Oklahoma lawmaker proposes Bigfoot trapping season

An Oklahoma lawmaker proposed a bill that would establish a Bigfoot trapping season in the state.

State Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, filed House Bill 1648 that would direct the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Division to establish an annual season requiring licenses and fees — specifying he doesn't want the fabled hominid killed.

“A lot of people don’t believe in Bigfoot, but a lot of people do,” Humphrey said.

Humphrey said in a statement Thursday that he will work with state agencies on the bill’s final language to specify the trapping of Bigfoot along with a $25,000 bounty for the first person to capture the creature.

His district consists of parts of Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw and Pushmataha Counties in southeast Oklahoma, which he said rely on tourism dollars. He said the bill has the potential to increase tourism and the resulting dollars could boost local economies.

Honobia, located 72 miles southeast of McAlester in Pushmataha County, has an annual Bigfoot festival the first weekend in October. Humphrey said the trapping season should pair with the festival.

The festival helps raise money for the Honobia Bigfoot Scholarship awarded by the Honobia Bigfoot Organization to high school seniors in the Pushmataha County area. According to the festival's website, $40,425 was given to 71 students between 2014 and 2019.

Last year's festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, but the festival's website says the event will return later this year.

Humphrey said the main goal of the bill is to promote Oklahoma's outdoor activities and tourism.