Finding the truth? Researchers launch multi-state investigation after viral video shows ‘Bigfoot sighting’ in Colorado

A multi-state investigation was launched after a compelling ‘bigfoot sighting’ in Colorado prompted other US states to step up their search efforts.

Indiana and Oklahoma recently launched expeditions to find bigfoot after the hopes of Sasquatch believers were stoked following Colorado’s viral video evidence of a “sighting.”

Last week, during a narrow-gauge train ride from Durango to Silverton, a passenger searching for moose with her husband was distracted by a furry creature. Shannon Parker of Cheyenne, Wyoming was with her husband Stetson Tyler when Tyler said, “I think I saw Bigfoot.” Another passenger named Brandon saw the couple reacting and decided to take out his phone to record the mythical beast.

The Native Oklahoma Bigfoot Research Organization launched an investigation in McAlester, Oklahoma, after several reports of “bigfoot sightings” and the groundbreaking train sightings in neighboring Colorado state emerged in September.

Despite being further removed from the recent action, the Indiana Bigfoot Research Organization kicked off their fall camp on October 12 with about 40 “squatters” camping out over the weekend to connect with other believers and try their luck at getting a glimpse of the to catch orphans.

Colorado, Oklahoma and Indiana are ramping up their bigfoot search efforts, despite none of the areas being in the top 10 states most likely to find “bigfoot.”

Washington ranks first – with 713 reported bigfoot sightings and the other west coast states of California (461) and Oregon (257) both rank highly.

Indiana’s neighbors, Ohio (321) and Illinois (303), come in fourth and fifth respectively, but Indiana lags far behind surrounding states in sightings of the furry creature.

Nine out of 10 bigfoot sightings are never reported because people don’t want to be ridiculed for claiming to have seen a sasquatch, according to bigfoot expert Brian Terrell.

‘When people see things that shouldn’t exist, it creates a shock factor. Different people deal with it in different ways; Some people shut down, but some people dig in, some people get interested and start looking for answers,” said Terrell, a Cryptid Field Investigator for the Native Oklahoma Bigfoot Research Organization.

Nevertheless, spirits remained high at the IBRO fall campout, which took place at the Morgan Monroe State Forest campground.

Leroy Nail, the leader of IBRO, told the Kokomo Grandstand that he was initially skeptical about the presence of sasquatch in the Morgan Monroe State Forest – where he grew up and regularly hunted.

Nail told DailyMail.com that squatting for IBRO is “a bit like fishing” in that you don’t always find something, but you keep going out until you do. He said no groundbreaking discoveries were made during their recent camp, but he wasn’t disappointed by this because it’s about the experience of coming together with like-minded people.

He said 45 people participated in the fall camping trip, including 15 people who were brand new to IBRO. According to Nail, the campsite is a good opportunity for newcomers to see what they are doing in their search for sasquatch.

Nail shared with DailyMail.com that Morgan Monroe State Forest is a hotspot for large foot sightings. He said they have been seen and heard walking around the campsites. A distinguishing feature of a ‘bigfoot’ is their ‘eye glow’ – which Nail described as when the creatures light up their own eyes.

The IBRO squatters don’t take out their phones for photos when they have a suspected sighting because they want to build trust with the sasquatches and don’t want the creatures to leave.

More bigfoot sightings have been reported in the spring because more people are out hunting, but Nail said their presence is consistent year-round.

After attending a bigfoot expedition with seasoned squatter Steve Abney – Nail was compelled by the broken tree branches in the area, certain sounds and even supposed tracks of the creature they found during the journey.

Between all the signs his mentor Abney told him to look out for and the reports of Bigfoot sightings in those same areas, Nail has become a believer.

“I’ve learned over the years that everything he (Abney) told me was true.” Nail, who has yet to come face to face with Bigfoot, said, “I don’t need that because I’ve been through so many other things.” I know he’s there.’

Nail shared some of his rules of thumb for bigfoot researchers. He suggests that people don’t take white lights with them on their search because they deter Sasquatches – although red-tinted lights seem to be OK.

He doesn’t allow firearms when he goes into the woods to look for Sasquatch because he doesn’t want the creature (or anyone in the search party) to get shot. Sasquatches also avoid the smell of metal and gunpowder, he added.

IBRO does not recommend looking for Bigfoot if you just want photo/video evidence. Nail wants to encourage people to get to know the forest.

Finally, he recommends taking tartar with you on walks to preserve Bigfoot tracks, because it is cheaper than plaster and dries faster.

Meanwhile, the Native Oklahoma Bigfoot Research Organization in Oklahoma is in the middle of a study on McAlester – one of four they conduct annually.

NOBRO bigfoot expert Brian Terrell told us Fox 25 that Oklahoma Sasquatches are usually 8 feet tall. He said their expeditions found huge footprints of towering creatures.

“The largest we’ve reported here in Oklahoma…I think the Southern Bigfoot Alliance guys, Brian Hooland and Shane Church, bought some that were over 20 inches long,”

‘My personal opinion is that they are a relict hominoid that has not yet been discovered. I guess, to put it simply, it’s a different kind of caveman, if that makes it simpler,” Terrell said.

Alaska – which also wasn’t in the top 10 states for most bigfoot sightings – has been linked to the mysterious creature due to speculation about the ‘Alaska Triangle’.

In the Alaska Triangle – a sparsely populated area where hundreds of UFO and ‘bigfoot’ sightings occur – 20,000 people have also disappeared since 1970.

Located between Juneau, Anchorage and the small town of Barrow, the area is reportedly a hotbed of paranormal activity.

Local legends refer to a ‘sasquatch’ creature that terrorizes towns. This includes a settlement called Portlock on the southern edge of the Kenai Peninsula, which was abandoned in the 1950s after villagers were “attacked and killed” by an unknown creature they called the Nantinaq.