Once theories about the existence of legendary beasts persist for long enough, we can often find that they go from inspiring terror to becoming the objects of their believers’ affection.
This phenomenon led to the creation of a lot of kitschy alien merchandise during the ’90s and it seems to be developing around the infamous Bigfoot — or sasquatch, depending on where you live.
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And on a strange level, I’m kind of glad to see that because while I don’t believe in Bigfoot personally, I always figured that if it does exist, it’s only minding its own business.
Nonetheless, those who do and want to finally grab hold of the creature apparently have a new opportunity to do so. And it seems like a big one.
Back in early January, Oklahoma Representative Justin Humphrey introduced a bill in the state legislature calling for an official Bigfoot hunting season.
Although Oklahomans seemed unsure of the intentions behind the bill , they seem a little clearer now that — as WETM18 reported — Humphrey remains satisfied with it despite the fact that it died in committee.
As he told The Enid News And Eagle , that’s because it had already accomplished what he intended it to do: promote interest in and potential tourism to his district of southeastern Oklahoma.
This idea was apparently based on the region’s supposed reputation of featuring the ninth most Bigfoot sightings in the world.
And as Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell — who is also the state’s secretary of tourism and branding — told The Enid News And Eagle , that reputation has has not gone unnoticed by local businesses who sell Bigfoot-themed shirts, hats, and bumper stickers.
In his words, “There’s already a positive economic impact with Bigfoot. It’s been a big economic boost for the area for decades.”
And now it seems that Humphrey is working with state tourism officials to kick that boost into overdrive with the “Sasquatch Quest.”
According to The Enid News and Eagle , this would see business along Oklahoma 259A offer annual Bigfoot tracking permits and merchandise commemorating the event.
Any profits from the campaign will likely go towards maintaining Oklahoma’s lakes, parks, and roadways that Humphrey described as being in “terrible, terrible condition.”
Although Humphrey originally suggested the state set aside a $25,000 bounty for Bigfoot’s capture, it seems that no state funding will be necessary after all.
As he said, this is because the team behind an upcoming Hollywood movie about the creature pledged $2 million to the cause while another private source has put up an additional $100,000.
So if somebody can locate and capture Bigfoot, it seems they’ll end up with a $2.1 million payout.
Humphrey and the tourism officials he’s in contact with are now drafting rules that appear to address criticisms of his bill back in January.
At the time, some believed that no good could come of this because of the potential that jumpy hunters could either actually kill the creature itself or each other in the process of looking for Bigfoot.
Although the full rules for the Sasquatch Quest are not yet known, what is clear is that participants must capture Bigfoot unharmed and can’t hurt anyone else or break any laws if they want to qualify for the bounty.
As Pinnell said, “(We) certainly didn’t want to harm any individuals or Bigfoots for that matter.”