SO EP:604 The Trapper Who Shot Bigfoot

Tonight, Brian shares the never-before-told story of Thomas, a fur trapper whose life was forever changed after a terrifying encounter with sasquatch in the remote Canadian wilderness during February 1987. This first-hand account challenges everything we think we know about these mysterious creatures. What Mercer experienced reveals them to be intelligent, communicative, and potentially dangerous beings with complex social structures and territorial behaviors. His haunting experience raises profound questions about what these creatures truly are and our responsibility toward them.

The story begins as Thomas, a third-generation fur trapper, flies his bush plane to his remote family cabin in the Northwest Territories to begin his winter trapping season. Almost immediately upon arrival, Mercer discovers massive, human-like footprints circling his cabin—nearly 20 inches long with a stride length twice that of a human.Over the following days, Mercer encounters increasingly bizarre evidence: traps carefully disarmed with ritualistic arrangements of objects nearby, complex vocal communications between multiple creatures echoing through the forest, and deliberate attempts to test his cabin's defenses through systematic tapping and probing of the structure.Most chilling of all, the creatures attempt direct communication.

First through arrangements of natural objects in geometric patterns, then through mimicked human speech—even speaking Mercer's name and referring to his deceased father. In broken English, they suggest they need an "alliance" against other humans hunting them, hinting at a government or private organization aware of their existence.When Mercer attempts to escape in his plane, he's forced to shoot one of the creatures that charges him from behind. In a moment that has haunted him for decades, the wounded sasquatch looks him in the eye and asks simply, "Why?"In the thirty years since this encounter, Mercer has dedicated his life to sasquatch research, building one of the most comprehensive private databases of encounters in North America.

Through his research, he discovered another harrowing account from the Olympic Peninsula, where a logging crew's encounter ended in a gruesome death—evidence that these beings aren't always the gentle forest giants of popular imagination.We should note that this episode contains descriptions of violence and disturbing content that may not be suitable for all listeners. Discretion is advised.Thomas Mercer, whose name has been changed at his request, was 25 years old during his encounter in 1987. Now in his sixties, he's spent decades researching similar encounters while maintaining his anonymity. This marks the first time he's shared his complete story publicly.

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