I'd like to get your opinions on this thing I found in the woods the other day. I took pictures from different angles so that you could tell what it looked like. It is approximately 6 feet to where the trees are crossed.

another angle....

another..

another...

That's interesting Jay. On first appearances it looks like a brush pile, but that's some mighty big brush and looks like hardwood tree trunks like oaks that have been pulled into the pile and leaned against perhaps a still standing tree. Were the larger trunks cut or broken off? Did you find anything else noteworthy around the thing? I wouldn't be surprised if an animal wasn't using it for bedding quarters, since it's there, but that wouldn't necessarily mean squatch.

How old were the limbs that were stacked? Could you tell? As you know hunters will clear brush out of shooting lanes and that could be what part of that is, but to be honest I'm clueless. Manmade blind maybe?

Iit looks alot like other things that are said to be to bigfoot nests/shelters. Not that it is but the similarities are there.

I've come across something similar in my local woods. Superficially it looks like what bushcraft practicioners call a "leaf hut". I'll try to post some pics later (scanned from a book), if I'm not breaching copyright??.

Shouldn't be John since you're not making any profit off of it. Or are you???

Hey John, don't tell me you got some SAS men on manuvers around your parts? Unless the 'Bolum Bigfoot' has moved south??

Right - Images courtesy Bushcraft by Ray Mears, Hodder & Stoughton, 2002.

Not saying this is what they are, but I found it interesting that I've found a similar structure over here. The ones in Jay's pictures could be older & deteriorated. Just a thought.

No Jim - I won't be making any money (as per usual ). Any copyright conflict please someone remove the links!

Lyndon - That's it - it's the Bolum Beast :willies: (you'd be surprised - or not - to the "evidence" I've found in my woods - I ought to post it here - it's better than some I've seen ) .


Edited to remove the link to Ray's site - perhaps that's asking for trouble....
[EDIT] to remove some old links

Jaylee - Any other signs of anything - any hair, droppings, litter, prints or tracks?

I learned years ago in Scouts how to build all types of shelters...The picture stuck a chord with me.

Link

Sorry to be so late getting back to this thread.

The trees that are crossed in the front, and the other tree on the right side are still firmly rooted in the ground. That tree on the right side is snapped and the top half of it lies firmly in the X. There are no deer stands in this area and the limbs that make up the thing look to be quite aged.

I didn't find anything around this thing such as prints, hair, droppings, etc.

Was there any sign of any recent activity around the site (disturbed ground, crushed vegetation, etc.)?

whatever it is, it can be used for shelter. maybe a game cam inside, thats would be cool. see what animals go inside. of course ur scent would be everywhere in there. unless u could put it in through the back without entering it. good luck.

Jay, what would you say the diameter of the crossed trees are?

What is the general size of this thing?

In my humble opinion, it looks like some sort of survival shelter (Bush Hut, as previously said).

So, if the crossed trees are 6 ft. above the ground would that place the bend in the snapped tree about 8 ft. up the trunk? Are there any old chain or cable scars above the bend of the snapped tree? I can see where it would be possible for someone to "build onto" the snapped tree if it were already discovered that way, but I can't imagine snapping it without a winch equiped truck or even a dozer.....unless you are one big boy.
:rolleyes: oooooo{Hmm....8 ft. up the trunk}

Well I wouldn't disagree with anything there John. What Jaylee has in her pic doesn't look too dissimilar to me.

No, nothing that I could find.

The trees are all approximately 7-8 inches in diameter.

The thing is 10 feet across the front and about 10-12 feet from front to back.

Yes, I'd say 8 feet up is about right.

I didn't see any chain or cable scars on the snapped tree trunk, but it is aged so if there are some, they may have faded due to age.

So someone would need a come-a-long or something like that to pull them over to create the " X " for the other branches to be positioned between them ?

Jay (sorry if I missed this along the way)... is that next to a wide trail or a clearing of any kind?

As a matter of fact Stacy, there is a rather large clearing just behind and to the left of the thing. In the clearing are some stumps, dead limbs and this plant we call "cypress weeds".

I don't think you mentioned the approximate size of the interior... If I missed it, I apologize. Were there any remnants of bedding material inside? Any pine trees close by, or any used in the pile?

Hunting blind?

How far from the nearest road or human habitation?

Any chance the weather could have dropped the limbs, Ice/snow/wind damage etc. It does resemble a "debris hut" as some others mentioned.

Location is everything...

Jay... from what I can tell from the photo, the trees appear to be Aspen, (AKA, depending on geographic location, Pople or Poplar - but not TULIP poplar as grows down there, that's a different tree altogether) And, from the photo, it appears there may be some vines of some type overgrowing the formation?? Am guessing just because of the appearance of very small and densly intertwined 'limbs' and such.

Anyway... without making a specific comment on what you have there, here in Michigan such a formation of Aspen (and Maple as well, because they tend to grow very spindly also in a natural growth setting, but will not tend to break off, only bow over) is relatively common, especially when next to a clearing - which you do describe. I've seen the same in Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee as well (these are just the main areas where I've spent time in the field, but surely they occur in other areas as well). Aspen tend to grow close together, and tend to grow tall and spindly, which makes them weak.

When growing close to a clearing, which allows sunlight, a vine such as wild grape will often take hold and over grow a small stand of saplings. (What other kinds of vines do ya'll have down there?) As they do that, they weaken the base trees even more, so that with even a heavy rain, or snow, the weight will pull the bunch down into the middle so that it can literally appear to be a purposefully constructed structure or shelter of some kind. Your description of trees up to 7-8 inches diameter is not out of line to be pulled down and broken off, if Aspen. I've seen such many times in the field, and even have a 300 mile round trip chalked up once to visit such a 'structure' that the wit was positive was of BF origin. Anyway, don't know what you have there... but check for vines as overgrowth... not just at the site of your photo, but other areas close by as well (50 ', 100', 300', etc). If it is what I am describing here, you should be able to find other similar situations in various degrees of forming.

Just another 2 cents, might be usable info or not. BTW Jay... my oldest son got his first deer Saturday.

Forget what Nightowl said Jay! It was definitely created by and used by 3-4 different bf!

Well, it was definitley put there on purpose, whatever it is. Looks like some of the forts I used to make as a kid, only bigger and more sturdy. I would have to say it's some sort of a hunting blind, IMO.

Nightowl, no Poplar in Arkansas that I know of. These are oak trees.

OAKS??!! well then, heh, nevemind.

Jaylee, if it was a ground blind the hunter would have cleared the inner floor of all leaves and sticks. Does it look like any activity at all is going on around it???

Crew Chief

No, it's old, been there a while. I didn't see anything to make me think that anything is using it as a blind or a shelter.

Jaylee - did you see any twigs from the trees that showed signs of being "pulled down" yet still attached? or limbs that looked to be peeled off the tree? Just curious.

Thanks

No Melissa, nothing like pulled down limbs. It just looks like a big pile of limbs, not vines, limbs that have been stacked in a pile with the bent trees in front. Or, maybe it's just an act of nature, or something that was caused by logging in the area. I don't know how the trees got bent like that or the one ended up being in the X. There are no marks on the bent trees that I could see.

Was there any opening leading to any open and accessible interior?
I assume you were in the area for a reason. Was it an area of prior reports and/or your prior purposeful investigation?
Any reason to reasonably consider squatch presence in the area?

The only thing that might be considered an opening was the space at the base of the bent trees....in the front of the thing.

I was in the area scouting for deer season and, as always, looking for any sign of the big guy. I really just happened up on this thing.

Hummm, only reason to consider bf might be (have been) in the area is that I found this thing less than a mile from where I had my sighting. But, it's a tough mile. By that I mean there is a swamp between the two areas.

Your sighting within a mile? Wow, that's significant. A mile may as well be the same spot, for all practical purposes.
It would've caught my attention and I'd have given it a closer look also, especially given the height and size you mentioned. No real opening or interior, but it's old and could've beeen partially collapsed, I suppose. Do many people frequent the area, as best as you can guess? Sounds fairly inaccessible. Not a likely spot for someone to go to so much effort. Curious, in any case.
Also, just wondering, what's the deer rifle you carry?

Pffffft if you had read my post earlier you'd have seen my comment about them looking like oaks. If we have poplar this far south in Arkansas I haven't seen them. Maybe they aren't popular (pun intended, sorry) down here.

hehehe. I just had to rag on ya my friend Have a happy T-giving btw everybody!

T.... be gentle with me.... going to have a house full of in-laws today :willies:

Anyway... this is just another reason to head south and get some field time in - would surely love to see the forests down there. Just as long as there's no snakes... so would have to do it during cold weather. I've been around snakes before... in Texas... big 'uns, with those rattle thingys on the tail. Michigan boys don't like snakes - at least this one don't.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Michigan girls don't like snakes either. Some day I'll tell yall about "Leon, the Lion-hearted Toad". Yep, we have rattlers, too!

I read this post shortly after it came up on the board, but refrained from commenting becuase I fugured you'd all laugh at me. Well, I'll say it anyway. Laugh if ya want... I've seen two structures very much like this.

One was located, of all places, within view of Interstate 94, between Hartford & Kalamazoo, Michigan. There was the interstate highway, the fence, some wooded land, the nest-like-looking structure, then a two-lane country road, then farmland. It was really curious-looking to me & caught my attention, but just seemed out of context for it to be any kind of large animal nesting site. It was too prominent & open. I didn't examine it close up. However, parts of it were twisted/broken off, not cut. I don't know what the smaller trees & branches looked like.

The other nest-like structure I saw was in Grand Mere State Park, in Stevensville, Michigan. There was a long fallen log (probably 20 or so feet long). Piled up next to & over it (near the base end of the log, which was higher up off the ground than the top of the tree) were smaller branches that were arranged sort of like a tent. They appeared very similar to the pictures that JayleeD took, except that they were sparser. There were no pine boughs in the interior that might have been a bed, just leaves. It was old & did not appear to have been recently used (as in not used in years), if ever. I didn't know what to make of it. It simply seemed to be unusual.

It could have been made by local kids as a fort, or maybe by a scouting group trying to practice survival skills. I don't know. I just know it wasn't cut with a knife or a saw. I discounted it as one of those two possibilities.

Don't know all the circumstances of what JayleeD found. I discount both of my findings, but not hers. Everything has its place, and has to be evaluated on its individual merits. A state park around here attracts more people than you could imagine, like lots of school groups, general public, scout groups, etc. If her area of interest is more isolated (or private land), that's a whole different story. It deems investigation.

Jaylee,, You're in a hot area for sure!!! If you see him during deer season and you're sure its him,, are you going to pull the triggggger???

Crew Chief

Not unless he forces me to.

FWIW, I am of the opinion that it appears to be a man-made bush hut. Can't pin it down for certain, thats my best geuss.

Is there an entrance big enough for a sasquatch to enter? would it snag hair on the way in or out? Im thinking to much is being given to this shelter thing, we have no real evidence that bigfoots make shelter let alone use them, we have more on them making beds. I do think a shelter makes since if close to population but not off the beaten path. Looks good but dont see an opening to get into it. Out of al my years i have found only one shelter, had a nice opening to get inside and lay down, this was along a creek near town with a great winter time food source and track to along with it.

Brian,
When did you locate the shelter that you mentioned? I am of the opinion that an outdoorsman with enough savey to erect such a shelter, would not do so in close proximity to a creek or other body of water.