05x01 - Breeding Ground

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Since the dawn
of civilization,

cultures spanning the globe
have been on a quest

to discover the elusive,
enigmatic creature

known as Bigfoot.

Over the past five years,

an elite team of specialists
have scoured North America

on an expedition
like no other.

[Bryce] We know we're close.

[Mireya] That's
a heat signature.

[Bryce] We know it breathes.
It's a tree structure.

-We know it bleeds.
-[man speaking]

[Bryce] This is an animal.

[Russell] That's insane.

[Bryce] And an animal can
be found.

[Mireya whispering]
Right in front of us,
it's moving.

Do you see it?

[narrator] This trio
of experts spent a lifetime

honing
their respective skills.

[Bryce] I've been
researching Bigfoot
since I was a kid.

Do you see that?

But this quest is not a job
for just one person.

[Russell] On this mission,

I applied
my military training.

I move fast, stealthy,

and cover a lot of ground.

For me as a scientist

that has been looking for
and discovering

elusive primates for decades,

this would be
the discovery of a lifetime.

-[soft howling]
-Tell me you heard that.

[Bryce] It's like
no man's land.

[narrator] They've harnessed
data analysis and algorithms

with eyewitness accounts...

I just remember
seeing my brother's face
and how scared he was.

[narrator] ...and
relentless surveillance

like no one has done before

to identify key locations...

[Bryce whispering]
Oh, what is that?

[narrator] ...of where
this cryptid creature
could be.

[Bryce] Oh, my.

[Russell] I've got its
tracks down here.

I've got legit tracks.

[controller vibrates
and beeps]

-[man 2] Taking off.
-[drone buzzing]

[narrator] Armed
with cutting-edge
technology...

[Bryce] Wow, that is fast.

[narrator] ...the team is
on a groundbreaking expedition

to unlock
the centuries-old mystery

once and for all.

I want to find the evidence

that's needed to get Bigfoot
out of the pages of myth...

What is that?

...and into the science books.

I think there could be.

I would like there to be.

I mean, otherwise,
there wouldn't be stories

in every single country.

[Mireya]
And whether it's something

as small as a hair,

if it's out here,

we're going to find it.

[animal growling]

[Bryce] Well,
I got to tell you,
I'm super excited.

[Mireya] It's crazy.

When we got that hit,
it was like,

-"Time to go".
-Yeah.

[narrator] Over
the past five years,

the team has
conducted expeditions

that have spanned
over 1,600 miles

and along the way have
gathered evidence

and witness accounts

culminating in what is
believed to be

a Bigfoot migration route

that begins and ends
in Northern California.

Had we hesitated,

we could possibly miss
whatever set that camera off.

[narrator] At
every investigation site,

they have left
24/7 surveillance
monitoring systems.

And after nine months
of silence...

the NorCal site captured
two upright creatures

walking through the woods,

prompting Mireya, Bryce,
and Russell

to rendezvous at the location

where the trail cams were
set off.

With the activity
that Bryce has been getting,

we need to be back here.

[Bryce] Making our way now.
We'll see you soon.

[Russell] All right.
I'll see you in a bit.

What is it
about this location?

Due to this recent activity,

we are here
to explore this idea

that these creatures are
coming down from the north,

following the food source,

and raising
their young right here.

It would be
the right time of year

for a creature to migrate

-to an area like this.
-Mm-hmm.

[Mireya] Migration is
something that ensures

an animal has all
of the natural resources

that it needs,

not only for its own survival,

but for the survival
of their young.

[Bryce] Makes so much sense.

Are they coming back to breed?

For centuries,
people have believed

that there's only one Bigfoot.

But seeing as how there's
reports coming in

from all over the world,

that leads me to believe

that there are generations
of Bigfoot.

-I mean, we found those nests.
-[Mireya] Watch out.

[narrator] It is
widely believed

in the Bigfoot
research community

that Sasquatch build nests.

[Bryce] Ah.

-You smell that? Yeah.
-It smells like wet dog.

[narrator]
During their 2021 expedition
in this location...

[Bryce] What do you think
this is?

[Mireya] This reminds me

of a gorilla nest.

Constructed, woven.

[narrator]
...the team discovered

-a cluster
of possible Bigfoot nests.
-[Bryce] Oh, my God.

[Russell] And what's
interesting about those nests

is there was a large one
and a small one.

-[Mireya] Are you serious?
-[Russell] Right here.

-We have two nests.
-That's incredible.

[narrator] Northern California
marked the only place

where the team has found

multiple nests
clustered together,

supporting their belief

that families migrate
to this area.

[Mireya] The great thing
about nests is

that they can yield
so much information.

Well, that gets me excited.

I believe
the Bigfoot breeding season

takes place in the spring,

much like other animals.

And that's why there's
so much activity

taking place right now.

[narrator] As Mireya
and Bryce continue

to make their way
from the road,

Russell Acord travels
deep in the tree line

in search of the nesting site.

It's completely changed.

Last time we were up here,

you could walk
across that creek

and not even get
your feet wet.

All these trees that are down,

this is all from the rainfall.

I can't get through this way.

I'm going to go back
the way we came.

[Bryce on radio] Hey, Russ,
this is Bryce and Mireya.

Do you copy?

[Russell] Hey, Bryce,
go ahead.

We're approaching
the old nest site now.

[Russell] I'll tell you what,
there's a whole lot more water

than we had last time
we were here.

You can't even cross
this waterway.

[Bryce] Copy that.
We're making our way now.

We'll see you soon.

[Russell over radio]
All right.

All right. Let's head
towards that bridge.

It shouldn't be too far
behind us.

[ominous music playing]

[Bryce] It's all coming back
a little bit, huh?

[Mireya] Yeah,
except it's a lot...

denser now, isn't it?

[Bryce] It is.

Already feels like
we're encroaching

into a territory.

[Mireya] Yeah, we're
definitely close now.

[Bryce] There's like a fog.

[Mireya] What I can't
get over is

-how loud that river is.
-Yeah.

What's interesting is

just how quiet it's been

until recently.

I mean, if we had to come back
to any other active location,

this is the first place
I would choose.

I mean, Northern California is
just historical

in its propensity
for Bigfoot sightings

and reports that are credible.

[narrator] This unique area
of Northern California,

also known as the Lost Coast,

spans over 7,000 acres
of wild and untouched terrain,

and is one
of the global epicenters

for Bigfoot reports.

There have been more than
10,000 reported sightings

of this elusive creature

in the continental
United States,

and NorCal is
one of the highest
concentrated areas

for those sightings.

-[Mireya] Coming up
to that bridge.
-Oh, my God!

-[chuckling] Holy cow.
-Yeah.

-[Mireya] Wow-- Oh, my God.
-Oh, this is way different.

[Mireya] That's wild.

-Holy [bleep].
-Oh, man.

-[Mireya] And we walked
through that last time.
-[Bryce] Yeah.

[Russell] Hey, guys.

-[Bryce] Hey.
-Hey, Russell.

-[Russell] Hey.
How's it going?
-[Bryce] Russ.

Insane water, huh?

-Crazy.
-That's something else, right?

Yep.

[Mireya]
That nesting area over there,

there is no way
there's anything left

-with this...
-[Russell] No.

-[Bryce] Right.
-...water level.

Anything that was there is
too close to the water.

If they're doing
any kind of nesting,

it's going
to be much higher...

-Agree.
-...away from this.

With those nesting sites
blown out,

perhaps that's the reason
for this recent activity.

These creatures could
be looking

for new nesting grounds.

[narrator] With the original
nest site destroyed

due to extreme weather,

the team must employ tools
to further their expedition

based on the possible
Bigfoot sighting

that was captured
just two days ago.

[Bryce] Well, we got
our work cut out for us.

I'm going to get
those drones up

-so we can map this area...
-Perfect.

...and establish
our target zone.

-[Mireya] That's awesome.
Let's go get the gear.
-[Russell] Sounds good.

[Bryce] To really hit
the ground running

here in Northern California,

we need to map
this area and fast.

-Good to see you.
-Good to see you.

[Mireya] Wow, you brought
a lot of stuff.

[Bryce] Which is why
we've brought in Pete Kelsey.

[Bryce] We really only know

that something has
moved through here.

And we know the location
of the old nesting site.

But that's been washed away.

So we're looking
for points of interest

that could be

possible new nesting grounds.

[Pete] So to map this place,

we have brought
a fleet of drones.

This is
survey-grade LiDAR drone.

[narrator] Light Detection
and Ranging known as LiDAR is

a sophisticated mapping system

that creates precise
three-dimensional composites

of terrain.

What about this one, then?

[Pete] Also LiDAR.
Really flexible.

We can fly this.

I can pull it off the drone,

-walk with it.
-[Bryce] Mmm.

And I'm wondering

if there's markers
we can look for

to help us find
those new nesting sites.

A nest means things are
going to it

-and coming out of it, right?
-Yes. Right.

[Pete] This is
a multispectral camera.

-[Mireya] What does it do?
-[Bryce] Wow.

[Pete] It looks at plants

that have been
walked on, dug up.

So, for identifying
game trails.

[Pete] Combined with LiDAR,
it's a one-two punch.

If something interesting
in the LiDAR lines up

with something interesting
in the multispectral--

-We got a hit.
-Yeah.

Well, with this window
of opportunity...

Yeah, we need to fly.

[Bryce] Mireya,
maybe you could

-ground scan
that old nesting site...
-[Mireya] Sure.

[Bryce] ...see if you can
find anything.

[narrator]
While the team utilizes

handheld LiDAR scanners

and thermal technology

to record data
from the ground,

this fleet of drones sets out
to seek, map, and pinpoint

possible nesting sites,

scanning the forest floor

for unusual
ground disturbances

in this 7,000-acre area.

[Mireya]
Because we strongly believe

something has
nested here before,

scanning this area is going
to give us a huge advantage

in knowing where

these animals might be
moving to next.

[narrator] The team returns
to analyze the data.

We're looking for game trails.

We're looking
for river barriers.

[Pete] Have a look at this.

This is acres and acres.

[Mireya] If you zoom in,
would we be able to see

like, clusters
of what could be nests?

Look, they're round.

Like a nest.

-[Bryce] Wow.
-There's a lot
of connecting points.

[Bryce] All kinds of...

That's interesting.

-[Russell] Oh, wow.
-[Mireya] Oh.

Game trail
by something big and heavy.

[Mireya] Oh,
that's interesting.

[Pete] That's why
multispectral is

such an interesting tool,

because the plants
are saying...

-[Bryce] Wildlife is moving
through here.
-[Mireya] Okay.

[Pete] Exactly.

[Mireya] That's pretty close
to our old base camp.

So I say we start there,

because if we're trying
to habituate anything,

going back to that same spot
may elicit some curiosity.

Makes sense to me.

[Russell] Are those
the old rugged roads there?

[Bryce] Yeah.

[Russell]
So if they're still passable,

I can get up into some
of these areas

that I'd really like
to scout out.

[narrator] With possible
new nest clusters identified,

Russell plans to investigate
the northeast quadrant,

and Bryce and Mireya will
set up base camp

in the same remote zone
as the previous expedition.

If I was
something shy, elusive,

avoiding humans,

that's where I'd go.

[Russell] That LiDAR has
given us such an advantage.

[Mireya] It's exciting to know

that we suddenly have
a target.

[Russell] We're
in the right place.

We're here at the right time.

[Bryce] We've got
the best team.

[Russell] It's only
a matter of time.

We're this close.

[Mireya]
The LiDAR scans revealed

several possible clusters
of nests.

We decided it would be best
if we divide and conquer.

So Bryce and I are going
to go and investigate

the cluster that was found

near the old nesting site,

while Russ travels
to the northeast

where he can then investigate
the ones identified there.

I picked an area out
that is really, really dense.

A lot of overgrowth like
what we're seeing right here.

And it's steep.

The results of this LiDAR

has given me
exactly what I need.

But we're talking
a massive amount of ground.

What I'm going to do is

utilize these old
logging roads

for as far as I can

until I have to get out
and hit that tree line.

A couple of years ago
when we were out here,

we weren't facing months
of heavy rains

that we're facing today.

Oh, what have we got?

Got a landslide here.
Look at this.

This tree wouldn't
be a problem.

I can't move those rocks.

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

A good reminder
how quick this stuff happens.

I need to get the truck back
out of here where it's safe.

I got a long ways to hike
and we're burning daylight.

[grunts] The beast.

I want to make sure
that we have

everything that we're going
to need.

Okay, let me think.

It's going to be
steep and brutal.

We have to be prepared.

Night vision,

thermal, parabolic light,

scope,

flashlights.

-'Cause once we leave...
-Layer to stay dry.

...there's no coming back.

We're set.

You ready?

Let's do this.

With night coming in,
it's time to move.

[ominous music playing]

[Mireya] Look, this one looks

like a really good
active game trail here.

[Bryce] Oh, yeah.
Look at that.

This is some of what was being
picked up on the scanner.

[narrator] Eight miles
from Russell's position,

Mireya and Bryce scan
the forest floor

one mile from base camp.

[Mireya] All right,
here we go.

See all these disturbances

-in the ground?
-[Bryce] I do.

[Mireya] Clearly,
there's a lot of stuff
moving through here.

-Look at that.
-Oh, yeah.

[Mireya] All in here.

[Bryce] This wet ground makes

stuff a little easier
to spot, hey?

[Mireya] That's
the thing about rain.

You think, well,
it's washing away stuff.

But when it lets up,

-all of these indentations...
-Yeah.

...form that you can
then spot.

[Bryce] Let's find
some evidence.

[narrator] While the team
begins exploring

Northern California's
backcountry...

[Bryce] When we come
into an active target zone,

we immediately start fielding

local reports and sightings.

It's a lot of work
to really vet the ones

that are going
to help our expedition.

That's why I've brought in
some help.

[narrator] 15 miles away,

a new resource
to the expedition

heads to the nearest town.

My name is Ben Smith,

and I'm a former undercover
CIA field operative.

I'm here to help the team out,

to track down
as many eyewitnesses as I can,

and to find those kinds
of stories

that will get us
closer to the truth.

My role put me
all over the world.

I spent most of my time
in Eastern Europe

and the former Soviet Union

in high-risk environments.

This is not unusual
for an intelligence officer

to hit up a bar
in an area of activity

that they're interested in.

I've always been
interested in cryptozoology,

especially Bigfoot,

having grown up
in the Pacific Northwest.

Being a stranger
in a strange land,

I often used
my passion for Bigfoot

as a technique
to break through

someone's cold, hard shell.

All right.

This looks good.

I realized that people
all around the world

believed in Bigfoot

and that, in fact,
many had seen it.

In the 1950s,

the Soviet Union sponsored
an expedition,

the Soviet Snowman
Commission Report.

It came back
with thousands of accounts

from really reputable sources.

I'm a skeptic by nature...

-Hello!
-...and yet I think
we only get

the physical evidence

after a rigorous
investigation.

You have to put your skin
in the game to find the truth.

Who's this guy right here?

[bartender] That's Biscuit.

-Biscuit. Buddy.
-[bartender] Yeah.

-Cheers.
-Yeah, cheers.

[Ben] I'm here doing
Bigfoot research in the area.

-Bigfoot?
-Bigfoot.

You hear any Bigfoot stories?

-Yeah, quite a few actually.
-[Ben] Really?

Can you describe it?

-I've heard
crazy screaming calls.
-[Ben] Yeah.

[woman] We just
kept hearing, like,

-someone, like,
tracing behind us.
-[Ben] Mm.

-Uh-huh.
-[woman] It just
really freaked us out.

Something was stalking us.

We were in proximity one,

-and we were being watched.
-Yep.

You know, we know jack

-about what's out there.
-Right.

When you sit down and you talk
with them face to face,

a lot of the other things
about an individual may

or may not agree on fall away.

And what you have is
an individual

who saw something
that was very compelling,

and that it changed
their lives.

[man] Driving southbound,

I had
an interesting experience

with two figures
that I can't explain.

Oh. Tell me about it.
What happened?

-I was with another person...
-Mm-hmm.

...and these two creatures ran
across the street

and jumped.

And it was
a straight drop off cliff.

-It couldn't have been
a human, in other words...
-Right.

...'cause they would have

tumbled, broken bones.

-There were two of them.
-Definitely.

Two different figures.

Human, hominid-shaped?

-Bipedal.
-Bipedal.

With that motion of the arms.

-Oh, wow.
-Yeah.

-About 5 feet.
-Interesting.

This is incredible intel.

We're in the same location

and this witness is describing
a nearly identical event

to what our trail cams
captured just a few days ago.

Your encounter
to me kind of tracks

with some
of the other data points
that we're getting.

If they're anywhere,
it's here.

You see that?

All this stuff's been
pulled up.

That's a small animal
doing that.

[narrator] Now, just 3 miles

from the northeast
target zone,

Russell discovers
possible signs of life.

So if you think about it,
it's been raining nonstop,

animals that have been
hunkered down are

now getting whatever they can
to feed on.

Anything out here
that's trying to feed...

is also being watched

by something bigger

that's trying to feed.

[whispering] Look at that tree
that came down.

There's no cut marks.

There's nothing.

Look at these branches
broken off right here too.

Where did that come from?

See how these trees are
broken down?

I can logically accept
that as snow load

or heavy winds

because they're
still connected.

What I can't
find the logic for

is where that tree came from
right there.

There's nothing broken off
of the ground anywhere.

[camera operator whispering]

That's not from here.

That's out of place.

Let's head down this way,

towards our midpoint.

Got a ways to go
and daylight is going fast.

[in normal voice] Anything
that changes the dynamic,

anything that makes
you want to turn around

and go the other way,

start searching because...

that's the signals
we're looking for out here.

[Mireya sighs] All right.

So we're coming
to a fork here.

Um, you want
to go check that one out,

-and I'll go down this way?
-Sure.

[Mireya] It's been
a super productive 24 hours.

We hit the ground running.

We quickly discovered
the nest had been washed away

from 2 years ago.

But just as quickly,

we have some new target zones,

one of them being this area.

Oh, this tree is not looking
too promising to walk through.

[Bryce] That's
pretty interesting.

Hey, Mireya!

[Mireya] Yeah.

[Bryce] I think
I found something.

Tell me
what you think of this.

Check that out.

[Mireya] Huh.

You think
you got a print there?

[suspenseful music playing]

I feel like I see a big toe,

-a little toe.
-That's interesting.

Maybe a heel back there.

I mean, that's awesome.

You know, that point
of interest that we discovered

on the LiDAR map,

it proved
to be correct because...

as I was walking
along this path,

something just jumped out,

what appeared to be
a deep impression.

I've never found
a footprint before.

This is a first.

I don't see another one.

Yeah, I was about to say,
"Do you see a second?"

[Bryce] Nothing else
on this path is

depressing that deep into
the ground, though, right?

Like, I'm 200 pounds.

You know,
I'm walking through here

and not doing much.

[Mireya] For something
to have created

an impression that deep...

-21 inches.
-That's big.

...it had to have been
of substantial weight.

And I can't think
of another animal out here

that could possibly have
created that.

[suspenseful music playing]

Hey, I got
some scat here, too.

Look at this.

[Mireya] Is that a hair in it?

[Bryce] Yes.

[Mireya] Huh. All right.

So here's
what we're going to do.

I'm going to give you

-tweezers...
-Awesome.

[Mireya] ...a set of gloves,

-and a vial for the scat.
-Great.

In the meantime,

I'm going to go collect
eDNA from that print.

And then I want to cast it.

[Bryce] All right.
See you in a minute.

[Mireya] All
of these particular finds are

going to exist out in nature.

That's not actually
that surprising.

[Bryce] Cool.

[Mireya] What I love
about it is

the proximity to each other.

It is so close
to the actual site

where we just got activity

of two individuals
walking through

two days ago.

Yeah. I'm going
to scan it now.

[narrator] Before they cast
the footprint,

Mireya quickly creates
a 3D composite image...

-[Mireya] Check this out.
-Oh, wow.

[narrator] ...using
a handheld scanner.

[Bryce] All right, I'm going
to put this evidence away.

[Mireya] Okay.

[Bryce] Time is 5:00 p.m.

[Mireya] We're losing light
really quick,

so let's get
that casting material going.

-[Bryce] Great.
-Do you have some water?

[strains] Here you go.

[Mireya] You want to make sure

that it's
the right consistency.

-Sort of thick.
-[Bryce] Yeah.

We want it to set.

Like so.

There we go.

-And then just start
smoothing it over.
-Sure.

[Mireya] There you go.

[Bryce] That is wild.

Once it's in there,
that size really starts
to pop out, doesn't it?

[Mireya] And take shape.

[Mireya] All right.

[narrator] Casting
the single footprint will

preserve its current state.

-[Mireya] Excellent.
Let's just cover it up.
-Okay.

[narrator] And once dried
and analyzed,

the team hopes to obtain
critical impression evidence.

-[Bryce] Yeah.
-We'll pick up
where we left off

and just come back
in the morning

-to pick it up once it's dry.
-Copy that.

[Mireya] Let's make our way
to base camp.

-[Bryce] Let's do it.
Nice work.
-All right.

I mean, I think
we found ourself

a little hot spot.

[Bryce] No doubt about it.

[narrator] As night falls

on day one
of their expedition,

Russell has decided
to stake out a clearing

one mile away

from where
the LIDAR results showed

possible clusters of nests.

[Russell whispering]
Using thermal imaging.

My most preferred tool
out here.

[beeps]

I think we're gonna see
a lot tonight just because...

with the...

Look.

Outstanding.

We're already seeing deer.

This is comforting to me

because with no rain...

a lot of animals will
be moving

and feeling comfortable,

which is exactly
what we're looking for.

Something spooked 'em.

Come on.

What is that?

[in normal voice]
When the deer react like that,

you know that it's something

that they want
nothing to do with.

There's something else
out here.

[camera operator whispering]

[Russell whispering]
I don't know.

Those deer took off running
because of this.

That's what spooked 'em.

It's all by itself.

[Russell] No.

They're putting out heat

but not as hot
as the deer were.

[Russell speaking]

[Russell] Come on.

Where are you?

See how this one is
hanging back

over there in the trees?

Look. Look at it.

[Russell] [in normal voice]
I'm trying to sort out
what I'm looking at.

[whispering] Okay, try
to be as still as you can.

[in normal voice]
If it's a coyote,
I'm not worried about it.

I'll get up
and the coyotes will run

and at least
I'll have my answers.

[whispering] There's
a ridge line right here

and they went down.

I wonder if they come lower.

[in normal voice] And I look
at that hillside again.

[whispering]
Where'd you guys go?

Okay, don't make a sound.

[eerie music playing]

[eerie music playing]

[whispering] See how
this one is hanging back?

This one's going back.

They're moving like coyotes.

[Russell] I bet
they're coyotes.

Look how they move.

We've already seen
two different types

of animals,

the deer and the coyotes.

All we need next is
something much larger.

[narrator] As Russell
continues to monitor activity

from an unknown creature,

at base camp, Mireya
and Bryce begin setting up

their own surveillance.

[Mireya] So Bryce,
last time we were here,

there were actually
a lot of animals

that were coming
through the camp.

So what I'd like to do tonight

is place these trail cams
around the perimeter,

just in case
anything comes through.

[Bryce] Great idea.

[Mireya] Here's another one.

I'm going to head over
in this direction.

And if you don't mind
going in that direction.

-Perfect.
-That way we get
the entire camp covered.

One of the things
that I try to do...

How about this one
right over here?

...when establishing
that perimeter

is to set up trail cams

in different pathways
that lead in and out

of our base camp.

[Bryce whispering]
This looks like a good tree.

This is perfect.

The camera facing
this direction.

All right.

Looks like
a perfect vantage point

to be spying on our base camp.

[Mireya] Generally,
the pathways

that animals will use is

that path of least resistance.

This technology gives us
a broader view

of where they're coming in
and out of.

[Bryce] You got
this nice corridor

to our base camp.

Anything that comes by here,

-we're going
to get it. Perfect.
-[machine beeps]

[Bryce in normal voice]
All right.

Trail cameras are deployed.

[Mireya] All right, same.

[narrator] As the trail cams
begin to survey

the perimeter
of their base camp,

Mireya
and Bryce arm themselves

with body cameras,

a technique they've
never used before.

[Bryce] We can put them
on our front and back.

[Mireya] Hang on.

[Bryce speaking indistinctly]

-[Mireya] I love the idea
of cameras on our backs.
-Turn around.

-[Mireya] Because predators,
in fact, hunt that way.
-[Bryce] Oh, yeah.

[Mireya] If anything decides
to follow us,

-we'll be able to capture it.
-Awesome.

There you go. You're on.

-[Mireya] Cool.
-[Bryce] We look awesome.

-[Mireya] Let's go.
-Let's do it.

[squelching]

[narrator] To maneuver
in complete darkness,

the team is equipped

with advanced
night vision technology,

including
infrared flashlights,

a tool that emits
only infrared rays

that are designed
to remain undetected

by wildlife.

[Mireya] Okay.

-I'll head in that direction.
-[Bryce] Okay, great.

I'm going to head this way.

[Mireya] All right.
Good luck, man.

[Bryce] Here we go.

[Bryce] All right.

I want whatever's out here

to become very interested
in what I'm doing.

Really quiet out here.

Incredibly difficult to see.

No matter how many times
you're out here,

there is a sense
of vulnerability

because you know...

just how much weaker
we are as a species.

You know that there are
animals out here

that are just...

much stronger and more capable
than you.

[leaves rustling]

[Bryce whispering] Oh, man,
it's so thick through here.

Let me just get eyes
on where I'm going.

I gotta get my bearings.

Now look at this.

Trail camera.

[camera beeps]

That's one of ours.

I think I'm picking up

on some of our trail cameras.

[rustling]

I'm hearing some movement.

[rustling stops]

[Bryce whispering]
What was that?

-[exhales]
-[rustling]

[Bryce whispering]
I'm hearing some pops.

Let's go that way.

[flashlight clicks]

I'm hearing movement.

Oh, man, this stuff is...

[soft splashing]

[Bryce whispering]
Oh, [bleep].

[eerie music playing]

[soft squelching
and splashing]

Mireya, this is Bryce.

-Do you copy?
-[Mireya speaking over radio]

I definitely get the feeling

that something is watching me.

Something is following me.

[Mireya speaking]

Copy. Over and out.

Okay.

[exhales]

[breathes deeply]

[howling in distance]

Man, I don't like that.

[twigs cracking]

[Bryce] Oh, [bleep].

Bryce to Mireya, do you copy?

Something just...

-threw something.
-[soft crack]

[exclaims]

Mireya, do you copy?

Oh, [bleep].

Oh.

Bryce to Mireya, do you copy?

[faint snarling]

[Bryce whispering] That scared
the [bleep] out of me.

I got to get
the hell out of here.

[howling in distance]

I don't like this anymore.

[panting]

[Mireya] All of a sudden,

I've lost all sense
of direction.

[eerie music playing]

What was that?

There's a massive
hollowing out of a...

tree. Looks like
a tree trunk here.

Looks rather large,
almost like a cave entrance.

I'm gonna turn
the camera around.

Animals tend to return
to familiar places,

so I'm gonna set up
a trail cam here.

I'm gonna actually attempt
to go in.

[Bryce] Many people
who are new to the world

of Bigfoot research

might not realize,

but there's a lot
of disparities

between the theories
of just what Bigfoot is.

Now, I want to break down

some of the key differences

of three of those
most popular theories.

The first possibility is
what's called

The Flesh and Blood theory.

That Bigfoot is basically

just an undiscovered
primate species.

The next theory is

what's called
The Relic Hominid theory,

which takes a cue
from these encounters

that detail
human-like qualities,

much like Neanderthal.

Now, the final branch
of Bigfoot research explores

this idea of high strangeness.

This includes linking theories
of Bigfoot to UFOs,

possibility of shape-shifting,
cloaking,

and even the idea
that these things could be

interdimensional beings.

It's this variance
in the possibilities

that makes Bigfoot research
so compelling,

because there's so much more
to learn and explore.

I'm gonna actually attempt
to go in.

[twigs rustling]

Let's go this way.

Oh, yeah.

Actually smells like
an animal has been in here.

Set the camera down here.

There we go.

I just want
to take a look around

and see
if there's any sign of...

what animal might
have been in here.

[in normal voice]
The first thing I notice is

that a really large animal
could come in here.

I was able to stand up,
turn around.

This is potentially a place

where I could find signs
of a large mammal.

[rustling]

Okay, so right here,

it looks like fur.

Right there...

is a good-sized clump of hair.

I only see one type,
which is a sign

because primates only have
one kind of hair.

You know, deer
and other animals,

you see guard hair,

and then you see an under fur.

And so far,
I have not seen that.

There has most certainly been
something in here.

This is when predators hunt.

An animal could leave
in search of food.

The last thing I want is

to be in here
when it comes back.

I'm just going to put this
in the evidence kit.

[in normal voice]
Humans like to think

that we're at the top
of the food chain.

[whispering] Wow.

Quite a large...

clump of hair here.

[in normal voice] But out here
in these woods at night,

you quickly realize
that you stand no chance.

[leaves rustling]

Branch breaks.

I'm gonna get out of here.

Find Bryce.

I don't know what's going on.

Mireya to Bryce, copy.

Mireya to Bryce, copy.

Mireya to Bryce, copy.

[Russell whispering] Come on.

What are you?

Deer or coyotes,
they'd be moving around.

Whatever it is,
it's watching us.

[in normal voice]
I'm sitting on the hillside

in pitch black.

I'm looking
through thermal imaging

and it dawns on me

that I'm being watched.

[whispering] Interesting.

Notice how red hot it got.

It was white all this time.

Now look
how freaking red it is.

This reminds me of last time
I was here in California.

Holy [bleep].

I see a thermal
on the hillside.

This is peculiar.

It has completely disappeared.

It's like deja vu.

That's a lot of heat.

[in normal voice]
This is not natural.

I know

that I'm not looking
at the coyotes.

I'm looking
at something vastly different.

And it's got
a large red heat trace.

[bleep]

[camera operator whispering]
There's more than one.

One,

two,

three.

Those are big.

[in normal voice]
This is something big.

I'm seeing
how massive this thing is.

I've been doing
Bigfoot research

for 40 plus years.

And here's something

that is going to...

present itself to me.

[whispering]
It's close. Very close.

Straight in front of us
in the trees.

It moved.

-Did you hear it?
-[camera operator whispering]
Yeah, I heard it.

[Russell] Behind the trees.

Holy crap.

[eerie sound]

That's moving.