Bigfoot Researcher Mike Falon Shares Expedition Tips and Tree Knock Theory

So I just stumbled across this fantastic interview on The Original Darkness Radio YouTube channel, and I had to share it with everyone here. Host Tim Dennis sits down with Mike Familant, a Bigfoot researcher out of Northwest New Jersey who has been deep in the woods investigating for over a decade. Mike wears a lot of hats in his day-to-day life. He's a 36-year-old EMT, firefighter, and graphic designer, but his passion project is definitely his Bigfoot research, which he's been doing for the past ten years. What really caught my attention is Mike's YouTube series called "In the Shadow of Big Red Eye," which is currently filming its tenth season. Ten seasons. That kind of longevity in this field says a lot about the dedication and the content quality. Mike started the show back in 2016 because, like so many of us, he was frustrated with how Bigfoot investigations were being portrayed on television. He wanted something more authentic, something that showed what real expeditions actually look like. No dramatic music playing over tree knocks or vocalizations to manufacture suspense. Just the raw, unfiltered experience of being out there. And honestly, that philosophy shines through in everything he does. Mike handles everything in-house, from pre-filming all the way through post-editing. That means he can stand behind every piece of footage he puts out there. The editing might be a little rough around the edges, but that's part of the charm. It feels real because it is real. His origin story is one that a lot of researchers can probably relate to. Back in 2011, Mike went on an expedition in North Florida with a friend, and while they were sitting around a campfire, rocks started getting thrown at them. That experience hooked him, and he's been chasing answers ever since. His personal mission is to figure out exactly what's roaming around the woods of America, and he's not shy about putting in the work. One of the most interesting bits from the interview was the discussion about tree knocks. Mike and his buddy John Michael Pagino were out on an expedition when they heard a single wood knock. Mike told John to send back two knocks because there were two of them in their group. The theory, which Mike attributes to one of his friends, is that the number of knocks you hear when you enter the woods corresponds to the number of people in your group. It's like a warning signal to other Sasquatch in the area. Hey, two people coming through, time to move out. When you mimic the knocks back, you're essentially trying to trick them into thinking another Bigfoot is in the area, which could draw them in for a visual encounter. It's a clever strategy, and one that Tim Dennis admitted he had never heard explained that way in his twenty years of hosting. Mike also created a docu-series called "Squatchables," which is basically a Bigfooting 101 for people just getting into the field. Think of it as an educational starting point for newcomers who want to learn the ropes. How to conduct yourself in the woods, what to look for, how to stay safe. Because let's be honest, a lot of us learned what we know from TV shows that made everything look way easier and safer than it actually is. Speaking of safety, Mike talked about the dangers of off-trail night hiking, especially in areas with old mine systems or natural caves. His hometown of Sparta, New Jersey, is actually famous for Thomas Edison, who had an old abandoned mining town up there. Mike has explored some of those areas while looking for Bigfoot, and the terrain is no joke. Random holes in the ground where you could drop ten or fifteen feet without warning. He's broken an ankle before from night hiking, so he definitely knows what