Here is what I have observed about sounds in the outdoors. The sound which you hear from distance is often quite different than what its source sounds like up close.
1) I was walking around one Fall afternoon and heard a low frequency humming sound passing by 10 feet above my head travelling at to fast rate of speed, followed by a "POOF" sound. I also heard a loud cracking sound in a nearby tree. This was repeated 3 times in rapid succession. I had no clue what it was until a big orange creature topped the hill, heading toward me carrying a slug gun. He looked like Elmer Fudd.
I never heard anything which sounded like a shotgun going off because when it is shot pretty much straight at you the sound dissipates in all directions, leaving very little of the sound to go forward. I will say this, that one ounce of lead whizzing by 10 feet over your head is an evil sound that I care not to ever hear again.

2) I was in Southern Illinois during the peak the cicada armageddon. The millions of cicadas which you hear in all directions sounds like a one note, low frequency droning sound, while the ones close to you make a high frequency, relatively short bursts of screaming. Same bug, different distances sounds completely different. Not even close to the same sound, yet they are all making the same relatively short burst screaming sound.

I am suggesting that we consider this phenomenon when trying to decipher what we are hearing compared to what that sound may actually sound like near its source.

Good points, 52Carl, thanks. High pitched sounds get absorbed much quicker that low frequency waves which travel much further. Think whale calls through miles of ocean water and elephants that sense low frequency vibrations at distance through their foot pads. Sorry you had to experience the "evil sound". Good that you're here to relate the story. Coulda been much worse. I was hiking one day back in my 20's, heard a small rifle go off from across a large pond and saw the .22 ricochet off the surface of the pond and tear into the leaves over my head. I yelled out, "Don't shoot!" I know it was a .22 because I met up with the young shooter a little later who went white when I told him it was me.

I joined up here to see if cathryn or Mainewoods have anything to say about my recording. It's been a coupla days so maybe they don't. This is probably not the Forum to go into primate evolutionary genetics, LOL, so it might be time for me to move on. I would like to thank Admin for approving my membership and say that I've enjoyed engaging with everyone here and have appreciated and respected your input and comments. Good luck with your sets and be safe.

Thank you Researcher, I personally like to read about others' experiences, as I think that is how we will ultimately come to the most complete conclusion of what is happening in the wild.

We live in a world of satellite thermal imaging not to mention drones. If there is a species not yet documented in the U.S., the size bigfoot is supposed to be, living in remote areas, it would be a simple thing to prove it.

It would certainly seem so, dc. Sounds simple enough. Satellites and drones are Border Patrol tools as well, along with personnel on horseback, ATV's, snowmobiles etc. As far as monitoring the slash, which is the 20ft wide cut down strip of land between the two countries there are sensitive ground sensors that eventually, via AI,, will be tied to the cameras which will then be turned in the direction of whatever gets detected.This may be already be true along some stretches.It should be known that a good tree canopy will interfere with a drone's seeming thermal camera advantage during foliage seasons.

I have a low end hand-held one that I rarely use until the leaves drop. They work on temperature differential so if a 100 degree animal walks around on a 100 degree day it will be difficult to detect. That same animal on a 40 degree day, however, will light up like a Christmas tree.

Most likely Tony Orlando.

Guy moves around pretty fast for an 80 year old

Thank you for that Researcher! I actually hear that sound as well and always assumed it was gunshots. I hear that every few weeks out here. It's the closest to the sound we heard, but not quite it. It had more of a deeper "thud" or boom sound, and it was the exact same sound three times within 5 or 6 seconds.

Any ideas on what you were recording if it wasn't gunshots?

Nope.
We didn't come on here asking a question that can't be answered. And we didn't call anyone stupid. Many are acting like jerks for sure. When I first moved out here, I was baffled by the sound of a grouse, so I googled it for weeks. I FOUND AN ANSWER. This sound, I couldn't find an answer for, so I joined Cathryn in asking. What was the response? I was treaded like a stupid lunatic and mocked for wondering what the sound was. No answers, just accused of believing in bigfoot and aliens, simply because they never heard the sound before...and obviously, if they never heard the sound before it is an "unanswerable question" and you must put words in the mouth of the person who asked a question and accuse them of believing it's something they never said or believed.

Once again, there seems to be zero reading comprehension around here...

AAANNND again...zero reading comprehension. There are no people in my woods. And I never said there are bigfoot in my woods, because I don't believe they exist. I came here asking what ANIMAL made that sound. I keep being accused of calling anyone here stupid when I never did. But now...

Well, if it ain't people or it ain't squatch, it ain't life threatening. You should have gone looking for it

Close enough to stupid for me.

Looks like she was making a general statement and not calling your name out in particular (reading comprehension)

No need to get your pantyhose in a knot. Lots of opinions on here, youre gonna need thicker skin to survive on this site.

Any ideas I might have, real-world or not, would need some kind of proof to back it up. I have none. The knock-type sounds ARE real world, however, since the recording documents them but, so far, I can't really match them to anything that I am familiar with. Not trying to sound obtuse here, I just don't have an answer. I only posted to see if this was, or is close to, what you heard.

What I can say is that I'm planning to go back to that location (again, solo) and try to repeat exactly what I did when I was there. Including the time of day. If I get the same results then I may be able to at least have a bit more data to back up any hypotheses? Science is all about running an experiment in an effort to obtain a repeatable result. That would seem to be the next logical step to take anyway.

anyone got Cliff Notes on this one???? 9 pages is past my pee brain. BUT/..And I was hoping to enlighten you all.