OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A mythical monkey-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has now become the target of a state legislator in Oklahoma.
A Republican member of the House introduced a bill that would create a hunting season for Bigfoot. Deputy Justin Humphrey’s district includes the dense forests of the Ouachita Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma, where a Bigfoot festival is held each year near the Arkansas border. He says that issuing a state hunting license and tag can help boost tourism.
“Establishing a real hunting season and issuing licenses to people who want to hunt Bigfoot will only attract more people to our already beautiful part of the state,” said Humphrey in a statement.
Humphrey says his project would only allow for traps and that he also hopes to secure $ 25,000 to be offered as a reward.
Micah Holmes, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, which oversees hunting in Oklahoma, told KOCO television station that the agency uses science-based research and does not recognize Bigfoot.