Dark Outdoors® explores true crime, unsolved mysteries, and deadly encounters in the wild.
From serial killers in remote places and chilling missing persons cases to eerie outdoor mysteries and dangerous wildlife encounters, each episode exposes the stories mainstream media overlooks.
Hosted by award-winning wildlife journalist Chester Moore, Dark Outdoors® brings gripping interviews with survivors, investigators, and experts to reveal what really happens when adventure turns into danger.
Episodes

Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Surviving A Grizzly Attack-Encountering Multiple Grizzlies In One Night!
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Surviving a Grizzly Attack in Wyoming
In this special uncut episode, Ben Verheul recounts his terrifying, hour-long survival story of being mauled by a grizzly deep in the Wyoming wilderness.
In this unforgettable episode of Dark Outdoors®, Ben Verheul shares the full, uncut story of his harrowing grizzly bear attack in the remote Wyoming backcountry.
You’ll hear:
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How he endured and survived a brutal grizzly mauling
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Why he was certain the bear that attacked him was the same grizzly he had previously encountered
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Firsthand insights into the split-second decisions that meant the difference between life and death
If bear encounters and survival stories intrigue you, this one will blow your mind. It’s a chilling, raw account of man versus nature at its most primal.
Dark Outdoors® is sponsored by Texas Fish & Game, who bring you the Missing in the Wild reports on our weekly episodes. Learn more at fishgame.com.

Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Military Faces Killer Crocodiles & Other Dangerous Wildlife On the Battlefield
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
From crocodile massacres to tiger attacks, Chester Moore and author R.C. Bramhall uncover terrifying true stories of soldiers facing deadly wildlife in battlefields around the world.
In this chilling episode of Dark Outdoors®, Chester Moore sits down with R.C. Bramhall, author of Haunted War Tales: True Military Encounters with the Bizarre, Paranormal and Unexplained, to discuss the deadly wildlife threats faced by soldiers in wartime.
Topics include:
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A crocodile-caused massacre that remains one of the deadliest animal attacks in history
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Tiger attacks on soldiers in dense jungles
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The harrowing story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and shark-infested waters
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Snakebites that proved as lethal as bullets
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Encounters with huge bunker rats in Vietnam—and much more
These stories highlight how war zones are not only dangerous from combat, but also from the wild predators and creatures that lurk in the shadows.
Dark Outdoors® includes our important Missing in the Wild segment, brought to you by Texas Fish & Game magazine. Learn more at fishgame.com.

Monday Dec 23, 2024
New Reports of Huge Drones In TX and LA -Plus A Drone Mapping Project
Monday Dec 23, 2024
Monday Dec 23, 2024
Dark Outdoors® investigates shocking reports of huge drones over Sabine Lake and deep inside Louisiana, and explores new tools to track these mysterious machines.
In this exclusive episode of Dark Outdoors®, Chester Moore delivers a detailed report on massive drone sightings across the Texas–Louisiana region.
Highlights include:
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A huge drone over Sabine Lake on the Texas–Louisiana border
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A report of a large drone in the interior of Louisiana
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Additional eyewitness accounts of mysterious aerial activity in the region
Joining the discussion is Scott Tompkins, creator of DroneTracker.app, a mapping system designed to log drone sightings and uncover patterns behind what’s really happening in the skies.
This episode raises important questions about who is operating these drones, why they’re flying in remote areas, and what it means for outdoor safety and security.

Friday Dec 13, 2024
Strange Drone Encounters In the Great Outdoors
Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday Dec 13, 2024
From the East Coast to the Gulf Coast, mysterious drones are appearing—and in some cases, stalking people. Homeland Security claims they have no answers. Dark Outdoors® investigates.
In this special edition of Dark Outdoors®, Chester Moore dives into the unsettling wave of strange drone sightings reported across the United States.
Key details include:
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Unexplained drones spotted along the East and Gulf Coasts
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Reports of individuals being stalked by mysterious aerial machines
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Homeland Security’s surprising admission that they “don’t know what’s going on”
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The deeper questions: Who is behind these drones? Why are they targeting people? And what do they mean for outdoor safety?
This episode shines a light on one of the most mysterious and underreported outdoor threats emerging today.
Please subscribe to Dark Outdoors® for more true crime stories, wilderness investigations, and terrifying outdoor encounters you won’t hear anywhere else.
Dark Outdoors® is sponsored by Texas Fish & Game.

Saturday Oct 26, 2024
The Lake Worth Monster With Lyle Blackburn
Saturday Oct 26, 2024
Saturday Oct 26, 2024
Author Lyle Blackburn joins Chester Moore to unravel the eerie true story of the Lake Worth Monster—also known as the Greer Island Goatman—in this chilling Halloween edition of Dark Outdoors®.
In our special annual Halloween cryptozoology episode, host Chester Moore sits down with acclaimed author and researcher Lyle Blackburn to discuss his latest book, The Lake Worth Monster: The True Story of the Greer Island Goatman.
This deep dive explores:
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The legend and lore of the Lake Worth Monster
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Why this case has been so misunderstood for decades
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How the story of the Goatman of Greer Island continues to haunt Texas folklore
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The broader place of cryptids and creepy creatures in Halloween storytelling
If you love cryptozoology, Texas legends, or spine-tingling mysteries tied to the outdoors, this episode will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Dark Outdoors® is brought to you by Texas Fish & Game.

Monday Sep 30, 2024
Death In America's National Parks
Monday Sep 30, 2024
Monday Sep 30, 2024
From fatal animal attacks to chilling disappearances, Chester Moore and author Randi Minetor explore the most haunting cases from her seven-book series on death in national parks.
In this gripping episode of Dark Outdoors, Chester Moore speaks with best-selling author Randi Minetor about the shocking and often tragic stories she’s uncovered in her seven-book series on death in America’s national parks.
Topics include:
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What kills more visitors than anything else in national parks
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The harrowing and deadly “Night of the Grizzly”
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Alligator attacks in southern parks
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Mysterious disappearances where missing people were later found dead along the very trails that had been searched
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And much more chilling detail from across the park system
This episode pulls back the curtain on the hidden dangers of national parks, blending history, wildlife encounters, and the mysteries that still haunt America’s wildest places.
Dark Outdoors® is sponsored by Texas Fish & Game.

Monday Sep 23, 2024
Strange Tales Of A Hidden TX Tribe? Strange Survivalists or Feral Humans?
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
From Trinity Bay to the Big Thicket, Chester Moore uncovers chilling reports of “wild men,” primitive tribes, and mysterious off-grid people living in the shadows of modern Texas.
In this wild and unsettling episode of Dark Outdoors, host Chester Moore digs into a forgotten book that chronicles bizarre encounters with alleged primitive tribes in the Trinity Bay area near Galveston and Houston during the 1960s and 1980s.
The investigation explores:
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A longtime newspaper author’s report of similar activity in the Big Thicket National Preserve
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Tales of a possible “wild man” haunting the Old and Lost River areas near Trinity Bay in recent years
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The question of whether feral humans or off-grid people are living in ancient ways, hidden from society
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Legends and firsthand accounts that blur the line between folklore, cryptid mystery, and real human survival
This strange and mysterious episode raises chilling questions about what (or who) might still be living in the remote corners of Texas wilderness.

Friday Sep 13, 2024
More Ladybird Lake Deaths: Return of the Smiley Face Killers?
Friday Sep 13, 2024
Friday Sep 13, 2024
Are the mysterious drownings in Austin the work of the so-called Rainey Street Ripper, a group of predators, or part of the global Smiley Face Killers phenomenon? Dark Outdoors® investigates.
In this chilling episode of Dark Outdoors, Chester Moore digs into the growing mystery surrounding deaths on Ladybird Lake in Austin, where some believe a serial killer dubbed the “Rainey Street Ripper” is at work.
We examine:
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The alarming number of young men found dead in Ladybird Lake
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Competing theories—a lone serial killer, a group of predators, or a darkly shared “method of operation” circulating underground
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Disturbing parallels to the Smiley Face Killers phenomenon, a wave of suspicious water-related deaths now seen worldwide
Is Austin facing a local predator, or could this be part of a larger, global pattern of strange water deaths?
Dark Outdoors® is sponsored by Texas Fish & Game.

Friday Jul 05, 2024
Shark Attack At South Padre Island: Multiple Victims?
Friday Jul 05, 2024
Friday Jul 05, 2024
In this Dark Outdoors® mini-episode, we break down the official reports of a rare multiple-victim shark attack at South Padre Island—and what’s really going on in Gulf waters.
Join Chester Moore for a special mini-episode of Dark Outdoors® as we cover the recent shark attack at South Padre Island, which officials confirm involved multiple victims.
In this urgent episode, we cover:
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What is currently known about the attacks and victims
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Exclusive information on shark activity in the area right now
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Context on other rare multiple-victim shark attacks in Gulf waters in recent years
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A rumor killer addressing speculation about great white shark involvement
This episode delivers both breaking details and historical perspective on one of the most unsettling wildlife incidents to strike the Texas coast in years.

Tuesday Jun 25, 2024
The Real Candyman, Lost Boys And Their Bodies At The Texas Beach
Tuesday Jun 25, 2024
Tuesday Jun 25, 2024
In this Dark Outdoors® short, Chester Moore revisits the chilling reign of serial killer Dean Corll—through the eyes of a young boy who once saw him dumping a body.
On this Dark Outdoors® short episode, host Chester Moore recounts the disturbing story of a young boy who witnessed Dean Corll—the infamous “Candyman” serial killer—dumping a body.
We also share forgotten details of Corll’s reign of terror in Texas, a dark chapter of true crime history that left families devastated and communities haunted.
This brief but chilling episode shines a light on one of the most notorious and overlooked serial killers in American history.
