Fake Bigfoot Prank Backfires Into Terrifying Real Encounters

There's something fascinating about stories where a prank spirals into something undeniably real, and that's exactly what makes this particular interview worth your time. Over on The Cryptid Profiler channel, host Dano sits down with Tim Dills, a man whose life took an unexpected turn after a simple joke involving fake Bigfoot tracks led to genuine, ongoing encounters on a piece of property in the woods. Tim's story begins back in 2008 when he met a neighbor named Newsome Corbin, who had recently moved into a house above his own. The two became fast friends, bonding over hunting and fishing. Newsome had a property behind a Forest Service gate that he wanted to set up for hunting, complete with feeders and trail cameras. This is where things get interesting. Newsome's grown kids, who played in a band called the Corbett Brothers, had played a prank on their dad using deer horns in front of a trail camera. Newsome wanted payback, so Tim offered to help. Tim remembered a story his own father told him about finding massive barefoot tracks in the snow in December, tracks so big that his dad's 6'4", 300-pound friend with size 13 boots could fit his boot entirely inside the print. At the time, they assumed it was just some fool walking around barefoot in the snow, but those tracks are now recognized as classic Bigfoot prints. Tim crafted a set of fake tracks using boards mounted to old shoes, snuck up to the property, and made prints while breaking limbs along the way. The prank worked perfectly. Newsome's kids were completely convinced, canceling their gig plans to buy cameras and document what they believed was a Bigfoot on their land. Their father had to remind them about keeping their word and playing the show. But here's where the story takes a wild turn. After the prank, as Tim and Newsome started maintaining the property and feeders, they began noticing strange things. Brush appeared in their trails with no storms to explain it. Pine trees were being snapped and their tops driven into the trails leading to their hunting spots and feeders. Rocks and sticks were being thrown. They were being yelled and screamed at, sounds that almost sounded like cursing. The encounter that really shook Tim happened one evening when he and Newsome climbed into the loft of the cabin to hunt a hog rooting in the yard. Tim brought his crossbow to avoid the noise of a gun and any potential run-in with game wardens. Three raccoons came out into the yard, played around for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then all three scrambled back into the bushes. That's when they heard one of the raccoons getting killed, and anyone familiar with that sound knows it's loud and unmistakable. But then something else happened, a great roar that silenced everything completely. Tim told Newsome that something had killed that raccoon in just a couple of seconds, and he didn't recognize the roar. It wasn't a bear. Bears don't roar like that, and black bears huff more than anything. Tim had seen red wolves, black panthers, and mountain lions on trail cameras in the area, and none of those explanations fit. Then it started whistling, every 5 to 10 seconds, a sound Tim couldn't attribute to any animal he knew. If it had been a dog, they'd have heard barking. The whistling continued until they turned on the house light, and then it stopped. Tim mentions that over the years, he's actually heard them speak. They have a language, and he's witnessed this twice, both times in the same week, on Newsome's property. The discussion cuts off right as he's about to elaborate on that particular detail, which is honestly frustrating because hearing vocalizations from these creatures is one of the most compelling pieces of evidence researchers look for. What makes this story stand out is the layered nature of it. A prank that was meant to be a one-time joke turned into years of documented activity on that property. The family initially didn't believe Tim and Newsome because of the original hoax, but they eventually had their own experiences and came around. That's a common thread in Sasquatch research, the slow realization that what you thought was impossible is actually happening right in front of you. The whistling behavior Tim describes is consistent with reports from other witnesses across various regions. Researchers have documented similar vocalizations in Sasquatch encounters, often described as a series of whistles or clicks that don't match any known wildlife. Combined with the tree-breaking, rock-throwing, and vocalizations that sounded like language, this account fits a pattern that many researchers find difficult to dismiss. If you're interested in hearing the full conversation, including Tim's description of those vocalizations and more details about the property encounters, definitely check out the episode on The Cryptid Profiler channel. Stories like this remind us that sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and sometimes a simple prank can open the door to something far bigger than anyone expected.