The Hunt For Bigfoot In Oklahoma

Some have hunted it, others have encountered it. But many don't believe it exists. We're talking about Bigfoot and hundreds of hunters worldwide believe this mysterious creature exists. So, News 9 went along on a Bigfoot exhibition here in Oklahoma to see for ourselves.

Under the tall trees of southeast Oklahoma, the slightest shake of a bush, lures curious campers.

"We've caught all sorts of known sounds that we can't attribute to known animals," said Randy Savig with the Missouri chapter of the Mid American Bigfoot Research Center.

Each driven to explain something they can't.

"I really wasn't looking for it- it just happened," said D.W. Lee, the executive director for the MABRC.

"Something big and hairy runs right across my headlights," remembers Rob Johnson, a former high school wrestling coach.

"This dark gray-grayish thing just kind of off stood up," Savig said.

"I was looking through a night vision scoop," recalls Lee. "And he popped up and looked at us for a couple of seconds, and then it went down and rose back up and looked at us again."

You can save the snarky comments. Lee said he's been called "crazy" plenty of times.

"I just take in stride," Lee said

Lee claims the MABRC has 500 members worldwide, all of them steadfast in their belief in the existence of Bigfoot. Many claim to have heard the creature.

"It's just a big screaming monkey the way I see it," Lee said.

Some have claimed to have seen it, taking pictures, which seem a bit unclear.

"They look like a gorilla but they walk on two legs just like we do," Lee said. "They know to stay away from anything that can harm them."

At least once a month, Lee and his group gets away from work, family and their regular lives to learn about a life shrouded in mystery.

"I don't go hunt big foot. I research Bigfoot, there's a difference," Johnson said.

During the day, parabolic microphones and infrared cameras get set up but it's under the moonlight that they leave camp to explore, making as much noise as they can with the hope that the curiosity will bring out the Bigfoot.

Some of the guys will ride these trails throughout the night on ATV's, while others are more methodical, mapping out the terrain on foot.

But on this night, strategies to lure the mystical creature fall short, but at the campfire, stories of past encounters always endure. Morning brings another opportunity to prove what everyone here already believes.

"It's a mystery," Johnson said. "I'm here not to solve the mystery; I want to be part of the history."

Click here for more information on the MABRC.

The group also holds a annual Bigfoot symposium in October. Click here to follow what the group finds.