Intro
During the long history of the Bigfoot mystery, believers in this mythical beast have found all sorts of hairy "evidence," from oversize footprints to strange audio recordings. But no one has ever managed to bag an actual specimen. To true believers in the legendary woodland ape, this just goes to show what an elusive and desirable game Bigfoot really is.
Organized Bigfoot hunting expeditions happen all year long. For those who might like to join in, here are a few options.
Big game hunting
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization hosts 20 four-day hunting expeditions each year. This spring, they're dispatching hunting parties to Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Arizona, Washington, Canada and California. Many of the upcoming trips are already sold out, but spots are open in the late-spring, summer and fall expeditions. The BFRO's mission is "to resolve the mystery surrounding the Bigfoot phenomenon, that is, to derive conclusive documentation of the species' existence," according to its website. The group has yet to kill or find the remains of an actual Bigfoot, but bits and pieces of "physical evidence" are obtained during most hunting expeditions, from footprints to scat to eyeshine seen in night camera footage (pictured).
Big footprints
The Sanger Paranormal Society, a California group, goes Sasquatch hunting each Memorial Day weekend. The group didn't bag a Bigfoot during the 2011 expedition, but they did manage to make headlines. They had to abandon one of their vehicles after the trek because of heavy snowfall, and when they returned to it three days later, an unidentified creature had put prints all over the windows of the vehicle. The hunters said the prints could have been made by a hirsute humanoid.
Elliston Bigfoot Hunt
This annual hunt happens every spring in a 10-acre wooded area near Elliston, Montana. Locals don't actually hunt woodland apes, but rather one of their own dressed in a Bigfoot costume. This year, Catherine Dobson (right) won the $150 prize for finding Bigfoot. She found John Peskey (left), an orchestra teacher in Elliston and this year's Sasquatch, hiding in a thicket at the back of the lot.
Celebrity search
Tom Biscardi, a California-based cryptozoology enthusiast, may be the best known of all Bigfoot hunters. Despite his involvement in at least two alleged sightings that later turned out to be elaborate hoaxes, Biscardi continues to lead Bigfoot search parties in woodlands all across the country through an organization called "Searching for Bigfoot Inc." For just $300, anyone can join Biscardi on an expedition, along with the rest of his entourage and the TV documentary filmmakers who often accompany him.
Disabled hunters welcome
Hunting supposedly occurs year round at the Bigfoot Hunting Preserve, a wooded area in Michigan where hunters can try their luck at the local legendary wildlife, with the help of outfitters and guides. According to the BFHP website, visiting hunters bag Bigfoots at the preserve all the time (despite a lack of photographic proof online). The website claims there are so many Sasquatch specimens in the preserve that guides occasionally hold "Bigfoot rodeos," corralling creatures into a three-acre lot to be picked off by hunters one at a time. Disabled hunters are also allegedly welcome.
The website is replete with FAQs, testimonials, and even contact information, and yet it seems to be a hoax or scam. That's what real Bigfoot hunters are saying on discussion forums, anyway.
