WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:16.280 Everybody, Welcome to the Dixie Cryptid Podcast. My name's Cameron Buckner, 2 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:18.760 and we don't ask for money, and we don't have 3 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:23.160 a membership program. All of this content is free, doesn't 4 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:25.760 cost you a dime, So if you don't like it, 5 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.280 send me an email and I'll give you your money back. 6 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:33.240 I usually go through these stories and just randomly pick two, three, 7 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:36.359 four or five stories to put in a podcast, and 8 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:39.799 I did that on this one. But I don't know 9 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:42.359 how it happened, but I picked three of the best 10 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.479 stories I have read in probably a year for this 11 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:49.039 particular podcast. So I hope you guys enjoy this. This 12 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:51.359 is a good one. This is a really good one. 13 00:00:51.560 --> 00:01:01.200 All right, here we go. When I was growing up, 14 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.159 my mom and dad had a rule. When the son 15 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:09.000 started to set, my siblings and I had to come inside. 16 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:11.599 We had a small farm with chickens and goats and 17 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:14.519 rabbits and pigs, so all of our chores had to 18 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:18.359 be done before sunset. One day, I asked my mom 19 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:20.879 why I couldn't play out in the yard, and her 20 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:24.239 answer sounded like a mother trying to scare her child 21 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:28.319 into listening. She said it was because there were monsters 22 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:32.120 in the woods that wanted to take me. I wasn't 23 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:35.079 sure I believed her, but some of our animals started 24 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:38.319 to disappear at night, so I didn't push it very far. 25 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:44.840 My father was the president of the West Virginia Trappers Association. 26 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:48.400 He had let me hunt and run traps with him 27 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.359 since I was eight years old. I was sure I 28 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:54.959 knew every animal in our woods, but I was wrong. 29 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:59.680 One day, Dad got a call from our neighbor Den, 30 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:02.920 who raised a cattle. He said that one of the 31 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:06.959 cows was dead and her calf was missing. Dad took 32 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.120 me along to Den's house with him, who showed us 33 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:14.039 the dead cow. There were deep scratches on her front 34 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:17.879 quarter and her neck had been broken. Dad didn't know 35 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:20.560 what to make of this. There was no sign of 36 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:24.560 anything dragging the calf off, besides the trail leading into 37 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:28.840 the woods that connected to our property. I started to 38 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:32.039 track it, but Dad and Den both yelled at me 39 00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:36.680 to stay put. Instead, I helped set some bear traps 40 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:40.120 around the dead cow, and Dad told Den, if it 41 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:45.639 comes back, these should hold it. Later that night, after dinner, 42 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:49.120 I overheard my dad tell my mom that whatever killed 43 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:53.159 Den's cow was probably what had been taking our animals. 44 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:56.759 Mom asked what we could do, and Dad told her 45 00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:59.680 about the traps that he was confident they would catch 46 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:02.400 some thing and then we might finally see what was 47 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:08.439 killing the animals. The next morning, Din called frantically, telling 48 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:10.960 my dad that we needed to come back to where 49 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:15.039 we set the traps. We went straight out to the cow, 50 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:19.439 and this time my older brother joined us. We were armed, 51 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:23.960 expecting to find a large bear. When we got there, 52 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.439 Din was at a loss for words. The dead cow 53 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.919 was gone and there were clear large tracks leading back 54 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.800 into the woods. Dad was furious. Our traps were gone too, 55 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:40.439 and seven bear traps are not cheap. He told Den 56 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:44.240 that he'd never seen anything like this. The animal had 57 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:47.080 to be intelligent to spot and pull up the traps 58 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:52.840 from their steaks. About that time, life got stranger. None 59 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:56.240 of us kids were allowed outside unless someone was with us, 60 00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:59.319 and we both had to be armed. I was eleven 61 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:02.879 at this point, and I felt safe by myself, especially 62 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:06.280 with my twenty gage shotgun with me, but we still 63 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:11.080 had to do our chores in pairs. Well, nothing happened 64 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:13.840 for about a month until one day I was out 65 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.439 on the porch drinking a soda After feeding and watering 66 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:21.519 the chickens and the rabbits, I was watching the upper field, 67 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:25.279 hoping to see a deer or turkey. I remember the 68 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.160 sun was already getting low and dusk was starting to 69 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:32.319 set in. I saw what I told Mom and Dad 70 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:37.480 was a large man sneaking across our field. It scared me. 71 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:40.399 He was wearing what I thought was a gilly suit. 72 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:44.399 Dad immediately grabbed his rifle and yelled for my older 73 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:48.079 brother Joe to grab his. They ran into the field 74 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:52.000 and looked for it, but it was long gone. Later 75 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:55.240 that night, we heard one of our rabbits screaming. We 76 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.079 could hear something banging against one of the cages and 77 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:02.319 making deep grunting noises. Joe and my father grabbed their 78 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:06.199 rifles and flashlights and ran out the door. I grabbed 79 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:10.000 my forty four mag brush rifle and I followed them. 80 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:12.839 The rabbits were going nuts and one of them was 81 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.759 still screaming, and before I made it to them, I 82 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:20.160 heard my brother scream and he started shooting. I froze 83 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:23.120 in my tracks just twenty feet from the house, and 84 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.480 I saw them running back towards me, and Dad grabbed 85 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:30.839 me with his free hand and he dragged me back inside. 86 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:33.560 He told Mom to bolt the doors and shut all 87 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:37.199 the windows and turn off the lights. Apparently they had 88 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:41.519 pissed off whatever the thing was. No one slept that night. 89 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:45.199 At first, the creature threw rocks at the house, breaking 90 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:48.240 one of the windows, and there was an ungodly roar 91 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:54.439 that gave us chills. Eventually the rackets stopped. We thought 92 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:56.680 it was over until we heard a loud thud against 93 00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:59.319 the back of the house, and at the same time 94 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:02.560 there was a thud at the front. I remember Dad 95 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:05.279 turning white and he looked at my mother and he said, 96 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:10.319 my god, Judy, there's more than one. Mom started crying 97 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:13.879 and the kids asked what it was. Dad said he 98 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:16.040 didn't know, but that it looked like some kind of 99 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:19.800 a giant eight. The thudding against the doors went on 100 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:24.560 for hours, right up until an hour before sunrise. The 101 00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:27.600 next day. We went to check out the damage, and 102 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:31.480 what we found was awful. There were large footprints all 103 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:34.800 over the house that looked like fists. That was nothing 104 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:37.680 compared to what we found when we checked our livestock. 105 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:42.279 Over thirty rabbits were dead. They were ripped in half 106 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:46.000 and half pulled through the wire on their cages. Two 107 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:48.839 goats were gone. There was no sign of them at all. 108 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:52.639 They were just gone. One of our hogs had been killed. 109 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:57.199 It's his neck was broken. Dad was furious. He called 110 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:00.360 our neighbors and told them what had happened. He called 111 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:02.639 two of my older brothers who had moved out, and 112 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:06.240 he told them too. Everyone came over to check on 113 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:09.560 us and check out the massacre, each of them as 114 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:14.519 livid as my father. Later that evening, everyone showed up 115 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.040 again and they packed everything from twelve gate shot guns 116 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:21.639 with deer slugs to high powered rifles, not to mention 117 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:25.800 the pistols that were on their belts. Mom fed everyone 118 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:31.480 a nice chicken dinner, and then we waited. Round ten thirty, 119 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:34.360 we heard grunting coming from the woods behind the house. 120 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:37.519 Knowing there would be more than one of them, three 121 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:40.279 of our large group went around the house to check 122 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:43.120 it out, while the rest of us waited inside at 123 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:47.199 the ready. Ten minutes later, we heard a scream. It 124 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:50.399 was like a woman shrieking mixed with the bear's roar, 125 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:53.680 and from the safety of the inside of a house, 126 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:57.240 we heard our neighbors open up gunfire, letting off round 127 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:00.560 after round until the scream turned again to a cry 128 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:04.480 of pain. Then we heard a second roar so intense 129 00:08:04.519 --> 00:08:08.279 it vibrated our chests. It came from the other side 130 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:11.839 of the house. We ran to the windows in time 131 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.399 to see this thing tear through some of the bushes. 132 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:17.839 It had to be at least eight feet tall. And 133 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:20.959 then a third, smaller one, maybe six feet tall, came 134 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:24.720 running toward us. It took three rounds from us, and 135 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:27.959 it turned toward the first one, who was screaming. The 136 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:31.120 big one let out one more loud and long roar 137 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:34.840 as it lifted its mate and barreled into the woods. 138 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:39.399 Later that morning, we found blood in several places and 139 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:42.240 even tracked it for almost a mile to the stream 140 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.639 that was running around an old strip road, and we 141 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:48.840 lost it there And we never found the bodies, but 142 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:53.519 I know one had to be dead. Dad contacted the 143 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:57.840 DNR and reported what had happened. Two officers came and 144 00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:02.519 looked around. They didn't even cross the woodline. They tried 145 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:04.879 to tell us that it was a bear and that 146 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:07.360 they could find us if we had tried to kill 147 00:09:07.399 --> 00:09:11.240 it out of season. We all know what we saw 148 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:15.399 and shot, but no one believed us. Thankfully, nothing ever 149 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:18.799 came back since that night, and for years after that 150 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:22.440 we lived peacefully. I grew up and I moved out, 151 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:25.559 and the events of that time became a memory. I'm 152 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:29.279 thirty seven now, and just recently something has started taking 153 00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:34.120 my dad's animals again without leaving a trace. Seems the 154 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:37.279 peace on the farm has come to an end. I'm 155 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:44.600 afraid they're back. I grew up in central West Virginia, 156 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:47.159 and my dad and I are big into coon hunting. 157 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:51.039 Almost every night during coon season we would go together 158 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:54.600 and run the dogs. In the summertime, when I was 159 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:56.919 on break, I would take the dogs every night to 160 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.200 get them ready for the season. Most of the time 161 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.840 I would take off walking, but every once in a 162 00:10:02.919 --> 00:10:05.720 while my dad would come with me, even if he 163 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:08.960 had to work the next morning. We would take his truck. 164 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:13.480 That particular night was hot and muggy, but it was 165 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.840 clear and there was a full moon. Dad and I 166 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:19.120 loaded up the dogs and set out to try to 167 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:22.519 get them to strike. That night, we treed three or 168 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:26.879 four coons by one am. Seeing that we did pretty good, 169 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:29.080 and because Dad had to get up in a few 170 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.039 hours to go to work, we packed up and headed 171 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:36.279 back to the house. That's when my work usually began. 172 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:39.960 There were multiple things that Dad wanted done before I 173 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.639 went to bed that night. He told me to wash 174 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:45.279 out the kennels, and feed and water the dogs, and 175 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:49.320 collect the eggs from the chicken coop. Our house sat 176 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:52.320 right smack dab in the middle of a holler, and 177 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.360 on either side of the house was straight up hills 178 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:58.919 into the woods. I took off and did my chores 179 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:02.519 while Dad went in to go to bed. When I 180 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:05.200 was done, I started walking back to the front porch, 181 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:08.200 and I got a weird feeling that something was staring 182 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:12.320 right through my soul. I looked to my right up 183 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:15.399 the hill, and there, thirty feet higher in the trees 184 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:18.240 or a set of red eyes looking right at me. 185 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:21.720 They were so big. My first thought was that it 186 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:25.600 was a small airplane. I sat and stared right back 187 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:29.559 at it for a few seconds, completely mesmerized, before I 188 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:32.480 realized there was no way it was a plane. It 189 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:35.000 was too close, they were too big, and it was 190 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:38.879 far too silent. I think it was two thirty in 191 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:42.519 the morning by then. I hauled my butt inside, where 192 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:45.919 Dad was fast asleep on the couch, and I debated 193 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:49.159 on waking him up. That was a cardinal sin in 194 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:52.559 our house. So I sat there and stared at the wall, 195 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:57.399 contemplating what in the world I had just seen outside. 196 00:11:57.519 --> 00:11:59.840 A few minutes passed and I heard a huge bang 197 00:11:59.879 --> 00:12:03.120 on the roof, like a paratrooper had landed on top 198 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:06.960 of the house. Once it landed, it started walking toward 199 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:10.720 my parents' bedroom. It was so loud and heavy that 200 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:13.919 I could hear every footstep, and once it reached the 201 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.039 end of the house, it turned and it walked all 202 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:18.120 the way back to where my room was on the 203 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:23.639 other side. About that time, I decided, screw this, I'm 204 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:26.000 waking my dad up. I don't care if he will 205 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:28.759 beat my butt or not. So I woke him up. 206 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:32.039 I was freaking out, and he just groaned at me 207 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:35.240 and he went back to sleep. I sat there the 208 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:38.080 rest of the night, wide awake until we woke up 209 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:41.240 for work the next morning, and when I told him 210 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:44.200 what I heard the night before, he just laughed at me. 211 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:48.759 He thought I was crazy. I'm in my twenties now, 212 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:51.879 but ever since that night, every time I come home, 213 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:55.600 I stay inside. I barely go out at night, and 214 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:57.840 Dad hasn't been able to get me to go hunting 215 00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:01.720 very much. Since then, no one has ever believed me. 216 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:05.320 Hopefully you all will. It feels good to get it 217 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:12.279 off my chest. I am a graduate of the University 218 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:17.879 of Kentucky's Veterinary Medicine program. I achieved my doctorate in 219 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:24.120 veterinary medicine, specializing in bovine, equine, swine, and small ruminants. 220 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:28.840 After working with some older veterinarians, I was able to 221 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:33.279 open my own practice at nineteen ninety five. Later, I 222 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:38.120 was offered a position with the Tennessee elk reintroduction program. 223 00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:43.000 In two thousand, the state reintroduced two hundred head of 224 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:47.559 elk in the Northumberland Wildlife Area, fitting a portion of 225 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:52.559 them with radio callers. Later in twenty fifteen, we began 226 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:57.360 using implanted transmitters to help with the retention rates of 227 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:02.120 the calves born each year. In the early years, we 228 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:06.799 became proficient at monitoring the callers and quickly identified when 229 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:11.080 a specimen was distressed. We were able to catch several 230 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:15.320 poachers in the act of illegally harvesting bull elk, and 231 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:19.600 even monitored one bull elk that traveled into Kentucky and 232 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:23.320 set up squattersh writes in a peaceful valley and mountain 233 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:28.559 along Wolf Creek. Needless to say, Tennessee had something to 234 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:31.559 say about this and had to recover the runaway and 235 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:35.600 bring him back home to his family. On the morning 236 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:40.320 of September nineteen, twenty seventeen, I got the call to 237 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:43.039 meet a game warden and park ranger off one of 238 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:47.159 the service roads in a wildlife area. The collar of 239 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:51.159 one of our bull elk was transmitting some erratic data. 240 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:54.559 I was the last to arrive with my field pack 241 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:58.799 and tranquilizer gun. I had three darts loaded with enough 242 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:03.399 xylazine in fentanyl to immobilize a twelve hundred pound bull 243 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:07.240 in a matter of seconds. This bull was over ten 244 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:10.799 years old and he was one of the hurd's dominant breeders. 245 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:15.320 The park ranger's name was Brian, and he had the 246 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:19.519 radio telemetry equipment that detected the location of the callers 247 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:22.960 signal and the game warden. Rick was equipped with an 248 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:27.679 M four rifle just in case the signal came in strong. 249 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:30.799 As soon as Brian fired up his equipment showing us 250 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:34.720 we were within five hundred yards of the bull, we 251 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:37.639 slipped into the bush and began the trek toward him, 252 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:43.000 careful not to make unnecessary noise with our approach. We 253 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:45.440 were a little more than one hundred yards out when 254 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:49.080 Brian said the signal was moving away quickly, as if 255 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:51.799 it had hopped into a truck and was driving off. 256 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:56.519 Rick burst into action and ran forward with reckless abandon 257 00:15:57.480 --> 00:15:59.799 When Brian and I finally caught up with him, he 258 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:03.320 was standing in a small clearing that was drenched in blood. 259 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:06.799 The smaller trees had been smashed to the ground, and 260 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:09.360 there in the midst of all this carnage lay a 261 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:12.840 single leg bone and a hoof of our missing bull. 262 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:16.559 It appeared that all the flesh was chewed off his 263 00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:20.559 leg and cast aside. We all knew that this animal 264 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:23.000 did not run off on its own, missing a leg 265 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:26.679 to stand on, Rick again took the lead and began 266 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:30.159 to track the animal, following the droplets of blood and 267 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:33.840 broken twigs and tree limbs, and the moved leaf litter 268 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:38.600 on the forest floor. Occasionally Brian picked up the signal again, 269 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:42.480 but it would quickly disappear a moment later. Over the 270 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:45.600 next four hours of playing cat and mouse, the signal 271 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:49.000 came in strong and it was moving right at us. 272 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:53.240 Rick positioned himself to the side and took cover behind 273 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:58.159 some down trees. Brian and I followed his lead. Ten 274 00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:02.080 minutes later, an older Native of American dressed in buckskins 275 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:06.079 and moccasins walked out of the dark woods on his 276 00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:09.839 outstretched arms. He presented the collar and he said, I 277 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.359 believe this is what you're searching for. He laid it 278 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:15.799 on the ground and started to walk away. When Rick 279 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:19.519 told him to stop and turn around. The older man 280 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:23.799 did what he was told, and Rick identified himself. He 281 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:25.880 asked him what in the hell made him think he 282 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:28.680 could just walk up and drop the collar and walk 283 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:32.359 off like that. The older man looked at him, calmly 284 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:35.079 in the eyes, and he said, I answer to a 285 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:39.960 higher power than you. I am the uniony, the spiritual leader, 286 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:42.880 and the medicine man for our people, and the one 287 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:48.319 who oversees the sou Kaloo. He seemed to appreciate our confusion, 288 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:51.480 and then he added, the sou Kaloo do not wish 289 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:54.680 to be disturbed. He only took the elk to feed 290 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.759 his mate. She has recently given birth and is not 291 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:01.599 ready to travel. The answer wasn't good enough for Rick. 292 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:06.160 A law enforcement agent can't just take a stranger's word 293 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:08.880 and call it a day. The old man could have 294 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:11.559 been an innocent messenger, or he could have been trying 295 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:15.039 to distract us while his poacher buddies got away with 296 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:19.400 our bull. Rick asked the man, well, what is a Sukloo. 297 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:24.759 The old man was patient in his response. They're the hairy, 298 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:29.000 slant eyed devils of old. Their tribe and ours have 299 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:32.400 made peace many years ago, though we have yet to 300 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:36.119 reach peace with the Judicula tribe. But our alliance with 301 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:41.079 the Suklou keeps the Judicula away from our people. Rick 302 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:44.599 called his bs. He grabbed a man's arm and swung 303 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:47.680 him around and slapped a handcuff on one of his wrists. 304 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:53.000 My life changed then, and there, fifty yards away, a 305 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:56.319 monster stepped out from behind a tree and it roared. 306 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:00.359 It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. 307 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.319 It was a train horn, an elephant bugle, and a 308 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:07.400 lion's roar, all mixed into one enormous sound, and it 309 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:11.599 shook through our bodies in the entire forest. The three 310 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:15.000 of us were frozen. The old man didn't react at all. 311 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:18.119 This creature stood over nine feet tall and was almost 312 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:22.119 four feet wide, with the build of a linebacker. We 313 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:24.920 could see his muscles flexing as he roared, and we 314 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:29.000 could see his large canines as his mouth widened. His 315 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:31.559 hair was long, and it covered the majority of his 316 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:34.279 body except for the palms of his hands and the 317 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:38.200 bottoms of his feet. And his face. His face is 318 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:41.160 what got me. There was a hint of something human, 319 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:45.279 but also something ape or demon like. The eyes were 320 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:48.599 solid black with no visible white, and the nose was 321 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:52.039 flattened against his face, like a gorilla with dark gray 322 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:55.640 skin pigmentation, and there was no sign of ears on 323 00:19:55.720 --> 00:20:00.359 either side of its head. My instincts kicked in, as 324 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.160 it has so many times in private practice, when a 325 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:08.200 large animal became unexpectedly uncontrollable, and I took aim with 326 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:13.160 the tranquilizer rifle, and I fired immediately after the first 327 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:16.640 one impacted the creature, I inserted the second dart and 328 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:21.680 readied myself for another shot. The beast stood stationary for 329 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:25.079 twenty seconds, not seeming to know what had hit him, 330 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:28.720 but realizing something was wrong, and began to fade back 331 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:33.720 into the dark woods. Brian stood there, slight jawed, not 332 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:38.880 doing anything. As Rick composed himself, he handcuffed the old 333 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:42.720 man's older wrists and secured him around a small tree, 334 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.119 and he left the man there and he took the lead. 335 00:20:45.319 --> 00:20:49.200 Tracking the monster. We found it less than one hundred 336 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:52.960 and fifty yards away, was face down in the forest floor. 337 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:57.440 We approached it and the smell became overwhelming. It was 338 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:02.079 a mix of rancid trash, festerring road killed sewer, and 339 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:06.000 rotten potatoes. The three of us weren't strong enough to 340 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:08.400 roll it on its back, but we were able to 341 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:11.000 turn its head to the side so that it didn't 342 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:16.039 suffocate in the ground. Brian and Rick began taking pictures 343 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:18.799 with their phones as I pulled out a specimen kit 344 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:23.240 and took samples of blood and skin and hair. Within 345 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:26.359 just a few minutes, this beast had already started to 346 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:30.240 regain its awareness. I gave him a shot of something 347 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:34.119 to help with the opioid component of the tranquilizer, and 348 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.480 we began our retreat, with Rick covering our backs with 349 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:41.880 his M four. We moved out backwards the way we 350 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:45.319 came in, and our eyes trained on the beast as 351 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:49.000 we quietly slipped away, but we didn't get much of 352 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:53.839 a head start. Within seconds, the beast raised himself upright 353 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:57.079 and staggered off into the thick woods like a drunk 354 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:01.319 man stumbling home, picked up the pace and made it 355 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:03.640 back to the area where we left the older man, 356 00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:07.839 but he was gone. We found Rick's handcuffs laying on 357 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:11.400 the ground in a mysterious cloud of fog around the tree. 358 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:14.759 We didn't know what to say, there was no sign 359 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:18.319 of him anywhere. Rick said a string of curse words, 360 00:22:18.359 --> 00:22:23.400 and we quickly headed back to our vehicles. Brian called 361 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:26.480 the park office and informed them of what had happened, 362 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:30.440 stating that we had photos and specimens to validate the 363 00:22:30.519 --> 00:22:34.279 existence of sisquatch, but we had a two hour walk 364 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:38.480 back to the vehicles. As we walk, we discussed how 365 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:42.440 we had evidence of a mythological species and that we 366 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:45.920 would be featured on every TV station around the world, 367 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:48.759 and we might even earn some money from all this. 368 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:52.440 I was just excited that we could be able to 369 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:56.000 put the laws in place to protect these creatures. This 370 00:22:56.200 --> 00:23:01.599 was a green peace Christmas. Our excitement soon faded as 371 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:06.119 we approached our vehicles, we saw two black suburbans with 372 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:11.160 blacked out windows and government plates waiting for us. Four 373 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:15.000 men dressed in black suits and wearing dark sunglasses stepped 374 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.160 down and approached us. The one in charge presented his 375 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:22.519 credentials badge, and he told us that we had a 376 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:25.680 very forgettable day to day and that he needed my 377 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:29.920 field pack and our phones. They patted us down and 378 00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:32.000 made it clear that we had not seen a thing 379 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:35.200 other than evidence that a pack of feral dogs had 380 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:37.759 taken down a bull elk, and that we were not 381 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:43.480 to mention anything or our jobs would be history. As 382 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:46.160 they were driving away, Brian told us that he was 383 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:49.960 afraid that might happen, so he emailed the photos to 384 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:55.119 himself and his parents and his girlfriend in Knoxville. We 385 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:59.400 were overjoyed, but it was short lived. When I got home, 386 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:02.039 I went to the and found that my email had 387 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:05.799 been entirely wiped out and my eye cloud was empty 388 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:09.720 as well. The next day I tracked down both Rick 389 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:12.799 and Brian, who told me the same had happened to them. 390 00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:17.160 Brian's parents' email had been wiped out and his girlfriend's 391 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:22.039 phone quit functioning. She was unable to recover anything, not 392 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:27.519 even her contacts. The following week, I submitted my resignation. 393 00:24:28.359 --> 00:24:31.200 I didn't want to work with or for an employer 394 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:36.440 with such questionable ethics. I re established my practice as 395 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:39.240 a livestock vet, and I will continue to seek the 396 00:24:39.319 --> 00:24:42.920 answers I want on my own, including what I have 397 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:47.559 already discovered about the two tribes of Bigfoot. First, the 398 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:51.319 Soux Kaloo, they simply want to avoid humans and avoid 399 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:56.039 all contact. But the Judahicula are not the same. They're 400 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:58.759 the evil side of Sasquatch, and we'll take a human's 401 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:03.400