Should Idaho Establish A Bigfoot Bounty?

Last year, a study by Satellite Internet showed that Idaho was ranked fourth in the country for Bigfoot sightings per 100,000 residents. With a state population of just over 1.7 million people, our 93 sightings make us a prime spot for running into a sasquatch. Only Washington, Oregon, and West Virginia have better odds of running into the giant beast. Oklahoma, which has had nine more sightings than Idaho and a significantly lower chance of running into Bigfoot, has two donors offering a bounty for anyone to bring it in. The State even tried to establish a Bigfoot hunting season.

Is coming up with a bounty for Bigfoot a good idea for Idaho? We keep hearing about this budget surplus that the State has, and theoretically, a reward could attract tourists. Maybe Frank VanderSloot would want to offer up cash in exchange for housing the famous creature. Perhaps he could then put it on loan to Zoo Boise for all to enjoy.

According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization's database, Bigfoot sightings haven't slowed down in Idaho. The last two Idaho sightings involve loud knocks in the woods to go along with whooping vocalizations. An August sighting happened near the St. Joe River in Shoshone County. An October run-in occurred seven miles south of Bovill in Latah County.

There is no question that Bigfoot is a part of Idaho's culture. The mysterious beast is very popular in the entire region. Attracting hunters to find and capture Bigfoot would put Idaho on the map forever. It would increase tourism, give more revenue to the State, potentially lower our taxes, and make life better for all Idahoans. It's not like Idaho cares about controversial or negative press. We've certainly had our fair share over the past month or two.