Bigfoot of Clay County

Willy holds his hand up to the broken tree

***Bigfoot of Clay County*** is the fifth episode of Mountain Monsters season 3, and the twenty fifth episode overall.

The A.I.M.S. team travels to Clay County West Virginia, who investigate sightings of the "Yahoo", which they hunted the previous year.

## Summary

On the road, the A.I.M.S. team is on their way to go after a Bigfoot they believe could be the Yahoo. The team remembers their last encounter with the creature, when it threw trees down on them. Trapper says the Yahoo is seven to nine or ten feet tall, 800 to 1000 pounds, and with reddish grey hair, sometimes black. The last time they hunted the Yahoo, they were in Nicholas County, and now, as Trapper explains they are going only forty or fifty miles away, in Clay County, which is beside Nicholas County. Jeff says Clay county was once part of Nicholas county, and was formed in 1850 out of Nicholas County and Braxton County, and was named after Sir Henry Clay.

    It was also the first state in West Virginia where golden delicious apples were grown, by the Mullins family who had an orchard there. Jeff believes the Bigfoots may be eating these apples. He also says the Yahoo was first sited in the mid 1800s in central West Virginia by the loggers, who said it would throw logs at them. Trapper and the others know this is true, having experienced it personally. Another thing Trapper says it that the Elk river runs through Clay County, and believes the Bigfoots use them as travel routes. Although he doesn't know if the creatures migrated there or passed down through family, but they do know there are Bigfoot sightings in the area, and if it's the Yahoo, they definitely want to try to catch him again. Buck points out that if it is the Yahoo, they'll certainly know by the scream it makes. Although Trapper doesn't think anything compares to the Yahoo's scream, Jeff says he compares it to Wild Bill when he puffs his chest out. Trapper finally states that the investigation in Clay County is just another piece of the overall puzzle of Bigfoot, and he doesn't care whether the Bigfoot they're after is the Yahoo or not, but they are going to get to the bottom of it.

In Clay County, the team meets with their first eyewitness, an apple farmer named Al. Al has had a sighting of a Bigfoot which they believe may be the Yahoo, and since he's lived there for son long and knows all the animals around, something has him shook up, and they are sure he's seen something. Trapper tells Al they had hunted the Yahoo in Nicholas County, and they have heard he's in Clay County. Al says he is somewhat wary to tell them about his sighting because most people don't believe him, but the team wants to hear so he tells them. One night, around seven o' clock, he had his employees picking apples in the very field they're standing in, and he came down to check on their progress. When he came down, he saw a large, black shadow at a nearby tree, and in one hand it held a branch and in the other it was picking apples. When it saw him, he says it walked away with out showing any fear at all. When he walked over to see if it was still in sight, he became afraid and ran. Ever since then, he carries a gun with him. The next day, he returned with his son and two other men, and saw the branch on the tree the creature was holding was seven foot four high, and it had to duck under it. Trapper determines that, due to the height of the creature, the broad shoulders, and black fur, it must have been a Bigfoot. However, after being asked about the Yahoo's scream by Trapper, Al said he did not hear it. Trapper is determined to find out what the Bigfoot was doing in the area, whether it was kicked out of the Yahoo clan in Nicholas County, or if it is a Wildman from Kentucky. Al asks what he should do, and the team tells them they would like to conduct an investigation on his property, to which he agrees, and perhaps attempt to catch the Bigfoot. Trapper then thanks Al for his information.

At night, the team returns to the orchard to search for signs that the Bigfoot is the Yahoo. Trapper says it is the perfect spot to search, for it was the same area where the Bigfoot was seen eating apples. However, Jeff suggests it's possible the food source has been exhausted and the creature moved on, but Buck thinks there are still plenty of apples to be eaten. They advance into the orchard, which is potentially worrying because besides the terrain, the Bigfoot could sneak up on them and they wouldn't know it. Soon, they find the tree the Bigfoot was eating from, and an old oil tank. They hear a noise, which they think may have come from the tank, so Buck climbs up for a better view. Trapper asks if he sees any sign, and Buck tells him he sees a trail which goes back around to the main trail. He climbs down, and they decide to press on. They come across a building, which they guess is a storage building as they're in an orchard. Trapper figures it might be a good place for the Bigfoot to easily find food. They spot more buildings up ahead, when Buck points out a pumpkin on the ground, which something appears to have been eating. They hear a bang from a nearby building, and although Jeff doesn't see anything, they walk over, slowly.

    At the entrance, they find apples crates. Trapper sends Buck and Huckleberry down the outer wall, while he and Jeff go in. Looking through the window, Buck doesn't see anything but crates, when a stack is pushed over. Immediately, Trapper prepares for an attack, and Buck and Huckleberry rush to his side. Trapper says the Bigfoot ran out the back, and is able to smell it. Trapper briefly saw the Bigfoot, saying it was huge, and black. They find a cate of apples on the floor, which they Bigfoot was eating. Afterwards, Trapper washes his face with water, having been fired up when the Bigfoot knocked over the crates. Though still unsure of whether or not it's the Yahoo, Trapper exclaims if it's the clan from last time, they're going to get them this time. Huckleberry says whether it's the Yahoo or not, it's a Bigfoot, and they're here, so they should catch it. Excitiedly, they depart, knowing that the last time, Willy's trap was wrecked by the Yahoo, so they'll need an even stronger one now.
Next morning, Willy waits to meet Wild Bill, with a new idea for a trap. Bill arrives, and has with him a strong electrical device. Willy explains he intends to build a bigger and stronger trap, and electrify it. Willy describes the trap he's come up with, an electric steel pipe trap, as being ten feet wide, ten foot high, and ten foot, long. They will electrify the trap with an electric fence box, that will shock the Yahoo if he tries to escape. He asked Wild Bill to bring the strongest electrical device he could find, which he shows Willy.

   Willy holds the two pads connected to the box in his hands, and Wild Bill turns it on, shocking him. After the device has been tested some more, they leave to find materials for the trap.
Later, the rest of the team meets with their second eyewitness, a hunter named George. Being a hunter in the area for years, he knows it well. George says he owns 360 acres, and Trapper asks him if where they are is the only level spot on it, considering how rough the terrain in the county is, to which he says it almost is. Trapper asks to hear about George's sighting, so George tells them about three and a half weeks ago, he was up in his hunting blind, above his trail camera, and he was waiting for a deer to come by. He made som noise to lure it closer, when it stopped and turned around. He figured it knew he was there or picked up on something else, and he began to climb down when his camera went off. He went to check it when he heard something to his right, and on the other side of a creek, he saw something turn and run off up a hill. When it turned, he saw it looked like it had a humped back, and it went over the top of the hill, without making a sound. They ask if he got a picture, and he says he checked and got a picture of the deer, which had been back two days before, and some female deer, and finally, another picture he shows to the team. They see the picture, which shows a large creature, and Jeff notices the hump, which Buck realizes is acutally a baby.

     The group is very excited to see one, because they have never seen a photo of a young bigfoot before. Trapper believes the baby is four or five years old, and that babies weigh around forty five or fifty pounds at birth, and stay with their mother until they are twelve to fifteen. Huckleberry says that the hunt will be even more dangerous now, because the Bigfoots will be protective of the baby. Trapper points out that since they know there is a baby and mother, theyre must also be an alpha male. The team now intends to set a trap on in the area, which George agrees too. They know that the Bigfoots two food sources are the apples from the orchard, and down where they are standing, and once they're gone, all that's left will be the ones in the trap.

Willy and Bill search the area in the forest where the Bigfoot has been roaming, and find broken branches and trails, so they start brigning in metal poles to build the trap out of. They drill hols in the wood they have and use them to make the frame, attaching the poles to make the walls. Since it's starting to get dark, they leave to return in the morning.

In the day, Trapper, Hucklebery and Jeff, still unsure if the Bigfoot is the Yahoo, go out on a scouting mission to see the terrain and see what they can find out. Having the orchard where Al had his sighting just over close by bank, and they spoke to Goerge just a mile away, they begin searching for signs in the area. Trapper says they will be looking for Bigfoot signs such as broken trees, tracks, scat, or anything that doesn't look normal. They find a broken log, and a trail. They soon discover a print in the mud, and Trapper realizes the Bigfoot was just there, watching them. He says the Bigfoot was watching them, took a leap, but lost traction, and then began picking up speed. Trapper believes they're still being watched, and tells the others to be on alert until they get over the hill in front. Once they get to the top, they are surprised to find a tree structure.

     Trapper believes it was made by the alpha male, to warn other males to get out of his area. Not wanting to leave their scent in the structure and cause the Bigfoot to leave, they return to the side by side. Trapper says they still don't know if it's the Yahoo or not, but they may find out on the hunt. Jeff says it was shocking to se the structure, and they know there's a Bigfoot and it's certainly here now.

Back at the trap, Willy and Wild Bill have finishd, and wait for the rest of the team to arrive. They pull up, and come see the trap. They are very satisfied with the trap, and Trapper wants to see it work, so Willy shows him the box which creates 24 volts, and then it runs through another device which increases it. Trapper says he wants to see for himself how powerful the trap is, so the team tells him to take his shoes off and test it. Trapper hesitantly grabs the bar, before yelling and letting go. The rest of the team enjoys themselves and have a good laugh. Trapper is sure the trap will be able to contain the Bigfoot. Trapper ask to see how the trigger works, and Willy explains it hangs from the roof, connects to another rope attached to the bait, and once the Bigfoot grabs it, it'll fall and electrify the trap. They bait the trap with apples and apple cider, and since the people at the orchard picked all the apples there, they know the trap is the only place the Bigfoot can get any apples. With the trap set, they leave to wait a few hours until night to hunt the Bigfoot.

At night, the team returns to the woods to begin the hunt. Trapper tells Buck, Bill, and Jeff, to work the deer stand and move toward the trap, while he, Huckleberry, and Bill will begin near the ridgeline and buildings to the trap. They still don't know whether it's the Yahoo or not, but the only way to tell is to hear the scream. Trapper reminds them from the information they have found, there is an alpha male, a female, and a baby they've named "Stinky". Buck asks why they called him that, and Huckeleberry responds by asking what else they would call it. Buck suggests "Little Foot", but Trapper prefers "Stinky". Ready to catch a Bigfoot, they leave. Huckleberry says the hunt will be especially dangerous because of the baby, as the Bigfoots will be protective. Soon into the night, Buck smells something bad, which he thinks is dead, and they find a busted up tree. Willy is not sure what could broken it, when Buck reminds him of the Yahoo throwing trees at them the previous year. Willy suggests they go down into a ravine and keep going towards the trap, to which Buck says he agrees. Meanwhile, Trapper returns to the same buildings he had seen the Bigfoot the other night. He says they are going to look around the buildings to see if the Bigfoot has been back to feed or is there. When they get to the building, the start to walk around it when they hear a noise. They look behind, and then hear another from buildings behind them. They hear it again, and realize it came from a narrow path in between a building. When they come out the other side, Bill asks Trapper where he thinks the Bigfoot went. Trapper believes he thinks it went into the orchards, so they head in that direction. In the woods, Willy, Jeff, and Buck travel down a pathway, and Willy lets Jeff go in front to scan the area with his thermal camera because the woods are beginning to open up. Suddenly, they notice a large tree structure, like the one they found earlier. Buck asks if that's the same one, but Jeff says it's not the same one and this one is even bigger. Buck says that means there must be another alpha male. They investigate it, and some of the branches are forty foot long, and Buck says it's also old, and a branch comes loose and falls. Suddenly, they hear strange whistles from behind them, and Buck recognizes it as the Midnight Whistler, from Kentucky. Buck calls Trapper and tells him that the Midnight Whistler is there, only a few yards away. He says they're 300 yards up from the tree stand, and Trapper tells him to stay with it, and they're on their way. Buck and the others move out into the open, while Trapper, Huckleberry, and Bill get in the side by side and drive towards the other team. Willy finds a trail, when they hear something, which Buck believes was growling, and then Willy hears it as well. The others arrive at the hill behind them, so they make they're way up. Once they are all back together, Buck tells them they heard the Midnight Whistler and found a nest, which Jeff adds was bigger than the other one, and they heard growling. They believed the Bigfoot was circling them and Trapper says they can't remain where they are with which Huckleberry agrees. Buck says the structure was only a mile up the ridge from the trap, so they decide to head there. They want to push the Bigfoot towards the trap, and they line up, forming a wall. Buck asks Trapper how the Midnight Whistler could have got to West Virginia, and Trapper says he could back track him down the elk river, then the Kanawha river, and down the Ohio river. They are caught off guard by another whistle from down the hill, and again from behind. Jeff sees something on his thermal camera up ahead, so they continue towards it. Wild Bill says the Midnight Whistler doesn't belong in West Virginia, and they must catch it. As they pursue the Bigfoot, they hear more whistling from the darkness, when suddenly, a tree falls down beside them. Buck realizes that pushing trees over is exactly what the Yahoo did. Looking at the tree, they see the roots were broken, and Huckleberry says he's had difficulty pushing down such trees with a bulldozer. Trapper figures the Bigfoot went towards the trap, when from behind comes a yahoo scream, and the team realizes the Yahoo is nearby as well. The Yahoo is visible on the thermal camera, not far away, when another tree falls down.

     Jeff sees the Yahoo running on the thermal, just as another tree falls, sending him and Willy falling, and Jeff hits his head. They hear more screaming and another tree farther away is sent falling over. Jeff spots the Yahoo again on the thermal, which is coming right towards Trapper, just as another tree comes down. Another comes down behind, as screams and whistles are coming from around them, and Trapper orders Willy and Wild Bill to go get the side by side. More trees are sent falling, and Trapper has the team to back up. Willy and Wild Bill make it to the side by side and drive back to get the rest of the team. They drive up and the rest of the team hurries inside, while Jeff catches another view of a bigfoot on the camera. They quickly drive away from the area. Once the get four hundred yards east and everything calmed down, they stopped hearing the creatures. The hunt has to end due to the safety of the team and the trap is in the other direction. As they keep driving, Buck notices something in the forest. There is a set of headlights shining through the darkness.

    The headlights turn and start driving off, so the team heads for the ridge to try and catch them. Trapper says someone is watching the team and they need to catch them to find out why. Buck sees the taillights ahead, however, when they get to where they saw them, there is no sign of anything there. Buck says they followed them into an empty field, but there's nothing there, no noise, as if they just vanished. The team starts shouting for whoever was watching them to come out, to no effect. Trapper says this is the second time they've been stalked, the first being in Eastern Kentucky, and now, once again, so they know somebody has been watching them. Trapper recounts that they had come to Clay County to see if the Yahoo had migrated from Nicholas County to Clay County, and it has, because they heard it's scream, it knocked down trees, they saw a picture of one carrying a baby, and now they know it's working with the Midnight Whistler. Though they may not have captured the Yahoo, Trapper says they found a big piece of information on Bigfoot, and one day they will be able to tie together all the clans. They also know somebody is following them. Finally, Trapper says they must focus on Bigfoot, because there are a thousand questions to be answered, and the team is going to do so.

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