Bigfoot Society - We Were Attacked on the Lake: A Daylight Bigfoot Encounter in Michigan

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

In this episode, we explore the extraordinary experiences of Rob from Michigan, known to many as Bigfoot Michigan Rob. Rob shares a detailed firsthand account of a daylight encounter that took place on the waters near Cadillac, Michigan, deep within the Manistee National Forest. What began as a quiet outing quickly unfolded into a series of unsettling events involving unexplained activity from the shoreline and a powerful presence emerging from the forest itself.As Rob recounts the encounter, he reflects on the physical sensations, emotional weight, and lasting impact it had on his life. The conversation expands beyond a single event, touching on the broader pattern of sightings, sounds, and reports connected to the region, including stories shared with him by other witnesses across Michigan. Rob also discusses how this experience reshaped his path and led him to create a platform for others who have lived through similar moments.Join us as we navigate Rob’s compelling account, the mysterious history of Michigan’s forests, and the profound effects these encounters leave behind for those who experience them.Resources: https://www.youtube.com/c/BigfootMichiganRobBMR's books:https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rob-Karnafel/author/B0CFBCSR48Contact Rob here: [e-mail]🗣️ Share Your StoryHad a Bigfoot encounter or strange experience?Send it to [e-mail] – your story might be featured on the show!🎥 Watch & Subscribe on YouTube🔴 Subscribe here → Bigfoot Society YouTube💬 Leave a comment & let us know your thoughts!📞 Leave a voicemail with your story → Speakpipe (Use multiple voicemails if needed)👥 Share this episode → Watch & Share🎧 More episodes → Podcast Playlist🌲 Recommended: New Jersey Bigfoot Encounters💥 Support the Show & Get Perks✅ Join the community on Supercast – Become a Member✅ Listen ad-free & early on YouTube – Join Here📱 Let’s ConnectInstagram: @bigfootsocietyTwitter: @bigfoot_societyTikTok: @bigfoot.society🧰 Tools & Partners I Use (Affiliate Links)These help support the show at no extra cost to you:Beam (Better Sleep): Try BeamWildgrain (Better Bread): Join HereSeed (Probiotics): Get SeedMedi-Share (Healthcare): Learn MoreLMNT (Electrolytes) Free Sample Pack with your first purchase! : Get LMNTOrganic and non-GMO groceries delivered for lesshttp://thrv.me/uarEhS🎙️ Podcasting Tools:Repurpose.io: Try ItDescript: Sign UpStreamyard: Start RecordingRiverside.fm: Try Riverside🎧 My Audio Interface: View on Amazon☕ Buy Me a Coffee – Support Here🛍️ Grab Some Merch – Shop on Etsy📬 Mailing Address:Bigfoot Society125 E 1st St. #233Earlham, IA 50072

As cat parents, writer and I know the feeling of being ignored by our cats. I often wonder, does my cat even love me? Well, there's only one solution to solve that, Shiba. Feed your cat Shiba and go from feeling ignored to truly adored in 12 days, guaranteed or your money back. Sheba has so many incredible products that can satisfy even the pickiest eater, like new Shiba grilled, made in the USA with the finest ingredients from around the world. They are savory strips in a succulent. sauce that cats are sure to love.

And it's 100% complete and balanced with essential vitamins and nutrients for adult cats like my bill. Made without artificial flavors or preservatives, no corn, wheat, or soy. To learn more, check out shiba.com. From the neon lights of the club to the harsh, buzzing lights of the office. Don't let the wear show on your face. Just swipe Mabeline instant eraser concealer to erase the night before, wherever that happens to be.

instantly cover dark circles and under-eye bags for a brighter, more awake look. This do-it-all formula also contours, corrects, and highlights, all while staying lightweight, crease-resistant, and smooth. It may be the world's greatest eraser. Find your shade of instant eraser concealer at your local retailer. During Memorial Day at Lowe's, shop household must-haves for less. Save $80 on the charbroil performance series 4-burner grill

to chef up something special. Plus, get up to 45% off select major appliances to keep things fresh. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Loz, we help you save. Valid through 527. While supplies last, selection varies by location.

See Lowe's.com for details. Visit your nearby lows on West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. You're listening to Bigfoot Society, and I'm Jeremiah Byron. In this show, we go beyond the campfire stories to bring you first-hand encounters from people who say they've seen something impossible, from backwoods trails and remote mountain haulers to quiet farms and crowded highways the stories come from everywhere and each one leaves us with more questions than answers these are the voices of the people who've lived it so settle in because today you'll hear another account that just might change the way you see the woods forever so stay

with us all right bigfoot society we've got the privilege of talking to bigfoot michigan rob today as we were just talking off air it's an interview that probably should have happened a few years ago both of us are so busy. And we had just crazy stuff going on, but I'm glad to have you on the show right now. Rob, how are you doing, sir? I'm doing pretty good. I'm trying to stay warm. You know, as we said backstage, plumbing, boom, went out, unexpected bill. And I must tell you, I sold my snowblower five years ago. Because believe it or not, where I live in Michigan, I'm in the south-eastern part of Michigan. In the last five years, you know what I, we haven't even had white Christmases. It snows maybe five inches in the last five years. And so I said, you know, I'm going to sell my

snowblower. This year is the year where I regretted it because I'm breaking my back every third day, it seems, because we got snow all over the place. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, Iowa was very fortunate. We were just like right above that that line kind of and the rest of the U.S. just got demolished. But yeah, this year Iowa kind of squeaked by. But listeners, you might also know Rob from his YouTube channel. If you just search for Bigfoot Michigan Rob, he's got all sorts of great, great shows out there. And then, of course, he's got a great book series, which is Bigfoot Michigan Rob presents true cryptids, true cryptos encounters book one and two. and I've been I'm reading through the first one right now

it's a great read there's a great collection of not just Bigfoot stuff but I mean you got dogman stuff you got stuff from Michigan you got stuff from Oregon it's from all over the place it's a great read thank you so much for that yeah it took a while to compulate it was I started my channel and yeah it's yeah I started getting these emails and I started calling these people and interviewing them some have been on my show but most had not

So I said, you know, what am I to do with all these stories? Sure, I put a lot of them on YouTube. And I'm like, I think I'm going to put it into a book, you know. So I contacted the folks and made sure it was cool, this, that, and the other. And yeah, and it's kind of, I'm pretty happy with it. Because, you know, I know we're going to get into it a little bit later. And the only reason I did that is because people that have these experiences, no matter what, you know, they don't want to come forward.

And like me, which you'll find out a little bit later, I was lost and alone, ridiculed, judge. And I'm like, I felt, yeah, you know, I didn't like that feeling. And a lot of people want things to share in anonymity, right? But they, it's like therapy. It was for me when I first came forward and said, this is what happened to me. And I said, you know, I don't want other people to feel that way. So I have a safe place to come to, whether it's on the channel or in the book or whatever.

So that's kind of my way of giving back to I never had the opportunity because something was taken from me, as you'll find out throughout today's show. The only reason I started doing my channel was because you give an opportunity for individuals to get it off their chest, to feel that they weren't alone. In fact, on the back of the back cover of my books and an introduction, there's a snippet in there that says, this is for those that no longer have to walk alone and you don't have to feel judge. Because so many people out there, no matter how the encounter plays out, whether it's believable, not believable, it's something that happened to them. And we did not walk in their shoes.

So that was my giving back to what I never had. so that it always stuck with me. My channel is more about helping. Sure, it's entertaining, and I love doing it, but there's a purpose and the mission behind it, and that's to let people know that you're not alone. I love that. That is very, very cool, and it's very close to what I've laid out for my channel.

The difference, I believe, is you're not, So would you say, I'm curious about this because I'm more 100% focused on Bigfoot, and I get like just Bigfoot stuff, but you're getting more than just Bigfoot stuff in your emails. I will say you this. I am. And here's the thing about this. And even guests on the shows, it's like when I first started, okay, it's Bigfoot, Mr. Rob is the name of the channel. because when I first decided to make a YouTube, not even a channel, I told my story many years ago in 2018 on YouTube. It was suggested to me that it was good therapy. So Rob, you don't have a channel,

but hey, set up a YouTube and just put it out there. And so I had no idea what I was doing. I did not even know, Jeremiah, that YouTube had shows, chat rooms. I used YouTube, man, to watch music. That's all I did. I didn't go on YouTube how to bake a cake, how to fix a flat. I had no idea that there was shows and these downloads and documentation, right?

And so, okay, my very first video I did, I had no clue what I was doing. I mean, it was very grainy and very, uh, I did that. And in three days, man, I had 3,500 views. And I got a lot of positive feedback. And I said, wow, this is something else. So I said, maybe I can turn this into something, right? Because people just reached out. And a lot of people that lived in Cadillac, Michigan, which is where my encounter took place, said, Rob, yes, I believe you because we've heard similar things.

So back to your original question, Bigfoot Michigan, Rob evolved because, well, my name is Rob. I live in Michigan. I saw Bigfoot, Bigfoot Michigan, Rob evolved. But, unknowingly to me, it went down a whole different rabbit hole, the dog man, the paranormal, the alien, the UFO. And I started getting flooded with all sorts of phenomena, which blew my mind. I'm like, I know nothing about UFOology, you know, I know nothing about this, that, and the other, the paranormal.

And so it kind of evolved. And then I said, man, I got to change my channel name because now I just don't do Bigfoot anymore. I do everything. And then all my audience, so I put out a poll, should I change my channel name? No, Rob, keep it at that. Then after a while, it's like, I'm not going to bother. Because most people know now that it's just not Bigfoot eccentric. trick because to me, I don't know what your thought is, all this phenomenon, all of it,

cryptids and otherwise, to me it's related. There's a commonality between all of this stuff. A hundred percent. I agree with you, 100 percent. And once you get opened up, so most witnesses I talk to, I would say more than 100 percent probably, once they are, they have this interaction with a big foot. but then you can almost bet on it, they're going to have other stuff happen.

It's like every time you can almost like put a, have a bingo chart in front of you and be like, oh, yep, there's now the weird stuff starts happening at home. Or it's just, it's very weird how it all relates together. And but Rob, you know, I think do you mind sharing what you experienced, that Bigfoot encounter, that kind of, you know, made all this occur for you and what happened to you back in that day.

No, I'd love to. And I'll preface everything by saying for your audience, when I was growing up, my dad brought me and my brother up on two things that he was passionate about. One was sports and the other was monster movies. So at a very young age, I was introduced to the black and whites, Bella Legosi, Dracula, Launcini, the Wolfman, Boris Karloff Frankenstein, and then of course the sports world. And so I fell in love with monsters. And then later on in life, I saw the Patterson Gimlin film. And then I saw Leonard Nimoy in search of about Bigfoot.

I'm like, wow, I think this, yeah, and I'm open-minded. I'm like, yeah, it's a possibility. I think maybe this exists. but prior to my Bidfoot experience, I kind of, I realize this today, and I did not realize this when I was a young man, little boy, young man. I had seen ghosts in my lifetime growing up.

Now I know it for a fact were ghosts, and I can say that. I seen a UFO. My mom pointed out, I saw a UFO with my mother. When I was married, you know, I saw shadow people. with my wife, very freaking and strange things, but what pulled it all together and made me realize that,

yes, there's something to all of this is when I did have my bigfoot encounter. And of course, I had this after I was married. I got married in my early 20s, ended up getting divorced. And so I had this girlfriend of mine, her name was Cindy, and I wanted to surprise her and take her to Cadillac, Michigan. Now, Cadillac, Michigan sits in the Manistee National Forest. It's in Wexford County.

And as I found out later on, after investigating all this, after this experience, Wexford County is number one, the alleged capital of Dogman. And there's been numerous Bigfoot encounters in Wexford, particularly the Manistine National Forest, which is I've really dived into this forest. I found out later on there's a lot of sections of the forest and the forest is huge. It encompasses Lake Michigan to Lake Huron about three hours north of me and it's just a vast forest. There are suggested curses put on the land by First Nations when the Europeans, the white man took over the land and pillaged the Indian folks. It was just, and all these things, right, and all this weird phenomena, which I found out later.

So anyway, going back to the story, my encounter, this is where it takes place, Manessie National Forest, Wexford, Michigan, Lake Cadillac. So I call up my girlfriend, Cindy, did not live with me at the time. We were, you know, boyfriend, girlfriend. I said, look, I want to take you to Cadillac, Michigan. Here's what we're going to do. Yes, I want to do some fishing, because I want to introduce you to the outdoors because I am an outdoorsman. to hike a lot and just enjoy Mother Nature.

She's like really fishing. I said, yes, but Cadillac is very quaint. There's a lot of little small, it's a smaller town, things for us both to do, antique shops. Yes, you'll have fun, but, you know, let's do something. So as it turned out, I had a friend that was involved in real estate and he had this house you had up for sale. And he said, and I was talking, he says, hey, man, I'll let you use a house for the

weekend. I'm like, oh, cool. And then he said, I know a place where you can rent a small little skiff-type boat and go out fishing and explore the lake. I'm like, cool. So I get there and I remember these days distinctly. This was June 15th of 2018, not on the weekend. So when I get there, it's kind of everyone's at work, this, that, and the other. And I always like to paint the picture of this story.

So Cindy and I get there, we get the little skiff. we got the nice little cabin we had a nice place to stay and this day was was a beautiful day it was blue skies sun was out and the forest emerald green it was just a beautiful day and it's always important that i tell people the description of how vibrant the day was Cindy and I, we get out about 10 o'clock in the morning and we're on Lake Cadillac. Now, Lake Cadillac is pretty nicely built up back during this time. There's a variety of homes, a million-dollar homes, $200,000 homes, very diverse, a lot of small mom-and-pop businesses and small industries along the lake.

So you can see this. And so we're out fishing after about an hour. Cindy's getting bored. Frankly, we're not catching anything. So I said, well, let's do some exploring. Let's, you know, let's reel the lines in. Let's just, you know, take this little skiff and drive around the lake. We're checking out the scenery.

Then I come across this canal or a channel, which led to an adjacent lake called Lake Mitchell. Now, Lake Mitchell, not as built up around the shoreline as much as Lake Cadillac, But there were homes there, yes, but it backed up. The backdrop was the Manistee National Forest. It's there. And the forest drops right into the shoreline. And Cindy and I noticed it might be a little bit bigger than Lake Cadillac, to be honest with you. And so we're like, wow, this is beautiful.

So we're taking the scenery. And then I found a spot in a cove, which is called Mitchell Cove. And this is the spot. we're going to catch some fish. So I slow down the trolling motor very slowly. I'm drifting 90 feet from shore perhaps. And I get to change the bait on the fishing rod and reels. So Cindy's kind of gazing out into the scenery and I'm down there not paying any attention. And she says, hey, Rob, I think somebody's throwing rocks at the boat. I'm like, what, really? I don't hear anything. And I looked at the shoreline.

nothing. I said, it's probably just some fish jumping around. We got a great area. She goes, yeah, maybe. Okay. 60 seconds later, Rob, someone's throwing rocks at the boat. I just seen a rock fly from the tree line. I like, Cindy, okay, I looked at the shoreline. I'm like, there's no any, I said, honey, there's nobody there. So she's getting a little perturbed. I said, look, honey, I'm not saying no one is, but let me finish what I'm doing, get the bait and tackle together and you and I can both together observe. Fine, fine, Rob. So I'm looking down into the boat and then for whatever the reason, I stop and I look up

and I see something coming out of the beautiful blue sky. And it's like a rock about the size of a baseball. And sure enough, Jeremiah, it lands maybe four feet in front of our boat. And I go look to Cindy to kind of apologize because, yes, this was launched from the tree line. I turned to look at Cindy. Cindy is standing up at this point on the boat, and at this time, I must mention Cindy was a son worshipper, a goddess. She already on June 15th had a ripping tan head and toe. I'm looking at her. She's affixated at shoreline. I must tell you that all the color in her skin was drained. That tan was dull. And I'm thinking, what does she look?

at and I looked to the shoreline in a little clearing there is this I always say nine-foot figure standing upright arms on the side covered in beautiful reddish brown hair from head to toe with the exception of the face and I also have to include that this body was robust it had have been four feet white. This was the biggest thing, and yes, thing I'd ever seen in my life. And people ask, how did you see the face so well? I said, it was humongous. It was easy to see the head. It was humongous because I noticed the face, it's gray. It kind of look wrinkled. And I noticed that it looked like an odd human being. It had like an offset. The eyes were soft, big bulbous eyes, opaque, and gray skin and a gray chest.

And again, its arms were on the side. And I'm like, holy cow, I'm trying to process this. I didn't have enough time because all of a sudden, then the arms that were on its side, it kind of raises like an airplane, like wings, and all this hair is draping down. But then it rolls back its head. and that gray grizzle human-looking face got very taught, very tight, almost turned like a purple color.

The eyes roll back black, and the jaw distends literally, almost like Pac-Man, right? Remember back in the day? Down a little bit. This mouth is open. I see two teeth up top and two on the bottom and darkness inside the mouth. Huge. You could fit a softball in there.

And as it leans back, It let south this god-awful, roar, scream, and yell all in unison without moving the lips. And it would remind me at this time of a demon. It looked like something out of a Marvel comic book. It was scary. When it let out that roar across the water from the shoreline, I felt the reverberation hit me. I felt it hit me.

Shockwave. whatever. And I kind of take a stumble back. Cindy, all 5 foot 110 pounds is standing up and she gets flipped into the water off of the boat. Now, mind you, everybody, the boat's a skiff. It's maybe six and a half, eight inches out of the water, no more than eight foot long. It's two people, a two person vessel. She falls into the water. Yes, she can swim, but of course I go to help her.

Now at this instance, all of a sudden, that's why I like to say earlier in this show, in this podcast, I'd like to describe the day because here's what happens. All of a sudden, the beautiful blue sky, the emerald green forest, this reddish brown creature, everything, and I'm looking through a filter, a grainy filter, the colors dissipated into like a black and white grain. granular film. Now I try to move to my right to get Cindy into the boat. I'm paralyzed. I cannot move. I cannot see correctly. Cognizance is gone. And I'm just in my head shaking in my head, trying to shake my head. Rob, Rob, snap out of this. I have no idea what's happening to me. All of a sudden, I snap out of it. The color comes back. and I gained my cognizance back. Cindy's already almost halfway back into the skiff.

I get her in. Then I tell you what might have been even more terrifying is this. I look to the shoreline, this creature's gone. Don't know where it is. Does it swim? Is it coming after us? I don't know. So I turn that skiff round and I beeline across Lake Mitchell.

I hit that canal. I hit Lake Cadillac and I beeline all the way to shore. Get out, Dr. Skiff somewhere. Grab Cindy. At this point, it's maybe 1220 in the afternoon. Cindy's freezing. I try to warm her up. Go up this little hill in about half block up.

We see this bar restaurant. We walk, excuse me, we walk into it. Again, it's like the middle of the week, not very crowded. I remember distinctly looking to the right. There's a couple at the bar end of the bar sitting there. I look to the left. Nobody on the left, and there's boots along the back wall, and I beeline to the very back far corner with Cindy.

We both sit down across from each other. Cindy's not a drinker. I owned a bar. Cindy came and visited me all the time. Never seen to drink anything in her life. The waitress comes up, goes to Cindy. Hi, what you having? Cindy says, I want a bottle.

a bottle light and shot at Jack Daniels. I'm like, wow, okay. Waitress looks to me, what you have. And I said, you know what, I'll have the same, make mine a double. She leaves, Cindy are looking at each other. We are not communicating. We're not even talking. Shock, processing, whatever's going out at this point.

Marmade comes back, puts a bottle of butt light in front of Cindy, shot Jack. I get two bottles of butt light and two shots of Jack. Cindy takes a shot of Jack and she puts it back like she'd been drinking for 50 years. Bottle of a butt leg, guzzles half the bottle. I do the same. Cindy says to me, Robbie, what do you think that was? I said, honey, I'd throw the question back at her.

I had kind of an idea from my earlier childhood. What do you think that was? she says, I think it was that Bigfoot creature. Mind you, Cindy and I during our relationship, never spoke about Bigfoot cryptids, paranormal, nothing. I'm like, you know what? I think maybe it was.

She says to me, should we call the sheriff, the DNR report what we saw? And I says to her, and tell her exactly what? Not tell her, tell them exactly what? I don't think so. I'm already thinking, yeah, ain't going to believe this, right? So she goes, yeah, you're probably right. So we could not concentrate and unfortunately the trip was wrecked. We tried to go into town, but this experience we had was just weighing on us.

Unfortunately, we leave a couple days early, man. I think the next morning we just went home. soon as we get home, we immerse ourselves on the internet, type it in Bigfoot, typing in demons. Then I go on YouTube and never really use it. I started typing Bigfoot and watching videos that were pulling up. And we did this for a long time. And, you know, nothing really satisfied what I was looking for. The creature I saw kind of didn't.

look like what I was seeing in images and I discovered some YouTube shows, podcasts, but nothing, it just didn't seem right. So I'm trying to reach out to people and I, I'm a novice, I don't know any connections in this field. So again, Cindy didn't live with me. She lived with her mother. Now, her mother, I have to tell you, did not like me, did not like me at all. the mother thought I was a demon.

She was very religious, Italian background. I owned a bar, therefore I was a demon. Yeah, it was bad. She despised me. She did. So, as I mentioned earlier, June 15th of 2018, we had this encounter together. I get a call the morning of August 15th, 2018 from her mom.

And I'm like, her mom's calling me. This is weird. Hello? Oh, this is Cindy's mom. I'm like, yeah. I just want to let you know, Cindy died of a heart attack this morning. And she goes,

and I blame you. She wasn't quite right when she came back from that little trip. I'm like, what are you talking about? Cindy was a heart attack. I don't believe that. Is this a silly prank? No, you're not invited to the funeral.

If you show up, I'm going to have you thrown out. Sure enough, she passed away, Jeremiah. I go, I find out where the funeral is. I go there. And yeah, I was escorted out of there. Never had the closure. Never said goodbye. Dude.

Oh, man, I got to tell you. So, I went a deep, dark place, man. I had no closure with my girlfriend. I don't know what happened. Anyway, I immersed myself deeper to the subject, right? But I'm not getting answers, right? And I went in a dark place. People didn't believe me.

They were calling me making things up. It was terrible. It got so bad that I went to my bar and I told my manager, I have to take a leave of absence because I don't know what going on. boss what's up what's up i can't explain it to you man just hear the keys put the money to bank i trust you i'll be back when i get back i left work man i didn't go back to work for six months because i locked myself in my house investigating and trying to find people didn't find anybody that would help me anybody man i was lost i was alone so i'm watching a youtube video this guy

Carrie Arnold, Bigfoot Odyssey, puts his phone number, and he told his encounter story, which was terrifying. It kind of reminded me of mine. Like I said, he leaves his number. I call him. That's a phone call I made in my life. He's such a great man, and he's passed on now, as you might know. Rob, you're not going crazy. And we spoke.

A total stranger, I happened to catch his very first video about his encounter. counter. We talk, my friend, we talk to a stranger. Man, we, I remember I called him by eight o'clock at night. We got it off the phone at midnight. And then later on, it was suggested, you got to get this out. Then I did that dumb video. And then, you know, then I said, you know what, I'm starting a channel because I want to help people because I says, you know, I can't help Cindy any longer. And that's the mystery in itself. So I started doing this simply to share a other people's experiences because I walked forever alone, man, in darkness.

I got my bar together, got my senses together, continued out with the bar business. I got somewhat back to normal. I end up selling the bar in 2020, ironically, on Thanksgiving when we had the big, you know, pandemic hit, which was fortunate. And so I've kind of, this is what I've been doing, sharing people's stories, telling mine having guests on researchers witnesses because i for me i'm giving back to the people i'm not doing for fame of fortune man i am in the spot today where i just want to help others go through what i went through and that's what happened to me bro rob i've actually never heard your story before

and i am just this is just heartbreaking to hear i'm so sorry that you lost cindy and that you weren't able to have that closure. I had no idea. I had absolutely no idea. My goodness, it's so good to see you in a good place now, though, and helping people. You know, because I tell you, there's a point my life for I didn't care about the business. I didn't care about me. I just want to figure what to happen.

And I tell you what, this would have been a very cool, and careful. counter, frankly, because if Cindy didn't pass away, because when this happened, certainly I was furious with her mom, but I was furious with myself. I wanted to go back. I almost called a bunch of my hunting buddies, and I wanted to go back and hunt this thing and kill it. See, you know, and I, that's what I wanted to do. My first encounter with Bigfoot was crazy. And even to this day, You have all these people out there, and people get mad at me, but it doesn't matter to me because a lot of people, Jeremiah, you know this,

Bigfoot's the friendly forest giant, this, that, and the other, and I will tell you this, I thought the Bigfoot, because of the, what happened with that, people say Infrasound, it was bigger than that. I don't know. I still don't know what that was. I thought it killed her. I thought it messed up her body. I did.

Today I don't really believe that way per se. I don't believe it was a demon either after I've been doing this stuff since 2018, really. I've talked to hundreds and hundreds of people as you have, so I have a better understanding. But I just thought it was a nasty creature. Today I don't really think so. I get it. But I'm not going to let my kids play alone in the forest if there's a lot. a family of Bigfoot at my tree line. I'm not. Some people do. I don't. I wouldn't.

My goodness. Yeah, I would not do that either. Maybe a few questions about your actual encounter. How long do you think that from when you first had the first part of the sighting to then you're, okay, let's get out of here. We're going to take the boat out of here. How long was that? funny thing about that, and I forgot to mention this, I don't know why it slipped my mind. When this all happened, that roar and that transformation, and then everything's grainy, I can't move. It seemed like it lasted in eternity, but I will tell you this, it was probably no longer than 20 seconds.

I'm just guessing. But as soon as I looked to that short, what I got my cognizance's back and Cindy was secured, when I've seen there was nothing there, it freaked me out. And so I whipped it around. The question that's odd is I can't give you a time frame how long this all took. Sure, my encounter was, I think it was 20 minutes worth of stuff, but the actual physical seeing it and everything that happened, 30 seconds or less. I'm guessing to this day, it's almost like memory. It's almost like time loss in its sense, you know?

Yeah. Absolutely. Did you notice if it, oh, before I asked that, how far away from it were you guys in the boat? I always say, I guess to make 90 feet because I remember it was kind of like, because I attended a lot of baseball games. It was kind of like from first to second base. And people say, man, that was kind of a distance, but not really. And that's why I always have to tell people something nine foot tall, approximately, four foot wide, that's humongous. and that head was humongous.

I could see it very distinctly. I have pretty good vision. And it was, yeah, I caught every detail. Oh, absolutely. I mean, being that close, you definitely would. Did you notice if its eyes were just all one color, or did they seem to have whites on the sides of them? In the very beginning, as I probably described earlier,

the eyes seem opaque, you know, off-colored. but then when it kind of did that metamorphosis i guess you could call it guys roll back dark black okay yeah and then and that face turned from that grungy looking human because it looked very human but just a person not like neanderthal looking right but then it looked it they looked that looked like something totally different right i turned purple it just looked horribly terrifying that's actually something I wanted to ask you about. So that's really interesting. So when you say it looked purple, like the skin turned a shade of purple or what do you mean

exactly about that? Well, what happened? The grayish in the beginning, as I said, it was a grayest, crusty, it seemed like it was this older person just again. But when it did that move, whatever it did, that skin got very taught. It was almost reminded me like blood. was just rushing to its head. Okay. Yeah.

You know, it was ready to explode. And with the yell and the scream, it was considerably loud. And in fact, here's an interesting thing. When I first put that out and when I started years later, well, later on telling the story, I've gotten so many emails about people hearing that roar out in that area,

not seeing one, but they believe something's out there. no doubt about it i ask about the purple thing because um i have heard another individual uh actually this is at saskatch summer fest in oakridge uh last year a mother uh shared with me about how one of her sons uh they had a uh RV type set up out in the woods and uh he's like i just saw a purple a big foot that looked purple at the time i was like that's really weird because I've never heard that. I've talked to hundreds of people and and I've heard someone else say it. I need to look that up to get the details on that again. And now you kind of have this detail. It's very, very interesting. Now, you kind of alluded to it already, but,

you know, I've talked to a few individuals about this area in Michigan and there's so much interesting Bigfoot things going on. I mean, just in in Meek, Michigan, which is a little bit northwest, I talked to these guys, and they actually call Bigfoot in that area,

the Marilla gorilla, which is really interesting. I mean, there's so much, so many things. And then the dog man encounter on Tony Merkel's show. Oh, yeah.

You know the one I'm talking about. That happened in the same forest, I think. But, you know, after, you know, let's say maybe a few years after this, it sounds like you're starting to get emails from people that are experiencing the same sounds. But did you also do a deep dive into, okay, you know, what else is going on? How much, how many other Bigfoot reports have been seen in this forest around the area that I had this encounter? Oh, there's reported.

I've seen probably like last time I checked, and it's been a while ago, I think in the, in the, in the Wexford County, which is part of the county, which is in the Madison National Forest, there is like 109 Bigfoot encounters allegedly reported.

And that's, and you know, they're not all reported. And then it's funny. are interesting that as I mentioned backstage it opened up this can of worms or this rabbit hole from folks that would say about dogman about the enchanted forest, the cursed land

because in 1987 there was a you know it got a lot of steam was brought upon you know Linda Godfrey came out the Beast of Prairie Road as we all know God rest of soul right? Yeah. So I started looking into that. But then it was told to me by several people that are in the dogman field, I guess you could call it, that Wexford County is, quote, unquote, the capital of dogman sightings. And also a lot of Bigfoot encounters. There's also a lot of paranormal experiences outside of these things. And I just happen to think that this is somewhat related because I know, and I study

the Manistee National Forest, let me tell you, And the first dog man account, and a lot of this goes back to dog, and Paris, Michigan, 1937 was the first actual creature that they coined a dog man before 87. When they saw kind of in Michigan, it broke loose in 87. There was a radio guy that made a jingle about the dog man. You know, I think we've all heard that story before, which was started out as a joke. But when people heard that, they said, no, no, no, no. bad is no joke there are things out there i got my my show jody cook uh he's a dog man guy but he found

came across and seen a bigfoot in wexford county he had seen the dogman in wexford county and i will tell you the state of michigan you know we always hear about the pacific northwest which is you know we always hear those stories but where i live about 300 miles north of me, 200. That's a prime area. If you're a researcher, I don't call myself a researcher. I do go out in the woods and investigate things. But I'm more about the guy that tells everyone else's story.

You know, that's what I do. But in my state of Michigan, and I'm not even including the Upper Peninsula, there's a lot of cryptid activity. I like to say cryptid because there's both. you know what I'm saying. And it's very fascinating. And then, of course, we're surrounded by these haunted lighthouses and all these other mysteries of the woods that to me, it all kind of blends together. I'm learning this the more I do this.

But yes, back to your original question. Yeah, there's a hundred. You know, I think there is probably in my state alone, maybe three or four hundred. of them throughout the years from and again reports you can't rely on the reports as much but from people that have told me i've had probably 50 people in the last four years yes they've seen bigfoot in these areas they've seen dog man in these areas rob you are not crazy you you you're on to it there is something out there and and so yes so it's opened up that rabbit hole that proverbial rabbit hole which is why I love doing what I do today

because it's such a mystery that I just find it fascinating. And in retrospect, I never thought I'd be in back of a mic, man. You know, it's just weird how your path in life changes because the path in my life has changed because of this. Oh, same.

100%. It's crazy to, think about. Man. It really is. Yeah. That just that took, that took me back for a bit to think about. It really, it changed, it changed so much.

The entire family tree from here on now. Yeah. Rob, you've talked to so many people over the years and, you know, on your show and through email. And is there maybe one or two? accounts that people have told you that or shared with you that that really stick out that were you're like wow I feel really privileged to to be a part of this person's story by them telling me yeah there's there's several two always hit me right off the bat and again and one is in

Michigan and I found this story I was talking this man I interviewed him like on a stream yard thing and he sent an email I said I got to call this guy I got to hold this guy and so he lives in the upper peninsula of Michigan keeping it in Michigan in the porcupine mountains and it's such a

fascinating and this guy is he told me Rob I'm a Bigfoot researcher reaching out to you this that and the other and very very vested into the research but never came across anything he found some prints, the typical, the print, the X, you know, the X structures we all hear about, this, that, and the other. And one day he was driving down the freeway or the interstate up

north. And he saw, wow, this looks like a great idea, a great spot to go investigate. So he pulls his Jeep or truck off on his side of the road, and he's walking down the tree line. And it was very dense and he can't get in, but he sees this small opening. And he goes inside. This, he says, Rob's middle of day, I go inside. And it was almost like an above-ground tunnel. The way the trees were formed, it was like an arch. And as he's proceeding in this above-ground alleged tunnel of trees,

he pulls out his machete because it started getting dense. And he's cutting away, cutting away, and opening up this pathway. But then he said to me, he says, Rob, I got this feeling that I should turn around. He got that instinct. Rob, you know what I did? I turned around and I left. And he goes, that's unlike me.

So he says, I pondered this for several days and a couple weeks. Why did I, what made me turn around? This is what I do. He goes back. Finds the spot. Took him a minute to find the location because very, The average guy can't, you can't pick it out. I mean, it's just a tree line, right?

Finds his area, and he proceeds further in this path, and he's going forward. God has machete. He's hacking away. Bennett opens up, and he says the trees kind of hovered low. Maybe he had to start ducking down. It was like five foot, so he's ducking down. Then as he was walking, he notices he's getting closer and closer. then all of a sudden he smells something rotting.

And again, even though it's a bright, sunny day, it's very dark in there. In fact, he said he forgot his flashlight. Didn't think he'd need one. Then he trips over something. He falls through the ground, and he's covered in blood. Then he realizes he tripped over a freshly dead carcass of a deer. Okay, so he doesn't want, he says, Rob,

did not want to turn around. So I just proceeded further past this deer. Then ahead, he sees an opening a light ahead where the tunnel, the tree, the tunnel of trees was ending. Then all of a sudden, in the back of him, he hears something walking. But not walking bipedalite because, again, this is only like maybe five foot in depth. And he says, I'm a five foot eight guy. So I was crouched down. but he hears something in back of him.

He's like, oh no. And he thinks that maybe he stumbled into a bear den. And that was the bear's kill. Continues on. Now he sees his tunnel of light. He says, yeah, I've got to continue on toward the light. But then he says, Rob, for whatever reason, I've got to look over my shoulder. Now he says what he looks over is, and he sees this in his shadows.

He doesn't see a creature standing up, but he sees something that was walking like big spider. He thinks what? This is the porcupine mountains. And he thinks what he's looking at is a humongous spider. He says that the tunnel of trees, the width of it was maybe six feet, five and a half six feet. But he can see like arms extended out, crawling. And they pretty much was the width of this tunnel of trees.

He's like, what, is this a spider? He's thinking, what? It ain't no bear. So this guy, and I was terrified, and he's not running because he knows about the predatory instinct. You run, you're done. And he continues forward, getting closer to the light. Then he finally breaks out into this meadow, this pasture. It's maybe 100 yards in depth. And at the other end of the pasture is another tree line, another set of woods.

so he kind of picks up his step a little bit but all of a sudden he says Rob I have to stop I have to look over my shoulder he goes what I saw when I looked over my shoulder was not a gigantic spider which is what he was envisioning he says it was this tall and he says he thinks it was a big foot

it was tall and standing there looking at him and he turns his head around and he continues to walk. He's not chased. It doesn't pursue him. Does not look back over his shoulder. He's still terrified. He gets to the tree line. Now he says, man, where am I?

I'm lost. I don't know how to get back. I'm not going back that way because his entire navigation system in his mind is blown. Don't know if he had a GPS or anything like that. So he gets into the woodline. He finds his natural tree. follows the trail to the freeway he's like man oh where's my vehicle I don't know where I'm mad so a semi truck a big a semi guy semi driver and this was a logging country it was a logging vehicle right and the guy you know pulls the thumb hey tries the flag up now so the man in the vehicle stops and he looks at this guy and this guy forgets he fell into he fell into the

the dead carcass of the deer and this guy doesn't even realize it but his clothes are covered in blood and this guy kind of looks at him you in trouble here should I trust you what's going he goes no I was back in the woods

I fell into a dead deer carcass this is deer blood I don't know why I'm at I'm lost I got scared he doesn't really mention the other thing that what had led to his being terrified. He goes, okay, get on in. Where's your vehicle?

He goes, I think he told him the highway road. Did he remember? He goes, oh, I know where that is. It's about, check this out. He goes, it's about a 25-minute ride. And this guy's like, really? That's how far off course I am, which I found that to be bizarre. So these guys are chit-chat.

And this truck driver senses that this guy, there's more to this guy's story other than the deer. He goes, look, pal, tell me, I've been, I lived into porcupine mountains, I've seen it all. Tell me this, something happened. Tell me, you're with a friend. I'm not, I trust you.

Guys, well, you're not going to believe this. He told him a story. And this guy looks at him, and he says, oh, I believe you. He goes, what do you mean? That was Sasquatch. You saw Sasquatch. They're all over here.

That's what you saw. The guy kind of thought he did after a while because, you know, we've all heard about the Sasquatch shoe in the spider crawl. You ever get stories or forth? Oh, yeah. Oh, just wild stuff. Yeah. So the man, they finally find his vehicle.

Thanks him. He goes, hey, good luck. They're there. They're Sasquatch. Just that and the other. He goes, good luck to you and your future. And they parted ways. And he says, Rob, that was my, my experience.

And I drove home. And he goes, He hasn't gone back yet because he just was frazzled, you know, because people don't understand when you see something, okay, you're a Bigfoot researcher and you believe in Bigfoot, but it doesn't matter until you physically see something like this. You cannot process this stuff. I could process my experience.

So I can see where you might have a change of tune in attitude. Right. Oh my goodness. That is that is an intense story. And that's, is that one that you can listen to on your channel as well? That's in the book. That's a book. I don't know if you got through to book yet. That's in the one, one or book one or two. It's in there. Porcupine Mountain Bigfoot or something. Okay. Yeah. I went to Missouri in September. My group did the Crossing Rebels Conference.

Got some incredible stories from people. It's so funny. You know, it's cool. I mean, it's so surreal because I set up camp, I brought my books, and I got to tell you, you don't think that people follow you. It's just so amazing to meet people. I've been following your show forever. You're awesome. I got your books. People brought their book to the conference for me to sign.

And I got two pretty incredible stories, you know, from people here on. I got to tell you this story. An amazing event. And the people in this environment, they're so nice. A lot of them are. You know, we always hear about the backstabbing and all the BS. I don't want to talk about, but there's so many genuine people that they're just bulging to tell you their story. Oh, yeah.

And I picked up some stories, which I haven't shared yet, but amazing things. I got a story from a guy who saw a werewolf, as he said, but he says, well, probably was a dog man, picking apples off of his family's orchard tree and eating them and staring at the guy. Wow. You know, I mean, just some amazing things. I'm a believer. First of all, I'm a no or not a believer. I've seen what I've seen, but it's just so funny that people just don't believe in

this stuff. And I guess I get it, but man, it goes on every day in our backyards. Literally. Literally, depending where you, you, where you're at. And I know, like, so are, when you say your southeast Michigan, um, is that, that, is that over north of Detroit or south of it, like that area? I am south of Detroit.

I'm close to the Detroit River, which doesn't run too far from here. So when I say southeast, it's like Bloomfield Hills down, wind out in the down river. Yeah, we're just, I'm just south. I'm 20 minutes from downtown Detroit on the freeway. Oh, wow. And that area was extremely, I mean, it had that big thing. That was in Monroe, I think, that happened the last year, right? There was a big foot encounter in Monroe, a husband, a man and a son,

seeing this bigfoot crawl out of a creek covered in mud and run up a hill. Yeah, that was in Monroe, Michigan. In fact, Monroe, Michigan, there's about four or five sightings there. There's another one in Monroe, Michigan, called the River Raisin, which actually runs to a huge golf course. And there's been alleged Bigfoot reports there as well. And believe it or not, allegedly, there was a Bigfoot spotted in downtown Detroit in a McDonald's going through the dumpster. I believe it. You know?

I mean, crazy stuff, man. And I'll tell you why, because I've also talked to a gentleman about a Bigfoot encounter he had in Detroit. And that gentleman was Violent J. from ICP. I was able to interview him a few years ago. And he has a wild Bigfoot encounter in the middle Detroit. So, yeah, I don't think it's out of the question that stuff is even happening in that city. Yeah, it is. And I will tell you this.

And the things about Detroit, I've heard, okay, here's. the thing Detroit is humongously big, the inner city, and a lot of it runs along the Detroit River, and there's a wildlife, and there's forests. I mean, when I say forest, not like you're thinking, there's, that's woods, right? They're not even named a national park or state park, but it's woods. And as the more, when I started really diving into researching this stuff, Bigfoot is, travels among the waterways, you know, the interstate. the what you call the power lines in the woods, right?

I mean, railroad tracks that go on and on and on. And parts of Detroit, you know, it's lined by the Detroit River, and there's so many abandoned buildings that people, the police don't even go into. You don't even know what's back there. Because I can very easily see them coming out from the waterway, the river, the surrounding wood, lines, right? And maybe they're thereby a mistake, maybe they're not, you know. So I don't rule out

these creatures, Bigfoot, whatever you call them. I still don't even have an exact word to what they call them, right? They're all over, man. And I think there's more out there than people think. I agree. And I had reports about dogmen on, uh, in Grozel, Michigan, on all the surrounding islands that there's things out there. Oh my goodness. I mean, it's, yeah, it's, this fascinating to me, you know, and, but yes, I thought that was such a story, though, okay, at a McDonald's dumpster eating, you know, a big mac. I mean, I'm just, I made that up, but you know what I'm saying?

It's just funny. I mean, it, it is, it's funny, but it's also like, it fits the pattern where they're going to take the easy if they find a place with a lot of food like that or maybe if someone in Oklahoma is is holding onto deer that that are on freezers on their front porch they're going to take that easy route or they go to casinos with the geese grip the casinos with the grease trap dumpsters in the back and that's happened too so I mean yeah there's all sorts weird funny stories, but I think there's definitely some truth to them too. But, you know, Rob, it has been such a privilege to be able to have a conversation with you finally.

But I want to make sure that you're able to take a few minutes to share, you know, how people can make sure they keep up to date with what you're doing, watch your shows, and, you know, pick up a copy of your books as well. Oh, I appreciate that. Yeah, simply YouTube, I'm on YouTube, and it's very easy. It's Bigfoot Michigan, Rob, on YouTube. This is my fourth year doing it, and the show. I have three shows. Tuesday night is the live interview show where I have guests that are either

experiencers or researchers, and we talk about all the cryptids and the paranormal. I mean, we've kind of made it a goal to be more diverse, so you'll get the cryptids, you'll get some UFO stuff. So that's Tuesday at 9th. I'm also on Thursday afternoon at 1 and Saturday night at 11. So I'm on three live shows a week. I'm also got the two books called Bigfoot Mission Rob presents True Crypton Encounters book one and two.

All you need to do there is type Bigfoot Mission Rob in your Amazon browser. And I got links and stuff on my profile page of my YouTube channel. And I'm on Twitter, X, Instagram. You know, you can look me up. It's very easy to find. All you do is type Bigfoot, Mr. Rob, all my stuff pulls up. I kind of set it up that way. And I'm looking to develop a website.

And I'm a mutual friend of ours, Bigfoot Fidesz. I like to give for a shout out. She helps me out a lot of stuff. And we're going to be putting together a website where I can put all my stuff. Because I'm also going to be selling my gear. People want, I usually wear Bigfoot Mr. Rob bandanas. So I'm finally going to get picking those and I'll be doing that, all the knicknacks, you know, stuff like that.

But my biggest thing is my YouTube channel, it's my baby. It's why I started. If I never had this encounter, BMR would not exist. He would just be some dude. But I had a life-changing experience. I'd like to share this phenomenon with everybody

because everybody should be at least aware. And it's a safe place to come. You won't be judged. You won't be ridiculed like I was. That's why I really do it, to be honest. 100% shout out to Bigfoot

Fades. I call it. It's not purpose. I know it's fades. Also, one last thing. How can,

if people want to reach out to you specifically maybe about an encounter or just to ask you question, is there a way they can contact

you directly? Oh, yeah. My email is beyond BMR and gmail. So B-E-Y-E-Y-E-E-Y-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-A. O-N-D, blah-blah, bigfoot. Beyond BMR at g-mail.com.

Perfect. That's awesome. Just in case I want to make sure you're getting that Michigan stuff. Yeah, no, I tell you, I do get a lot of Michiganers. I get a lot of stuff from Michigan. And, you know, in other states, they've been picking up over the last couple of years. So I just can't, I'm very happy and proud of what I've been doing. And, yeah, and I love the audience and the people that, uh, that,

join your show like you your awesome show i love bigfoot society i listen to it when i can thank you and i do when i don't want to watch a live show that's where i go let's do a nice podcast because you do do a great job great stories great guests and you do a great job so hats off to you as well thank you well well bigfoot michigan rob uh thank you so much for coming on the show we'll be watching to see what you come out with next but uh thank you so much for coming on hey thank you so much Have you ever heard all the accounts of Bigfoot activity around Oak Ridge, Oregon? And you think to yourself, man, I would love to get out in those woods and experience it for myself. Well, guess what?

This year, you can. If this is interesting to you, stay tuned because it's pretty cool. Sasquatch Summerfest is coming up July 10th through the 11th, 2026. It's going to be even better than the previous year's recent. number one, I'll be one of the speakers. It's going to be wild. I'll probably, I'll say this. There may be stuff you haven't heard anywhere else because, let's just say sometimes

it's, well, you just got to be there. We'll leave it that. More about looking for Bigfoot in the Oak Ridge Woods. Now check this out. You may know Jason Kenzie from his documentary series searching for Sasquatch. well this year you can not only go to the festival but you can also sign up for a track deep in the wild forest outside of oakridge with jason kensy to the bigfoot spots to look for big foot there's only eight spots to sign up for this and yes this will also be filmed for the next chapter in his documentary series which is searching for saskatch this is a once in a lifetime deal it's just trust me it's going to be a wild

wild experience to get a ticket head on over to saskwatch summerfest.com and listeners can use the code BSP like Bigfoot Society podcast in order to get a two-day pass

for the price of a one-day pass so thanks to Priscilla for giving me that code so that you guys can can get a little, a little help with the cost there. Appreciate that, Priscilla. I hope to see you at the booth in Oak Ridge this year.

We can talk about your encounter. I was able to talk to so many people last year and the year before. It is an incredible time. You're not going to want to miss it. And I'll see you there. Before we wrap this episode, I want to say something directly to a very specific group of listeners. If you're in the military,

any branch or forces, and if you've seen something that no one can explain, or if you're a national park ranger or forestry worker who's been told to stay quiet, if you're a pilot who's seen something strange down on the ground, or if you're with the FBI, a federal agency, or working intelligence, and you stumbled upon something you're not allowed to talk about, and if you're a firefighter, paramedic, or search-and-rescue responder, who's heard screams or found tracks that didn't make sense, if you're in the logging industry on a remote oil field or trucker with government contracts

and you've had something happen that you've never told a soul. And if you're a biologist, a wildlife specialist, or a field researcher under contract who has found evidence you're not allowed to report, if you're a pastor, a missionary, or someone on a spiritual retreat, and you saw something that shook your faith, or if you work in the shadows, CIA, NSA, or anything with clearance, And you've seen what the public hasn't, then I want to talk to you. Even if it's anonymous, you can reach me at bigfoot society at gmail.com.

The world needs to hear what you've been forced to carry alone. And you're not alone. You've got the story. We've got the mic. See you in the woods. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Bigfoot Society podcast. Every encounter we share reminds us that the world is bigger and stranger than we think and that the truth is often hiding just beyond the tree line.

If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe to the channel on YouTube, hit the bell so you don't miss the next episode, and share this with a friend who's into mysteries, monsters, or the unexplained. And if you're listening to us on Spotify or Apple Podcast, please follow the show there and leave us a five-star positive review because all that helps more people discover the show. And remember, if you or someone you know has had a Bigfoot citing, please, I'd love to hear from you. So email me at Bigfoot Society at gmail.com and let's start the conversation.

If you haven't gotten a chance yet, check out our membership community over at www. www. bigfoot society podcast.com. And that's where you can hear tomorrow's episode today, early and ad-free, and members-only episodes every week. Also, it's a place to connect with other people that are into the Bigfoot subject as much as you are. Thanks again for following along with the Bigfoot Society. Until next time, keep your eyes open, trust your gut, and never stop asking what else might be out there, and see you in the woods.