Dark Outdoors

In this episode of Dark Outdoors, I look into reports of sea snakes—like highly venomous banded sea kraits—being spotted in the Gulf, far outside their natural range.

After going through the available records and research, one thing is clear: there are no verified reports of true sea snakes in the Gulf of Mexico.

But sightings still happen.

This episode focuses on the research I’ve done into those claims, why they keep coming up, a...

There are stories from places like Haiti about people who were buried… and then seen again—walking through fields, along tree lines, and out on empty roads. Not dead. But not fully there.

In this episode of Dark Outdoors, we take a look at the real idea of zombification—where it comes from, the documented case of Clairvius Narcisse, and how similar encounters are still happening today.

From rural Haiti to modern America, there are ...

In this Dark Outdoors mini episode, we step into the shadowy intersection of wilderness and human predators. Joined by Stephen G. Michaud, co-author of The Only Living Witness and Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer, we examine how Ted Bundy and other killers exploited false injuries, manufactured helplessness, and social trust to lure victims—and why those same tactics become even more dangerous in the woods.

Away from crowds a...

In this chilling episode of Far Dark Outdoors, we dive deep into the disturbing true crime case of Israel Keyes, one of the most calculating and methodical serial killers in modern American history. Known for his meticulous planning, hidden “kill kits,” and ability to blend into everyday life, Keyes exploited remote wilderness areas, highways, and outdoor recreation spaces to commit his crimes—and to evade law enforcement for years...

Ghost ships are not myths. They are real vessels—found drifting without crews, washed ashore on remote coastlines, or discovered floating silently in open water with no clear explanation of how they got there.

This begins a five episode run of mini-episodes before the next big season of deep dives into outdoors dangers and mysteries.

In this episode of Dark Outdoors, we explore the true stories behind ghost ships, abandoned boats, ...

For decades, people across Texas and the Southwest have reported strange hairless creatures attacking livestock — animals many claimed were the legendary Chupacabra. But the real explanation is far stranger, and far more disturbing, than most people realize.

Plus, you'll hear about the night he was charged by a "chupacabra".

In this Dark Outdoors investigation, Chester Moore breaks down the true wildlife science behind “Chupacabra”...

When 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert vanished into the pitch-black marshland of Oak Beach in 2010, no one knew her disappearance would open a corridor of horror stretching miles along Long Island’s desolate barrier islands. While police searched the reeds for one missing woman, cadaver dogs led them to something far worse—multiple bodies hidden in the dunes, placed where the darkness itself seemed to protect the killer.

In this episode...

Author and researcher Lyle Blackburn joins the program again and we give a detailed behind the scenes look at the new documentary Wild Men: The Search for Feral Humans & Lost Tribes that details reports of primitve people in East Texas in areas of the Trinity Triangle. This is our second show on this topic but now with fresh reports and new insight.

Watch the new documentary and subscribe to Chester Moore's YouTube channel here...

It’s our annual Halloween Monster Special! Lyle Blackburn returns to Dark Outdoors to dive into the legends of Momo, the Lizard Man, and the Lake Worth Monster in this chilling cryptid deep dive.

In this special Halloween edition of the Dark Outdoors podcast, we welcome back Lyle Blackburn—renowned cryptozoologist, author, and monster hunter—for our Annual Monster Episode. This time, we're plunging deep into the chilling backwoods ...

Mysterious lights flicker through the woods of Bragg Road and the Louisiana fields — are they swamp gas, headlights, or something not of this world? The 13 Days of Dark Outdoors begins where science and the supernatural collide.

They’ve appeared for generations — glowing orbs floating above the dirt roads and swamps of East Texas and Louisiana. Some say they’re lanterns carried by the dead. Others swear it’s nothing more than chemi...

What if America’s wilderness hides a predator science won’t acknowledge? In this episode of Dark Outdoors®, author Michael Mayes—known for his work Shadow Cats—joins us to dig into the controversial and chilling reports of black panthers roaming across the U.S.

For decades, eyewitnesses from Texas to the Appalachians have sworn they’ve seen something impossible: massive black panthers prowling the woods, stalking farmlands, and van...

A family hike turned into a fight for survival when a father, his wife, their toddler, and infant daughter came face-to-face with a mountain lion. Dark Outdoors dives deep into the wilderness dangers that most people never see coming.

On this gripping episode of Dark Outdoors, we recount the terrifying true story of a family’s dangerous encounter with a mountain lion. What began as an ordinary hike quickly spiraled into a life-or-d...

Were U.S. soldiers in Vietnam battling only human enemies—or were they also encountering undiscovered apes in the jungle? Author RC Bramhall joins Dark Outdoors to reveal the terrifying legend of the Rock Apes.

Were U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War facing more than just human enemies? Many veterans swore they encountered Bigfoot-like creatures, known as the “Rock Apes,” while fighting in the dense jungles of Southeast Asia. On this...

Join us on Dark Outdoors® for an unforgettable conversation with Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Mike R. Vining—explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) pioneer and Delta Force operative—and his wife, acclaimed wildlife photographer and author Donna Ikenberry. Married atop Mauna Kea in 1999 after Mike’s decorated 30‑year military career (including Vietnam, Eagle Claw, Desert Storm, and more)

Donna has since published over a thousand images, g...

In this gripping episode of Dark Outdoors, we investigate the heartbreaking double homicide that has shaken Arkansas and the hiking community nationwide. On July 26, 2025, Clinton and Cristen Brink were brutally murdered while hiking with their two young daughters at Devil’s Den State Park—a place known for peace and natural beauty, now marked by violence and fear.

We dive deep into:

• The latest updates from Arkansas State Pol...

From Texas pastures to Nevada ranches, horses are turning up shot, mutilated, and poisoned—and the killers are still at large. Chester Moore investigates this chilling, underreported crime wave and what it means for ranchers and outdoor enthusiasts.

In this gripping episode of Dark Outdoors, host Chester Moore uncovers a chilling and ongoing mystery across Texas and beyond: horses being found shot, mutilated, or poisoned in a strin...

Jaws terrified moviegoers and changed how we see the ocean—but the fear didn’t end on screen. Chester Moore explores the real shark attacks, behind-the-scenes chaos, and decades of shark persecution sparked by Spielberg’s masterpiece.

Beneath the surface of Hollywood’s most iconic ocean thriller lies a deeper, darker truth. In this chilling episode of Dark Outdoors, we journey into the murky waters behind the making of Jaws—a film ...

From Murder Mountain to grow ops, Chester Moore reveals chilling encounters in the wild—traffickers, killers, attack dogs, and survival stories that prove the outdoors can turn deadly without warning.

Encountering an illegal grow or trafficking operation is one of the most dangerous threats in the great outdoors—and in this shocking episode of Dark Outdoors, we share terrifying real-life accounts.

You’ll hear stories of:

• A sa...

Chester Moore unravels a bizarre case that begins with a man posing as a woman to poach deer in a city park—and spirals into a shadowy world of wildlife trafficking, exotic animal cloning, and black-market “Frankensheep.”

In this unusual episode of Dark Outdoors, we uncover one of the strangest wildlife crime stories ever told. It begins with a man posing as a woman to gain illegal access to a city park—and its vulnerable deer popu...