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[slideshow_deploy id=’293′]My efforts for Mid-November have been more in line with the thought that time is limited now in this area, for combined reasons of both imminent snow as well access to the areas. So my last time out an effort to scout the full length of several logging roads, with the idea of scouting out base camps for the lower central Green Mountains for the return of warmer seasons. My results may not yet be done, there may be a chance for one more trip in, but I have succeeded in noting a location south of this summer’s base area, as well as two to the west of it, and one to the northwest.

The summer’s efforts have yielded multiple potential wood knock results, as well as possible vocals, and a potential trackway. Next phase of the project will continue out of the original base camp area, but also utilize the new areas found and I plan to rotate between them over the year next year as results do or don’t present themselves. In the meantime, I will be operating a little closer to home for the next two or three months.

Bog explorations Late October

Over the course of the last few weeks, I have returned to the area I’ve been researching as part of Project Listening Post, this time focusing on areas south and east of the point where we start out on foot, as opposed to the north eastern direction prior. My target of focus this time were a couple of large beaver ponds and a large meadow/bog area in the south western direction. The distance being covering one way is essentially a two mile hike and lacks any trail system so that is where some of the challenges begin. The terrain is a combination of thorny scrub brush, bogs and dense pine rich forest, makes line of sight navigation tricky and requires compass navigation instead. I found in the course of getting to the first beaver pond that without compass readings it’s too easy to lose the straight(ish) line as you are forced to go around terrain and related obstacles. On the second trip, I lucked out however and found a game trail which helped a bit, likely made by a moose as it traveled between the various water sources.

The first area I explored I call the three layered beaver dam, since that it essentially what it is. The terrain and two beaver damns have turned the area essentially into a 3 layered home for the beavers in question, and in the course of exploring the periphery of the pond system, it’s evident that this is a bedding down area for both the moose and several deer, and a water source for black bears. All of these left evidence of having been there in the form of scat, tracks, or just he bedding down area, evidenced by the size of the impression made. In between the two ponds is an area of treacherous bog/meadow, with hidden and uneven ground, surrounded by thorny bushes of all kinds, and the odd hidden stream hiding in the tall grass and scrub.

The second area to the east of the beaver pond system I simply called the big pond, because combined with a large meadow, that’s basically what it is. It’s a very scenic location, and is largely surrounded by pine forest and prone to trees being knocked over by heavy winds. That was on my mind the day I explored this area as the winds were a bit heavy. Otherwise the surrounding area is covered in soft mossy ground and fallen pine needles making for ideal terrain for hammocking or tenting if one is up to lugging a tent in that far through the scrub. I attempted some wood knocks while there and the area has one of the best echoes I’ve heard anywhere. While in this area I found some strange looking tree formations, likely the result of falling naturally but their placement was interesting anyway. Also found on the southern side of the pond were a set of tracks, unsure of identity but were large, 12 inches or so but possibly distorted in the mossy ground with a large but uneven stride given the uneven ground.

This area is about a mile south of the area near the moose pond where possible tracks were found in the summer, but generally in the same vicinity. For repeat emphasis I will point out the beneficial use of frequent compass readings because as I tried to locate the long meadow, the forest became sufficiently dense that navigation became tricky. I was losing daylight and opted to stay in the great pond’s vicinity instead. I twice heard the sound of snacking undergrowth nearby, one source turning out to be a retreating white tail, the other never came into view. On the way back, I drove the logging road in to the far end, scouting ahead for future spots to make entry into deeper forest, favoring what I call soft-earth areas such as water sources and bogs where muddy areas are common and good for finding tracks. I covered several miles and found two such areas before grabbing the main logging road and returning home.

Future outings will be likely be in these two new areas, but also a series of ponds farther northwest as well as a follow up to the areas researched in the summer and early to mid-fall.

The outings of September were spent largely in the boggy areas of the Green mountains that I’ve focused on since late May. What I have been doing as far as approach is concentrating on large areas of soft earth where tracks and like evidence would be most easily found, in areas that are difficult enough to go through as to discourage human presence. I do feel that the area thus far explored does encourage that model, I’ve not detected human presence within a period of several weeks, while conversely finding fresh presence of large wildlife every time I’ve been there. This is usually typified by bear, deer and moose, by a combination of scat and tracks left by all of the above.

On two occasions, from areas where there is little but similar terrain, deep, boggy forest I have heard what can be called potential wood knocks, as well as an indeterminate vocalization. Most encouraging was the discovery of a set of tracks in the mud, each just over twelve inches with a decent stride of over five feet making that at least interesting as finds go. Earlier in the month I returned for a day hike through this area, exploring deeper into the area, finding multiple deposits of moose and bear scat and moose tracks. I did see one of the local bears, and it was on this trip that I heard the vocal and possible wood knocks.

Another goal while there was to keep an eye open for good locales for a bush camp setting for Project Listening Post, and will need to choose among many as the remoteness of the area allows for many. The keep will be higher up and attempt to stay out of the pathways moose travel during this, the rut/mating season, as well as allowing a vantage point.

The second trip was a weekend overnight trip where we camped out at night, and scouted further during the day. The day hike did in fact reveal yet more tracks and scat from the local moose population, as well and bear and deer, and several bedding areas were found during the traversing of one of the bogs. Other than that this trip, other than enjoying the area, our claim to fame is limited to annoying a beaver who greeted with a tail slap that evening while we looked around with a combination of night vision and flir. As we move towards colder months, I will likely make at least one or two trips back into this area. I hope to hammock/overnight in the bog itself to observer nightlife there, and get a larger familiarity with the whole area overall, sort of a preparation for the spring next year. That last goal is the longer term of the bunch but the area has produced some potential and deserves the follow up.

In other news, I have day hiked more locally where things are quiet and have a witness report to follow up on during the month as well.

The month of August there were two trips to the Green Mountains in a continuing Research effort there that began in Late May of this year, which has been to date a combination of exploring the larger area as well as following up on signs of activity in the region in general. This is a large region, and the object of focus is a smaller portion of the region featured a series of connected bogs, streams and meadows that facilitate softer ground and conditions for potential evidence such as tracks, hair and scat. Over the course of 3 different trips, I have reconnoitered the set of bogs, etc, as well as used recording equipment, video and audio and attempted some curiosity lures as well.

The overall effort was to conduct a survey of an area with maximal potential to produce hard evidence deep into the green mountains and in terrain conducive to to leaving samples that would yield DNA and similar evidence. The area is boggy with an abundance of muddy areas for tracks, trees and brambles with low level branches that may well yield hair samples as well as mutliple water sources. Efforts bteween May and August have thus far yielded a number of maybes; wood knocks, some odd vocals, but also some potential tracks and unusual scat samples. Efforts in this area will be ongoing.

The last weekend in may I traveled to the Green Mountains to conduct some research with Michael Merchant and Kathy Villarreal. Let me say first of all it was our first time out with these two, and they are great folks to do field work with. Both of them were troopers through a horsefly infested weekend, and came down from Maine on little sleep. In spite of all that they were a pleasure to be out with, and Michael was quick to share his knowledge of Field Biology also. There were a number of other folks who had been expected to attend, but a series of events kept them from attending this time out, they were missed. It was the first time I’ve been out doing research with a dog in camp, and that seems to be of benefit. Their dog to clarify, just doesn’t seem to bark at all and is very well trained while in the woods, but her senses were very valuable while out there. She picked on things we wouldn’t have on Friday and at several occasion started whining anxiously which isn’t her normal.

It’s also refreshing to get out with folks who get the hammock thing. So we got into camp that Friday, after passing up the first primitive site as that one had been abused by previous occupants, and set up camp in a more isolated spot, and set up to explore a nearby pond area. Michael and I ach found an interesting tree break, not proof of anything but interesting still. At a point in the afternoon that Friday upon return to camp, we heard three wood knock-esque sounds in the distance. I checked google maps upon returning home, and in the direction the knocks came from, there don’t seem to be ay primitive campsites nearby making that all the more interesting. We conducted a night op at the pond from the afternoon’s hike, and although I had nightvision with me, we had an abundance of moonlight and visibility was pretty good on its own. No specific activity to report, but a buggy fun time in a great spot anyway.

Friday night left me with little sleep, sleeping in a hammock sometimes attracts the curiosity of local varmints, and this night found me the object of something’s interest, it bothered me throughout the night so by morning we were all deprived of sleep. My trail camera was triggered by and failed to capture the pesky little whatsit, but I suspect it to be some form of the weasel family. After Saturday morning conversation over breakfast, and the Merchants resupplying their water and minor car issues, we set out to explore a nearby stream, which had also, and abundance of horseflies. Notice the repetition of the word Horsefly. Along the stream amidst joking, Michael again displayed knowledge of Field biology and we ended up finding a weird sawdust pile essentially in the middle of nowhere. We explored that looking for tracks, and joking about faking the Mars landing.

The hike through the stream was enjoyable although Michael never found the box turtle he was looking for, we did observe various toads and fish along the way. We got back to camp and Saturday night consisted of a less formal, if there is such a thing, night operation combining vocals and wood knocking, this time with nothing responding. The night was interrupted by rainfall though, which remained pretty heavy through the night and morning. But despite the weather, we did have some possible initial activity and had a good time meeting good folks for the time in person.

The weekend of April 11th, myself and a fellow researcher from the NE Sasquatch Investigative Network were out for the weekend, doing some initial recon at a location in Southern New England. The effort actually began two weeks before when three members of the Network were out conducting the recon of the area, mainly for the purpose of getting the lay of the land and checking on conditions. At the time, there was still a decent amount of snow pack on the ground. So when we arrived this time around we found as we had expected that much of the snow pack had melted and left things pretty swampy. We had to use a secondary fire pit since original one was in the middle of what was essential a moat around the lean to.

As for activity we did encounter some activity with local wildlife, but the object of our investigation didn’t seem around at the moment. We did see signs of turkey, grouse and the like, and my cohort had a critter visit during the night while he tested out his hammock. We had a few setbacks, the weekend was originally supposed to be four of us, but one had car trouble, and the other wasn’t able to arrive until the second night. While a good time was had by the three of us, the conditions were a bit preventative without waterproof foot gear. There are plans to return to the area, and I will be out this month to do more daytime scouting unless others join in as well.

Given the nature of the area this weekend, we affectionately refer to the lean to now as Moat Camp Alpha, and in nothing else, a piece of Network folklore began here.