- It never gets easy, but true science requires true risk
I'm gonna just.
(dramatic music) (film projector buzzing)
(flames crackling)
- And action.
- In the autumn of 2018,
the Brave Wilderness team caught on camera,
a mythological creature so mysterious,
so elusive and so magical
that most of you have probably been wondering.
- Coyote, when are you going to feature this glorious beast
in more detail?
- Well coyote pack today, your wishes come true.
Right now we're exploring the wilds of Central Ohio.
At a top secret location where recent eye witness accounts
may have made it possible for us to once again,
capture this creature on camera.
Mario, are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?
- Magical creatures, yep, sure.
- Oh, oh buddy!
Let the search begin.
(dramatic music)
- Hey, Coyote.
- Yeah? - Trail's this way.
- Oh.
(dramatic music)
- All right, let the adventure begin.
- Yeah, the trail's this way.
- So much for a wild and a secret location.
I don't know where he's going.
Trail's to the right.
Oh boy, this is gonna be a long day.
- We should roll on this,
go ahead just bring up your camera.
Tracking animals is incredibly difficult
and you have to know the exact right signs
to search for in the environment.
Now what we have off to my left here
is what you would consider a game trail.
A trail that an animal uses frequently,
almost like a super highway to get from one spot
of the environment to the next.
It's a good chance that the creature we search for today
uses this trail.
Now to investigate, I'ma lose the backpack
and I'm gonna to go head in on this.
You got to take chances if you want to make
good wildlife documentaries.
All right, follow me if you can.
- Why are you crawling through it?
- Try to just keep up, get a good shot.
This is intense.
So, keep the camera lower so it seems intense.
So right now we're on the trail of this elusive creature
and it's important for me to stay low.
The more that I can keep my scent
and the sound of me moving through the environment
away from this animal's senses, the better.
All right, let's try to cover a little bit more ground.
Stay low.
I think we're on the track.
Oh my gosh, right here!
Look, look, look!
What!
What, this is huge!
Okay, bring your camera down low,
get a tight shot first.
Wow, this is exciting!
What you are looking at here
is scat, feces, animal droppings,
of course also known as poop.
Now, based on the looks of this scat pile,
there's a good chance that it comes from the creature
after which we seek.
Now, we're definitely gonna to need to take
a genetic sample.
So with me today, I have these little glass containers.
We have to get a sample.
I've got my tweezers, but to be honest, let me just,
it does smell fresh.
Now, I know it seems gross, but one of the best ways
to determine how fresh something is,
is to actually sample it.
So what I'm gonna to do is just.
It never gets easy, but true science requires true risk.
I'm gonna to just.
Uh, uh-huh.
Peanutty, definitely has been eating peanuts,
but here's the thing that's most interesting
and the most definitive, you see these right here,
corns, you can't digest corn.
Nobody can not even the creature that we're after
and it is fresh.
All right, I'm gonna collect a sample
of each one of these.
Okay, this is really big, this is a huge discovery.
This literally could change the future.
It could change and rewrite science,
this is insanely exciting.
All right we are definitely on the right track.
Mario, make sure you just get, basically,
a backup view all shot
as soon as I walk off scene.
Oh yes, we are hot on the trail!
All right, keep going, come on.
- This this clearly candy corn.
Yup.
I mean, some little kid probably dropped this bag
of Halloween candy, this is a Raisinet.
All right, I'm coming.
- Camouflage, C-A-M-O-U-F-L-A-U-G-E.
Camouflage is what animals rely on to stay hidden
within the environment, especially from cameras.
- That's a wrap.
- That's a good take.
Yes, we nailed that!
- Did he spell that right?
Not even close.
That's not how you spell camouflage kids.
- [Coyote] That's fine we'll fix it in post guys,
come on keep moving.
- Good luck to the editors.
I'm sorry about this one.
- Oh sure, we'll just fix it in post.
You got something?
- So no I don't, to answer your question.
But a bridge like this is often the kind of place
where you'll find trolls, right?
You know what a troll is?
Up underneath looking for billy goats, not here though,
not this bridge and it's not what we're looking for,
but the conditions are perfect, you see how dry it is?
A little bit of straw, a little bit of rock,
there may have been one living here at some point in time.
Not necessarily today,
but you always have to check this out, right?
I just want you to understand
that the things I'm looking for in the environment,
I want you to be in tune with as a camera operator as well.
We're good, right?
Okay.
Go ahead and look underneath to see if you see anything,
but we can keep moving.
- Coyote?
Where is he, oh my gosh.
Coyote!
- [Coyote] Mario!
Come here, over here, hurry!
- What do ya got, what do ya got?
- You're rolling, you're rolling?
- I'm rolling.
- Do you know what that is?
It's felt.
And it's stuck right onto this bramble.
Now, whenever you're investigating an environment,
one definitive sign when it comes to tracking things,
is that when creatures move through something that's sharp,
like this brambles, that grab onto its skin,
onto its material, oftentimes that material
will get trapped and left behind.
And that sample right there,
may be the most important evidence
we have discovered all day.
Clue number two, red felt.
Here hold onto the forceps,
I don't want it to touch the ground and get contaminated.
I got another containment jar here, here we go.
All right, go ahead and head back off
and just gently get this into the containment unit.
Wow, it is so vibrant!
Between the scat and this piece of felt,
we are so hot on the trail.
Okay, so the direction in which this got snagged
means that the creature was headed that direction.
We gotta keep moving, I think we're getting close.
I can hear a river up ahead.
River is always a good source of life.
and if we can get there in time,
we might be able to find some tracks.
All right, come on, keep up, let's go.
- Are gonna eat lunch?
- Not yet, we're too hot on the trail.
Oh, this is exciting.
We've made it down to the river.
Look at this, look at this!
Do you know what that is?
- It's a cairn with a present on top of it.
Now within culture,
there are two different types of cairns.
This type is the one that is oftentimes built by
indigenous people to mark a territory
or a sign that, perhaps, you should go in this direction
or that direction.
What's unique about this is it has a present top of it.
And I'm assuming that this present is probably for me,
but then again, it may also be booby trapped.
So, I always come prepared for this moment.
I've got my burger cat
and it looks like the burger cat may be of similar weight
to the present, all right here we go.
Fingers crossed Mario, get ready.
If for some reason, this explodes
just run the other direction, ready?
One, two, three.
Okay, we're clear.
Glorious present, red bow on top.
Be Rad wrapping paper.
This is incredible, okay, I'm gonna open it slowly.
My gosh, what's it gonna be, what's it gonna be?
This is amazing, this is amazing.
I cannot believe this,
I cannot believe this!
Okay.
Oh come on Coyote, what's it gonna to be?
Red Ryder BB gun?
Coyote Peterson action figure?
It's a piece of paper with a Brave Wilderness sticker on it.
It's a letter.
Dear Coyote, stop following me.
You're never going to catch me.
- XOXO - Whoa, whoa, whoa, cut, cut.
Dude, there's something behind you, man.
- Oh my gosh, that's it!
That's it, give me the camera!
Oh my gosh, that's it!
That is him, that is the Chance Elf!
I've got him on camera!
Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!
Oh my gosh, that was him, the Chance Elf.
The Chance Elf, we caught it on camera, I can't believe it!
Oh my gosh!
That was it.
That was the Chance Elf, Mario,
that is what we've been searching for this entire time.
And we literally just caught it on camera.
We were the first people to ever capture this thing
in full-frame HD.
This is going to make the holiday season,
the greatest wildlife footage of all time.
We're gonna to win an award for this.
I'd like to thank the Academy, I'd like to thank you Mario,
for being behind the camera at this moment,
the documentary team for being right here with us,
I'd like to thank my family.
I'd like to thank everybody who believed
in the unbelievable, the Chance Elf.
We've caught it on camera, can you believe it?
This is just the greatest holiday of all time.
Unbelievable.
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild.
We'll see on the next adventure.
Dude, we did it!
- I'm a believer now.
I doubted him.
Why did I doubt Coyote?
Should have trusted him and now I do.
I believe.
Happy Holidays.
- [Narrator] Our planet is home to a plethora
of elusive creatures,
but nothing has brought more wonder and joy to children
and their families across the world
than the Chance Elf.
Bearded and bell decorated
this happy-go-lucky delivery elf
spends its entire year, working around the clock.
A tireless task aimed to ensure
that little boys and girls
Brave Wilderness merchandise wishes will come true
every holiday season.
From hoodies to hats, adventure kits to water bottles,
trading cards, stickers, and tidings of goodwill.
This holiday season is certain to be a thrill.
Visit shopbravewilderness.com today
to get some gear for all the Brave Wilderness fans
in your life, this holiday season.
And don't forget to follow @shopbravewilderness
on Instagram for promotions and new product releases.
Happy holidays.
(animal roars)