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  • SC EP:1261 Jumping from tree to tree

    SC EP:1261 Jumping from tree to tree
    2026/05/31
    Jeremy writes ""My first encounter happened along a creek in south-central Kentucky. I wasn't a typical teenager. I didn't spend much time running around with friends. My passion was hunting, tracking, and being outdoors. After reading The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr., I was completely hooked on wilderness skills and wildlife. When I was around 13 years old, I often went down to the creek at night with a lantern and fished for catfish. I loved the solitude. It was peaceful, and every now and then I'd hook into a freshwater drum or a snapping turtle that would really test my gear. One night, I had been fishing for three or four hours. About 100 yards to my southwest was a road cut into the side of a mountain. To stabilize the hillside, large riprap rocks had been placed beneath the road. I've always had excellent hearing, and even at 13 I could identify just about every animal in those woods by sound alone. That night, something strange happened. As I sat there in the darkness with my lantern turned low, I heard something running barefoot along the road. Then I heard it grab the guardrail and vault over it. A moment later, rocks shifted and slid as it landed in the riprap below. Then the woods went silent. I could hear faint footsteps moving through the forest. Because I was down by the creek and the bank rose about ten feet above me, my lantern light probably wasn't visible from where the sounds were coming from. I kept fishing, convincing myself it was probably a deer crossing the road and that my imagination was filling in the blanks. Then things escalated. At first, small rocks started landing in the creek. Then larger ones some sounded as big as basketballs when they hit the water. I tried to ignore it and kept fishing, thinking maybe fish were jumping or something natural was causing the disturbance. About twenty minutes later, I caught a catfish. I turned up my lantern while I unhooked it, and that's when I noticed a pair of glowing eyes on the opposite bank. They were fixed directly on me. After I released the fish, the eyes remained motionless. Then, in one smooth movement, whatever it was turned its head and disappeared. For the next fifteen minutes, I heard vocalizations. They didn't sound aggressive. If anything, they seemed communicative almost as if the animal was trying to locate others or perhaps encourage me to leave the area. The closest comparison I can make is the sound of a barn owl. Oddly enough, I never felt threatened. Before leaving, I caught a decent-sized bluegill and placed it on the bank as an offering, just in case we ever crossed paths again. My second encounter occurred when I was 16. I've been bowhunting my entire life. I'm 47 now, and I still love it just as much as I did back then. This encounter took place in southeastern Kentucky in the vast wilderness of the Big South Fork region. The area is home to black bears, elk nowadays, and plenty of whitetail deer the reason I was there. I had hiked in along a muddy access trail maintained by Fish and Wildlife. The trail led to a place known as "The Helipad." I've always assumed the open field at the end of the road was used for helicopter rescues from the nearby ravines. Around the five-mile mark, the road split. My dad headed toward the fields near the helipad while I took the left fork to hunt deeper in the woods. It was early October. Some leaves had already fallen, giving excellent visibility from a tree stand. Once I climbed, I could see nearly 200 yards through the timber toward the fields below. I settled into a tree around 2:30 that afternoon. It was a popular climbing tree straight, sturdy, and easy to ascend quietly. At approximately 3:30, I noticed movement far down the ridge. At first, I couldn't make out what I was seeing. As it moved closer, I realized it was traveling in a way I'd only ever seen bobcats move. It would leap from the base of one tree to the next, minimizing noise with every step. I'd watched bobcats do this before while stalking. The difference was that this animal was upright. It stood roughly five to six feet tall and moved effortlessly. Its arms were unusually long, and whenever possible it traveled along fallen logs instead of the forest floor. Through my binoculars, I could see that it was black with reddish tips on the ends of its hair. It appeared young. Its coat looked clean, healthy, and almost glossy in the sunlight. There was a gracefulness to it a combination of strength and agility that's hard to describe. It would leap what looked like eight to ten feet at a time, landing at the base of a tree and grabbing the trunk with one hand. Despite its size, it made almost no sound. I watched it approach until it was about 75 yards away. Then it noticed me. To this day, I don't know how. Maybe it saw me. Maybe it sensed me. It immediately jumped behind a tree and began peeking around the far side, studying me as much as I was studying it. For what felt like an hour but was probably only fifteen...
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    1 時間 2 分
  • SC EP:1259 We Thought It Was A Bear

    SC EP:1259 We Thought It Was A Bear
    2026/05/23

    In 1994 Jeff and his wife were camping in California. While out on a hike Jeff said "My wife and I noticed this.....bear down in the field. It was hitting the tree. I couldn't understand what it was doing. The more I looked at it the more I thought, what a strange looking bear. A lot of weird things happened on that trip."
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    58 分
  • SC EP:1259 We Thought It Was A Bear

    SC EP:1259 We Thought It Was A Bear
    2026/05/23

    In 1994 Jeff and his wife were camping in California. While out on a hike Jeff said "My wife and I noticed this.....bear down in the field. It was hitting the tree. I couldn't understand what it was doing. The more I looked at it the more I thought, what a strange looking bear. A lot of weird things happened on that trip."
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    58 分
  • SC EP:1258 The Fireside Encounter

    SC EP:1258 The Fireside Encounter
    2026/05/17
    Ryan writes "I'm sending this email because I spoke with my daughter many times about her experience in WV on our 30acre property next to my sisters 30acre property, so between us 60acres. Emmy decided she wanted to tell you what she experienced outside of telling me her dad. Emmy is 13 yrs old now and when she had her experience she was 7 maybe 8 years old with my memory. When she was little, maybe 5, I taught her how to build a fire in the fire pit(stones stacked in a circle) next to our house close to the wood line next to the hay fields. The night she had her experience she started a fire with me and we were hanging out. She had built a fort with blankets and with some camp chairs and we were watching the fire. I told her I had to run inside and use the bathroom and get a snack/drink keep an eye on the fire, I'll be right back. After going inside and using the bathroom, grabbing a bag of potato chips and drink, I was at the back porch door and Emmy was there trying to open the door and crying upset. I opened the door and she was crying very scared and I asked what happened. She told me there was something very large and tall and dark in the wood line watching her next to big pine tree while she was watching the fire. She told me she looked multiple times thinking it was her imagination but she thought it would go away but it didn't and then she realized it was real and she got really scared, when she got the back steps maybe 100ft from the fire the tears and uncontrollable crying hit her. That's when I met her at the back door almost immediately as I was headed back outside. I asked her to show me where she saw the figure and the leaves on the ground next to the big pine where flat. Not like the other leaves like something had laid down on them or stood on them if it was really big. Not the same as the other leaves in the woods around that particular point. No footprints, just flat leaves. I looked up and there was a broken pine branch about 8ft. I'm 6'3" and my arm outstretched above my head couldn't touch the broken limb. Anyway, we went to bed that night and Emmy calmed down and told me what she saw and I told her it's ok I believe you. She told me it was big and dark and red eyes, watching her but the eyes were red or orange like the fire burning, but she said she saw what she said was hair off the arm holding the big pine tree. She told me it was just standing there watching her. The next day, daytime I asked her to show me where she saw the figure and it was the same spot as the night before when we went to look. The same the leaves were flat in the woods like something heavy was there and the same branch I saw the night before was bent or broken. Afterwards we did some gifting in the woods with marbles and had them replaced with rocks on the mosssy log. We had some feathers replaced with different feathers. Recently we had a 6 point deer skull blanched white with time and no meat or hair on it about 8ft up in an oak tree next to my woodpile for firewood. We recently had a deer leg same blanched white no meat or hair on it on the edge of the hay field up from the creek in a tree about 7ft off the ground. My daughter Emmy told me she wanted me to email you and tell you what she experienced." Tayler writes "My husband and I are originally from Arkansas. He was recently stationed back here for my his final duty assignment before retirement. We are big outdoors people hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking you name it. Over the years, we've had a few strange encounters, and even my grandmother, who lives in a rural part of Arkansas, has had her own experiences. Last weekend, we went to float the Buffalo River and do some primitive camping. Not long after getting on the river, I was taking in the scenery and admiring the massive bluffs when I noticed a cave. As I focused on it, I caught movement off to the right along the bluff. At first, I assumed it was hikers, which isn't unusual in that area. I pointed it out to my husband and said it looked like an adult and a younger teen. Then I realized something was off they appeared entirely brown in color. As I tried to get my husband to look, they suddenly disappeared into the cave. That's when it hit me there aren't any trails in that specific area that I'm aware of, and we know those trails pretty well. They were gone before he could see them. I was disappointed he missed it, both to confirm what I saw and to share the experience. As the day went on, I tried to rationalize it and mostly brushed it off. We continued floating for several hours, had a great time, and eventually made it to our campsite. We built a fire, cooked dinner, had a couple of drinks—just enjoying a rare kid-free adventure. That night, I woke up suddenly with my body shaking uncontrollably. My husband noticed and thought I was just cold and held me closer it was in the 40s, after all. But I told him I felt sick. He eventually went back to sleep, and that's when I ...
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    59 分
  • SC EP:1255 Strange And Unexplained Part1

    SC EP:1255 Strange And Unexplained Part1
    2026/05/10

    Matt writes "Hey Wes, I have a crazy story from my time on the railroad involving what I believe was a squatch, plus a strange frogman encounter I experienced when I was much younger around 21 or 22. I'm turning 42 soon."

    I spoke with the witness, who is from Massachusetts, and he shared several unsettling experiences that happened while working the rail lines. According to him, there was one particular stretch of track where strange activity was common. During one incident, the train was stopped when he suddenly heard something massive crashing through the air from the tree line about 30 feet behind him.

    What happened next shocked everyone on site. A tree had been hurled like a spear, striking one of the rail cars with enough force to pierce straight through it, leaving the trunk protruding from both sides. One of his co-workers immediately told him, "That was Sasquatch."

    The witness went on to describe several other bizarre incidents in the area and said workers were often warned not to talk about what they experienced out there.

    We will also be speaking to Jacob. In March of 2026 Jacob and his friend were in Florida driving on the highway when they noticed a ball of light following them over the bed of the truck.

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    1 時間 2 分
  • SC EP:1253 The Quantum Bridge Project

    SC EP:1253 The Quantum Bridge Project
    2026/05/03
    Rick writes "I was on your show about two years ago regarding my investigations into the potential paranormal aspects of the Bigfoot phenomenon. I would like to update you on my efforts (Quantum Bridge Project) and the progress we've made to date. As you know, I used to be the State Director for the Virginia Chapter of the Mutual UFO Network and investigated numerous UFO sighting reports to include purported "abduction" cases. I transitioned to the paranormal realm because of the apparent similarities in certain cases. I've been with the Center for Paranormal Research and Investigations (CPRI) for the past twenty-four years and, within the past eight years, started conducting "cryptid" research for the same aforementioned reasons. I chose CPRI because of their philosophy and the way they approached the paranormal using the scientific method. The organization has MDs, PhDs in sociology, educators, nurses, chemists, current and former law enforcement officers, etc. CPRI is a Virginia 501(c) nonprofit, educational organization with a Board of Directors. I approached their Board with a written research proposal requesting that we investigate the "cryptid" phenomena in the same fashion they approach the paranormal; using certain specialized instrumentation and equipment like thermal imaging/ recording devises, remote data loggers designed to measure various EM/ radiological fields, and certain environmental conditions. My proposal involved locating a potentially credible cryptid investigator and working with them in their respected field research areas in order to capture supporting data during a sighting. This would not only validate that something is actually occurring, but to potentially explain certain aspects of the phenomenon. I've attached this particular proposal for your reference. One of my investigators located Harley Owens; a fairly new cryptid investigator in the East Tennessee area. Some of his sightings have been validated by other independent investigators, so I decided to work with him. His research area is near Cosby, TN, which is one of the areas the late Scott Carpenter used to investigate. Over the past two years, Ive independently investigated this area with Harley to further gauge his credibility before devoting CPRI resources to this geographical area. During that time, I've seen strange tree structures, heard screams, roars, and strange "barn owl" sounds, I have also seen those infamous" lights" that are seemingly associated with the Bigfoot phenomenon. On one occasion, I saw one of these "lights" at night on my thermal imager. It was moving intelligently through the forest. Interestingly enough, when I tried to see the light without the thermal, it wasn't visible. When I looked through the thermal, it would reappear, indicating it had some type of invisible heat source. Harley was next to me and wanted to see the light through the thermal. When he looked through it, he saw the light and, as it approached a dirt road, he said the light "transformed" into an upright being exhibiting a heat signature. It walked across the road and up an incline towards an adjacent knoll. I didn't see this; however, about one minute later, I heard a loud scream and an "owl' like vocal come from this same knoll. This scream was extremely loud and lasted about two to three seconds. It also sounded like some type of primate. It was immediately followed by an "owl" vocal, which didn't seem right. On another investigation in July of 2024, Harley and I were in his research area one night when we heard a loud, very intimidating roar (not scream) coming from another Ridgeline adjacent to a cemetery, which is the apparent focal point of the activity. This roar was so intimidating and loud, we were concerned for our safety. You could actually feel "rage" coming from whatever made it. I've never heard anything quite like it before, so we decided to pack everything up in order to make a quick exit if the situation called for it. We didn't stay too much longer before we left the area. As you probably know, these so called "orb" sightings are very common in both Bigfoot and paranormal cases, which leads me to some information you and your listeners may find very interesting. Back in 2003, CPRI investigated a case near Bedford, VA. This case involved a lady who lived on a farm in a double wide home. The lady reported seeing shadows, hearing voices and reported poltergeist type activity throughout the house. During the course of our investigation, she related an incident that occurred in the early 80s. She was getting ready for bed, had just turned off the bedroom lights when she saw three "orbs" hovering in a level, straight line at the foot of her bed. They appeared to be the size of a softball and each exhibited a different color; one was orange, one was light blue and the last was reddish They emitted light and then moved in unison (line formation) down her hallway and made a 90 degree left turn into her dinning ...
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    1 時間 8 分
  • SC EP:1251 Fifteen Yards Away From It

    SC EP:1251 Fifteen Yards Away From It
    2026/04/25

    A listener writes "My name is Timothy, and I want to say how much I enjoy your show and appreciate the work you do. I'm a Seminole Native American who grew up in South Florida, right next to the Everglades. Over the years, I've had several paranormal experiences.

    One of the most striking happened in April 2021, when I had a clear, close encounter no more than 15 yards away with what I believe was a Sasquatch, or what locals call a Skunk Ape. I was out riding my four-wheeler in the woods at the time. After that, I had a few more unusual experiences in the same area with friends, though I'm not entirely sure if those were related to Bigfoot.

    I've also been involved in what I later realized was a demon summoning ceremony, during which I experienced some disturbing paranormal activity.

    More recently, at the beginning of December, a friend and I heard a distinct wood knock, followed by the sound of something moving toward us from the other side of the woods. And just today, while riding along the reservation line, I came across a set of three-toed tracks. These experiences have stayed with me, and I thought they might be of interest to you."
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    1 時間 2 分
  • SC EP:1249 Laura Krantz

    SC EP:1249 Laura Krantz
    2026/04/19

    Laura Krantz is a journalist, editor and producer, in both radio and print, and co-founder of Foxtopus Ink. Her podcast, Wild Thing has received critical acclaim from Scientific American, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic, which named it one of the best 50 podcasts in 2018 and 2020.

    Wild Thing is also the inspiration for a series of non-fiction, middle-grade books from ABRAMS Kids, including The Search for Sasquatch, Is There Anybody Out There?, and Do You Believe In Magic?

    In addition to Wild Thing, her recent work includes reporting, editing and production work on Master Plan (The Lever), The Syndicate (Imperative Entertainment/Foxtopus), Side Door (Smithsonian), Air/Space (Smithsonian), and others. Laura's prior experience includes a decade of editing and producing at NPR in Washington, DC, and at KPCC in Los Angeles.
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    59 分