Watched part of the new series Axmen. Like Ice Road Truckers, set in orime BF habitat: the Oregon forest. Somehow I doubt we'll hear of BF evidence on the series, although kissing a BF would seem to be an appriopriate initiation scheme for those guys.

I watched it last night myself. I said to myself while watching it I wonder if them guys have any Bigfoot related stories. I would be willing to say they do and would be interesting to hear.

I fell asleep before it came on. Damn.. That's OK though it'll probably be re-broadcast several times between now and next Sunday. As far as Bigfoot goes... I wouldn't be surprised if it's something that's seldom talked about. Kind of like we know they are up there but we don't openly acknowledge it. You know...

I mean let's face it. It would be very bad for the timber industry if it got out. You think the battle over the spotted owl was bad....

A previous topic on this forum discussed the rumor that logging company employees are sort of sworn to secrecy about bigfoot. Most likely as was stated because if bigfoot is real, environmental issues would be worse than they are already for them.

I suspect that if Sasq turns out to be a real animal, acknowledged by the feds, it will have little impact on the logging industry.

The animals and plants that cause so much hassle for the industry are pretty specialized for old growth and have relatively small ranges.

Except, presumably, for being rare, Sasq doesn't share any of these characteristics. It is a fairly nonspecialist omnivore with a huge range across many well watered forested habitats, not just old growth.

I think it could even be reasonably speculated that a local population of Sasq would be helped by a selective thinning of some woods to allow berry shrub growth, just as it increases black bear and deer populations.

It would be interesting to hear some of the stories some of these guys might have.

You know, when I first heard of this show, I thought the same thing. Prime sasquatch habitat, you'd think there would be plenty of sightings or maybe they'd even catch something on film with all those cameras out there.

Then I watched the show. There are so many machines making so much racket, trucks, etc, that any creature with some smarts would be outta there before they even got to their harvesting grounds. Something might be watching them from a distance and might be curious, but I doubt the chances of actually catching anything on film are any greater than they are at any other time.

I'd say a quiet hiking party is going to have an encounter before a loud, machine-driven logging crew is.


But who knows? I could be wrong.


The show reminds me a lot of Deadliest Catch. Thom Beers is executive producer on both so that would explain it.

It is ironic, Susan, that the beginning of the Bluff Creek episode - which began in 1958 and then unfolded over a 9-year period, culminating in the famous Patterson Gimlin Film of 1967 (starring 'Patty') - occurred in the midst of loud, heavy road-making machinery. By some accounts, there were so many BF tracks and prints around the heavy equipment in the morning when the men arrived for work that it became difficult to keep men on the job, they were becoming that spooked.

Chapter 4, Bigfoot at Bluff Creek, in John Green's book, 'Sasquatch: The Apes Mong Us', tells the story of all the goings on in great style. The truth is - afterthought being what it is - if anyone had been brave enough to sleep in the cab of one of those rigs overnight, there most probably could have been an early sasquatch film back in 1958 when all the shenanigans actually began, rather than 9 years later on the creek bed itself.
Dudlow

Since my husband's family grew up in the timber/logging industry and I currently know loggers working for big companies, I can assure you that this notion is not true. Sus, I have to agree with you on the noise level. Nothing sticks around those woods when the machines crank up.

Dudlow, my hubby's granddad was logging the Klamath river from the 20's-60's. He told stories in the 40's, well before Bluff creek, of similar incidents. The only way up to the camp was by boat. The guys would work one week and then head home for a few days, then return. They would get back to the camp and find very heavy equipment moved around and large footprints. Granddad didn't talk about being spooked, just annoyed and curious. Granddad was a very avid photographer and I have many prints of his taken in the 20's from the Crescent City area. Every once in awhile my mom-in-law will find a batch of his old photos and send them my way. I keep hoping there is a photo of those prints somewhere...or maybe something better lol!

The show was filmed quite near here. My sis told me she saw my road on one episode.

Do you know there is already backlash from environmentalists/anti-timber groups wanting this show canceled. They are calling for a boycott of the show.

Redwolf

Figures... That's so stupid. Like getting the show cancelled will stop the logging.. Morons. Enviromentalists irritate me. There's no compromising with them. It's their way or nothing

Thanks for that, Redwolf. Now, that kind of background information really helps bring to life, flesh out and improve upon the popular published accounts. It is so true - always talk to the locals whenever possible because they almost always have insight into what no one else knows about. Good luck on those photographs, I've got my fingers crossed for you!
Dudlow

That's cool, Red, that you have that connection to the logging industry. Yes, every time they would show that map, I'd think of you, knowing you are very near to all of the filming. It would be very interesting if there were any kind of activity going on around there, machinery being moved, footprints found, etc. I'd love to be proven wrong and find out there has been stuff going on.

I've got a question, are any of these crews camping up there or are they just driving in and out each day? (I haven't watched enough of a show to find out)

Keep checking those pictures, Red! You never know what you might find!

Greetings! I'm on the Board of Directors for the Camp 18 Restaurant and Logging Museum, located on Highway 26 and pretty much centrally located between the four crew worksites shown on Ax Men. I've also been doing some documentary video shooting (I was the video guy for Autumn Williams for her DVD project) for various logging-related projects in that area and down towards Tillamook. As such, I have a lot of professional and personal contact with current loggers and retired guys with great stories and information to share.

Although Ax Men has its share of TV-induced hype and BS, the depiction of the guys as hard working, straight-talking individuals is fairly accurate. These guys are highly observant of their surroundings and nature in general. Many of them are hunters so they naturally watch for deer, elk and other critters in the woods, and checking out tracks and scat is part of that observation. As the show has depicted, many of them go back in hunting on days off, so it makes sense to survey the area when possible during the work week.

I seldom discuss BF-related matters with these guys. If I do, it's usually with them on a one-on-one basis when they don't need to worry about peer pressure, and I approach them as obliquely as possible rather than via a direct question about the subject. " ... Do you know someone who's seen any tracks, or heard or seen anything else, that they can't explain out here?" ... something along those lines. That leave it open for them to respond or not without any pressure. The comments I've heard usually run along the lines of various occurrences when they're back in hunting, but seldom when working, with all the noisy crews and machinery in action.

I haven't heard any reports of Bluff Creek-type tracks in work areas, in my limited experience. And it's safe to say most of these guys are reluctant to be interviewed on camera, alas. It would also explain why the subject of BF hasn't been raised on the show.

As for eco-freaks calling for a boycott of the show, I haven't heard about that, but the producers and logging technical and safety advisors have been contacted by OSHA concerning some of the activities depicted on the show. The industry safety guys have to patiently explain to the OSHA geniuses that "This is television, remember, it's not real. They do stuff for the cameras -- swinging on chokers suspended from the skyline for example -- that they wouldn't do in real life ..." and those OSHA complaints calmed down after the first couple of episodes.

If nothing else, Ax Men has certainly done a great job of showcasing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Jeff Johnston
Eugene, OR

Just to let everyone know, the deep forest you see on that show is just a small part of the forest habitat that Oregon has. There's plenty of place for Squatch to get away from it all. Having lived in Southern California for twenty years, I had forgotten how lush the wilderness is where it rains.

Boy does it rain in this part of the country.

I am guessing that each episode takes weeks to film, because it's not often that we get a long stretch without rain here.

That's pretty much how I figured it would go down if the question was asked. And you definitately were wise to approach the subject from a flanking position rather than point blank. Those guys aren't stupid... They have jobs, logging contracts and reputations to protect. I too would be very reluctant to divulge anything.

Hi

I just started watching the show a week ago, I have been fixing chainsaws and heavy equipment for some 28 yrs now and finally there is a show that has that machinery on there, Very Cool Stuff

Peace
Tim

I have a friend that I met online a few years ago who is in the logging business in parts of Oregon,Washington and other areas in the PNW,he tells me that anyone who has been in the business for a long time is just about guaranteed to have their own sasquatch story. He said that they do not speak of it around anyone outside the industry but it is a well known fact that sasquatch inhabits those woods. At least that was the story and I do know for a fact that the guy is in the logging business. We have been friends for about 5 years and only this year did he finally break down and tell me that he had 3 visual sightings in his time and he says the wood knocks happen quite a bit. He isnt the type of guy to brag and boast and is actually a very quiet and subdued man for the most part. I have no reason to doubt him,of course this proves nothing..just wanted to share the info. Oh yeah,he said that there are no sworn to secrecy documents or agreements,but that it is sort of just understood that it stays in house. I think Robert W. Morgan worked in the logging business for a bit to try and get some stories from these men. Interesting for sure and I could not help thinking of bigfoot when watching the series. Peace

Exactly what I would imagine a logger, sworn to secrecy, to say!

Wow, this thread is amazing just to read people's perceptions. I am glad to hear that OSHA called on all the "stunts". All my buddies have been shocked at some of the stuff those guys have been pulling off.

Have fun, Norcal

LOL..yeah,guess you have a point there! Peace.