05x06 - Smells Like Bigfoot

[bunniefuu]

There's no doubt we have at least

two Bigfoot moving through this area.

That means family.

That looked like something
walking down the hill.

Like two feet walking.

We could potentially plot
where these things are headed

and have our team ready to intercept.

Anything that moves through here,

I'll be able to see from up here.

That is blood.

Look at these bones.

This thing was literally torn apart.

It looks like a feeding ground area here.

It reached in and tried to touch me.

It scared me so bad.

I couldn't scream. I couldn't holler.

It paralyzed me.

Tell me what you think that looks like.

That looks like toes, man.

What is that?

Look, look, look, look. It looks upright.

Whoa.

What is that?

Something is moving right here.

3.5 miles northeast of base camp,

suspended 100 feet above
the forest floor,

Dr. Mireya Mayor has been
covertly observing an area

of high traffic for animals and
has spotted a heat signature.

Where did it go? What's going?

I don't see it anymore.

I don't understand
picking up on a heat signature

on the thermal camera
and then having it just vanish

right before my eyes.

But I know that there's
something out there.

I want to get off this thing right
now and go see what that was.

Whatever was

whatever I just picked up
on that heat signature,

it was large and upright.

It was walking away from the river,

so let's just keep heading this way.

There's a sharp drop right here.

Well, see, now, this is something

a big animal could use,

especially if something was
trying to hide or escape quickly.

All right. Let's keep going this way.

When I was at the ledge, I
could hear a river in the distance.

And I am pretty sure
that that is the direction

that the heat signature was heading.

All right, let's keep going.

While Mireya continues to search
for the mysterious heat signature,

4.5 miles away to the northeast,

survivalist Russell Acord
treks through the night en route

to retrieve casting materials
from his truck.

I just got this print,
and I got myself ready

to cast the print.

And of all things, I left my
casting material in the truck.

Look at the size of that thing.

Tell me what you think that looks like.

One, two, three.

That looks like toes.

Now it's about 17 hours to get all
the way back to the truck and back.

But right now it's imperative
that I actually get this print

and get it cast and get that in definition

while it's still in the ground.

Hopefully, the rain will
hold off long enough for me

to get all the way there and back.

I covered it and protected
it the best I could.

The best I can do right now
is cover it and hope that

nothing touches it,

and get back to the truck.

That should be good.

One of the biggest reasons
we're trying to grab this track

is I've been in touch with
Bryce and Mireya.

Now, these two have gotten tracks.

What I want to do is I take
my track to them.

If they compare and it's the same thing,

maybe it's all the same creature.

But if it's not, it proves that
there's more than one out here.

So right now, timing is everything.

It stopped raining for now, but
that's not gonna hold off forever.

I gotta get moving.

Just outside of the command center,

Bryce reconnects with
Tobe Johnson to discuss

the audio anomalies
he may have captured while

with Mireya during their
sound array investigation

three days ago.

- Hey, Tobe.
- Hey, Bryce.

So I did comb through all the audio.

And unfortunately,
the rain kind of overshadowed

the Bigfoot sounds,
if they were there at all.

Copy that. Yeah, too bad.

What'd you make of that
strange Canadian goose sound?

That didn't sound like
anything that should be out here.

Did you ever get the feeling
that these sounds could be used

for manipulation of a possible intruder?

Yeah.

There's something
happening on a personal level

with why they're doing it.

Possibly having young around them

or a nest or a feeding area.

You know, I really feel that this
place here in Northern California

is a potential breeding ground
which means I think

they would probably see it
as a more protected space.

When you were out there,
were you getting a feeling of

being observed, or did you feel like

these creatures were around you?

The only time that I felt like
we were getting really close

was when there was a heat
signature across the river.

I mean, you found a
footprint there, first of all.

Look at this.

Check this out.

That's a really big-looking footprint.

You know, we got that scan back.

Get this, 16 to 17 inches long
and around

seven and a half inches wide.

It was impressive.

Yeah, that's the right term for sure.

I think there's certainly
enough evidence there

for us to consider that Bigfoot
or more than one Bigfoot

is definitely in the area.

Listen, Tobe, we really
appreciate your expertise, man.

Thanks for coming out
and lending your hand

on our investigation.

Much appreciated.

Hey, thanks for the opportunity, Bryce.

Okay.

I should be up on that landslide.

Pretty close to it, anyway.

Having left his heavy pack behind,

Russell has hiked more than


to reach his truck, which he was forced

to abandon due to a landslide.

I need to get back and get that thing cast

before these conditions change,

because we're looking at rain
coming on us pretty quick.

Good deal.

We're here.

Got a landslide here.

This tree wouldn't be a problem.

There's no way I can drive past this stuff.

I lost a lot of time hiking back here

to get this casting material.

And that's my own fault.

I covered the print as best
I could to preserve it.

But there's a storm coming in,
and I need to devise a plan

to get back there fast.

All right.

Check this out.

This box in the front of my truck

is all my casting materials.

Doesn't do me any good
sitting in the truck.

And I'm looking at this landslide.
I think I can get through it.

There's a lot of large rocks
and smaller rocks

in the roadway.

But if I can push those out far
enough and just wide enough

to get my truck through it,

I can drive along these
logging roads back to that print

and save myself hours of hiking.

The first thing I'm going
to do is move these rocks.

And then I'm going to cut this tree.

Here we go.

All right, tree's out of the way.

We got past the tree.

Next obstacle is that big, ugly rock.

Let's see how this goes.

Let me see where we are.

Well, that'll go up underneath of it.

This'll push this.

At that angle, if I'm lucky,
it'll shove it that way.

Let's see how this goes.

I think we'll be able to push it if
the weight of the truck will do that.

I'm done playing this game.

This should do it.

So far, so good.

But I've still got a long ways
to go on these roads.

We've got weather coming.

You ready? Let's do it.

The objective now is to get back to

the footprint as quick as I can.

While Russell races
along old logging roads back

to the print he discovered,
five miles away,

Mireya searches for possible
signs of the bipedal creature

she saw during last night's stakeout.

I say we continue on that way
and see if we can find

any tracks or any signs of life.

Last night, I saw a heat signature.

Look, look, look, look.

It looks upright.

I have to figure out exactly
where this thing went.

So I want to scour this entire area.

That looks interesting.

One thing that became
very evident during

the daylight hours is that
I start to notice that

there are many of these
large hollowed out tree stumps.

Found primarily along the
coast of Northern California,

redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth,

capable of growing to a height
of over 300 feet.

Because of their long lifespan,

occasionally living in excess
of 2,000 years,

these giant trees are susceptible
to various forms of decay,

such as fungi, insects, and fires.

While the redwood's inner bark
may rot or burn,

the miraculously strong
outer bark is fireproof

and resistant to disease,
often resulting in

cavernous hollow spaces
inside the base of the tree.

This particular tree hollow, you can see

it's all been burnt out.

It's rather cavernous, right?

So it protects anything
that would come in here

from the elements,

a rainstorm, and actually just
help an animal stay hidden.

And also, if you look out,
these kind of exits,

you can see out there, but you
can remain really hidden in here.

If whatever I saw last night
was using these old,

hollowed-out tree stumps for cover,

that could explain
how it was able to disappear

from the thermal so quickly.

I mean, this is sort of interesting here.

It smells like something's
been coming through here.

Oof.

That is strong. Like, it just was here.

Well, it's kind of interesting.

It's all these fresh leaf pilings.

There's a nice bedding area here.

Is that a hair right there?

That looks like a hair there.

Is that a hair right there?

That looks like a hair there.

Before disturbing any of this,
I just want to make sure that

there aren't any, like, say,
hairs on the surface

or anything that an animal
might have left behind here.

Based on the strong smell
and the long hair

that I just found,
I am confident that an animal

just came through here recently.

I don't know what kind of animal it was,

but it's possible that it was what
I saw on the thermal last night.

I did not see any prints in
and around the area,

but animals, as they move, they
basically leave DNA everywhere.

And based on the strong smell in here,

an animal might have
marked the inside of this tree,

which would definitely leave DNA behind.

And that's interesting to me
because nocturnal primates

use scent markings to communicate.

Some primates use a technique
known as scent marking

to communicate with other
members of their species.

Primates typically mark areas
with their scent by secreting liquids

from specialized glands
or with sweat and urine.

While humans communicate
primarily through

sight and sound,
primates are able to use scent

in order to convey complex
messages such as

establishing territory,
identifying familiar individuals

within a group, or by
searching for mating partners

during breeding season.

So I want to collect
a sample that we can use

for eDNA sampling.

I want to analyze these findings later,

but right now I want to call
Bryce and let him know

just how active this area is.

I don't know what it is, but something is

definitely moving through here.

- Hey, Bryce.
- Hey, Mireya.

What's going on?

Hey, so last night,
I was on the port a ledge,

and I saw something on the thermal.

And Bryce, it looked like
it was upright and walking.

Are you serious?

Yeah, I started to track it,
and it led me to an area

near the river filled
with hollowed out trees.

Any signs of the thing
that you saw last night?

Yeah, while I was looking at one of

the hollowed-out trees
and immediately got struck

by what I can only describe
as this really strong, pungent,

musky smell.

So something has definitely
been moving around here recently.

You know what?

Maybe we can use this to our advantage.

In the past, we've used
primate pheromones

to lure these creatures out, right?

We've got the drone in the air.

It's releasing those pheromones.

What if we deploy some
pheromones near that tree stump

that you discovered?

If there's something
around here using scent

and we spray a new pheromone,
that is certainly going

to get its attention, right?

It's worth a shot.

Perfect. Send me your coordinates.

I'll be there as quickly as I can.

All right, you got it.

These are tiny roads.

As Bryce heads to meet Mireya,
four miles away,

Russell has traveled along
old logging roads,

backtracking to the vicinity
where he discovered

a possible Bigfoot print.

It's been 12 hours
since Russell attempted

to prevent the rain from destroying

this critical piece of evidence
before he's able to cast it.

I left my backpack at that site,

hopefully to protect it from the rain.

But right now, I don't know
if my plan worked.

I might look under my bag
and find absolutely nothing.

And this whole thing might have been

a total waste of time.

I want to get this thing poured
before that rain comes back.

Let's get it going.

Even in the dark,
I can see that this footprint

has clearly defined toes.

It might even be better than
the one we found in Washington.

No way.

My... Look at this.

Holy.

That is a footprint.

This could be the type of find
that people spend

their entire lives looking for.

Wait a minute.

How far was I right on that waterway?

Let me think for a second.
I had the water.

Looking at the track.

Had the water on the left side
of me when I came out

the back side of it.

I realized that where I stopped that truck

was a place that I hadn't
actually been on the map.

My approach was different,
and I sure didn't want to lose sight

of where that footprint was.

I had to use my map
and reassess the landscape

and find that track.

Okay, wait a minute.

This side.

All right, we're good.

There's something been
moving through here.

You see all the undergrowth pushed up.

Even down below this tree right here.

Look at this trail.

Look at that.

There's something's
been bedding in here.

See how it's dry underneath it here?

It's been pushed down and it's bone dry

right through the center of it.

There's no tracks, no hair, nothing.

Which surprises me.

That's being used by something.

That track is just above us.

There it is.

Wow, I can't believe this.

All I'm thinking right now
is please be intact.

Please be intact.

Holy crap.

Man, this thing looks amazing.

About 16 inches from the tip of the toe,

widest part of the foot.

I believe last night it was about eight.

Okay.

This print wasn't a bear or an elk or deer,

because you can see separation
of toes on the front end

of that print.

That only leaves one possible creature,

and that would be a Bigfoot.

I'm going to do this slow
and not disturb anything.

There we go.

I can't believe how big this print is.

Holy cow.

With the casting materials in it.

I mean, you can see all this detail.

Cast has been successfully poured.

We'll give it a couple hours to cure.

I definitely want to pull
it up before it gets dark.

Bryce!

Hey!

I'm just going to keep working this area.

4.5 miles from Russell's position,

Mireya and Bryce execute
a new plan designed

to lure out the creature that
Mireya has been tracking.

Seeing as how I feel that
Bigfoot is using this area

as a breeding ground,
it only makes sense to use

primate pheromone as a tactic
to elicit a response.

Bryce is armed with a unique mixture of

primate urine and pheromones,
which are powerful

organic chemicals that trigger
specific behavioral responses

in animals.

Spraying the liquid matter
will allow the pungent scent

to spread through the area effectively.

This is a good spot here.

Bryce!

I found the spot.

Yeah, that's perfect.

Tonight, Mireya will observe
Bryce using a thermal camera

from a vantage point
overlooking the area where

she discovered physical evidence of

a creature using scent markings in

hollowed-out tree stumps.

Meanwhile, Bryce will remain in the area

where the pheromones
have been deployed,

armed with a recording of
a Bigfoot vocalization.

Utilizing a combination of
these two tactics

should theoretically increase
the team's chances

of drawing out a Bigfoot.

Yeah, this is good.

I'll be good and nestled here
so that if anything

does want to move into that area,

I'm far enough away that
I'm not scaring it off.

This pheromone, if it works
like I think it should,

it's going to draw Bigfoot right out.

And if these creatures
are raising their family here,

then maybe we can track them
back to their nesting site.

Stuff dries pretty quick.

In the northeast
section of the target zone,

three hours after pouring a
cast of a possible Bigfoot print,

the plaster is set,
and Russell is ready to begin

the delicate process of
extracting it from the ground

in one piece.

Pull the soil away from it carefully.

I would imagine it's fairly stable,

but I'm still going to see how that
whole thing moves in one piece.

There we go.

I'm still going to handle it.

Yeah, it's not very thick.

Get some of this excess off of here.

Seeing the length and the size
from the toes to the heel,

this is a really great footprint.

See this?

Right here, clearly a big toe.
This is exciting.

This is really exciting.

This is a flat-footed foot cast,

which is indicative of what
I've been looking for.

An animal's size determines
a lot about their feet.

And based on decades of research,

Bigfoot would have massive flat feet

just due to the weight of their bodies.

Wonder if it'll fit.

And looking at this large,
flat cast tells me

I could be looking at
a legitimate Bigfoot track.

It's going to be close.

I can't seal it, but at least it'll be

with the information I need.

Now that I've pulled this cast up,

I need to find what made this track.

Last night, I heard something
across the way,

and it sounded like it
crossed water to get there.

It's not far from here.

I'm going to stay on the trail.

That sounds like something
walking through water.

So tonight, I'm going
to keep chasing this trail.

I know that there's more ahead.

All right, man.

You ready?

Let's go.

Do me a favor. Just give me a wave.

- All right, we're good.
- All right, let's go.

4.5 miles away from Russell,
Mireya and Bryce are in position,

and the primate pheromones
that Bryce sprayed earlier

have dispersed through the area,

ready to draw out any nearby creatures.

When we're doing these
investigations at night,

it's easy to think that we've
got the advantage, you know,

we've got the best tech,
but we have no idea

just what these creatures are
and what they're capable of.

Hey, Bryce, are you getting anything?

No. You?

Nothing.

Let's get going then.

Hey, Mireya, you read me?

Copy that.

I'm thinking about breaking
out this Fox Pro.

All right, go ahead. I'm still recording.

We've had a lot of success
using primate pheromones

in the past, but we're going to add

another layer to this strategy.

Not only are we going
to deploy pheromones,

but we're also going to blast a purported.

Bigfoot mating call.

Now, if there are any Bigfoot
in the area nearby,

this will definitely get their attention.

Hey, Mireya,
I just saw some trees moving,

some branches moving.

About 50 yards up, Mireya.
Do you see anything?

I'm scanning the area
as you play the vocalization,

and I'm not seeing anything.

See if you can see where
I'm aiming my flashlight.

I saw some tree branches move
as if something

was moving around up there.

What the is that?

Just saw a shadow go from tree to tree.

Did you see anything?

I'm picking something up
on the thermal behind you

to the left about 150 feet.

Don't move.

Okay, well, that's unnerving because
I'm hearing sounds coming off here.

You're picking up something behind me?

I'm seeing something on
the thermal to the left of you,

about 150 feet to your left.

Do you see that?

Mireya, I'm not seeing.

Hey, Mireya, I just got
a real uneasy feeling.

I mean, like, real uneasy.

Bryce, you're out of my line of sight now.

Great.

I've just picked you up.

And if that's not you,
I've just picked something up.

Okay, I'm... I'm on one knee.
I'm gonna stand up.

Three, two, one.

That was not you.

I'm picking something up on the thermal.

Guys, there's something behind
the tree, and it's moving.

Do you have any visual confirmation?

Can you see anything?

No, I can't see.
Let me look on the psionics.

It keeps, like, poking around a tree,

and it's definitely moving.

The heat signature's gone now, Bryce.

What do you mean it's gone?

Should I keep making my way?

It's gone, but keep going up
in the direction that I saw it.

Bryce, keep heading upriver.

Mireya, I'm not seeing anything.

I'm not seeing anything
on the thermal either.

Stay right there, Bryce.
I'm coming to your position.

Copy that.

Four miles to the northeast
of Mireya and Bryce.

Russell has crossed to
the other side of the river

where he was last tracking
the bipedal thermal creature

he spotted a few days ago.

Russell believes this might be
the same creature

that left the print he cast earlier today.

I'm just about a half mile
from where I just cast

that large footprint up on the hill.

I'm looking for other prints
or any other clues

that could actually be
the same thing that made that



I smell the deer.

I think we pushed them up
out of their beds.

Wow, this is treacherous, be careful.

I can smell deer.
They have their own smell.

I can...

People that hunt deer, elk,
bear, they know the difference

between the smells.

An elk has a very pungent,

almost a urine-type smell to it.

Deer smells different, so does bear.

But I can smell deer.

That was out that way. Did
you pick that up on your mic?

Without the rain, there's that calm quiet

that settles in around you.

And every little tiny sound,
you can hear it.

And you're really curious as to,

did I hear a raindrop
or did I hear a footstep?

It's just a different vibe
because of the silence

that just kind of wraps itself around you.

That sounded like something
in the water.

Hey, Mireya, I think I see
your light up ahead.

Is that you?

Bryce!

I thought I lost you.

3.5 miles away from Russell,
Mireya and Bryce track

the heat signature that was lured out

during the pheromone experiment.

All right, let's keep heading that way.

I don't see any wildlife, nothing.

Exploring at night is completely different,

and humans like to think of
themselves as top of the food chain.

But realistically,
and especially here at night,

we are the weakest thing out here.

I definitely feel something.

What the is that?

Whoa. What the hell is that?

The pursuit of proof requires
evidence, and lots of it.

And in the study of Bigfoot,
the largest database

that we have is footprints.

Researchers have been collecting casts

and studying trackways since the '50s.

And until recently, the
evidence was always collected

by making plaster casts of the footprints.

But a new technology is emerging,

and it's changing the way that
we collect evidence in the field.

The 3D scanner creates
a three-dimensional model

of a footprint, allowing pinpoint accuracy

of its length, width, depth,
even showing changes

in the curvature of the foot.

These 3D models can be
permanently archived for

cross-referencing by future researchers.

Now, this hasn't replaced
plaster casting as

the gold standard,
but it is moving us towards

seeing the bigger picture of
what's actually going on

out there in the woods.

What the is that?

Hey, Bryce.

Hey. Whoa.

What the hell is that?

After pursuing the heat signature that

they observed during
the pheromone experiment,

Mireya and Bryce have discovered

a large structure made out of tree limbs.

It seems a little bit odd.
It just doesn't look natural.

It reminds me of what Tobe pointed out.

You see what I'm seeing, right?

Bundles of sticks laying in
a specific direction.

This is squash made, in my opinion.

This looks to me like signaling a marking

of some sort.

You think this is natural?

There's no obvious cut marks, anyway.

We're in the woods.

It's not odd to find a pile of sticks.

But this had organization
to it in a way that

you don't see out here.

Just like natural breaks.

This, look at this spider web.

I mean, this has been here for a while.

Something put this here.

What we know of the animals
here, I have no explanation.

To me, it looks like an arrow
pointing right that way.

I want to go with my gut,
because this thing

is screaming at me to go this way.

All right.

Two miles to the northeast,
Russell continues to pursue

strange noises along a river.

In the darkness,
I'm only limited to being able

to see what my flashlight
will allow me to see.

I can track in the dark.

I can follow a trail at night
because the ground

still tells me what I need it to.

There's something moving
right down here.

Holy crap.

What is that?

Bryce.

See that? Strange.

I mean, this really looks like
something placed it here.

This was a little bit shocking
to me to find again.

Yeah.

This one was smaller than
the first one we just found.

It's more delicate.

Like, there would be
more intentional placing,

something that natural tree
fall normally wouldn't do.

We are in the territory
of these creatures.

- I mean, this isn't...
- I don't know. I don't know.

Go ahead in the direction that
you think it's pointing to.

Holy.

Bryce?

Holy.

The.

Whoa.

- Okay, so now that's weird.
- Yeah.

Holy.

I just got the chills.