[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] One year ago...
[Russell] I got legit tracks right here.
That is a footprint.
[narrator] During their investigation into the forests
of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula...
[Russell] There is somethin interested in us out there.
[narrator] The team experienced what they believ
was a series of Bigfoot encounters.
[Mireya] Oh, my God.
It is walking across the forest.
[Russell] It's watching us.
[narrator] And collected a large amount of evidence
including a set of three massive footprints
-[Mireya] Nearly 16. -16 inches.
[Mireya] The fact that we have a right foot and a left foot,
that really makes me think we might be onto something.
[narrator] But just as the team began to explore the area
around the prints, tragedy struck.
[reporter] Fire departments are fighting a new fire
that has broken out on the Olympic Peninsula.
[Russell] I have some really bad news.
We have to shut down today.
It's like leaving a child behind,
but I know for sure
I'm not giving up on this thing.
[howling]
[dramatic music playing]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Russell] Hey, Bryce, you got a copy?
[Bryce] Hey, this is Bryce.
Russell, you're in position?
[Russell speaking]
[producer speaking]
So right now, we are in the exact same location
where we left off last year.
We're back along the Olympic Peninsula
in Washington State.
And it feels like we have never been closer
to finding Bigfoot.
[Mireya] Hey, Bryce, I'm here.
I'm just trying to get to the spot
where we found the footprints.
Check under the trestle.
[Russell] Ronny, are you there?
[Ronny] Hey, Bryce, I'm trying to find a better vantage point.
That way I can see anything that's coming
through the water, through the forest line.
[Russell] That's great, Ronn
These ferns give me a lot of concealment.
I'm not an exact match,
but I'm pretty close to the same colors.
A ghillie suit will help yo
blend with your environment undetected.
They're used by the military by the snipers,
to get into position undetected.
The use of a ghillie suit is gonna be paramount
in this situation.
How we doing guys?
We're getting it set up right now.
-Just gonna set here. -Great.
We know Bigfoot is in this area.
But it's gonna be on us to coax it out.
This year, we're going big.
This is a cutting-edge agricultural drone
that's usually filled with pesticides.
They use it over targeted zones of farming fields,
basically the crop dusting machine of the future.
But we've repurposed it.
How fast will it take to distribute its payload?
It's pretty quick.
[Bryce] Great. Well, just let me know
when we're ready to fly.
We're gonna fill this drone
with a special mixture of primate pheromone
and we're gonna use it to lure out Bigfoot.
[narrator] Pheromones are unique chemicals
animals release to trigger specific responses
among members of their own species.
They could be used to alert others to danger,
mark territories, or attract mates.
In the year 2000,
a team of researchers used hanging tags
coated in small amounts of a primate pheromone mixture
in the hopes of luring in Bigfoot.
They went on to discover what's become known
as the Skookum cast,
an impression believed to show
the entire body of a Sasquatch.
If a team was able to use small tags
and make one of the most important finds
in Bigfoot research,
imagine what we'll be able to do
using a similar method
only on a much larger scale.
Guys, we're just filling the drone right now.
So get ready.
The drone team believes
that given the current conditions,
the spray will blanket an area
of up to 2 square miles.
And hopefully,
we can lure Bigfoot right back in.
Once the drone has been deployed,
it's critical that we have our team
strategically placed
throughout the pheromone drop zone.
So that they'll have a line of sight on anything moving
Ronny and Mireya will be positioned along the river
about a half a mile from each other.
And Russell will be making his way
to a scouting position up on a higher vantage point
[Russell speaking]
[Bryce] Russell's position
sits above a large clearing adjacent to the river
where the footprints were found.
I'm settled into my elevated position.
Awaiting deployment.
[Bryce] Copy that.
Launching in about one minute.
[clock ticking]
[Mireya] Up until very recently,
apes had largely been ignored
when it comes to their reliance on smell.
We don't actually know what blanketing this forest
holding inside,
will it drive something out?
Will it cause something to get agitated?
If there is something out here
that is related to the primates,
then you could get a reaction.
Once they release those pheromones,
if anything moves, we're gonna capture it.
We're setting up these observation posts
to be able to see movement.
When you hunt, you're always looking for something that moves.
Whatever sits still, sees what's moving.
This technique has been use
by hunters for hundreds of years.
With the release of these pheromones,
whether it's of interest or aggression,
if there's a reaction, we're gonna see it.
[beeps]
-That's it. It's ready to go. -Great.
Okay, guys.
Be on the lookout.
Here we go.
[drone buzzing]
[Russell] Wow.
Okay. Right now,
we've got the drone in the air.
Just cut across,
it's releasing those pheromones.
Animals have a much better sense of smell than we do.
It'd be interesting to see what kind of reaction we get from this.
Here comes the drone.
That thing is huge.
I've been dreaming about this moment for a long time
and I can't believe it's finally here.
It's a moment that's excitin but it's also terrifying.
We don't know what's gonna happen,
we don't know if this is gonna cause
some kind of aggression,
but we're going to get some kind of response,
I can guarantee you that.
There it goes.
To my knowledge, nothing of this scale
has ever been done before.
We are all feeling like we are in our element, in our zone.
This time, we might be able to find
some physical evidence.
It looks like it sprayed everything.
I think it's done.
[drone buzzing]
With a little luck, it won't take long
before we see or hear a reaction.
[drone buzzing]
Okay, guys, the drone has landed.
We have successful deployment.
Stay on high alert.
Contact me if you see or hear anything.
It begins now.
Now we just wait.
[tense music playing]
This is the waiting game.
Do you hear that?
[Mireya speaking]
[Russell speaking]
[Bryce speaking]
[tense music playing]
[Bryce speaking]
And now it's just a matter of time
before something comes in, and starts moving in.
Anything that's coming in or going out
has to go through this channel.
[Russell speaking]
[narrator] The team is strategically placed
throughout the pheromone drop zone.
Ronny and Mireya are embedded at opposite end
of a half-mile stretch of river.
They hope to catch a glimps
of anything that may try to cross it.
-I'm gonna keep walking and scanning. -Okay.
[narrator] Russell is positioned above a large clearing
northwest of where they discovered the footprints.
Bryce is currently just outside the drop zone to the southeast.
A lot of deer gone through here.
Anytime you're in the forest
on our own, you're vulnerable.
If we're dealing with an 8-foot primate
that is supposedly aggressive,
we don't know what the reaction
to these pheromones will be
You don't know what you might be encountering.
Shh, shh, listen, listen.
[coyotes howling]
[Mireya speaking]
Sounded like it was coming from that direction.
Hey, Ronny, did you just hear what I heard?
Almost like three short barks at a time.
Yeah, I was hearing it and then it completely stopped.
Yeah, to me it sounds like there's some animals
that are slightly alarmed.
[Mireya speaking]
Whatever it was, it's probably moved on.
Hey, Russell, are you seeing anything?
Small thermal hits.
But nothing notable yet.
[tense music playing]
[Mireya] I'm just getting bats here.
Nothing up here.
Hey, Bryce. Anything moving down in your direction?
[Bryce] Yeah. I'm heading into your target zone.
I feel like I keep hearing noises
down this corridor.
But when I get there, there's nothing.
Almost like something's toying with me.
[Russell] Be careful, Bryce
Will do. Copy that.
So as you can see, this is just a huge clearing.
Runs right along the corridor.
There's something right out there.
Really creepy vibe down this corridor.
It just got deadly silent.
The frogs, everything is dead quiet.
Listen to that,
such an unnatural quiet.
[rustling]
[tense music playing]
Did that tree move?
-[twig snaps] -[Bryce] Whoa, check it out. Check it out.
Look, look, look, I see some eyes showing,
there's some eyes showing right out there.
Right there. Do you see it?
Two little beady eyes.
I'm gonna use these IR binocs.
Yeah, something is watching me for sure.
[bleep].
[Bryce speaking].
[sighs]
One thing I do know is it's fawning season.
And there's tons of baby deer running around here.
Which means a easy prey for Bigfoot.
[rustling]
[tense music playing]
[leaves rustling]
Holy crap.
That's loud.
That's making a lot of noise.
[Mireya] What was that?
Yeah, that sounds like something pretty bold,
unafraid, just walking.
[leaves rustling]
[Bryce] Yeah, I hear it crashing through.
[Bryce speaking]
I'm hearing sound but I can't see anything.
I don't understand it.
[Mireya] Hey, Bryce?
Is that you out there?
[Russell] No, Bryce is way too far away.
It's not him. It's something between us.
Keep your eyes out.
[Bryce] I can't see [bleep].
I'm getting closer to our target zone.
And if you think about it, it is...
[rustling]
I just heard something moving up ahead of me.
I see eyes right down there.
It's a baby deer.
Look at that, wait.
[screeching]
That sounds like the deer being attacked.
My blood just ran cold.
[Bryce speaking]
Ronny, Mireya, this is Bryce. Do you copy?
Hey, go ahead.
[Bryce] So I just heard
some type of screeching,
sounded like a baby deer, distress.
Yeah, I've heard that repeatedly.
I wanna go check it out.
But stay on alert.
And let me know
if you guys get anything where you're at.
[Mireya] Copy that, Bryce. Be careful.
Will do. Copy that.
It's so creepy when you know these woods
are flooded with wildlife
and you're hearing noises
but you just don't see anything.
[narrator] While Bryce continues to investigate
the corridor that leads into the pheromone drop zone
Mireya and Ronny have decided to meet up
to discuss their plan of attack.
-[Ronny] Hey. -[Mireya] Hey, Ronny.
So what was going on out there?
There's definitely something large,
making a lot of noise moving towards my position
and heading towards the river behind me.
How close was it to you?
It seemed close.
But I couldn't see anything.
It was really thick
so I couldn't get any kind of visibility what the heck it was.
But as soon as it started, it stopped.
What direction was what you heard traveling in?
-It was heading south like so down the river behind me. -Okay.
I have a feeling that it was tracking the river.
-So we might wanna use that as our path, as our guide. -Yeah.
-Do you have a map on you? -Yeah.
[Mireya] This is an area that I wanna keep exploring
because of the fact that we are so close
to where we found the footprints last year.
So we're gonna use the rive as our guide.
We're going to use that waterway
in order to scour for evidence.
Hey, Ronny for us and Bryce.
[Russell] Go ahead, Ronny.
Hey, guys, this is Bryce.
Wanna see what your situation was?
[Bryce] I don't hear anything anymore.
It's real quiet.
[Bryce speaking]
Couldn't agree more.
I'm gonna hold my position
with these pheromones in the air.
I know that it's gonna take some time
for them to dissipate.
I'll keep an eye on things from above here,
and I'll let you know if anything else happens.
Sounds like a plan. Thanks.
[Bryce] There's no doubt we got some decent activity tonight
And it wasn't exactly what we hoped.
But there was definitely something large
moving around down there.
Ronny, Mireya have a really good lead,
and they should stay with that.
But I'm gonna continue staking out from up here,
because we've had way too much activity to leave now.
[Bryce speaking]
[Russell] Copy that.
Be careful out there.
[dramatic music playing]
[Bryce] So last night, we heard something strange in those woods.
Not to mention that deer that was screaming,
it's impossible not to draw the parallels
between that and Bigfoot.
I honestly think we're onto something out here.
In fact, this whole area around us is a hotspot.
[narrator] Based on their previous investigation,
and reported sightings from the area,
the team's sophisticated data algorithm
has given them an updated target zone,
in which they believe they have the greatest chanc
to spot Bigfoot.
And at just 30,000 acres,
it is the smallest most targeted search area
they've ever had.
[Mireya] It seems like a great place
for animals to hide, right?
Oh, yeah.
A lot of ground to cover.
If you're a prey animal,
you're gonna come down this way,
-aren't you to the river? -Yeah. Right.
[Mireya] And if you're a predator,
then you know that you can ambush
because there's no route for them to go.
[narrator] Mireya and Ronny have decided to travel south
the direction Ronny believe
the animal he heard was headed.
They're using a set of ultralight inflatable
river kayaks to maneuver efficiently and silently.
[Mireya] The first lead that we've had is something
heading south of the river.
So the next logical step is to go
in the direction of that sound.
River journeys are actually
one of the most important ways
to conduct expeditions because you're able to cove
large areas that animals
would hang out in because there's food,
there's an abundance of water, shelter.
And so going down the river is the first step
in finding out where it is exactly that we need to go.
[Ronny speaking]
[Russell speaking]
[narrator] One mile north and still situated
above the clearing, Russell is preparing to keep himsel
concealed using a new method
Right down here is the trestle
right in front of us where we saw the tracks.
So with this vantage point,
we can literally see everything below us.
Let's stick it right here.
Last night, we just settled in our ghillie suits,
and we waited.
It was not comfortable. It was not warm.
That's not conducive for spending
three to four days there.
Do some old school digging.
The idea is to build a blin to conceal this position
and just observe for the next few days.
It's a EMF blanket.
A lot of times people say that the animals
can detect electronics so this underside will
actually help block that EMF signal.
A lot of researchers believe Bigfoot
are able to detect electronics in the area.
And we've seen through our research that oftentime
we get interferences with our electronics.
[narrator] Two years ago in Central Oregon,
Russell's flashlight and the production's
filming equipment simultaneously began
to malfunction.
[cameraman speaking]
[Russell speaking]
So this underside will block that EMF signal.
[Russell speaking]
[intense music playing]
While the team continues the investigation
in the target zone, I'm about to speak
with a gentleman named Owen who had an encounter
with his family when he was younger.
He hasn't shared his story in over 40 years,
but he's ready to talk to me now.
As a matter of fact, here he is.
[dramatic music playing]
[Owen] Hey, Bryce.
Thanks for meeting me out here today.
So why don't you tell me a little bit
about who you are and where you're from.
I grew up in a very small community.
My graduating class was 77 people.
Oh, wow.
-Religious community. -Mmm-hmm.
And it was in the early spring,
I remember it was about 1:30 in the morning,
my mom, dad, my sister all woke up
to this wailing howl that just...
It... We had our windows closed.
We can hear from that.
We opened our windows, it's just loud.
And it lasted so long.
I knew what elk sound like.
I know what a coyote sounds like.
It wasn't any kind of animal in the woods.
I've never heard anything even close to that.
Was there any type of signs or activity
that happened after you guys heard that vocalization?
All of a sudden, a crash
and boom, boom, boom, boom.
Four steps that were so just loud
and it covered 40 feet in four steps.
And whatever it was, came onto the driveway,
is standing there in our sliding door window
and you can see head,
broad shoulders, arms hanging down.
Things you're told aren't real are suddenly real.
You can see head, broad shoulders,
arms hanging down.
Things you're told aren't real are suddenly real.
It's like a monster.
And I wasn't moving.
I was frozen.
The fear base, I was just like,
scared of our mind.
And I just wanted it to go away.
Wow.
Did you warn your neighbors or did you call the police?
No.
My mom was the first one to say,
"Don't tell anybody."
She said, "You don't say a word
about this till after I'm dead."
She didn't want anybody in the community to know about it,
because she thought she'd be laughed at.
She died a few years ago.
And just last year, I was watching
one of your shows. And I heard it.
You mean you heard it from one of our expeditions?
One of your...
You guys played it. I heard it.
I just jumped right out my seat.
I actually grabbed my wife said,
"That's the sound I heard."
Ready?
[man] Ready.
[howling]
You know, I have all the sounds
that we've used,
the vocalizations on my phone.
Do you mind if I play you one of them and see
if it sounds familiar?
[Owen] Yeah, definitely.
[howling]
That's it. That's the sound I heard.
That's the sound I heard 40 years ago.
That's what I heard.
You know that vocalization was sourced
not too far from here.
We have a witness that heard a Bigfoot howl
40 years ago, the same howl that was captured
not too far from here.
In this expedition, there are no coincidences.
So why do you think this creature
was on your property?
The lake.
[Owen speaking]
It'd be an easy place for anything to live.
They can get to it from coming through
any of the foothills without being seen.
Would you go up there by yourself right now or...
No. I just don't wanna go up there
and run into something
like I saw when I was younger.
You wanna go take a look.
Go ahead, but...
[speaking]
[Bryce] Yeah.
A lake like this has an abundance
of deer and fish.
Everything a Bigfoot needs to survive.
It's an area right on the edge of our target zone
where creatures can navigate into undetected.
This could be the perfect location
to find a Sasquatch.
[Russell] What a perfect place to hide.
Nice and quiet.
I can only see so much with my naked eye.
But this thing will magnify up to 60 times what I'm seeing.
[narrator] With his blind completely built,
Russell can now observe the clearing
and the surrounding area
without risk of being spotted.
Here we go.
Look how clean that is.
I'm way up on this hillside can count the branches
on that tree so it gives me a much closer look.
I can literally watch, record, and see everything down there.
Pretty incredible.
Just keep scanning
this area right here.
You adjust your eyes to start looking for certain shapes.
And if you stop and watch an area long enough,
anything that does move will catch your eye.
There's something dark there.
Probably nothing more than just shadow.
But that's what you look for.
You look for a discoloration, a darker...
Hold on.
Can you see that? Right there?
[cameraman speaking]
It did. It looked like
something moving.
[cameraman] It's so weird.
[Russell] The trees are blowing in the wind
quite a bit.
That could be creating an illusion
that a shadow is moving.
But it could be something. I wanna analyze that.
That is really an interesting and unique video.
I recorded this little piece.
I have to show this to Bryce.
I'm thinking that my next movement
is to go down and see if there's footprints,
or hair, or anything else beside it.
But I'm a long ways away from this tree line
that I'm looking at.
I would like to get into that today
while I have daylight.
But I wanna be sitting right back here by nightfall.
It's imperative that we get back before dark,
if I don't get back before dark.
I will literally have to use a flashlight to find my way.
It's just so early in the game.
And what I'm looking for, I believe is nocturnal.
So you never wanna give awa your position.
I would be exposed
but I feel this is my best option
for tonight.
And hopefully I'll get in before nightfall.
You ready?
[cameraman speaks]
[Russell] Let's do it.
[intense music playing]
[Ronny] Looked like there was a few small
-game trails. -Yeah.
[Ronny] Maybe some deer coming down.
[narrator] A mile and a half to the south,
Ronny and Mireya are continuing their voyage
downstream, the direction they believe
a large animal was heading the night before
On my very first expedition to the Amazon,
I basically lived out of a dugout canoe.
-[Ronny] Oh, wow. -And this is all I did.
[Ronny] So, this is second nature.
[Mireya] Well, it was a really great way
to cover a lot of ground and see a lot
of animals because they use these areas so much.
[Ronny] Right.
Man, nothing's getting up this.
-[Mireya] No. -[Ronny] Wow.
[Mireya] For something that's walking bipedally,
this is not gonna be an easy climb...
-[Ronny] Right. -[Mireya] Down or up.
Hey, Ronny. What's that?
[Ronny] [bleep] weird.
So bizarre.
Definitely looks out of place.
Wow.
So strange.
I mean, sticks wouldn't fall in like that.
They're all very intentionally broken.
[Ronny] Huh.
[Mireya] And placed inside the rocks.
And then all of these,
they're really dug in like a cage.
This did not look like some sort of natural
occurring tree fall or something floating around.
It looked like something intentionally
had placed this structure in the middle of the river.
This seems almost like a fish trap in a way
where it's catching downstream.
[Mireya] Well, yeah.
It's right in the middle of the river where the current
goes through, which means fish go through here.
This is the only opening all of this is completely...
[Ronny] Closed.
Like a little cage, right?
So they couldn't swim off,
but they're still fresh.
This is something I think would be
Bigfoot behavior, because they learned
some of these different ways of capturing fish
from the Native Americans of the area.
Fish traps are an ancient custom
to the local Native Americans here.
And it's believed that Bigfoot
has been watching and learne to imitate or mimic
these traps and built their own in these rivers.
One of the local tribes believes that
when they find something, I would assume like this.
[Mireya] Mmm-hmm.
It's told that they will avoid
that area because Bigfoot
or Sasquatch has deemed it their fishing spot.
So, they respect where the Bigfoot...
What is that?
It sounded like a bunch of rocks
-falling into the water. -[Ronny] Yeah.
It sounds like something coming down the...
What the hell?
[bleep]. Oh, my God.
Holy [bleep] that looked like...
[Mireya] Oh, my God.
[Ronny speaking]
[dramatic music playing]
What the [bleep]?
-That looked like... -[Mireya] Oh, my God.
[Ronny] A form standing there.
So weird.
Do you still see something?
It just disappeared.
-You saw it? -I honestly, I could see...
Well I could see some something...
-Something. -Like a form,
-a dark form. -Right.
Right in the middle.
[Ronny] Exactly. Yeah.
And I couldn't see what it was.
-[Mireya] It's really dark. -[Ronny] Yeah.
But it looked like something bipedal standing up.
It was just a split second and then whatever it is
that we saw was gone.
Now, what's interesting
within Bigfoot situations,
encounters, people get rocks thrown at them.
We're near this weird fishing trap.
We're right by the footprints downstream.
And that's like a great vantage point.
I mean, maybe we're in its fishing spot,
it doesn't want us to be here,
it's pushing some rocks over the cliff.
I mean, it's very possible that an animal,
a bear, anything up there...
-Right. -That was moving.
Maybe heard us or knew that we were here got close.
Right.
Kicked over some rocks and then got spooked off
and that could have caused a little rock fall.
Yeah, but the fact that we both saw
some kind of a figure there after...
No, I'll give you that. That was strange.
-That's weird. -It was weird.
Let's pull the boats and set-up camp.
All right.
Uh, I think we've picked the right spot to camp.
[dramatic music playing]
[Russell] Look at this one here.
That could be a bear print, a double step bear print.
That's not what I'm here for.
Keep looking for anything else that might seem out of place.
[narrator] Russell has traveled three quarters
of a mile from his blind
to the area where he believe
he spotted a mysterious shadow.
[Russell] It's getting dark on us.
If we don't find anything notable in the next half hour
or so, we'll start working our way back to our camp.
Looking through the scope,
I saw something that was black in color
and it looked like there was movement around it
I've been out several hours
but there's no footprint
or any kind of hair samples.
It's been kind of not a whole lot to pick from here.
Let's head out this way, little ways,
see if it thins out up here.
Check this out.
What do you suppose dug into that?
[cameraman] Something's thrashed, yeah.
[Russell] That's a bear looking for grubs.
Definitely bear country.
We know there's a lot of bear around here.
I really hope that's not what I saw through the scope.
Are we gonna make it back by dark? I doubt it.
[Russell speaking]
[bleep].
[ominous music playing]
[Bryce] Wow. This place is incredible.
And it's right on the edge of our target zone.
As you can see, this is the perfect
watering hole for all types of wildlife
and it's just in the middle of nowhere.
So, talk about seclusion
and the ability to remain hidden.
This is the perfect spot.
[narrator] 6 miles west of Russell's position
just inside the target zone
Bryce is investigating a lak
known for Bigfoot sightings over the past 40 years.
I'm feeling a little exposed.
So, I just wanna get back into that tree line
and observe this lake with the thermal camera.
Tonight, I'm gonna set up a the only point of access
into the lake if there's anything
that enters this water sourc
and has a body temperature, I'm gonna see it.
Last year, we had so much activity
taking place around lakes.
I'm just hoping we get as lucky this year.
This is just the perfect spot.
All right. I'm gonna hit record.
So, I'm just gonna scan this lake.
Anything giving off a heat signature
within a quarter mile, I'll be able to pick it up.
Come on. Come on.
I don't see anything.
It's just dead quiet out here.
You'll be able to hear anything
moving around these woods.
And that's the thing, I don't hear anything.
Not a sound.
I mean, this is a perfect water source
in the middle of nowhere.
Patience is the name of the game.
I wonder how Russell's doing tonight.
[Russell] Watch your step, man.
We're getting in way later than I wanted to,
disappointed in myself for not getting back quicker.
I got too far away, us coming in the dark
was not how I intended to see this thing go.
But we'll make the best of it.
I don't see anything that really captures
any attention.
So, what I'm gonna do is shut it down.
Just, kind of, lay low for a little bit.
Go to sleep for the night.
[branch breaks]
I don't know if you can hear that.
You should be able to hear
that there's something up there.
There's something moving just above me.
That's big.
You should be able to hear
that there's something up there.
Wait a sec. Shh.
Listen. Just above us right here, listen.
I can hear the thing breathing.
Listen to that.
That's above us. That's right above us.
[cameraman speaking]
I know. That's right on top of us,
I wanna go back, get out the front of this thing.
And run my thermals on that.
[cameraman speaking]
[Russell] Holy crap, that's close.
[dramatic music playing]
[cameraman speaking]
[Russell] Holy crap.
[cameraman speaks]
Russell? Russ?
[Russell] Zack, Zack, Zack.
Look, look, look, look, look, look.
[cameraman speaking]
[bleep].
[dramatic music playing]