have been hunting and gotten my heart rate way up in anticipation of that big buck walking into view only to find out it was a mockingbird.
They do not know that each sound belongs to one source and often mix a whistle with a car motor for instance. Try to convince yourself that you can hear a truck at night far away from the roads when you do not hear any road noise. Your mind quickly makes that noise animal related.
Rather than fear, try this exercise...listen for all the parts of the sound, and turn your head and try to pick up on the direction of the source. Sit still and control your breathing. Close your eyes and relax.
As a city kid who "learned" how to camp out as an adult, I was always afraid of the unknown...mostly ax murderers wandering the woods. Do you know how many times racoons have scared the living daylights out of me? Learn the sounds of certain danger...bears, moose etc. A bear approaching your site at night will sound like you are camping in a clear-cut zone on timber day. Put the Snickers bar in your friends tent and run away.
and of course the disclaimer. do not do this, it might be interpreted as an act of premeditation for some act of violence. And you should not run from all types of bears.
.