True CrimeScienceNatureSociety & CultureDocumentary

Dark Outdoors

darkoutdoors

Dark Outdoors® is a multiple award-winning podcast that investigates terrifying encounters, unsolved mysteries, crime, and dangerous wildlife.

Hosted by award-winning wildlife journalist and conservation communicator Chester Moore, each episode investigates the darker side of the outdoors through gripping storytelling, expert interviews, and firsthand reporting.

From serial killers in remote forests and missing persons cases to poaching, wildlife trafficking, deadly animal attacks, cryptids, and emerging wildlife threats like screwworm, Dark Outdoors uncovers the stories most outdoor enthusiasts never hear.

Whether the danger comes from nature, criminals, or the unexplained, one truth remains: the outdoors has a dark side.

Play

Open in

23 episodes
Avg 20 min
English

Episodes 23

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

#107
Saturday · 26 min
Episode 100: Pray, Prepare, and Pack Heat -The Dark Outdoors Manifesto
After 99 episodes investigating some of the darkest encounters in the outdoors, Dark Outdoors® reaches a major milestone with a deeply personal 100th episode. Host Chester Moore steps away from the usual true-crime investigations to share the philosophy that guides his life: Pray, Prepare, and Pack Heat. Drawing on decades of outdoor experience, his Christian faith and the disturbing cases explored throughout the series, Moore speaks from the heart about the reality of evil, the importance of spiritual strength, situational awareness and the responsibility of lawful self-defense. Why should faith and preparation go hand in hand? What can encounters with dangerous human predators teach us about protecting ourselves and our families? And how can we remain vigilant without allowing fear to rob us of the joy of experiencing God's creation? This special episode is more than a look back at 99 investigations. It's a personal declaration about faith, courage, preparedness and refusing to live in fear. Pray. Prepare. Pack Heat. Welcome to Episode 100 of Dark Outdoors®.
#106
Friday · 21 min
The Golden State Killer's Outdoors Hunting Grounds
How did one of America's most notorious serial killers use greenbelts, wooded corridors and levees to escape police and disappear into the darkness? Joseph James DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer, terrorized California for years, committing horrific sexual assaults and murders. But investigators uncovered a disturbing aspect of his crimes that rarely gets the attention it deserves: his use of the outdoors. From the American River Parkway to suburban drainage canals and thick vegetation, DeAngelo exploited natural corridors where children played, families explored and people enjoyed the outdoors. Investigators even described a suspect apparently concealing himself beneath vegetation while police searched nearby. In Episode 99 of Dark Outdoors®, Chester Moore investigates the killer's secret outdoor escape routes, the tragic murders of Brian and Katie Maggiore, and the dangers that can exist where civilization meets the wilderness.
#105
October 29 · 18 min
The Werewolf Ritual in the Woods That Terrified Me as a Kid
What would you do if you ventured deep into the woods and discovered someone performing a bizarre ritual around a fire, attempting to transform into a wolf? When Dark Outdoors® host Chester Moore was in fourth grade, he discovered an old book describing frightening werewolf rituals associated with isolated forests and wilderness. One passage disturbed him so deeply that he couldn't finish reading it. Decades later, Moore revisits that childhood experience through Elliott O'Donnell's mysterious 1912 book Werwolves, exploring ancient transformation rituals, the notorious Werewolf of Bedburg, the Beast of Gévaudan, and the strange history of people who believed they could become wolves. From forbidden ceremonies in remote forests to the psychology behind humanity's darkest legends, this episode explores a disturbing question: What happens when someone ventures into the wilderness determined to become a monster?
#103
October 28 · 18 min
Real Life Wolfen
Could real wolves be learning to survive just beyond the lights of our cities? Inspired by the chilling 1981 horror classic Wolfen, starring Albert Finney and Edward James Olmos, Dark Outdoors® host Chester Moore investigates the fascinating reality of wolves adapting to human-dominated landscapes. From gray wolves living near Rome and other European cities to the eerie abandoned landscapes of Chernobyl, scientists are uncovering remarkable evidence of wolf adaptability. And on Texas' Galveston Island, researchers have discovered something equally mysterious: wild coyotes carrying the genetic legacy of the endangered red wolf, earning them the nickname "ghost wolves." Could these discoveries reveal a future where wolves live closer to civilization than we ever imagined? Moore also shares his lifelong fascination with Wolfen and explains why, if he could investigate the mystery of any horror movie in real life, this would be the one. A journey into wildlife science, forgotten landscapes and the eerie places where civilization meets the wild. Real wolves. Real science. A mystery worthy of the movies.
#104
October 27 · 16 min
When the Real Pamela Voorhees Called Me
Imagine walking through the woods beside a quiet lake when your phone rings. You answer, and the voice on the other end says, "Hello, Chester? This is Betsy Palmer." That's exactly what happened to Dark Outdoors host Chester Moore when the actress who portrayed Pamela Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th called him unexpectedly. In this special episode of Dark Outdoors Week, Chester shares the remarkable story of how the woman who terrified generations of horror fans became a collaborator with his band Freak13® and eventually a personal friend. He also explores the summer camp horror movies that made the woods frightening to an entire generation, including Friday the 13th, The Burning, Madman and Sleepaway Camp, along with the chilling real-life Oklahoma Girl Scout murders and the disturbing Cropsey legend. It's a journey through childhood fears, real-world tragedy, horror history and an unforgettable friendship with one of the genre's most iconic actresses. Sometimes the most unforgettable stories from the dark outdoors aren't fiction.
#102
October 26 · 15 min
Blood Road: The Grim Reaper and The Road That Bled
An isolated road in Southeast Texas. Mysterious bloodstains that supposedly appear at night. A terrifying hooded figure. And disturbing reports of ritual activity in the nearby woods. In this episode of Dark Outdoors, host Chester Moore revisits a frightening experience from his high school years on the infamous Blood Road in Orange, Texas. What began as an October evening drive to get a scare took a disturbing turn when his cousin reported seeing a Grim Reaper-like figure near a wooded marsh. On the return trip, his girlfriend Jenny became terrified at the exact same location. Moore investigates the decades-old legends surrounding Blood Road, including historical accounts documented by Southeast Texas journalist Margaret Toal, theories about mysterious red stains on the pavement and information he received firsthand from a law enforcement officer about evidence of apparent ritual activity discovered in the area during the 1990s. The episode also reveals how the experience inspired a song by Moore's first heavy metal band, Relentless Aggression. Was something truly lurking along Blood Road, or could darkness, isolation and decades of frightening folklore explain what happened? A firsthand encounter, a legendary Texas road and a mystery that has endured for generations.
#101
October 21 · 24 min
De-Extinction: The Artificial Egg & The Return of Extinct Animals
What if an artificial egg could help bring a giant bird back from extinction? For centuries, creatures like New Zealand's towering giant moa have existed only in museums, scientific records and the human imagination. But groundbreaking work at Colossal Biosciences is opening new possibilities for the future of extinct wildlife. In this special episode of Dark Outdoors, host Chester Moore welcomes renowned Australian geneticist Dr. Andrew Pask, chief biology officer at Colossal Biosciences, to discuss the development of artificial egg technology that could help overcome one of the greatest obstacles to bringing extinct birds back to life. How does an artificial egg work? Why is this technology so important to the science of de-extinction? And could it eventually help scientists recreate birds that vanished centuries ago? Pask also takes listeners into the fascinating world of de-extinction research involving woolly mammoths, the legendary Tasmanian tiger and other lost species. Beyond the extraordinary science lies an even greater purpose: developing new technologies that could help conserve endangered wildlife and protect biodiversity for future generations. It's a fascinating journey into a world where science fiction is moving closer to reality
#100
October 21 · 18 min
Great White Death: When Jaws Met Faces of Death
What happens when Jaws meets Faces of Death? You get Great White Death, a bizarre 1981 documentary featuring real shark attacks, actual survivors and shocking footage. Narrated by Hollywood legend Glenn Ford, Great White Death took the terror of Jaws and combined it with the disturbing, exploitation-style presentation of Faces of Death. But unlike Hollywood's fictional shark thrillers, this film drew on real encounters with some of the ocean's most feared predators. In this episode of Dark Outdoors, Chester Moore revisits this obscure and unsettling documentary, explores the real-life horror behind its most disturbing sequences and examines its surprising conservation message. How much was authentic, how much was sensationalized and why did this strange film leave such a lasting impression? Discover one of the most bizarre chapters in shark documentary history.
#99
October 3 · 20 min
The Death of Cryptozoology?
What happens when it becomes increasingly difficult to tell a real wildlife image from a fake one? In this episode of Dark Outdoors®, award-winning wildlife journalist Chester Moore examines how artificial intelligence, manipulated imagery, viral misinformation and sensationalism are changing the way the public views reports of unusual and unidentified animals. Cryptozoology has always existed outside the scientific mainstream, but some of its traditional foundations—eyewitness reports, photographs, video and field investigation—now face an entirely new challenge. Convincing images can be created in seconds, fabricated stories can reach huge audiences, and legitimate wildlife information can become mixed with material created purely for clicks. Moore also examines the importance of applying the same standards of evidence to claims on both sides of controversial wildlife questions and discusses a forthcoming film that raises some interesting questions of its own. This isn't an argument for or against the existence of mysterious animals. It's a look at evidence, credibility and what happens to genuine inquiry when separating fact from fiction becomes harder than ever. Has modern technology killed cryptozoology—or simply exposed its biggest problem? Because the outdoors has a dark side.
#98
September 9 · 30 min
He Found a Lion in His Chicken Coop In Texas
For decades, Chester Moore has investigated reports of mysterious cats roaming the American wilds. Some can probably be explained as mountain lions. Others aren't nearly so easy. In this episode of Dark Outdoors®, Chester digs into some of the strangest big-cat encounters people have personally brought to him—including the astonishing account of a Texas man who said he walked outside and discovered what appeared to be an African lion in his chicken coop. Then there are the tracks. Chester recounts his own investigation of enormous cat tracks that seemed far too large for what should have been walking through that country, along with other reports involving unusually large and possibly exotic cats. Could escaped exotic cats explain some of the strangest predator sightings reported across Texas and the South? How many unusual animals have disappeared into the woods without anyone ever knowing they were there? Some sightings are mistakes. Some have ordinary explanations. But every once in a while, somebody sees something that isn't supposed to be there.
#97
September 8 · 15 min
Who In The Green Hell Was That?
Sometimes the strangest thing you encounter in the woods isn't an animal. Over the years, Dark Outdoors® host Chester Moore has collected some truly bizarre stories from hunters, anglers and other people who spend serious time in wild places. In this episode, he digs into some of the strangest—encounters involving people who seemingly shouldn't have been where they were, doing things that made absolutely no sense. It starts with a man who says he encountered someone in the woods dressed head to toe like a ninja, complete with swords. Then there's Chester's friend sitting alone in a hunting blind in the middle of nowhere when he suddenly heard a voice. It sounded almost like a whisper, yet somehow carried with incredible volume. “Feels good.” He never saw who—or what—said it. From there, Chester shares more strange accounts of unexpected people, unexplained voices and unsettling encounters in remote places. We spend a lot of time worrying about predators, dangerous wildlife and things that go bump in the night. But sometimes the weirdest thing waiting beyond the trail is another human being. And all you can ask afterward is... Who in the green hill was that?
#96
September 7 · 15 min
He Beheaded the Buffalo With a Chainsaw
Some wildlife crimes are difficult to comprehend. Years ago, Chester Moore traveled to a location where someone had illegally killed a buffalo, removed its head with a chainsaw and abandoned the rest of the animal to rot. What he encountered there opened a window into a side of the outdoors most people never see. In this episode of Dark Outdoors, Chester explores some of the most disturbing and bizarre poaching cases he has encountered and investigated over the years. There are poachers willing to kill wildlife simply for trophies. Criminals willing to threaten the very people charged with protecting wildlife—including a shocking case involving shots fired into a game warden's home on Christmas Eve. And then there is the international black market, where wildlife trafficking can become almost unimaginable, including a case in which U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials discovered a coat smuggled into America that had been made using the skins of five jaguars. These aren't hunting stories. They're stories about greed, cruelty and the people who operate outside the laws designed to protect wildlife—and the wildlife officers who sometimes put themselves in danger trying to stop them. Because the outdoors has a dark side.
#95
September 6 · 15 min
They Could Hear Them Tearing The Calf Apart
Deep along the Brazos River, something attacked a calf in the darkness. The people who witnessed the event couldn't see exactly what was happening—but they could hear it. They heard the struggle. They heard multiple animals involved. And, most disturbingly, they described hearing bones being broken and the calf seemingly being pulled apart with astonishing speed. In this episode of Dark Outdoors®, Chester Moore examines this chilling eyewitness account from the Brazos River country and asks what kind of predators—and what kind of circumstances—could produce an attack like the one described. The episode also ventures deeper into the strange world of predator-prey relationships, exploring unusual observations from the outdoors that don't always fit neatly into what we expect from coyotes, wild canines and other predators. Nature isn't a horror movie. Predators kill because that's how they survive. But every once in a while, someone witnesses—or simply hears—something in the darkness that reminds us just how wild the outdoors really is. And sometimes hearing it is worse than seeing it.
#94
September 5 · 16 min
The Night I Had a Red Wolf in My Crosshairs
ne night in the Texas darkness, Chester Moore found himself looking through the sights of a rifle at an animal he had every opportunity to shoot. He didn't pull the trigger. What Chester believes stood in front of him that night was a red wolf—an animal officially declared extinct in the wild across its historic Texas range decades ago. In this episode of Dark Outdoors®, Chester tells the story of that encounter and others he has had with mysterious wild canines over the years. Some looked remarkably like the red wolves that once roamed Texas and Louisiana. Others were harder to explain. The official story of the red wolf is complicated by hybridization with coyotes, disappearing populations and decades of debate over what exactly constitutes a red wolf. But what happens when animals resembling those supposedly lost wolves continue turning up in unexpected places? This is a journey into the swamps, forests and backroads of the Gulf Coast in search of one of America's most mysterious predators—and an exploration of the possibility that what people are seeing in the darkness isn't always what we've been told should be there. Sometimes extinction leaves behind ghosts. And sometimes those ghosts have four legs.
#92
September 4 · 16 min
Law Enforcement Feral Human Encounter
What exactly is a feral human? The phrase conjures images of people living beyond civilization—hidden deep in forests, mountains and other wild places. But the reality behind the idea may be stranger, and far more complicated, than the legends. In this special episode of Dark Outdoors®, Chester Moore explores the concept of feral humans and expands the definition beyond the usual stories of mysterious wild people lurking beyond the edge of society. At the center of the episode is a bizarre account from Oklahoma involving a helicopter, thermal imaging and a human figure spotted moving through rugged country below. Who was this person? What were they doing in such an isolated place? And why has the encounter remained so unsettling to those familiar with it? From people deliberately disappearing into the wilderness to individuals living outside the boundaries most of us consider normal, this episode ventures into a shadowy corner of the outdoors where folklore, human behavior and unexplained encounters collide. Because sometimes the strangest thing hiding in the woods isn't an animal. It's one of us.
#93
September 3 · 15 min
Texas Killing Fields: Justice After 42 Years
In 1997, Chester Moore and his wife Lisa were driving to Pasadena, Texas, to visit a friend when they came upon a scene they would never forget. Police and investigators had converged on an area near a retention pond. Chester and Lisa didn't know exactly what had happened, but they would soon learn they had driven upon the scene where, that very day, the body of 12-year-old Laura Smither had been discovered following a massive search. Nearly three decades later, Chester returns to that moment in this deeply personal episode of Dark Outdoors®, exploring Laura's murder, serial killer William Reece and the larger, haunting history of the Texas Killing Fields. And remarkably, this isn't just history. As this episode drops, the Texas Killing Fields are back in the news. More than four decades after 16-year-old Laura Miller disappeared, James Dolphs Elmore Jr. has become the first person convicted in connection with the deaths of the four women whose bodies were found in the infamous Calder Road field. The guilty verdict came just one day before this episode's release, and Elmore has now been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Chester examines those stunning new developments before turning to another question at the heart of Dark Outdoors: Why can places like this become hunting grounds for human predators? From isolated roads and abandoned fields to marshes, woods and the forgotten edges of growing communities, this is a story about what can happen where civilization meets the darkness. Because sometimes the most dangerous predator in the outdoors is human.
#91
August 29 · 12 min
The 11-Foot Rattlesnake: Solving a Mystery That Haunted Me Since Childhood
For Chester Moore, the question isn't simply an internet legend. It is connected to a mystery that has fascinated him since childhood. In this episode of Dark Outdoors, Chester digs into his archives and revisits an investigation into reports of giant rattlesnakes, including an extraordinary account involving a rattlesnake said to have measured approximately 11 feet long. It's a mystery Chester first encountered as a kid and one he has spent years trying to understand. How large can rattlesnakes actually grow? Where did some of the incredible historical claims about enormous rattlesnakes originate? And when stories are passed down for decades, how do we separate exaggeration and mistaken measurements from accounts that deserve a closer look? Chester follows the evidence, examines the giant-rattlesnake mystery and reveals what his investigation uncovered about a story that has stayed with him for much of his life. It's an exploration of giant snakes, outdoor history and one childhood mystery that refused to disappear.
#90
August 27 · 14 min
Death From Above: Squall Lines, Lightning & Deadly Storms
Lightning can turn a fishing trip, hike, hunt or day on the water into a life-threatening situation in seconds. And some of the most dangerous storms can arrive with frightening speed. In this episode of Dark Outdoors, Chester Moore reaches into his archives for an interview recorded several years ago with legendary meteorologist Greg Bostwick that has never before aired on Dark Outdoors. Bostwick discusses the dangers of lightning, squall lines and severe thunderstorms, with important information for hunters, anglers, hikers, campers, boaters and anyone who spends time outside. The conversation explores how quickly dangerous weather can develop, the threats associated with lightning and fast-moving storms and why being caught in an exposed outdoor location can become deadly. It's a timely look back at a conversation with one of the region's most respected meteorologists and a reminder that some of the greatest dangers in the outdoors don't come from animals or people. Sometimes they come from the sky.
#89
August 25 · 23 min
Black Ghost: A Texas Jaguar Encounter
Could black jaguars still roam Texas? Reports of black panthers, mysterious big cats and possible jaguar sightings have circulated throughout Texas for generations, but some eyewitness accounts are much harder to dismiss than others. In this episode of Dark Outdoors®, Chester Moore talks with his friend David Cleaver, a dedicated outdoorsman and hiker, about an extraordinary black jaguar sighting in Texas. Chester considers David a highly reliable witness, and the details of what he saw raise fascinating questions about the possibility of rare big cats moving through the Lone Star State. They also examine the history of jaguars in Texas, other Texas jaguar reports and the enduring mystery surrounding black panther sightings in Texas and across the South. Are all of these encounters cases of mistaken identity, or could an occasional jaguar—or another unexpected big cat—still appear where conventional wisdom says it shouldn't? Hear David's firsthand account and explore one of the most intriguing Texas wildlife mysteries on Dark Outdoors.
#88
August 14 · 10 min
They Warned Me About the Bald Knobbers
Before heading into the Missouri Ozarks for a story, Chester Moore received a strange warning from someone who had given him credible information about secretive organizations before: Watch out for the Bald Knobbers. The only Bald Knobgbers Chester knew were the famously silly country music and comedy entertainers from Branson. But behind that name is a much darker history. In the 1880s, the real Bald Knobbers were masked vigilantes who held secret meetings in remote areas of the Missouri Ozarks. Some became associated with intimidation, beatings and murder. Members of the notorious Christian County faction wore bizarre black masks with horns and grotesque features that look like something straight out of a horror movie. But could someone still be borrowing that imagery today? In this episode of Dark Outdoors, Chester digs into the disturbing history of the Bald Knobbers and the modern warning that led him down this strange rabbit hole. He also explores something that has surfaced repeatedly in Dark Outdoors investigations: reports of hooded, masked and strangely dressed people gathering in isolated outdoor locations. From the different-colored robes historically used by Ku Klux Klan organizations to occult imagery, ceremonial traditions and previous reports investigated in The Mystery of the Hooded Ones, history shows that people have long used masks, hoods and frightening symbolism for secrecy, ceremony and intimidation. There is no credible evidence that the original Bald Knobbers survive as an organized group today. But could modern people adopt their masks, name or imagery? And when hikers, hunters or others encounter bizarrely dressed people deep in the woods, could the explanation sometimes be stranger—and more human—than the supernatural? Sometimes the most unsettling thing you can encounter in the wilderness isn't an animal or a monster. It's another human being. Dark Outdoors investigates terrifying encounters, unsolved mysteries, true crime and dangerous wildlife—because the outdoors has a dark side.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes