Indiana Bigfoot Research Organization tries to find creature in Morgan Monroe State Forest

Oct. 16—MARTINSVILLE — They stood at the edge of the tree line and peered out into pitch black darkness. Chitchat and the dull glow of a cigarette ember were the only indicators of who was standing nearby.

The most the group dared to ask for was a sign — perhaps a cry from the darkness if not a pair, maybe several pairs, of almond-shaped bioluminescent eyes to stare back at them.

It was the Indiana Bigfoot Research Association's autumn campout. Folks started gathering Thursday in a Morgan Monroe State Forest campsite that had yielded some excitement in previous years.

Those who arrived Thursday said there had been a bit of activity. Friday night was a wash — too much rain.

By Saturday, the campout was in full swing. Somewhere in the ballpark of 40 people came out to exchange theories, share stories about squatching — that's what they call their attempts to find Bigfoot — and to discuss methodologies.

Leroy Nail is the IBRO's leader. Like many of the people he shares his stories with, he didn't initially believe sasquatch, let alone several, could live in Indiana.

He was especially skeptical when someone said a group of sasquatches lived in Morgan Monroe State Forest, where Nail grew up and often went hunting.

Then, one day a bout a decade ago during his lunch break, he was read a newspaper article about a man named Steve Abney who planned to hold a Bigfoot outing in the Morgan Monroe State Forest.

Intrigued, Nail decided to call Abney. The seasoned squatcher said there was no need to wait for the outing, he could take Nail out to search for Bigfoot that weekend.

Nail agreed to the invitation but decided to bring some friends along.

A snapped tree branch, certain sounds and tracks could be a sign that sasquatches have been through the area. Abney even led Nail and his friends to a recently thawed patch of ground that had a large track, but Nail isn't too sure whether it was legitimate or not.

He was led to the tracks. That was suspicious. It was certainly intriguing for Nail, though.

Later that year, Abney handed the IBRO over to Nail. The newcomer was still a major skeptic at the time.

During those early days, everything Nail heard from Abney led him to believe the squatcher was a bit out there. He doesn't feel that way anymore.

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

"I've learned over the years that everything he was telling me was true," Nail said.

The IBRO has grown quite a bit since Nail took over roughly 10 years ago. The outings now draw roughly 40 people, compared to the five who showed up to Nail's first outing with Abney.

Despite leading the organization, which has more than 4,000 members on Facebook, Nail admits he's never seen Bigfoot face-to-face.

He's seen bioluminescent eyes stare out from the forest and heard unseen creatures lurking in the shadows, but he's just missing the proper sighting.

He's ok with never having seen Bigfoot, though.

"I don't need that because I've experienced so much other stuff," Nail said. "I know that he's there."

A guide to tracking Bigfoot

Other than suggesting newcomers bring friends along when meeting a stranger in the woods, Nail discourages people from bringing white lights on their search.

Nail said white lights scare off sasquatches. Red-tinted lights seem to be ok, though.

There can be a benefit to lugging a white light around, though. Nail said it could drive away an aggressive Bigfoot.

That's why he doesn't let people bring firearms when they venture into the forest to search for sasquatch. He isn't keen to see a sasquatch take a bullet, and high tensions from people looking for bipedal cryptids in the dark could lead to a member of the search party getting shot.

In any case, he added, sasquatches avoid the smell of metal and gunpowder.

As another rule of thumb, the IBRO doesn't recommend searching for sasquatch if all you're after is a photo. The idea is to build trust with the forest creatures.

Even if you do manage to capture a sasquatch on film, Nail said, most people won't believe you.

He doesn't even believe a photo is real unless it comes from someone he trusts. Those photos don't get published to the internet, Nail said. The core IBRO members know their photos will be ridiculed online.

Finally, Nail recommends bringing some dental stone on hikes to preserve Bigfoot tracks. It's cheaper than plaster and dries faster.

A demonstration was held Saturday during the IBRO's potluck. The dental stone dried quickly and held the shape of a volunteer's footprint.

Ultimately, Nail said, the IBRO aims to spread sasquatch awareness and let people know the cryptids aren't dangerous. They're less interested in proving they exist.

"Scary sells, we all know that. But that's not the case, not here in Indiana — not in this area," Nail said. "If they were there to hurt us, and were going to hurt us, they would be in the news all the time."

That being said, it can certainly be frustrating when Nail shares his favorite sasquatch sighting areas, then finds out it's been shown off to other groups. He equated it to a fishing hole.

"If I put out the exact location, everybody and their brother will come running," Nail said. "Do you have your favorite fishing hole? Do you tell everybody where that fishing hole's at? No, you kind of keep it to yourself."

Greg "Squatchman" Yost, who joined the IBRO's annual campout, said people are drawn to the legend of Bigfoot because they enjoy the legends.

"It's a phenomenon," Yost said. "People are ready for something like that. It's been a legend and myth for all these years with really no definitive proof that they're real. I think that the time and the place has come, and I think people want answers."

Although he leads his own group of squatchers, he's been joining the IBRO's outings for years. Nail respects the "Squatchman's" views and methodologies.

During a Saturday presentation, Yost showed off a few tufts of hair he claims came from a forest person — his term for Bigfoot.

He explained he found the hair outside a tree structure and tests on the tufts have so far come back without a match.

Wearing gloves, he showed off the dark hair and demonstrated how it has a blue tint in the light. He also showed off a photograph he took with a cheap Samsung flip phone.

Other squatchers have offered to purchase a bit of the hair, but Yost doesn't want to let it go.

As Yost sees it, he's been called to spread the word about Bigfoot.

Like Nail, he isn't interested in proving anything. He just wants people to "understand the ways of the forest people."

"I don't claim to be a researcher," Yost said. "I'm a knower, I'm an educator and I'm a teacher. That's what the Bigfoots want me to do."

Although Yost said he would love to see humans and forest people coexist, he doesn't see his dream coming to fruition any time soon.

That might be for the best, he said. He doesn't want to see people hunting the forest people for sport.

"It's just like anything else. It's like you just like UFOs, it's just like ghosts, it's just like the Loch Ness Monster. You're never gonna prove it, so why try?" Yost said. "Just enjoy it, dude, it's out there."

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.