{"id":65775,"date":"2021-03-13T13:23:32","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T19:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=65775"},"modified":"2021-03-13T13:23:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-13T19:23:32","slug":"65775","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=65775","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Bigfoot bounty grows to more than $2 million<\/a><\/p>\n

OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Oklahoma\u2019s bounty on Bigfoot has grown to nearly $2.1 million mere weeks after a state lawmaker proposed a controversial bill to allow capturing of the mythical creature.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, said it doesn\u2019t matter that his legislative measure never made it out of committee. It did exactly what he intended it to do \u2014 promote interest and tourism in his heavily wooded district in Southeast Oklahoma that reportedly boasts the ninth most sightings in the world of the legendary ape-like creature.<\/p>\n

Humphrey said he initially thought he\u2019d have to go through the state wildlife department to issue hunting licenses for Bigfoot, but quickly discovered the state tourism department can issue tracking permits since the intent is not to kill or injure the elusive beast.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s working with state tourism officials to set up rules for Bigfoot enthusiasts who want to participate in Oklahoma\u2019s \u201cSasquatch Quest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The No. 1 rule \u2014 Sasquatchers must capture Bigfoot unharmed and can\u2019t injure anyone else or break any laws in the process.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get some language, make sure that we protect Bigfoot and that we protect the public (so) that nobody is injured,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Humphrey\u2019s original plan suggested lawmakers set aside a $25,000 bounty for Bigfoot\u2019s capture, but he said an upcoming Hollywood Bigfoot movie pledged around $2 million, while another private business promised an additional $100,000. That eliminated any need for state funding.<\/p>\n

He said state tourism officials now are developing a Bigfoot promotional campaign that includes license plates, decals, an annual commemorative tracking license and \u201cBigfoot checkout stations.\u201d He said they\u2019re also working on a map of the region to show visitors the best route to take to spot Bigfoot while promoting nearby businesses at the same time.<\/p>\n

Any profits generated from the new Bigfoot tourism campaign will be used to maintain the state\u2019s lakes, parks and roadways that are in \u201cterrible, terrible condition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Humphrey said he\u2019d like to affix \u201cRoad sponsored by Bigfoot\u201d signs and perhaps add some Sasquatch tracks to public areas that have been improved thanks to the tourism campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re having fun with it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun. I\u2019m enjoying it. But at the same time, I know a lot of people thought I was crazy. But, I think if people chill out, (they could) see that this could be a serious deal bringing in a lot of money, a lot of tourism.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s Department of Tourism did not respond to requests seeking comment.<\/p>\n

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Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, the state\u2019s secretary of tourism and branding, said he\u2019s never personally seen a Bigfoot, but holds out hope that maybe one day someone will.<\/p>\n

He said southeastern Oklahoma has long promoted Bigfoot aggressively. Stores sell T-shirts, hats and bumper stickers. The area also is home to a well-known Bigfoot festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s already a positive economic impact with Bigfoot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a big economic boost for the area for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinnell said he hasn\u2019t worked much with Humphrey on the bounty idea, but said there\u2019s support for a tourism campaign to raise money that can be reinvested into area trail systems and roadways.<\/p>\n

The current plan is to allow businesses along Oklahoma 259A, which runs through Beavers Bend State Park, to sell annual Bigfoot tracking permits, he said. Profits from the sales would stay in the local communities.<\/p>\n

Pinnell said Bigfoot legislation is not needed, nor probably the right move for Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were concerned with his idea of sending people into the woods to trap a Bigfoot,\u201d Pinnell said. \u201c(We) certainly didn\u2019t want to harm any individuals or Bigfoots for that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinnell said Bigfoot is a fascinating topic, much like the Loch Ness Monster. In the Broken Bow area one entrepreneur has built a Bigfoot statute between 20 and 30 feet tall in front of his Sasquatch gas station.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are few areas in the country that promote (Bigfoot),\u201d Pinnell said. \u201cAnd with tourism attractions today, you want something that\u2019s authentic and unique that separates you from the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humphrey said his ultimate goal is to draw in tourists by providing safe, affordable fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope people get here and ride 4-wheelers and do fishing and go to the restaurants and sleep in motels,\u201d he said. \u201cCome to Oklahoma, have an adventure. Enjoy yourself, tell your friends and come back<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bigfoot bounty grows to more than $2 million OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Oklahoma\u2019s bounty on Bigfoot has grown to nearly $2.1 million mere weeks after a state lawmaker proposed a controversial bill to allow capturing of the mythical creature. State Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, said it doesn\u2019t matter that his legislative measure never made it out … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-now-for-something-completely-different"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65776,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65775\/revisions\/65776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}