WEBVTT
1
00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:31.519
All right, we are live, so my good listen. All right, Rod,
2
00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:33.719
how are you buddy doing?
3
00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:34.159
Good man?
4
00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:38.920
How are you good? Welcome to broadcasting seeds. Can you
5
00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:45.280
tell my audience, our audience, the audience, who you are
6
00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:46.119
and what you do?
7
00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:51.880
Right? My name is Rod Nichols, and I founded Bear
8
00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:58.640
County Bigfoot around twenty eighteen, around March twenty eighteen and
9
00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:04.359
started off just as like a lot of other people, did,
10
00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:08.799
you know, growing up, Patterson Giblin film was just kind
11
00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:11.040
of the cornerstone of for me. And then you know,
12
00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:15.280
watching In Search of Leonard deed More, in search of
13
00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:20.760
you know, and unsolved mysteries, you know, you know, anything
14
00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:24.560
that was high strangeness, you know, that was just kind
15
00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:28.599
of what I was into. Now. The main thing for
16
00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:35.079
me was Bigfoot, Lockness, monster, the yetty things like that.
17
00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:39.439
But you know, going into that as a young guy,
18
00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:43.519
I had bought books at the book fair, you know,
19
00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:49.400
elementary school. Yeah, you know, I was money, yeah, and
20
00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:52.359
and I was there buying all that stuff, you know,
21
00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:57.239
And I and I tell everybody this, I think I
22
00:01:57.280 --> 00:01:59.799
think from the get go, and it's kind of funny people,
23
00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:01.840
it's well, how do you know, I know, it's something.
24
00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:05.879
I just kind of just felt like I knew about
25
00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:08.599
these creatures. I knew them to be to be real.
26
00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:12.199
I I from from from day one when when I discovered,
27
00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:15.120
you know, that there were sightings of a of a
28
00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:18.319
hairy biped out there, whether it was in Bluff Creek
29
00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:21.800
or you know, Upper Washington State or you know, wherever
30
00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:26.599
the case was. I you know, it wasn't hesitation to go. Nah,
31
00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:31.000
there's no way. I always felt like I was a
32
00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:34.400
believer from a young guy. And granted I do, I
33
00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:37.000
wasn't a researcher, you know. I I you know, I read,
34
00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:40.800
you know, my little books that with whatever my little
35
00:02:40.840 --> 00:02:44.240
mind could comprehend at the time. Uh. But also that
36
00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:47.919
that kind of traveled into learning about primates. You know.
37
00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:54.000
I was a big, big, big supporter of the Mountain Guerrillas. Uh.
38
00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:57.680
Diane Fosse Uh. Jane Jane Goodall was another one with
39
00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.599
the chimps. But Diane Fosse, I think was was was
40
00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:04.039
the one that really just opened my mind a lot
41
00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:09.439
into conservation about these wonderful, beautiful animals and quite frank,
42
00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:12.560
I think we're cryptids themselves for a little bit before
43
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.919
they were actually discovered, because I don't think anybody believed
44
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:17.960
that these gorillas could could live up at higher altitudes.
45
00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:21.919
And lo and behold they found these they found these gorillas,
46
00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.919
these beautiful creatures up there, you know, thriving and living
47
00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:27.439
and uh, you know, I don't know if you remember
48
00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:31.120
Coco the gorilla, Remember the gorilla. So when when I
49
00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:35.159
was young, I wrote to Coco and she wrote back
50
00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:37.840
to me with her you know, her handler, and you
51
00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:39.680
know that, and that was just amazing to me. So,
52
00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:46.840
you know, I was always really into eight type creatures, primates,
53
00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:51.280
if you will. And you know that that blossomed, you know,
54
00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:53.599
you know, as a young guy. But you know, life
55
00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:56.240
it's in the way you get older. You know, you
56
00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:58.080
you get married, you start a family, and you become
57
00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:00.919
an adult. You know, things like that, and then you know,
58
00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:06.280
fast forward to my adult life, and I hurt myself
59
00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:10.360
at work. Actually, you know, I've told this story before,
60
00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:12.879
and I used to guard it because I should say
61
00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:15.240
that I got hurt at work. And I'll tell you this.
62
00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:18.000
I had. I had a lot of trouble with my
63
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.720
mental health, you knows, as an older guy, and you know,
64
00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:23.920
and I'm not shy about it, and I'm not you know,
65
00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:27.040
worried about people thinking I'm a weirdo or anything, because
66
00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:29.800
I think people should be open and honest about that stuff.
67
00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:32.639
I'll just say that. But I was putting on disability
68
00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:36.319
and I was left with a lot of time on
69
00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:42.800
my hands, and so I started binge watching, you know YouTube.
70
00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:45.920
Of course, I went right for bigfoot, you know, and
71
00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:51.519
I stumbled upon a gentleman's channel out of Utah. And
72
00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:57.920
he had all these videos of his trace evidence that
73
00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:01.600
he presented, and what he present ented were something called
74
00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:06.079
wood structures, and so I had no recollection. I was
75
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:09.680
totally ignorant to the wood structure phenomena. I had no
76
00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:13.000
idea what it was about. And this guy was blowing
77
00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.759
my mind just I mean, showing us these crazy, crudely
78
00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.680
built wood structures. And then he had some prints he
79
00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:24.800
had found, and he talked about his own encounters with
80
00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:27.240
some of these creatures up in Utah. But the wood
81
00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:31.079
structures were kind of the trace evidence that he presented
82
00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:35.240
and the methodology that he used was it made total
83
00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:38.680
sense to me. So I binged watched all of his
84
00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:41.319
videos one night. I think I stay up till like
85
00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:44.600
three in the morning watching this guy's videos over and
86
00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.759
over right. And then the last video he put out
87
00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:53.360
was sharing how he finds these things and challenging you
88
00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:57.360
to go out and find it for yourself, you know.
89
00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:02.160
And the methodology was, Look, if you have a creek, greenway,
90
00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:05.319
a river, anything that runs in and out of an
91
00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:10.279
area where there's passage, and there's there's there's areas where
92
00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:14.399
you can conceal yourself, there's plenty of vegetation, and the
93
00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:18.759
habitat supports big game. And you've got a water source
94
00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:24.480
maybe three four miles away in proximity from you know,
95
00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:27.360
said creek or green belt or river or not river,
96
00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:29.720
but that would be the water source already. But you know,
97
00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:33.279
if you had these things and the habitat supports big game,
98
00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:37.079
then you may have a recipe for some crypto activity
99
00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:39.240
or find some trace evidence.
100
00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:42.439
So what was the name of the channel? Do you remember?
101
00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:47.000
Don't remember? But the gentleman's name and he has deleted
102
00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:53.680
all of his his sasquatch videos. Yeah, yeah, and I'll
103
00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:56.199
tell you. His name is Nathan Rio. He's out of
104
00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:01.639
I want to say, is it Provo, Utah or one
105
00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:04.439
of the cities. I think it was pro I'm not sure.
106
00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:09.240
And I think the channel was Sasquatch Utah or Utah Sasquatch,
107
00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:14.360
and since then he's talked about his experiences, but all
108
00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:18.040
the videos that that he had presented with the trace evidence,
109
00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:23.000
the wood structures and some really crazy stuff are all gone.
110
00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:30.720
And I mean, talk to you know, that's a good question.
111
00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:33.839
I don't know. I just I think it was just
112
00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:38.399
kind of heartbreaking because you know, this guy really kick
113
00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:41.759
started what I do now. It had it not, had
114
00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:46.399
I not watched his videos and his channel at that time,
115
00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:49.040
I don't think I would be here really talking to
116
00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:53.199
you or having interviews or be in the field at all, because,
117
00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:57.639
you know, to me, he presented something that was totally
118
00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:02.040
totally orthodox to me because here's here's the train of
119
00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:06.040
thought of I think the person that may entertain the
120
00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:10.319
idea of believing in Sasquatch, well, it's up there in
121
00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:14.680
Washington State or northern California and it's just one and
122
00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:17.920
that's it, right, They're they're not around the US at
123
00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.160
all or tenative matter. But but lo and behold, we've
124
00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:24.959
got a thriving population. Uh, We've got And I can
125
00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:28.399
say that easily because I'm listening to Encounter act Encounter
126
00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.279
and we're talking about thousands. Okay, So you know, either
127
00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:35.399
these people are outlining you know, thousands of people, or
128
00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:37.960
we've got a Sasquatch problem, which I tend to believe
129
00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:41.440
that's what we've got is saasquatch uh, the population and
130
00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:46.320
problem out there, you know. So you know that that gentleman,
131
00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:48.720
you know, for some reason, I guess he deleted his
132
00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:51.440
his his stuff. But you know, you never know.
133
00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:56.480
I mean, people their stories out there of you know,
134
00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.360
whether I mean, I'm trying not to get conspirable, I
135
00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:03.679
don't care conspiratorial. You know that at the end of
136
00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:09.080
the day, there's there's people that I wouldn't I don't
137
00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:15.600
know what I'm acquainted with that have had encounters not
138
00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:19.759
just a big but with what you would call like
139
00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.399
men in black not necessarily men in black, and I
140
00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:29.120
say men in black, but I mean like government types
141
00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:34.519
or you know whatever that have kind of like discouraged
142
00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:40.039
them from digging any deeper, especially into like national forces
143
00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:41.039
and things like that.
144
00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:42.240
Absolutely.
145
00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:49.480
Yeah, so so yeah, so and that I wonder if
146
00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:55.120
this guy, because he was given seemingly good uh info
147
00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:58.879
and intel, you know, and like what what to do
148
00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:01.200
and how to find them?
149
00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:03.840
Right, So, and here, here's the other thing is that
150
00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:07.720
it made sense. It's yeah, perfect sense.
151
00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:08.600
Right.
152
00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:13.279
If I've got a greenway or a creek that's that
153
00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:19.000
is prominent, and it provides concealment, it provides a canopy,
154
00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:22.919
and it provides habitat for big game. And here we've
155
00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:26.720
got white tail deer. You know, you've got the usual suspects.
156
00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:29.960
You know, we've got raccoons, possums. Right, every once in
157
00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:32.399
a while you hear about a mountain lion, very rare.
158
00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:38.559
But nevertheless, white tail deer are are prevalent, very much so.
159
00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:41.360
So I mean, and they're not being hunted in these
160
00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.799
areas because we don't have public hunting land, at least
161
00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:47.120
in my in my city, in my county, we don't,
162
00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:49.919
you know. So these things are not being hunted by man,
163
00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:54.200
so they're healthy, you know. And and so yeah, yeah,
164
00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:58.000
you've got you've got a recipe for something of maybe
165
00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:01.200
a cryptid type of high way, if you will. I
166
00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:03.679
think that's what's happening at least in my areas.
167
00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:07.440
So yeah, you definitely, I mean, because you're right outside
168
00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:08.919
San Antonio.
169
00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:13.320
Right, I'm in San Antonio, kind of approaching the outskirts
170
00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:15.879
of it. Pretty much if I if I go.
171
00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:18.559
About you have you have some sightings?
172
00:11:19.159 --> 00:11:21.039
We do, yeah, and a lot of people don't know
173
00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:24.519
yeah around Yeah, a lot of people kind of discredit
174
00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:27.759
that because it's San Antonio and there's no way, you
175
00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:30.879
know that you could have a you've got a counter,
176
00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:32.679
you've got a site.
177
00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:36.200
While it's from nineteen seventy six. But either way, there's
178
00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:40.200
some more recent sightings that are out by, like Medina Lake.
179
00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:44.480
Absolutely. I just talked to a gentleman. Yeah, I just
180
00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:46.399
talked to a gentleman that was when he was thirteen
181
00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:50.840
years old that that saw these creatures a quadruped on
182
00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:55.960
on four fishing and the Medina River, you know, with
183
00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:56.559
this family.
184
00:11:56.639 --> 00:11:59.679
So uh you know, so yeah, you've got I mean,
185
00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:02.559
you've got at it. It seems to be you know,
186
00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:06.480
now East Texas that's a different animal. There's a lot
187
00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:07.960
of settings out there.
188
00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:10.799
It's a hotbed. It's particularly the same Houston National Forest,
189
00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.960
the big area you know, that's that's a hotbed. Absolutely.
190
00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:20.799
Yeah, so like long View Angelina National Forest.
191
00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:21.440
Mm hmm.
192
00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:24.759
Yeah. So I'm looking just so everyone knows, I'm looking
193
00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:28.360
at the big Bug Mapping project.
194
00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:31.960
Oh man, that guy is awesome.
195
00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:34.279
I'm having a he's going to be.
196
00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:38.480
On the podcast that Yeah, you've done right by having
197
00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:42.679
him on. A brilliant guy. Uh presents a lot of
198
00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:47.960
really cool evidence backed by you know, temperature and weather,
199
00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:50.759
and I mean it's it's awesome that guy's in.
200
00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:54.519
Fact knowledge at the same place wife, like the city
201
00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:57.919
from he went to college in New York, so it's
202
00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:02.080
well in Texas, US now though I think, thank he's
203
00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.000
in Texas, I can't.
204
00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:07.519
I don't know. Pretty sure. He sent me a hoodie
205
00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.679
a big mapping project and I always wear that.
206
00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:15.720
Yeah, he's a cool dude. I've I've texted back and
207
00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:17.639
forth them to I mean, he's going to be on
208
00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:21.840
the show here soon. Yeah, And I mean it was
209
00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:23.919
one thing with like b r f O b f
210
00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:28.320
r O right in their database. It's it is, it's
211
00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:32.120
the starting point for anyone, and it's amazing, but this
212
00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:36.279
just takes it to a whole nother level. And yeah,
213
00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:44.679
we're yeah, exciting stuff. Man. So so you so okay,
214
00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:49.559
So mental health gave you some time off. Yeah, I
215
00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:53.320
get it. I'm a veteran. Oh, I know it's supposed
216
00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:56.000
to my extress. I have childhood trauma. I've got the
217
00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:59.600
whole thing. I'm right there with you, man. Yeah, And
218
00:13:59.639 --> 00:14:03.480
it's the stigma. Luckily it's I think it's getting better.
219
00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:08.960
That's it's not the stigma for for folks that have
220
00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:12.480
issues that it used to be. I don't think so.
221
00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:18.120
I mean, and then I was in I'm a certified
222
00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:22.960
peer support specialist, so I help folks used to. I
223
00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:26.200
don't do it anymore, but I, you know, would help
224
00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:29.879
folks with mental health issues that I could do. You
225
00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:32.559
know that that are similar to what I was going through.
226
00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:38.120
And uh so I get it. And it can be crippling,
227
00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:41.759
and there's good days and bad days. There's good weeks
228
00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:46.320
and bad weeks, sometimes years, you know, and been there,
229
00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:46.679
done that.
230
00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:52.440
Yep. I'm happy to say that I've been med free
231
00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:55.720
for a few years now because I've been able to
232
00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:58.879
manage it on my own and I've learned how to
233
00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:03.320
self talk. I've learned how to take care of things
234
00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:07.279
kind of just on my own, if you will. And
235
00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:10.120
I'm not going to say I'm recommended for everybody, but
236
00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:13.320
I've kind of been through the whole cocktail of all
237
00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.600
these medications and then you wait, your weight changes and
238
00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.120
then all they got to change it, you know, and
239
00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:20.720
then you know, so I've been through the whole thing,