Squatch Report

This morning I met Bob aka Lowrider at our research area for a fun-filled day of hiking and squatching.  We went to the bait station which is located by the tepee structure Bob discovered in 2008.  In the past 2 years, the structure has deteriorated to a mere pile of sticks, a wee notion of what was once a glorious masterpiece.  The condition of the tepee structure leads us to believe that it had to be a new creation when Bob discovered it.

Bob has developed a baiting technique that we have used effectively for 2 years.  He has a long rope, a carbiner and zippered, nylon, mesh bag.  Bob attaches the bag to the carbiner, then fills the bag with either apples, pears, carrots, potatoes or whatever fruit or vegetable is in season.  He then hoists the bag 8 feet into the air in the tree and secures the rope to the tree.

The bait is almost always taken within a week without the bag having been chewed through or torn.  We did experiment with a trail cam, only to have all activity cease.  The bait was left to rot in the tree.  We removed the camera and the activity slowly resumed.  Wild!

We then made our way across the river only to discover that the area was so overgrown and not much fun to hike.  We did get to utilize my brand new machete and worked up quite the sweat! We did find a very large canine print and deduced that it must either be a coyote or wolf.  However, we never get to see any animals on our hikes besides birds, toads, mosquitoes and trout. :(
We headed back to our cars and left the area to check out a mountain bike trail that has a very "squatchy" appeal.

Along the trail were many interesting tree formations, breaks and arches. I found 2 young saplings that were growing in a bent formation which could very well grow into a natural tree arch when the tree matures.  This should be considered when discussing tree arching.

All in all it was an amazing day in the woods, and there is no place I'd rather be! There is something magical and therapeutic about being in the forest.

Next weekend I will be traveling to southern Ohio to interview a woman who claims to have a habituation situation taking place on her property. To be continued indeedy!  Have a great week!