Sightings – "Skinwalker Ranch"

Podcast: Sightings (REVERB | QCODE)
Episode Date: October 6, 2025
Summary by Podcast Summarizer AI

Episode Overview

This episode of Sightings dives into the infamous and chilling legend of Skinwalker Ranch, a property in Utah widely known as a hotspot for supernatural phenomena. The show presents a dramatized firsthand account from former ranch owner Terry Sherman, detailing the bizarre, terrifying, and unexplainable events that plagued his family. The episode concludes with a discussion between hosts McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley, where they examine the facts, theories, Native American lore, and scientific investigations connected to the ranch.

Dramatic Retelling: Terry Sherman's Ordeal at Skinwalker Ranch

The Arrival and Immediate Dread

• [03:33] Terry Sherman recounts his excitement upon buying 480 acres of picturesque ranchland, only to be met with strange warning signs:
  • Multiple deadbolts on every door (interior and exterior)
  • Permanently locked windows
  • Heavy chains bolted to the walls
  • Odd legal clauses, like prohibitions on digging
  • "Looking back, the warning signs were there. I was just too dumb to see them, I guess." — Terry Sherman [03:56]
• On move-in day, Sherman encounters an unnaturally large wolf with "insanely blue eyes" that appears tame before attacking his livestock.
  • Despite several close-range gunshots, the wolf remains impervious and eventually disappears, its tracks abruptly ending in mud:
  • "The tracks just stopped... in the middle of open mud. This huge animal had simply vanished into thin air. And now that... That was just day one." — Terry Sherman [06:10]

Escalating Phenomena

• Poltergeist-like activity: Food, keys, and even heavy equipment vanish and reappear in bizarre locations (groceries re-bagged, keys in the freezer, a 70-pound post digger hung 20 feet up a tree).
• Unexplained lights:
  • Frequent multi-colored, silent, floating objects seen at close range
  • "These orbs were doorways to somewhere else." — Terry Sherman [08:44]
• Cattle disappearances:
  • Tracks simply end in open fields, as if the animals vanished
• Mutilations:
  • Cattle found "surgically mutilated" with no blood, precision cuts, and no trace of predators
    • "Something had carved out her entire rear end with surgical precision... But the most disturbing part was the complete lack of blood, not one drop anywhere." — Terry Sherman [10:50]

Intensifying Fear and Terror

• Voices, humanoid figures, and monstrous visitors:
  • Gwen, Terry’s wife, sees a glowing RV with a giant, helmeted figure inside
  • Abnormally large, boot-like footprints are found circling the house
• Manifestations of ‘blue orbs’:
  • Baseball-sized, glassy balls with "boiling blue liquid inside"
  • Their presence induces overwhelming terror in people and animals alike
    • "This was pure, primal terror, like the orbs were broadcasting it straight into our minds." — Terry Sherman [15:34]
• Loss of beloved dogs:
  • Terry’s dogs chase an orb; their ash remains are discovered in burned circles:
    • "In the center of each circle was a pile of what looked like ash. The incinerated remains of my dogs." — Terry Sherman [17:57]

Breaking Point and Aftermath

• Financial and emotional ruin: lost cattle, lost jobs, and failing health
• Sherman publicizes the ranch’s phenomena, attracting both ridicule and believers
• Sale to Robert Bigelow:
  • Noted billionaire and paranormal enthusiast buys the ranch for "scientific research"
  • Sherman’s final thought: "But I knew better now because that land had teeth." — Terry Sherman [21:06]

Discussion & Analysis

Fact-Checking & Additional Lore [23:47+]

The Wolf (Werewolves/Skinwalkers)

• The creature described as a wolf:
  • "The last wolf in Utah had been shot in 1929. So there are no wolves in that area or in Utah in general in over 70 years." — Brian Sigley [24:53]
• Story of a "Predator"-like invisible creature as recalled by Sherman [25:24].
  • "Like almost ripples, like in a heat mirage... that cloaking effect." — McLeod Andrews [26:22]

Bigelow & Scientific Research

• Robert Bigelow established the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) to investigate the ranch.
• Sherman stayed as ranch manager, acting as a cattle caretaker and observer, but did not live on the ranch.
• NIDS set up extensive surveillance, electromagnetic, and audio equipment; despite this, concrete evidence eluded them.
  • "By that time in those eight years, they had nothing concrete and provable of what was happening here." — Brian Sigley [30:31]

Documented Experiments and Sightings

• Numerous anecdotal reports by NIDS scientists:
  • Telepathic communications ("We are watching you.")
  • Sightings of portals/tunnels in the air and faceless beings
  • Failures to capture conclusive photographic or video evidence
  • "One guy saw, he had these night vision goggles... There is a giant black thing moving along the treeline right now... it said, 'We are watching you.'" — Brian Sigley [29:02]

Native Legends and The Name

• The Ute tribe regard the area as "the path of the skinwalker," strictly forbidding entry due to the land being "cursed."
  • "Skinwalkers... is someone who has been cursed, who is fated to kind of be a shapeshifter and has become evil" — Brian Sigley [32:20]

Possible Explanations Debated

1. Hoax or Exaggeration?
   • Considered unlikely given financial ruin and ex-post sale
2. Natural Phenomena:
   • Gas leaks causing lights or hallucinations (no supporting evidence found)
3. Criminal/Military Testing:
   • Theories of government experiments (invisibility tech, EM fields affecting cognition, "bait" cattle for research)
   • Remote viewing sessions suggested secret underground base and Navy personnel [35:15]
4. Paranormal/Otherworldly:
   • Aliens or interdimensional beings; question remains why such entities would engage in "mundane mischief" and terror

Most Memorable Quotes

• "But I knew better now because that land had teeth." — Terry Sherman [21:06]
• "If anything's gonna happen and get recorded somewhere, it's gonna be here." — Brian Sigley [31:04]
• "I am not convinced by any of this, but I don't want to find out. I don't want to go and pet this dire wolf." — McLeod Andrews [38:05]

Unresolved Mysteries

• Despite years of professional investigation, no concrete evidence explains the phenomena
• The blend of poltergeist activity, cryptids, UFOs, and mutilations keeps Skinwalker Ranch at the epicenter of modern paranormal legend

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:33] Terry Sherman's story begins
• [06:10] The giant wolf encounter
• [08:44] First appearance of mysterious lights
• [10:50] Cattle mutilations discovered
• [14:09] Further mutilations and psychological terror
• [17:57] The loss of the dogs, breaking point
• [21:06] Sale to Bigelow
• [23:47] Discussion: Fact-checking, added phenomena, Bigelow's scientific teams
• [32:10] Native lore and “skinwalker” origin
• [33:13] Possible explanations debated
• [38:05] Hosts’ takeaways and closing thoughts

Tone & Style

The episode is atmospheric and unsettling, combining gritty rural realism with supernatural terror. The discussion balances skepticism and fascination, with both hosts admitting their refusal to spend a night at Skinwalker Ranch, regardless of their personal beliefs. There is a playful rapport, but a core of earnest curiosity and respect for the unsolved.

Notable Moments

• The haunting description of the wolf and its supernatural resilience
• Detailed and chilling accounts of cattle mutilations and the vanished tracks
• The "Predator"-style invisible creature and blue orbs broadcasting terror
• NIDS' professional yet futile scientific surveillance
• Hosts’ open-ended conclusion, inviting listeners to share their own tales

Conclusion

Skinwalker Ranch remains one of the most perplexing and multifaceted sites in paranormal lore. Whether because of centuries-old curses, military mysteries, or something genuinely otherworldly, the ranch’s reputation is well-deserved. The Sightings hosts present the facts, possibilities, and their own skepticism with wit and respect, ultimately leaving the mystery unsolved—and the audience enthralled.

If you have your own ranch stories or supernatural experiences, reach out to the team via Instagram @sightingspod or leave a message on Spotify!