So.. best to lurk? stay in one place? or move around? considerations for body scent advertising your/our presence in the field? What technique suits best for the potential observation? Find travel point and over view it... by lurking? OR ??
I had to try something here... its such a neat verb. And I suppose its in the wrong category.. so Bump it Bipto! (I can can it too for that matter)

I think that if one could indentify an area with frequent Sasquatch activity, and possibly drill down to the hot spots based on food/cover/travel, then lurking would be the best way to possibly observe and or photograph one. There is no animal, sassy included, that I think a good "human predator" could not at least observe under those conditions.
Technology as come a great distance in the arena of camoflage and odor controll, to the point where I firmly belive direct observation is possible, even in the core of a sassy territory. This is not to say that it would be even remotely easy, and if you screw it up even one time, it would be exponentialy more difficult to follow up, but there are hunters out there who are masters of camoflage, both visual and scent.
I use both commercial scent controll chemicals and activated carbon-bonded clothing to minimize scent placement in the field. Use of this type of clothing and products has allowed me to remain undetected directly downwind of bear, deer and canine predators at very close range(less than 10 feet on several occasions). I doubt that a sasquatch has a significantly superior olfactory sense than deer, and likleyl no better at all than bear or canines(bear in particular have a stunning olfactory ability, they can detect extremely small ppm of scent molecules at extreme range). Activated carbon is very efficient as adsorbing(bonding to) both organic and inorganic chemicals, thus stopping scent molecules at the source. This is also why the exact same technology is used in millitary chemical warfare suits(which, btw, can be had very cheaply from many millitary surplus vendors) as it stops literaly any gas or chemical from passing through the material. Essentialy, anyone wearing a suit of this type in good condition(not contaminated by outside sources such as gasoline or McDonalds fry grease!) along with a comercial "scent elliminator" treatmen on exposed skin/hair(usually made with high grade bicarbonate of soda) is effectively olfactory "invisible".
Similar advances have been made in optical camoflage. Many region/terrain specific patterns are now available, rendering the wearer virtualy invisible in specific areas. These patterns have also been incorporated into 3-D "leafy" suits, which break up the human outline.
In a nutshell, if you could identify a feeding/travel area with reasonably frequent sightings, I believe that a competent person(not tooting my own horn, but myself, for instance) could remain unobserved at even close range by a sasquatch, assuming they could get into position before the sassy entered the immediate area.

Feel like I know squat,after NWs' above post. I'm fairly sneaky I guess is the best way to say it.(Though I really don't want to even try to get that close to a bear :wink: )At times I "lurk" hoping for some form of movement to catch my eye.(I like that word too SR.)other times I keep on the move constantly hoping to flush something into moving.I usually try to stick to area of stream/river beds or Orange groves or other food source areas.I prefer the former if for no other reason that the mud or sand along the banks offer a better spot to find footprints or other evidence of the critters passing.I actually try to make my pesence known at times since its indicated in several reports to the curious nature of our quarry.Heck there are times when I've went out and just sat near one of the fire roads on top of the roof of my vehicle.I just try to use whatever I feel like doing at the time.

The Native Americans , before engaging in a hunt, would go thru a ceremony usually consisting of a sweat lodge. Sweating removes bacteria from the pores, and made the human scent alot less for a couple days. They would also cover their bodies with the smoke of a sacred grass, usually sweet grass or sage. This hid any odor they may have for a day or two.

And to think, people pay big money to go to a spa and sweat, when you can build one cheaply in your backyard

I have actually had the most luck doing just this type of thing. We have flushed large creatures (bear, deer etc...) out by just quietly (sometimes not so quietly as the kids were there) hiking good distances into the woods on rarely used trails constantly moving. I haven't had much luck just sitting quietly anywhere.

Other times with a group of people in Oklahoma, we were actually talking and giggling (us girls anyway) and actually had one come up to watch us. (Yes, it was seen in the woods with nightvision, so we did know what it was. And no, I didn't see it personally, only heard it walking and other noises.)

I am fairly sure it would be different for men and women considering we probably are perceived at a different level of danger to them.

As for the clothing, folks around here, even with the mil. charcoal suits, "smoke" the items to get the smell off. Just hang whatever on the line, get a pile of the local vegitation and set it afire and let the smoke do the rest. I am wondering what all think of the stalking / driving technique? Determine area to search, postion stalker(s) and across from them place a group of drivers similar to deer drives. While one group is making the noise in an attempt to attract the curious critters the other(s) are trying to gain a vantage point on matter.... Any thoughts?

" Activated carbon is very efficient as adsorbing(bonding to) both organic and inorganic chemicals, thus stopping scent molecules at the source. This is also why the exact same technology is used in millitary chemical warfare suits(which, btw, can be had very cheaply from many millitary surplus vendors) as it stops literaly any gas or chemical from passing through the material. Essentialy, anyone wearing a suit of this type in good condition(not contaminated by outside sources such as gasoline or McDonalds fry grease!) along with a comercial "scent elliminator" treatmen on exposed skin/hair(usually made with high grade bicarbonate of soda) is effectively olfactory "invisible". " -NightWing

Great stuff NW. Now, can you promote some brand names that might be available to us regarding this option? I am unfamiliar with most of the scent options besides wildlife urine. (don't ask ) Also.. seems to me the scent thing is important.. if still and covered and scentless, wow. Seems the options are much improved.

"Determine area to search, postion stalker(s) and across from them place a group of drivers similar to deer drives. While one group is making the noise in an attempt to attract the curious critters the other(s) are trying to gain a vantage point on matter.... Any thoughts?" - Deppup.
Yeah. If somebody is positioned at the right place, maybe somebody marginally involved who figures "Oh sure" there is an observation. But so many times it seems that they are HEARD rather than seen. Seems to me the more involved the more likely SOMEBODY sees something. The key would be to be prepared to act when its seen. Can you? Especially in a low light situation where cameras/scopes are involved?
I can just envision one of them breaking through a line of beaters and everybody asks who saw it... and the two guys that did are in shock and
then its gone. I doubt there would be much time to get an image if its stressed and moving.

Depup, smoke can act as a cover scent, but it will qickly ruin the ability of an activated carbon suit to filter out chemicals/scent. The soot particals in the smoke will literaly "clog" up the microscopic pores in the carbon, thus rendering them usless as a scent blocking material. Becasue of this, you never want to "smoke" your carbon suit. If you want to use a cover scent(be it smoke or some other scent), you need to apply it to an outer layer of clothing, so that smoke contamination is minimal.
Because the goal of good scent management is to be literaly "invisable" from that standpoint, I don't like using cover scents as strong as woodsmoke. Smoke scent, while a "natural" scent, is still very strong, and will allow an animal, partiuclarly an inteligent one, to locate you as easily as if it smelled a rank pair of jym shorts! But, if you have NO scent at all, then from that standpoint you simply are not there.
For hunting(deer, bear, coyotes), I prefer to simply not exist in any form as far as the animal is concerned. That is the best camo there is.

"Great stuff NW. Now, can you promote some brand names that might be available to us regarding this option? I am unfamiliar with most of the scent options besides wildlife urine. (don't ask ) Also.. seems to me the scent thing is important.. if still and covered and scentless, wow. Seems the options are much improved. "

Lots of good brands on the market. The original commercial suit was produced by ALS industries out of Muskegon, MI, it is known as "Scent-Loc". Do a web search, you will come up with hundreds of links.
Wildlife Research ind. out of Minnesota also puts out a fine line of carbon clothing.
But, for the 'Squatcher' on a budget, the least expensive way to go is to purchase a U.S. or U.K. millitary surplus "N.B.C." suit, from your local Millitary surplus store. These use the same technology as the commercial civilian hunting clothing but as a small fraction of the price(seriously, an entire suit, made of heavy duty material in camo, costs less than $40 almost anywhere, and mail order from Sportsmans Guide gets you one for $14-$25!!!!) The millitary suits also have the advantage of having a much greater ammount of carbon in them, making them last quite a bit longer. The big negative with the millitary suits is that they are "dirty" in that the carbon is often not bonded to the material, and thus your inner clothing looks like you just crawled out of a coal mine the first few times you use it! So, use clean, but old clothing for the immediate layer under these suits. (The Brittish suits are better in this respect, the carbon seems better bonded then the U.S. suits, but the U.S. suits are made much better overall quality, so it's kind of a trade off).
The commercial suits run from $120-$300, but in their defense they are MUCH more user friendly and comfortable then the millitary versions, and the carbon liner is very well bonded into the inner material. No problems with ruined clothing.
The last thing to mention is that the millitary suits in particular are very warm, so summer use may be a big problem. The commercial suits, however, come in a variety of weights, including some very lightweight and relatively cool suits, so again, another excuse for the higher price.

As far as scent is concerned...it would be good to try to plan your approach to a good area according to the wind direction. (when possible)

Don't mind me I'm just. ing.hehehe.

Seen that Jim... funny thing was I thought it was something Fish made and put "lurk" on there. :wink:
So I wonder how many days it would take in the field to be an effective lurker, especially if you were in an area with activity. You would think that vocals would at least be heard if you were close enough to that activity. On the other hand, there is a lot of acres out there.