Board Thread:General Mod Discussion/@comment-32863419-20171125095850/@comment-33185350-20171127055241

@S’moregoth: I agree. He was underground before he did much. I was just talking about after he lost the ring and came looking for it. Gandalf is telling the story of following Gollum’s trail to Frodo:

“The Woodmen said that there was some new terror abroad, a ghost that drank blood. It climbed trees to find nests; it crept into holes to find the young; it slipped through windows to find cradles.” - The Fellowship of the Ring

This quote is quite convenient in that it confirms that the Woodmen could not find Gollum, for he was too clever, but they would kill him if they did.