An Oklahoma lawmaker proposed a bill this week that would establish a Bigfoot hunting season in the state.

District 19 State Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, filed House Bill 1648 which would direct the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Division to establish an annual season requiring hunting licenses and fees — clarifying 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. “Just like some people like to go deer hunting, while some don’t.”

Humphrey said in a press release Thursday 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 relies 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 each first weekend in October. Humphrey said the hunting 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. A total of $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.

“Whether you’re a serious Bigfoot scholar or a seeker of folklore, you’ll find fellow explorers at the Kiamichi Christian Mission, located at Highway 144 and Indian Trail Highway in the deep woods of tiny Honobia,” the website states.

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

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