By Amanda Redman
aredman@thepaperofwabash.com

Mike Familant was in a Florida woods one night doing Bigfoot calls, when his spotlight shone upon a set of eyes. Then another set.
“One was fire engine red. The other was aqua blue,” Familant told a mesmerized group of about 40 who came out for his “Live” talk May 9 at Wabash County Museum.
Familant had assumed the shining red and blue eyes must have belonged to people, he explained. This was only his second night hike in pursuit of the elusive cryptid.
“We didn’t realize that people don’t have eye shine,” Familant said, explaining that humans don’t have night vision so don’t have eyeshine.
Because the eyes were six foot in the air, Familant was startled by the sight and tried to make conversation with the eyes.
“We are just out here looking for Bigfoot,” he shouted through the dark woods with a laugh.
The two sets of eyes seemed to look at each other then disappeared, Familant said adding that he hasn’t been able to find another explanation for the eyes other than a visit by the creature he had been calling for: Bigfoot.
He has since become a full-time traveling Bigfoot investigator and producer/lead investigator of In the Shadow of Big Red Eye, a YouTube series with more than 2,000 active subscribers. He travels the country camping out in woods, leading investigative hikes and hosting talks in library.
He brings along with him a slideshow of evidence and several casts of footprints he has made during his expeditions.
Familant credits the Animal Planet series “Finding Bigfoot” for his interest in the pursuit. 
“My show is just like that but better,” Familant said joking with the audience, many of whom shared their own experiences.
While working a beach resort in Florida, Familant was watching the show when they were offering a chance to go on a night investigation with a crew for “an exorbitant amount of money.”
He went on the hike with a friend in North Florida.
At first, “We did not find any evidence of Bigfoot whatsoever,” Familant said.
The final night though, they started hearing “tree knocks,” a sound attributed to Bigfoot. “We thought it was the people who put on the show,” Familant said.
Ten minutes later, a rock landed five feet from them. He showed the palm size oval shaped rock to the audience.
That’s when things got scary and exciting.
“I got really into it after that,” Familant said admitting that he was also very scared.
Another rock landed five feet from them. Then a small boulder, about the size of a laptop computer.
“This is how horror movies start,” Familant said. “Think about it, what can throw a rock? A human, or a Bigfoot. What else can throw rocks. Both are pretty terrifying.”
An EMT by trade, Familant also works for New Jersey Search and Rescue.
Even if explorers don’t find a Bigfoot or evidence of thereof, getting outside and away from video games or television is a healthy pursuit in and of itself, Familant said.
“I was always an inside kid growing up,” Familant said, crediting Bigfoot for leading him out into the woods. “My goal is to get people out in nature.”
To watch In the Shadow of Big Red Eye, visit, https://www.youtube.com/@shadowofredeye/videos