Ok so last night I picked up a buddy of mine and we went for a night hike because it was his birthday. Also I’ve had foot problems all summer long so it was a chance to get in one last semi warm hike. In fact my foot is still a bit messed up, oh cruds. Anyway we went up into the national forest to a nice mountain trail. The sunset on top of the 4500-foot mountain was great. About halfway down the trail on top of a ridge that separates normal forest service/BLM type land form a roadless trailess protected valley we heard sounds. This was at about 9pm and it was very dark because the moon was being blocked out by trees. There was one big something walking up the protected valley side of the ridge towards us. We froze in the darkness and killed our meager led flashlights. I fumbled for the video camera witch I always carry just in case but I think it heard me because it stopped moving. After a few moments of waiting I took action! I switched on my super bright surefire G2 and ran into the brush towards the sound. After five feet I could hear that it was running away from me. So I ran into the darkness towards the sound. Even though I had the high ground on the ridge I still couldn’t see anything but trees. I could tell from the sounds that it ran behind some thick trees and brush just out of my sight. After getting a good look down the side of the ridge where the sounds had been coming from I realized that I was alone in the dark. In fact I was very very alone and it was very very dark. Luckily a quick yell to my buddy and I instantly became no longer alone. We stood at the top of the ridge and threw sticks and rocks in the direction of the sounds. Then we sat down and turned everything off for a few minuets to see if the activity would start again. However after a short time I realized that we were directly upwind of the animal so there was no use in waiting for it. Then I even tried yelling hello and even a few whooping sounds. But there was no sound in the forest at all. Witch in and of it’s self was odd. Also one more thing bothered me about the brush walking sounds they stopped abruptly and did not trail off at all. Whatever it was had simply gotten out of sight of me and stopped. The walking sounds themselves were what has really got me stumped. I have herd people, Elk, deer, mountain lions and a bear in area’s just like this before but I’ve never heard footsteps like these. It’s easy to hear elk because of the hoof sounds they make. I thought it might have been a bear but this thing was snapping branches and making more racket than any bear I’ve ever heard. Also I used to play paintball in the forest a lot and you get pretty good at listing for the rustle of Oregon Grape and ferns plus the snap of sticks. I mean the steps sounded like a really big person casually walking up the super steep ridge. So I thought perhaps it was a person after all. Then my friend reminded me that 280 pounds of me literally running threw the same forest didn’t make half the racket that the mysterious beast did. Also it’s a very remote area so hoax potential is nearly zero. So I guess it’s just another so so encounter at best. Heah at least I get to change my profile to (unsure)!! I’m not going to say I’ve seen bigfoot until I set me eyes on one. On Friday the same buddy, my brother and myself are going to set up in that same area. Only this time the super nightshot camera is coming along as is the trail cam. Wish us luck!




R

RAINS, I applaud you for your effort for trying to determine what was causing the sound, "instead of running away from it." Good for you! Just be sure to do it safely when your dealing with something, or someone out in the woods like that.
It really gets old when a person says they hear something, then runs, but still insists they had an encounter with a b/f. Best wishes on getting something on film.

Where was this?

Oregon Grape. Gotta be somewhere in the PNW.

Little animals can make big sounds, though. I once heard crashing through the brush that sounded fit for at least a bear and it turned out to be a small rabbit. But rabbits aren't bipedal.

Keep us posted.

Well that explains all the rock throwing incidents. It's just another BF hunter chucking rocks at something making noise. :laugh: :laugh:

Rain,

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would like to ask a question, as well as to anyone else having "audible sounds of BIPED movement in the brush."

How can anyone tell if something moving has 2 legs, 3 legs, 4 legs or is hopping on 1 leg?

Generally any animal, 2 and 4-legged moves with even-number of limbs moving. A deer, when it walks moves its right-front and left-back legs in conjunction with one another. It moves its left-front and its right-back leg in conjunction with one another. When a deer runs, it moves its front feet in conjunction with its rear feet in place and then its rear legs move in conjunction while its front legs remain stationary. This is the case with any 4-legged animal. Unless they are moving on a solid rock or road, you can not really hear the possible distinction of 4 feet, as you would a horse on a road.... "click-click...click-click..........click-click...click-click........" In the brush and on dirt or padded ground, it would sound as though it was walking with only 2 legs.

I never understood people who claim to hear "Biped movement in the brush/trees/grass/etc..."

Personally, I would take the eerie feeling of "being watched" to be more of true evidence than "the sound of biped movement," but that is just me. I think we, as creatures as well, have a certain intuition and instinct. We have just lost touch with it, though sometimes the feeling is strong enough that we notice it, such as the fight-or-flight response in a critical situation. That, in my opinion, is the most basic survival instict all creatures possess, including humans.

Can you please explain?

Say, how come the item on "Encounter?" is no longer included in the Member's Placard (alongside his posts)?

I used to play paintball in terrain identical to where the sounds were heard. Every so often a deer would come threw the area. They made distantly dainty/ constant movement sounds. I’ve also head bears and elk walking in the same type of area at the same range if not closer. None of them made this kind of limb snapping slow trudging sounds. Honestly the sounds reminded me of a paintball player slowly walking up the step part of our field after a game. The only difference was that the sounds last night were a lot heavier. I must admit it absolutely could have been a elk or bear but the fact remains that the walking sounds didn’t sound like any other elk or bear I’ve heard at close range. Plus unlike every other bear/elk encounter I’ve ever had this thing didn’t run away from me into the distance it stopped behind cover. The uncertainly about the sounds is why I am going back to that area. More than likely if elk are moving threw the area I will hear them again. I am still keeping the bear option open as well. I am however quite certain it was not a deer. It made way way too much noise to be a deer. When we first heard the noises we were not in the least bit spooked. However five minuets after the sounds stopped wile we were getting ready to leave my buddy started talking about how he felt as if we were being watched. What’s odd is that I was getting the same feeling at the exact same time. The whole rest of the way down the trail we felt like we were being followed. The other odd thing was that there was not one sound in that whole forest. Things really didn’t feel right. So I’m still left with the same unknown conclusions. Oh and to answer another question it happened in Lane county Oregon not too far from Oakridge.

Well I spent a few good hours after dark hiding in the bushes. Between the three of us we heard nothing at all. I at least excepted to hear elk in the area but there was nothing. I thought the area might have been a major night elk crossing area. The finding give credence to the idea that is wasn’t a normal forest creature. Also after reviewing the videotape I realized that the camera actually recorded two big steps on audio. I need to see if my brother can clean up the tape audio on his computer. The sounds were just like I remember crash-pause-crash pause. Whatever is was it must of had a long stride. HUmmm interesting. Sense I live close to the area in question I will make an effort to keep my trail cam in that area.





R

RAINS - sounds like you got a good spot! You say there was nothing... no sounds. Do you think something might have already knew you were there, and was watching you?

I'm from Oregon... is that where you're scouting? If so, what county? Sorry if I've already missed it.

Edited to also say... can't wait for that sound bit. Maybe Fulltimer could help you out...he's got a great site with all kinds of sounds!

Crazy Ivan;

Your question to Rains.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would like to ask a question, as well as to anyone else having "audible sounds of BIPED movement in the brush....."A deer, when it walks moves its right-front and left-back legs in conjunction with one another."

This is incorrect. A whitetail deer will use opposing front and back legs when it is trotting, but when it is "walking" there are actually normally 4 distinct hoof placements. It's the same with horses. During walking and galoping the 4 hooves hit the ground in a drumbeat. With the whitetail, the most rapid movements are done front hooves together and rear hooves together. The muledeer will bounce when making moderate time.

Bipedal movement can be distinguished most by cadence. On smooth terrain, one's walking or running cadence is rhythmic. On difficult terrain, or in forrestation, the cadence will be broken up by hesitations or short or long steps to step over obstructions or to maneuver around them. If the pace is a walking pace, these changes in cadence will be pretty noticable. At a walking pace, deer don't normally make much noise unless they are walking on loose rock. Elk and moose on the other hand, can sound like a monster...or slip through the woods like ghosts.

Deer and other normally encountered forest creatures do not walk when you walk, and stop when you stop. Just the opposite! Only humans understand that one's movement will be partially masked by the movement of the other. Humans use other people's movement as an opportunity to move as well. This signals an intellectual connection, not an instinctive one.

Dan

(oregonfooter) The area I am taking about is in Lane county Oregon. It’s an area south west of Oakridge. We did hear very small sounds behind us all night but I racked it up to little critters. Or at least I hope that's what they were!!!


What really gets me about the walking is that the darn thing stopped as soon as it was out of my sight behind cover. I think our Friday night stake out was a failure because of the wind. I was hoping that the hill we were on would shield us from the winds and that our sent would be carried away from the valley where the sounds came from. However I think the wind changed and very well could have blow our sent into the valley. There was no way to avoid it. I forgot to mention it but near the jeep as we were walking back down from the stakeout we did hear something fairly large in the brush. We heard it for only a short time and it wasn’t nearly as loud as the footprints herd days earlier. Then again it was in a much softer ground cover area. Our pair of 55w spotlights reviled nothing in the darkness. Back at the jeep I remember that I had thrown a pretzel at my buddy near the tailgate. But when we looked for the pretzel all we could find was a few very very small pieces. There was not nearly enough material for the whole pretzel to be accounted for. I sure hope it was a deer that got it!! My foot is hurting and swollen today but if it gets better later in the week I will make a run down into the valley. I get some out of date meat from the freezer and some apples from the backyard to bate my trail cam. We will see just what can reach a roast 9 feet up strung between two trees! I'll see about clearing up the two steps I caught on audio and getting a mp3 posted. It may take me a wile though.


R

RAINS- I'm in Linn County. I know of the area you talk about... good possibilities! Keep us informed

Hi Rains,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Ya neva Know! Maybe we can try again to put an expedition together next summer!

Good job, Rains. They had you where they wanted you. :laugh:

(I apologize for the humor at your expense and it was meant in jest)

Yes, that whole area has quite an active history.

Such a big animal. It can move as quietly as some of the other big animals when they want to be quiet. Yet, in this case it wanted you to know it was there. Intimidation display?

May I suggest something to mask your odor? Try scent lock apparell or buying some "skunk-patches".....they will certainly help you what ever the wind direction.

Just a thought?? :new_thumbsupsmileyanim: