Where Does Bigfoot Live in North America?
Where Does Bigfoot Live?
Think you’ll never spot Bigfoot where you live? Guess again! Bigfoot encounters are reported all across North America, and the big guy is seen in all kinds of different climates and geographic regions.
Researchers are beginning to realize that the creature is more widespread than even the most optimistic among them may have imagined. Bigfoot is everywhere, from the stark and frozen north to the hot and swampy south.
In fact, Bigfoot and Bigfoot-like creatures are spotted all around the world. This makes Bigfoot the most geographically diverse cryptid, and raises some questions about the origins of the creature, its evolution and even its breeding habits.
But whether Bigfoot evolved from some other massive ape species, or it’s a hominid closely related to humans, it seems, like us, to have an uncanny ability to adapt to a wide range of habitats and climates.
So, if Bigfoot is everywhere why hasn’t anyone captured one yet? Today’s technology makes it easier than ever to snap a picture of the elusive beast, and with the popularity of shows like Finding Bigfoot it seems like just about everybody is out looking.
As we’ll see, the reason may lie in the very habitat where Bigfoot lives. So grab your pith helmet and butterfly net and get ready to go Bigfoot hunting!
Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest
We’ll start our hunt in the Pacific Northwest, which is traditionally thought of as Bigfoot country. In this region he’s often referred to as Sasquatch. Sasquatch sightings in this area date back to the times when Native American tribes populated the land, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that the creature came to national prominence due to the appearance of giant footprints around a logging site.
The prints, it turns out, were probably a hoax intended to scare people aware from the logging equipment when it was left unattended. But in the wake of the discovery more and more tales of the giant forest monster began to surface.
This region is also where the famous Patterson-Gimlin Film was shot back in 1967. This video may be the best Bigfoot evidence ever recorded, and shows a Sasquatch negotiating a creek bed.
The Pacific Northwest is densely wooded, with huge expanses of unpopulated wilderness. In other words, it is exactly the kind of place where a shy creature like Bigfoot would want to live. Hundreds of sightings are reported from just this one small area of the country alone, enough to convince any squatcher to keep up the search.
Finding Bigfoot: The Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film
Bigfoot in Canada
Canada is a big Bigfoot hotspot too, and it’s no wonder with all the forest land. As of this writing the BFRO database has well over 200 Bigfoot sighting reports from Canada listed. Some of the earliest Bigfoot stories come from Canadian hunters and trappers, but of course the Native America tribes knew about the beast long before Europeans ever came to the continent.
In fact, Bigfoot sightings may account for stories of the Wendigo, a big, hairy forest spirit known to northern Native American tribes.
British Columbia is the region where the Sasquatch is most often reported in Canada. It makes sense, as this could be considered part of the Pacific Northwest Sasquatch habitat. In fact, Sasquatch range may extend all the way from the Northwestern United States, through Canada, and up into Alaska. Whether Sasquatches migrate throughout this area or maintain steady territories is unknown.
Ontario is another Canadian providence with a large number of Sasquatch sightings. Again, with the large amount of wilderness, and sandwiched between the Great Lakes Region and the massive Hudson Bay, there are plenty of natural resources to allow a creature such as Bigfoot to flourish.
With all that forest, and with some very sparsely populated regions, it’s no wonder Bigfoot is getting along just fine in the Great White North!
Bigfoot in the Eastern US
You might think the eastern part of the United States would be an unlikely place to find Bigfoot. After all, it’s so populated, and has been for hundreds of years.
Large and dangerous animals that once roamed the east have been hunted to extinction, so if Bigfoot existed here one would think it would have either moved on or died off, but apparently not so.
In fact, Bigfoot is spotted in Ohio, Pennsylvania and many other eastern states.
How is Bigfoot managing to get along in this relatively populated section of the continent? One reason may be because the east is not as crowded as we like to think.
The woods of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and other states feature huge tracts of little-traveled wilderness, and the Appalachian Mountains make for a perfect place for Bigfoot to hide. A quick look at the USGS Protected Areas Database shows a wide range of protected forest land in the east.
A lot of people wonder why, if Bigfoot is real, a hunter has never shot one. There may be a few reasons. Even though there are plenty of hunters, we have to think Bigfoot is a pretty sharp critter, and knows well enough to stay out of their way. Hunters only hunt for specific prey during specific seasons, and most are smart enough not to take a potshot at a humanoid in the woods. On the other hand, there are plenty of Bigfoot sightings by hunters in the Northeast and other parts of the country.
The Bushman in Alaska
In Alaska and parts of Canada, especially prior to the 1950s, Bigfoot is often referred to as the Bushman. Like Bigfoot, the Bushman is a huge, bipedal manlike creature that is covered with hair. Reports of Bigfoot in Alaska go back over a hundred years. Some tell of standard Bigfoot encounters, while others talk of Bushman allegedly causing harm to humans.
Alaska is a huge expanse of land, most of it very sparsely populated. It’s prime Bigfoot habitat, but a relatively small number of sightings reports come from this state. This could be due to Bigfoot having an easier time finding human-free areas in Alaska than it does in other parts of North America. Or, the area may simply be too cold for the species.
Some cryptozoologists attempt to explain the evolution of Bigfoot with an idea called Bigfoot-Giganto Theory. This says a giant prehistoric ape called Gigantopithecus followed early humans over the Bering Land Bridge and evolved into what we now know as Bigfoot. Of course this is just a theory, but if true it would possibly mean that the Bigfoot population is Alaska is the oldest in North America. It could also mean that Alaska offers the best chance of finding fossil evidence of Sasquatch and a real link to its evolution.
Skunk Ape in the Southern United States
The deep, dank swamps of the Southern United States are another great place for Bigfoot to hide. Down here he’s called Skunk Ape due to the horrific odor that usually accompanies sightings.
Why does the skunk ape smell so bad? Of course nobody knows for sure, but it may be due to sleeping in the swampy soil, or even because of its diet.
Sightings of the skunk ape date back for decades, and it is well-known especially in the south of Florida. There are even some interesting pictures floating around, though like all Bigfoot evidence so far they are inconclusive.
One recent problem cryptozoologists are encountering when attempting to gather legitimate Skunk Ape evidence is that of escaped primates.
Possibly as controversial as Bigfoot, some believe there is a population of Chimpanzees and Orangutans living in the remote areas of Florida. These animals would have escaped from zoos or private collections and have possibly established a breeding population.
But many Skunk Ape sightings are most definitely not of a chimp. This is a creature of the same size as Bigfoot, and for most witnesses there is no confusion. Deep in the dense southern swamps, it’s certainly conceivable that such a creature could make its home.
Bigfoot is Everywhere!
Bigfoot has been sighted in every state and province in North America. There are reports from unusual states like North Dakota, New Mexico and Nevada. There are sightings south of the border in Mexico. There are even strange tales of Bigfoot-like creatures in Hawaii! Bigfoot seems to be all over the place.
Is it possible that as our technology increases and our population grows Bigfoot sightings will become more common? Just about everyone these days carries around a cell phone with a camera and a video recorder, and we’re already seeing an increase in Bigfoot evidence. Perhaps this shy and elusive creature will one day come into the light.
Then again, maybe it’s better than he remains hidden. Like everything else, the world would probably exploit Sasquatch. Zoos would be falling over each other to become to become the first to have a Bigfoot display, and biologists would be poking and prodding any captured specimen in a clumsy attempt to gather more information.
As much as we all want to know to the truth about Bigfoot, for now it’s probably best he remain a mystery. It’s better for him, and probably better for us.