One of the many things that allegedly occurs in reports of sasquatch encounters are instances of rocks being thrown at individuals in the field, whether they be researchers or someone simply camping, hunting or hiking. Some of these reports date back decades and are prominently displayed in the sasquatch literature by many of the authors involved in the search or those simply interested in the collection of reports and goings-on within the bigfoot community. There is also a widespread theory of sasquatches stacking rocks as a means of “trail marking,” which has also been attributed to humans marking hiking trails or waypoints on their journeys into the forested areas of North America.

In most cases, whatever or whomever is throwing the rock is not seen and therefore it is considered even less of a sasquatch related phenomena than most other types of reports due to the lack of tangible evidence. In nearly all cases, the rocks in question are left behind and left to settle into their new location on the ground.

One thing that is very low cost and most individuals can do with a minimal amount of effort is the collection of these rocks for further study by either knowledgeable or interested amateurs, or by professional analysts as cost and means become available for such an endeavor. What you are looking for is a simple enough thing used by police agencies around the globe in verification of a crime and identification of the guilty or non-guilty parties involved — fingerprints.

There are a few steps that can be taken and the results verified by others as a means of adding to the overall, though anecdotal evidence, of this sub-phenomena within the bigfoot research community.

The first part is the easiest for someone to do and that is the sample collection. Never pick up the rocks by hand. The oils from your own skin can easily contaminate the sample or wipe out any fingerprints that do exist by replacing them with your own or smudging them so as to render them useless or unreadable. Pick up the rock, or rocks, carefully using anything available: paper towel, plastic utensils, sticks, forceps or even tongs. Place the specimen in a paper bag, never plastic, and clearly label with the time, date and area of the alleged occurrence.

Once your sample is collected, if the means or persons professionally trained are unavailable to look at your sample, there a few things you can do to attempt to get a “reading” yourself. The cost range is very low to moderate depending method used. Supplies are available from almost any hardware store or online supply center dealing with forensics such as securityandsafety.com.

The supplies are very simple in nature for the first two methods described below which vary only slightly.

Supplies Needed:

• Magnetic powder, talc or cocoa. Talc is preferred for dark surfaces
• Small camel hair or fiberglass modeling brush
• Transparent tape
• Index cards or heavy-duty construction paper
• Silicone or latex
• Pen or marker

The first method is simply “dusting” for prints. Just as the name implies, you are indeed “dusting” the sample you have taken.

1. Coat the sample with a light dusting of the powder
2. Lightly brush the sample with a camel hair or fiberglass brush. If there are any skin oils on the sample the powder should stick to it
3. Apply tape to sample, sticky side down
4. Lift and stick tape to index card or construction paper
5. Label sample “card” with the pertinent information: Time, date, location and other pertinent notes

The second method is particularly useful in dealing with rougher surfaces as discussed at forensicmag.com, though the results will be similar to those used in method one. It is the addition of silicone or latex onto the sample after dusting instead of tape. The silicone or latex will fill in the perforations in the sample creating a mold of the area instead of just a lift sample. In place of the tape as described in item 4 above, lightly squirt the silicone onto the area in question, let dry and lift.

The final method used is to help preserve the print for study and/or transport to a forensics professional for further testing and cataloguing. It involves more cost and time; however, you can also use it to keep your find intact for your own purposes. It is the “vapor” or superglue method described in crime.about.com that is more commonly used on smooth surfaces.

Supplies Needed:

• Aluminum foil
• Super glue
• Low level heat source such as a coffee cup warmer, 60 watt light bulb fixture or a droplight
• A cardboard box, or other container, large enough to hold the sample and equipment

How to proceed:

1. Place your warming device in one corner of your container.
2. Make a small ashtray-like dish out of your aluminum foil and place it over your heat source.
3. Apply a nickel-sized amount of superglue into the center of your “ashtray.”
4. Place a cup of hot liquid, preferably water, into your container.
5. Place your sample into the chamber in a way that allows it the greatest amount of exposure to the fuming process.
6. Make a control sample of your own on a piece of aluminum foil using your own print on a piece of the aluminum foil and place it inside the container.

Next, turn on your heat for 10 minutes. After the ten minutes has expired turn off the heat and check your test sample. If the control print did not turn a little bit white, add superglue to the “ashtray” and repeat procedure. Do not overdo it because you can possibly contaminate your sample by over fuming it.

As a precautionary measure, anyone attempting this should be aware that there is some minor danger, and read the further literature provided at onin.com before attempting it. If used properly, and with a modicum of common sense, it is indeed very safe based on the reading material available.

As with track casting, investigating or anything else associated with sasquatch research, practice helps you to learn to utilize the procedures above effectively should you be able to obtain an actual sample in the field. For all of the sightings that report rock throwing or stacking as “evidence” of a bigfoot, there is very little done other than the taking of the report itself. While the above is by no means proof of anything sasquatch related, it is still better for possible verification of the anecdotal evidence. The attempt has only to be made by the interested parties to come up with something definitive such as a base for comparison to other possible samples later.

Quite honestly, whether the dermal ridges or prints are even available on the sample in question has a low success rate of between 0-40 percent. To not make the attempt at all however, will only ensure that the success rate remains firmly at zero, no matter how much we as researchers or investigators look into the reports otherwise.

Links:

onin.com

crime.about.com

forensicmag.com

securityandsafetysupply.com