Now that Spring has arrived it won't be long until a warm day every day. Winter is a boring time for me. I'm an outside person by nature and although the internet takes away some of the cabin fever, I'll admit I don't miss the computer very much during the warmer months. I have had the chance to surf various Bigfoot sites and catch up on some reading. I recently read and commented on a post by Linda Martin over on the Bigfootsightings.org site. The post is titled Bigfoot Book Research vs. Bigfoot Field Research
I gotta admit, the idea of the post's title kinda irked me. It brings division into the mix of Bigfoot Research. To me, it's sort of an attack of togetherness with the "VS" part . Maybe it suggests that a researcher should be "egoless" if that's a word. We all have some ego, without it, we'd probably not do anything. To quote Linda from her post, it starts out as: " Ever since I started blogging about Bigfoot I’ve come across the field research vs. book learning controversy. Apparently some people think they’re better researchers because they spend more time in the forest. Personally, I think that’s rather silly. It takes a big ego to think you’re a better “anything” than others… but I’m not here for psychology lessons."
Normally, I don't pay any attention to "Bigfoot Drama posts" but a few things about this statement pressed my button. First, it opens a rift between Bigfoot Researchers and their methods. There are those that learn everything they can by reading and online investigation for whatever reason they may have, but they're either unable or unwilling to gather new evidence. Now, That's ok in my book and I respect that. I subscribe to those beliefs of reading about new info and thoeries (Bigfoot related) too, but in addition, I also believe in going out to look for the creatures or new evidence in the field. That's my personal method of operation, both, as I feel both are important aspects of doing good Research/investigation. Here's the thing though, we shouldn't compare or dismiss each other's methods. We also shouldn't belittle someone spending alot of time in the woods. I'll tell you now, I'm 43 years old and although I still consider myself as young, the time in the woods is not as easy on my body as it was 20 years ago. I do it by choice though. So if someone says they're "better" it doesn't register with me. Using terms like "better" only widens the rift that's already too wide between Researchers. But then again, don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining. (sorry for the crudeness) In other words, don't make light of my personal efforts to find new evidence by saying there's no need to go look, you won't find anything anyway. Well, that's really wrong. That kinda suggests there is nothing to find, or maybe even that someone is not competent enough to find it if there was. That may be they're findings, nothing. But that just means they need to look somewhere else, or look closer. You honestly can't expect the creatures to live in your backyard or show up when you snap your fingers can you?
For a long time I was waiting for the creatures to come to me. Just so happens I'm lucky enough to live in a routine activity area, that sees some creature activity during certain times of the year. Almost right down to the day from one year to the next. We started the 24 hour cam video/audio recording project a few years ago and relied on a "by chance" recording of a creature. Waiting was not working. So now we're taking it to the creatures, looking, speculating, locating, baiting and always checking possible home range areas. This new approach requires alot of time in the woods, and alot of mileage on the feet. My thoughts on migration are still the same though, but the reasons may be different than I first suspected. At first I thought that maybe the creatures needed to move South for the Winter to escape harsh weather/temps like some other wild animals do. But then we started having some local activity in Winter.......ok, back up and rethink.........Maybe they're following the food? Bingo! That's it. The Winter sightings were near known food sources! So I changed my strategy and it seems to be working. My thoughts are that we all stand on the shoulders of giants. One of my favorites was Dr. Grover Krantz. His insights into these creatures are some of the most well presented in my opinion. Personally, I feel in a way we all partially owe it to his memory to keep the chase going. But know this, my desire to find these creatures is mainly fueled from my own personal encounters/sightings. I feel the need to prove what I saw to the World. Do I consider myself "better" or "worse" ? Well, the answer is I don't consider stuff like that. Maybe I do more than some or do less than others to further "the cause" So.......who cares? Who compares? Why would they? Beats me. Everyone needs to find neutral ground and at least be cordial with each other. Humans are weird...I'm having fun regardless of opinion. "Better", hmm, I know one thing for sure, that tracker guy they had on the Sierra Sasquatch Monsterquest is "better" than me at tracking. And that's a fact, but I'm not crying about it, or losing sleep. Geeze, let's just have fun and take what evidence if any, that comes our way.
Chris B.
Monday 03-29-10
And so begins another week. Last outing was Friday 03-26-10. Everyone took some much needed time off this weekend. We did have some unknown vocalizations that were recorded on Friday's expedition. Well , some of the vocalizations were recorded. I've posted what we did get recorded on the video page. We were walking across a ridge top about 2 or 3 miles in, when we heard the first vocalization coming from a valley to our right. I'm guessing that it was maybe 1 mile or so away. It wasn't really a frightening scream as I've heard before but it was more of a long winded whoop. Of course by the time I got my little pocket camcorder open and started documenting, the sound had stopped. So is the way of collecting evidence when you're looking for Bigfoot. So anyway, we did stop for awhile and this time, I was recording so just maybe we could catch a reply. A minute of silence passed, then we got a response from the valley to our left. A vocalization in a different location from the first we'd heard! It's kind of a weird shrieking cackling/sound. I'm not sure exactly what it is. We've discussed it among ourselves to great lengths and it still remains unknown to us. I was thinking at first possibly a fox or a coyote, but, I've never actually heard either of those animals make any sounds like this in the past. Honestly, and of course you be the judge, it sounds to me similar to some of the shrieking type sounds recorded from the Pacific Northwest. I'm pretty sure it's not a bird. But here's the thing with unidentified sounds, we can't know exactly what makes an unidentified sound unless we see the animal/subject that's making it while we record/hear it....so, sounds are more of a curiousity than any sort of concrete evidence. But, the good thing about sound is, if you have some unidentified sounds from an area, and someone else has the exact same unidentified sounds in another area where Bigfoot creatures are sighted regularly, common sence would indicate to me, the sounds could possibly be creature related. Or at the least, the wildlife in both areas is likely similar. One thing about the recording that really peaks my interest. When I recorded the sounds, there was a distinctive sort of cackling sound in with the shrieking, almost like it was a shriek delivered like a whinny from a horse or maybe a cackling/laughing from a hyena as it shrieked, this cackling feature of the sound was not picked up by the recorder, but it was picked up by our ears. Also, there were a few whistles behind us that were not picked up by the recorder. If you watch the video you'll notice I turned to point the cam behind us at one point early in the clip, this turn was made when some whistles came from behind us. When the whistles stopped the shrieking sound in front of the cam started . Next time in, I'm taking another digital recorder along with my pocket camcorder and see how they compare with each other. (That is, IF we get to hear more vocalizations. I think we will. This area is hot with activity.)
Until next time, Chris B.
Thurday 03-25-10
I'm gonna discuss some of my personal beliefs and theories about these creatures. Some of which, you can take to the bank. Others, are just theories of course.
First, eyeshine, alot of people have reported different color eyeshine. Some have attributed the different colors to differences between male and female or juvenile creatures. Well, as I've posted before, the creatures here in KY anyway, seem to have RED eyeshine. Over the years, I've been lucky enough to catch eyeshine on 3 occaisions (one very recently). I'll admit that's not much to base an opinion on, but all 3 occaisions were the exact same color, red. I'll even admit it is entirely possible the creatures could all have been male. But, aside from physical build differences between the male and female, I don't consider it possible that each has a different eye mechanism. Now is it possible the creatures can have other color eyeshine elsewhere in the US/World? Well, again my thoughts focus on simplicity and common sence, just because a creature is found in a different region/location, doesn't mean it has a different eye mechanism. I mean let's be real here. How can one change their eye chemisty or the physical makeup of the parts that together complete an eyeball? Now I'm not going to go into the make up of an eye and the layers that cause the reflective properties of light or not. If you wanna learn about eyeball anatomy, look on the web, that's what I did. Here's the thing to consider, If the creatures found in the Pacific Northwest have a different color eyeshine, then there's only one possibility, that there is in fact more than one branch on the tree of unknown primates waiting to be discovered. I'd always considered once Bigfoot was found, it would be classified as Gigantopithicus Blacki as per my personal hero, the late Dr. Grover Krantz, but in fact there may be two classifications to be presented to science. Things that make you go hmmm.. Do the creature's eyes glow? Nope, not until you put a light in their face,and then they're not really "glowing" , they're only reflecting the light source color that they can't absorb. Can moonlight make the creature's eyes appear to glow? Sure, the eyes reflect light and just as the name says, "Moonlight" is in fact light. Simple huh. How about infrared? Yep, they can see it, take that to the bank.....These creatures can see in a spectrum that we could only wish for. Complete darkness is a preference for the creatures as they can see perfectly in pitch black conditions. And they know we can't. How do I know what they know? Well obviously, I'm not "psychically linked" with the creatures and they don't communicate with me telepathically, they just seem to move in closer at night. So, to me, common sence seems to indicate, they know we can't see them or they'd keep their distance at night as well.
Now, on to some interesting things. These theories/observations may cause a bit of a disturbance in the Bigfoot community, but first of all, these theories/observations are mine, I don't owe anyone in the Bigfoot community anything, I don't have investors to impress, I'm not "forced" to produce evidence, I don't charge a "fee" to look at Bigfoot info on a website, you can call me "crackpot" if you like but I may know some things you don't....so careful...careful..... here we go.
The female head/skull structure is different from the male. The female has a rounded frontal cranium and it gets a little pointy as it goes back. In other words,scientifically speaking, the sagittal crest is present in the female but it is located farther back on the skull than the males. This would seem to suggest the female creatures may have a slightly weaker jaw muscle structure than the male and with this feature, less pronounced cheeks. (and that makes sence to me) The male's sagittal crest is more forward on the skull and therefore more pronounced. Think "Gorilla like" for the male and you're getting real close. The males therefore have far stronger and more pronounced jaw muscles/cheek structure than the females. The male face is wide and "kinda cheeky" Why would they be different? I'm not sure but it may be as simple as why other species tend to have minor differences in appearance between the male and female. It could just be nature's way of letting the creatures know at a glance who's male and who's female when looking for a date for the prom so to speak...
The female creature's face is kinda flat with a wide nose that is not prominent and also with the females, there is a light colored band across the eyes. I'm not sure if this is an area of lighter colored hair than the rest of the body hair or, just an overall thinning of hair near the eye line. The latter would make more sence to me. I've noticed this on female creatures only although (2) I have read reports of juveniles also being sited with this "raccoon mask" type feature. But those reports failed to determine if the juvenile was a male or female creature. The males upper body/head look like Gorillas, that's the way they look, short and sweet, they have a large sagittal crest, extremely large/wide jaw muscles at their cheek. Little or no neck showing but I'm sure they physically have a neck, it's just hidden under those massive shoulder muscles running all the way up from their back to the back of their heads. But unlike a Gorilla, the males have large, powerful legs and are extremely tall. Are adult male creatures larger than adult females? Oh boy, the answer is DEFINITELY LARGER, the males are BIG BOYS. Some may reach up to 12 feet or more in height. There is also a difference in the make up of their body structure as well. Of course we all know the difference between a boy and a girl, but other than that physically, the males are built with an incredibly muscular body. If you can imagine the hulk in a fur suit, there you have it. Some sightings have told of skinny looking or even sickly individuals, sure, that's perfectly normal and to be expected. Just like us, some folks are naturally built muscular for heavy duty work and some are kinda puny. (But even the puny guys that get sand kicked in their face can build up their bodies to muscular with strength training) Now as far as the creatures are concerned : Who could argue that life in the woods isn't strenuous? We have to keep in mind as well that the creatures have no Doctor to visit when they become sick, or if they get snake bitten or when they become progressively advanced in years. I've known many large men who were ultra masculin/muscular when they were young and had photos to prove it, but as age caught up with them, the muscle tone was gone and a thin frail physique was their latter form in life as a senior citizen. Oh yeah, they had gray hair too, which leads me to the next topic, hair color.
Different colors, black,brown,tan,reddish brown/rust,gray,white,mixtures. Expect all different colors. I think, like people, the creatures have a wide variety of pigment in their genetic makeup.
Why share some of my thoughts and findings on the creatures? Well, after gathering sufficient new evidence we may possibly release something soon. Please be sure to catch the upcoming "Gear" page to see the list of equipment we use.
As we get closer to a meaningful contribution of the evidence, I've come to realize some things about myself and other researchers/organizations in the field. It seems there are the "lookers" those that only want to keep the search going, because in doing so, they make money. They have the financial backers that just need to see some new evidence now and again, and they present it, real or not, usually blown out of proportion....Then you have the "bookers" that are interested in research to write a book on the subject. But they have forgotten something very important. Maybe several years ago you'd only see a few books in the libraries and book store shelves, names like Grover Krantz, Ivan T Sanderson, or John Green were almost the only authors on the shelves when looking for Bigfoot books, but since then, there have been and are now literally thousands of authors on the subject and unfortunately most Bigfoot books end up in the $1 bargain bin at a bookstore (if they even reach that status). Then there's the "Hooker" this one works for change or even free as long as they can get a spot on TV to promote something they're gonna make money with, albeit a "Bigfoot conference" or something else that's gonna make them money....and don't kid yourself it's truly all about the money for them. My goals remain the same, to bring the creatures into the science books. Hey, I like money too. I'd be a liar to say I don't but here's the difference between my view and the aforementioned, in my view and way of thinking, the money will come at the end of the road, not along the way. If the money comes along the way, why would they ever want to see the end? Hmm...something to consider anyway. I'm not trying to rip on anyone in particular, I just want to point out that among all the arguments and lack of cooperation and trust, there are alot of people that have lost sight of the real goal as I see it. To work together and bring these creatures into the Science books. Unless they have a place in science, they're gonna be wiped out, because why would any politician ever vote to protect something that doesn't exist? Clear cut the forests? Why not if there's no reason to establish a known habitat?.... Now there's also been alot of good people I've met that I like, some I've even called friend. But due to the aforementioned "Lookers" "Bookers" and "Hookers" at this point as briefed, for reasons I will not discuss, until further notice, all future public outings are cancelled, and we will not share any evidence/locations with anyone aside from what we release on the site or media as the case may be. As for critics, I say batter up. My feet are firmly planted in concrete, you better believe I stand my ground on anything I present.
Best, Chris B.
Sunday 03-21-10 SPRING HAS ARRIVED!!
It's been awhile since my last blog post. Well, there's a reason for that. Since Saturday 03-06-10, I've been in the woods almost daily. We're talking some major mileage, If the weather and my finances would cooperate, it would go from almost daily to DAILY. But to give you some idea I've covered way over 30 miles and probably closer to 40 miles of deep backwoods roaming since the 6th of March. The results? Sore legs and a tired body for sure, but also some credible evidence. Different hikes reveal different things, some days we've found nada, some days a few interesting things, and then there have been those days and some nights that have been absolutely amazing. The kind of things that honestly leave you with a sence of disbelief, possibly even feeling dumbfounded, and even though you look at the evidence with a skeptical eye, you know it to be absolutely true and correct. As I've stressed in the past, we're very critical of any new evidence, even if it comes from our own findings or encounters, and we do have some really great recent additions. You know there's a good reason to be critical of each piece of evidence, especially if it's presented to the public. Of course we don't present routine evidence to the public, we're not seeking headlines for every footprint found because there's nothing to be gained from it. Nothing for the creatures especially if everyone that reads a newspaper goes into the woods tromping around and disturbing the creatures. But, when looking at anything new, if something doesn't add up, we ask the hard questions and make the determination based on the facts. That way, we're not wrong, mistaken, or foolish when we say this evidence IS what it IS. When I had my first encounter and here's the thing, when someone has that first sighting (if they are actually THAT lucky) evidence or the perception of evidence can get tainted by high hopes. After the first encounter, some may begin to believe that every twig that snaps in the woods, or every limb that's broken, every rain washed boot track is Bigfoot related, when it's clearly not. We're beyond that kind of thinking. We'll share some good info here at times but we're limiting (or filtering) what's released to protect the locations and the creatures themselves. IF or WHEN, we gather indesputable evidence and definitive scientific proof, only then will we contact the press.
As you know from the previous posts, we were looking at some new areas for possible Creature home range activity. Well, there's no other way to get around this so I'll just tell you, we finally found the right area and there are creatures there. Stay tuned, I'll update as soon as possible. Be sure to check out the new pic pages too. Unless something happens before the set dates, we'll be scheduling an open invitation outing coming up in late May early June with room for 12 people to come along. Email Scott for the details and also to get signed up to go. What does it cost? Nothing, we don't make any money from this website or anyone else. Bring your own food and your gear. Personally, I feel that if anyone charges you money to go on a Bigfoot outing they're CROOKS, plain and simple. I have no time for crooks. People that make money from the search for Bigfoot aren't really that interested in finding them I feel. Maybe they could possibly have someone in the woods to give their "clients" their money's worth?... What a joke, strike that, what a ripoff. Chris B.
Tuesday 03-02-10
Tonight was a wood knocking / call blasting expedition into another new area. The moon was pretty full so the woods were not as dark as I'd like them to be when we go out. I wasn't expecting to get many responses because of the moon being mostly full. I personally think the creatures may move better when the moon is waning or completely gone altogether. Darkness is not a problem for the creatures, it's a preference. Anyway, we arrived in the new area and started with some call blasting. The new call blast CD is pretty cool. We're using some real Gorilla sounds along with some traditionally reported "Sasquatch" sounds from the Pacific Northwest. (Not the "language" type Sierra sounds, we used the siren type calls and some man-made computer generated Bigfoot screams)I'll try to put some of the sounds on the "Sounds" page of the site, anyone is welcome to use them for call blasting if you like. I personally don't believe these creatures have a spoken language, but who knows for sure. Scott thought he may have had some movement at one point but unfortunately I was sitting in the truck manning the call blast operation so I didn't get to hear it or much else besides our call blasts for that matter. No vocalizations were recorded or heard by either of us though. So next, we tried some wood knocking. First we did 3 knocks approx 1 second apart. We waited a few minutes and then tried 5 fast knocks. Still no reply. After a little more wood knocking and a little more waiting, we decided that it may be a better plan to try again another night. (preferably when the moon is not so full) I have high hopes for the new area. It's a SUPER area. I'll be shocked if we don't find major activity there. This is the area that was suggested by Steve Kulls after he viewed the map of the area with the known activity marked. He did a fantastic job, in fact, he even outlined the possible movement patterns of the creatures in relation to the sighting locations. Excellent idea when looking for tracks or signs of the creatures. I can't say enough about how sharp Steve is and how lucky we are to have him as a friend.
So, we'll go back in again and try when the moon is a little less full and see what happens. The plan is to determine if we have resident creatures in the new area. Once we can determine we have ongoing creature activity, we'll back out of the area so we don't disturb them, then later, go back in with equipment and spend a few days collecting audio/video when it warms up a bit. I can't wait to get the wireless nightvision cam stuff set up and running. ( It's going to be well hidden in the trees.) We have a few more ideas we're waiting to try as well. Come on warmer weather....
Chris B.
Saturday 02-27-10
Tonight we got into something that can be a problem for Bigfoot hunters, other people in the area. As unlikely as it would be, there were a few people that happened to be on an overnight canoe trip that were camped along the opposite bank of the river. Directly across from our access road and so, directly within our tree knocking experiment area. It's kinda funny in a way as canoe trips are extremely out of place on this section of the river. Though river access by boat is the only other way into this area besides our dirt/mud road access road we've been using. But there they were, campfire and all. This pretty much ruled out any tree knocking or call blasting as any reply could now be tainted by the fact that other people were in the area. (and not to mention the call blasting would have been a little cruel on the nature loving canoer campers) So, we made the best out of the situation and checked the ground for tracks or other sign for a little while. There was some movement on our side of the river as at one time I distinctly heard some leaves rustle and something evidently stepped on a large limb , it broke with a loud "Pop!" Evidently we were disturbing the campers or they were having movement on their side too as they now started to build their fire up, so we did the courteous thing, we left. And, as we drove away, we giggled a bit because though we were aggrovated to find campers in the area, and our research trip there tonight had been a waste of time, we were at least sure the creatures now have some great entertainment to watch in our absence. (The campers however would be clueless that they would be the main subject for the entertainment of the creatures for the night)
The night was not a total loss though. I caught a bright red eyeshine about 8 feet off the ground and only about 25 feet away from the road. Red only is the color to look for by the way. If you see any eyeshine other than RED, it's NOT a creature, take that to the bank. We stopped to listen but heard nothing. We didn't get out because we didn't want to start a "chase" situation, so we moved on. This happened within 2 miles of the new research area. Maybe this creature was also going to the river to watch "The Nature Campers Show" on the Bigfoot nature channel.
Next trip out is Tuesday 03-02-10 We'll be wood knocking, call blasting and making notes of any locations of any responses. Mainly because on Wednesday 03-03-10, we'll be doing some ground work during the day this time, checking for tracks and other sign. It's exciting , no matter how tired you become, I promise you, if you get close to a real live breathing creature that's unknown to science, for some reason the energy just comes right back to you.
I'll update the Blog after Tuesday's trip 03-02-10
Chris B.
Thursday 02-25-10
Tonight was the big night. Finally,a trip into the new area late at night for some wood knocking experiments. The evening started well. As soon as we arrived I spotted some eyeshine of something. It only lasted a second or two so there was no time to get an ID on anything. After Scott backed the truck so the truck lights were again back on the eyeshine area there was no further eyeshine. So whatever it was had vacated the area. That by itself isn't any kind of impressive evidence of course.
Then, we got out of the truck and started preparing our equipment. I walked to the back of the truck and caught a definite strong musty/wet dog odor on the air. Scott caught it too. We must have disturbed something when we arrived. I've smelled that odor before and it was definitely creature related. When we put 2 and 2 together we surmised the eyeshine could have possibly been a creature but because there was only a second or two there's no way to know for sure. The smell was an exact match though. Without an actual sighting of the creature, unfortunately, it goes down in the book as just another "odd happening"
We knocked for awhile in different patterns, groups of 3 then groups of 5 knocks. Then we got what I can only describe as a "herd" of owls either responding to our tree knocks or they were responding to something else that was moving in the woods. A hoot owl started the chatter then it sounded as if there were 7 or 8 Strix Rufipes (the owls that sound like monkeys) sounding alot like a herd of monkeys out in the forest. (you can hear the Strix on the sounds page ) It was a little nerve racking at first of course until I recognized the sound. But still, very exciting and VERY interesting. A few minutes later we had some bipedal movement in the woods, this was unmistakeable. 3 different locations. This was Great! I'm thrilled we have some activity here.
Scott got a nice vocalization on the digital recorder that sounds very interesting. It's a ways off maybe 3/4 mile or more and it's a little weak but it's there. VERY interesting sound that's almost exactly like the unidentified sound on that episode of Monsterquest inappropriately called "Hillbilly Beast" Now, we're comparing the sound with known creatures of our area but so far there's not been a match with anything yet. Still ongoing. Next outing is planned for Saturday night 02-27-10 I'll be back with more then. We'll have Brandon with us for that one with his nightvision Camcorder outfit. Hopefully we can see who or what is walking around in the woods while we're tree knocking next time. Chris B.
Monday 02-22-10
Yesterday (Sunday the 21st) went to check out the access road to the river. Man, the deer and turkey are plentiful. I counted at least 150 turkeys in different areas and at least 25 deer were sited. Noticed the snow has finally melted on the access road but now we have a nice soft muddy road to travel. Man I wish my Jeep wasn't down for the count. That thing would go about anywhere you wanna point it. Scott and I talked it over and decided we better wait until at least Thursday to let it dry out a bit. The 4WD on my Trailblazer is out so that leaves me with 2WD until I can get the front differential installed. Scott just bought a sharp Nissan King cab but it's 2WD (and I don't think he really wants to get it dirty just yet but it's comin') :) Getting stuck on the access road is not an option though. We'd probably have to cut a few trees down to get out if we slide off the road any at all. According to the weather forecast the temp Thursday should be down to around 21 F, so the ground should be frozen well enough to travel down to the river without getting stuck in the mud. I just hope we don't get snowed in with more snow on the way Thursday. Man, this is the most snow we've seen in several years. The Winters in South Central KY are normally mild but this one's starting to bite. I drove around some old sighting areas with video cam along for the ride hoping for another chance sighting but of course since I was prepared, no creatures. That's the way it happens. Now if I had left my video camera at home, or if the batteries were run down, there would have been creatures surrounding me and singing campfire songs. But since I was prepared, nothing out of the ordinary occurs. Murphy's law. Scott and I also mapped the location of a certain Island that has had some increasing activity reported there. We've got to get to that island and check for any recent prints or evidence. That's gonna take a boat trip to get to. I don't mind the trip but I'm hoping for warmer weather. Come on Spring! Chris B.
Saturday 02-20-10
It's the 20th of Feb 2010 and we're just now starting to see the snow melt here in Central KY. I thought I'd add a blog of sorts to let everyone know some of what has been happening here lately. Most of you guys know we don't give out many details of what's going on as far as evidence or exact locations but you already know we work mainly in Hart and Barren Counties here in Ky. There's no real need to go into specific areas of the counties. We've been pretty lucky with some December 2009 Creature sightings in the exact same area where I saw the creature on 20 Aug '09 down on the same river bottom. No tracks in the snow unfortunately in the few areas we were able to still get to and look.
I don't know how the weather has been elsewhere but around here the past few weeks the going has been rough. We've not been able to get out and do as much of the foot work we normally do but that's part of it. Last week I got out and did some scouting around, mainly to check an access road way out in the middle of nowhere to see if we could get down to the river and get back out last Saturday night. There was no way, snow and ice still covered the primative goat path all the way down to the river. I'm really excited about this area though and I want to get down there and try some tree knocking ASAP to see if anyone is home on the other side of the river. (any creatures that is) After much careful studying and compiling, I beleive we've picked out the most likely area that could possibly have long term resident creatures. Steve Kulls is much to credit for suggesting a good look at the Topo maps of the area. I'm still trying to find some good printable maps online so I can mark the area and send to Steve for a much valued opinion. (So Steve if you're reading this I will be sending some maps your way ASAP.) I think around the house and creek here is mainly a migration path. The creatures do pass thru pretty regular but it's mainly in the early Spring and late Fall with about a 3 week period of activity in mid to late Summer. (When the blackberries come in) If primates don't migrate very far, we should have some living around here somewhere. But who knows how far they migrate? 25 miles? 50? 100? More? Less? This new area is remote and if I say it's "difficult" to get to, that's the understatement of the decade. There's no roads in there and the only access is first by river and then some "major" hiking! Hiking in Rattlesnake and Copperhead Snake infested forests of Ky that is. The remoteness of the area is what makes it a perfect location for a group of resident creatures though.
But anyway, tomorrow is Sunday so I'm going to check the access road again and see if it's passable. If so, the tree knocking experiment will start late Sunday night (depending on the access road condition). Hopefully we can determine if anyone's home or not.
If they ARE there. Then begins phase 2. Planning for a week long expedition to the area when the weather warms a bit. This one will be by invitation as I feel it may likely produce something amazing, and I don't mean hair samples or casts. If we can get the response I'm hoping for , I think we may finally have something that will stand up to the scrutiny of Science. Chris B.
