Editing Bigfoot (section)

===Sightings===
According to ''[[Live Science]]'', there have been over 10,000 reported Bigfoot sightings in the continental United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Radford |first1=Benjamin |author2=Patrick Pester |title=Bigfoot: Is the Sasquatch real? |url=https://www.livescience.com/24598-bigfoot.html |website=livescience.com |publisher=LiveScience |access-date=February 25, 2022 |date=January 14, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225222536/https://www.livescience.com/24598-bigfoot.html |url-status=live }}</ref> About one-third of all claims of Bigfoot sightings are located in the Pacific Northwest, with the remaining reports spread throughout the rest of North America.<ref name="SI_Nickell" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfro.net/GDB/ |title=Geographical Database of Bigfoot/Sasquatch Sightings and Reports |publisher=Bigfoot Field Research Organization |access-date=August 19, 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080819051923/http://bfro.net/GDB/| archive-date= August 19, 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Car08_p118"><span id="Car08">{{cite journal | last=Cartmill |first=Matt |title=Bigfoot Exposed: An Anthropologist Examines America's Enduring Legend/Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science |journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology |volume=135 |issue=1 |page=118 |date=January 2008 | doi=10.1002/ajpa.20691 }}</span></ref> Most reports are considered mistakes or hoaxes, even by those researchers who claim Bigfoot exists.<ref name=Radford2012>{{cite web|last1=Radford|first1=Benjamin|title=Bigfoot: Man-Monster or Myth?|url=http://www.livescience.com/24598-bigfoot.html|website=Live Science|access-date=January 2, 2016|date=November 6, 2012|archive-date=April 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425011837/https://www.livescience.com/24598-bigfoot.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Sightings predominantly occur in the northwestern region of Washington state, Oregon, Northern California, and British Columbia. According to data collected from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization's (BFRO) Bigfoot sightings database in 2019, Washington has over 2,000 reported sightings, California over 1,600, Pennsylvania over 1,300, New York and Oregon over 1,000, and Texas has just over 800.<ref>{{cite news |title=Where has Bigfoot Been Sighted the Most? Washington, California, Pennsylvania Among Top States |url=https://www.newsweek.com/where-has-bigfoot-been-sighted-most-washington-california-pennsylvania-among-1421288 |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=[[Newsweek]] |agency= |date=May 9, 2019 |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421155415/https://www.newsweek.com/where-has-bigfoot-been-sighted-most-washington-california-pennsylvania-among-1421288 |url-status=live }}</ref> The debate over the legitimacy of Bigfoot sightings reached a peak in the 1970s, and Bigfoot has been regarded as the first widely popularized example of pseudoscience in American culture.<ref name="McLeod 2009 4">{{cite book|title=Anatomy of a Beast: Obsession and Myth on the Trail of Bigfoot|last=McLeod|first=Michael|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-520-25571-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_6FmjJYd13wC&pg=PA4|page=4|year=2009|location=Berkeley}}</ref>

Reports of alleged Bigfoot sightings are often featured in [[news]] stories throughout the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Neil |first1=Riley |title=Why Has Illinois Had A Huge Uptick In Bigfoot Sightings? |url=https://1440wrok.com/illinois-bigfoot-sightings-are-going-up/ |access-date=9 March 2025 |agency=[[WROK (AM)|WROK]] |date=6 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Prose |first1=J.D. |title=Penn State student thinks he encountered Bigfoot on game lands near campus |url=https://www.pennlive.com/life/2025/03/penn-state-student-thinks-he-encountered-bigfoot-on-game-lands-near-campus.html |publisher=[[The Patriot-News]] |access-date=9 March 2025 |date=4 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hyslip |first1=Tom |title=Police Officer Reports Bigfoot Sighting in Newberry County, South Carolina |url=https://www.wrhi.com/2024/11/police-officer-reports-bigfoot-sighting-in-newberry-county-south-carolina-194649 |access-date=9 March 2025 |agency=[[WRHI]] |date=20 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Duckworth |first1=Matthew |title=Which Kentucky counties have the most reported Bigfoot sightings? |url=https://fox56news.com/news/kentucky/which-kentucky-counties-have-the-most-reported-bigfoot-sightings/ |access-date=9 March 2025 |agency=Fox56 |publisher=[[WDKY-TV]] |date=17 October 2024}}</ref>  

====Alleged behavior====

Some Bigfoot researchers allege that Bigfoot throws rocks as [[Territory (animal)|territorial displays]] and for communication.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kimmick |first1=Ed |title='Sasquatch Watch' researcher keeps on looking for rock-throwing beast |url=https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/sasquatch-watch-researcher-keeps-on-looking-for-rock-throwing-beast/article_d520afb6-e9f9-11e1-8a05-0019bb2963f4.html |website=missoulian.com |publisher=[[Missoulian]] |access-date=May 10, 2021 |date=August 19, 2012 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511090130/https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/sasquatch-watch-researcher-keeps-on-looking-for-rock-throwing-beast/article_d520afb6-e9f9-11e1-8a05-0019bb2963f4.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Enzastiga |first1=Adrian |title=The hunt to prove the existence of Sasquatch |url=https://dailyiowan.com/2018/09/20/the-hunt-to-prove-the-existence-of-sasquatch/ |website=dailyiowan.com |publisher=[[The Daily Iowan]] |access-date=May 18, 2021 |date=September 20, 2018 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518194720/https://dailyiowan.com/2018/09/20/the-hunt-to-prove-the-existence-of-sasquatch/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bryan |first1=Saint |title=Real or hoax? A new Bigfoot exhibit is drawing standing-room crowds in Lacey |url=https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/real-or-hoax-a-new-bigfoot-exhibit-is-drawing-standing-room-crowds-in-lacey/281-92444948-c187-4c3d-a627-f0a3fece0ca4 |website=king5.com |publisher=[[KING-TV]] |access-date=May 18, 2021 |date=August 20, 2019 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518194719/https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/real-or-hoax-a-new-bigfoot-exhibit-is-drawing-standing-room-crowds-in-lacey/281-92444948-c187-4c3d-a627-f0a3fece0ca4 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other alleged behaviors include audible blows struck against trees or "wood knocking", further alleged to be communicative.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Meier |first1=Eric |title=Wood knock warning |url=https://wrkr.com/wood-knock-warning/ |website=wrkr.com |publisher=[[WRKR]] |access-date=August 31, 2021 |date=September 27, 2016 |archive-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831215303/https://wrkr.com/wood-knock-warning/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sain |first1=Johnny Carrol |title=Finding bigfoot – In the woods in search of North America's great, wild ape |url=https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/finding-bigfoot/7715127 |website=hatchmag.com |publisher=Hatch Magazine |access-date=August 31, 2021 |date=September 25, 2020 |archive-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831215312/https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/finding-bigfoot/7715127 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Do Squatches Go Knock in the Night? |url=https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/finding-bigfoot/videos/do-squatches-go-knock-in-the-night |website=animalplanet.com |publisher=[[Animal Planet]] |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831215304/https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/finding-bigfoot/videos/do-squatches-go-knock-in-the-night |url-status=live }}</ref>
Skeptics argue that these behaviors are easily hoaxed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carlisle |first1=John |title=On the trail of Bigfoot in an Upper Peninsula Michigan forest |url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/on-the-trail-of-bigfoot-in-an-upper-peninsula-michigan-forest/379088881 |website=wusa9.com |publisher=[[WUSA (TV)|WUSA]] |access-date=May 18, 2021 |date=December 27, 2016 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518194720/https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/on-the-trail-of-bigfoot-in-an-upper-peninsula-michigan-forest/379088881 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Additionally, structures of broken and twisted foliage seemingly placed in specific areas have been attributed by some to Bigfoot behavior.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfro.net/gdb/show_FAQ.asp?id=587|title=Behavior|publisher=Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization|access-date=November 16, 2020|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114091237/https://www.bfro.net/gdb/show_FAQ.asp?id=587|url-status=live}}</ref> In some reports, [[Pinus contorta|lodgepole pine]] and other small trees have been observed bent, uprooted, or stacked in patterns such as weaved and crisscrossed, leading some to theorize that they are potential territorial markings.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carey |first1=Liz |title=Could Kentucky's Deep Forests Hide a Piece of the 'Bigfoot Puzzle' |url=https://dailyyonder.com/proof-of-a-bigfoot-legend-could-be-hidden-in-kentuckys-deep-forests/2021/03/19/ |website=dailyyonder.com |publisher=Daily Yonder |access-date=May 10, 2021 |date=March 19, 2021 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511115710/https://dailyyonder.com/proof-of-a-bigfoot-legend-could-be-hidden-in-kentuckys-deep-forests/2021/03/19/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some instances have also included entire deer skeletons being suspended high in trees.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Therriault |first1=Ednor |title=In Search of Bigfoot |url=https://www.mtoutlaw.com/in-search-of-bigfoot/ |website=mtoutlaw.com |date=December 28, 2020 |publisher=Mountain Outlaw magazine |access-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-date=March 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326122235/https://www.mtoutlaw.com/in-search-of-bigfoot/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some researchers and enthusiasts believe Bigfoot construct [[teepee]]-like structures out of dead trees and foliage.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sandweiss |first1=Ethan |title=For Bigfoot enthusiasts, research is no small feat |url=https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/for-bigfoot-enthusiasts,-research-is-no-small-feat.php |access-date=March 28, 2023 |work=[[WTIU]] |agency= |date=March 24, 2023 |archive-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328171220/https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/for-bigfoot-enthusiasts,-research-is-no-small-feat.php |url-status=live }}</ref> In Washington state, a team of amateur Bigfoot researchers called the Olympic Project claimed to have discovered a collection of nests. The group brought in [[Primatology|primatologists]] to study them, with the conclusion being that they appear to have been [[Nest-building in primates|created by a primate]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Neuharth |first1=Spencer |title=What's the Best Evidence Bigfoot Exists? |url=https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/anthropology/whats-the-best-evidence-bigfoot-exists |website=themeateater.com |publisher=[[MeatEater]] |access-date=March 18, 2021 |location=Jeremiah Byron, Bigfoot Society Podcast |date=September 2, 2020 |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027200247/https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/anthropology/whats-the-best-evidence-bigfoot-exists |url-status=live }}</ref>

Jeremiah Byron, host of the ''Bigfoot Society Podcast'', believes Bigfoot are [[omnivores]], stating, "They eat both plants and meat. I've seen accounts that they eat everything from berries, leaves, nuts, and fruit to salmon, rabbit, elk, and bear. Ronny Le Blanc, host of ''Expedition Bigfoot'' on the [[Travel Channel]] indicated he has heard anecdotal reports of Bigfoot allegedly hunting and consuming deer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Neuharth |first1=Spencer |title=What does Bigfoot eat? |url=https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/anthropology/what-does-bigfoot-eat |website=themeateater.com |publisher=[[MeatEater]] |access-date=December 21, 2021 |date=September 25, 2020 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211856/https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/anthropology/what-does-bigfoot-eat |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2001 [[nature documentary]] ''Great North'', a dark bipedal figure was captured on film while the filmmakers were recording a herd of [[caribou]]. The footage has sparked debate, as some Bigfoot researchers claim the figure is a Bigfoot stalking the caribou. In 2016, Bigfoot researcher ThinkerThunker released a YouTube video in which he interviewed one of the ''Great North'' directors, William Reeve, who claims it could not have been a human but was possibly a bear, although he and his crew denied seeing any bears while filming.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hestermann |first1=Bethanie |title=Did a Nature Documentary Crew Accidentally Film Bigfoot? |url=https://outdoors.com/did-a-nature-documentary-crew-accidentally-film-bigfoot/ |website=outdoors.com |access-date=2 August 2024 |date=1 August 2024}}</ref>

Some Bigfoot researchers have reported the creatures moving or taking possession of intentional "gifts" left by humans such as food and jewelry, and leaving items in their places such as rocks and twigs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gifts From The Other Side |url=https://sasquatchinvestigations.org/bigfoot-evidence/gifts-from-the-other-side/ |website=sasquatchinvestigations.org |date=January 24, 2013 |publisher=Sasquatch Investigations of The Rockies |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111213521/https://sasquatchinvestigations.org/bigfoot-evidence/gifts-from-the-other-side/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Many alleged sightings are reported to occur at night leading some cryptozoologists to hypothesize that Bigfoot may possess [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]] tendencies.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Shawn |title=Hiker believes he might have found evidence of Bigfoot |url=https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/hiker-believes-he-might-have-found-evidence-of-bigfoot/article_f56d602c-816e-5ca6-863f-a646c997ccf0.html |access-date=March 18, 2021 |work=[[The Herald Journal]] |publisher=[[Idaho State Journal]] |date=July 23, 2020 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202014707/https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/hiker-believes-he-might-have-found-evidence-of-bigfoot/article_f56d602c-816e-5ca6-863f-a646c997ccf0.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, experts find such behavior untenable in a supposed ape- or human-like creature, as all known apes, including humans, are [[Diurnality|diurnal]], with only lesser primates exhibiting nocturnality.<ref name=Martin2012>{{cite journal|last1=Martin|first1=Robert|title=Primates|journal=Current Biology|date=September 25, 2009|volume=22|issue=18|pages=R785–R790|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2012.07.015|pmid=23017987|s2cid=235311971|doi-access=free}}</ref> Most anecdotal sightings of Bigfoot describe the creatures allegedly observed as solitary, although some reports have described groups being allegedly observed together.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelley |first1=Michael |title=Portland author explores lore of Bigfoot in Maine |url=https://www.pressherald.com/2021/05/18/portland-author-explores-lore-of-bigfoot-in-maine/ |website=pressherald.com |publisher=[[The Forecaster]] |access-date=May 18, 2021 |date=May 18, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518145611/https://www.pressherald.com/2021/05/18/portland-author-explores-lore-of-bigfoot-in-maine/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Alleged vocalizations====

Alleged vocalizations such as howls, screams, moans, grunts, whistles, and even a form of supposed [[language]] have been reported and allegedly recorded.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weisberger |first1=Mindy |title='Expedition Bigfoot' Scours Oregon Woods for Signs of the Mythical and Elusive Beast |url=https://www.livescience.com/expedition-bigfoot-travel-channel.html |website=livescience.com |publisher=[[Live Science]] |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=December 8, 2019 |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303053805/https://www.livescience.com/expedition-bigfoot-travel-channel.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mullane |first1=JD |title=A scream in the night, but was it Bigfoot in that PA forest? |url=https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/opinion/2021/11/26/bigfoot-pa-riegelsville-mayor-shares-his-encounter-pike-county-forest-jd-mullane-bucks-county/6194035001/ |access-date=November 26, 2021 |work=[[Courier Times]] |agency= |date=November 25, 2021 |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126193746/https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/opinion/2021/11/26/bigfoot-pa-riegelsville-mayor-shares-his-encounter-pike-county-forest-jd-mullane-bucks-county/6194035001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of these alleged vocalization recordings have been analyzed by individuals such as retired [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] [[Cryptography|cryptologic]] [[Linguistics|linguist]] Scott Nelson. He analyzed audio recordings from the early 1970s said to be recorded in the [[Sierra Nevada]] mountains dubbed the "Sierra Sounds" and stated, "It is definitely a language, it is definitely not human in origin, and it could not have been faked".<ref name="Hastings Tribune">{{cite news|title=Retired Navy man studies Bigfoot sounds|url=http://www.hastingstribune.com/news/retired-navy-man-studies-bigfoot-sounds/article_a6a22674-31a5-11e9-8ca6-4376c78ccfbc.html|access-date=November 17, 2020|newspaper=The Hastings Tribune|date=February 18, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129044911/http://www.hastingstribune.com/news/retired-navy-man-studies-bigfoot-sounds/article_a6a22674-31a5-11e9-8ca6-4376c78ccfbc.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Les Stroud]] has spoken of a strange vocalization he heard in the wilderness while filming ''[[Survivorman]]'' that he stated sounded primate in origin.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cleary |first1=Tom |title=Joe Rogan Says These Sounds Are the 'Weirdest S*** Ever' |url=https://heavy.com/news/joe-rogan/samurai-sounds-bigfoot-recordings-les-stroud/ |website=heavy.com |publisher=[[Heavy (website)|Heavy]] |access-date=March 24, 2021 |date=March 21, 2021 |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327021949/https://heavy.com/news/joe-rogan/samurai-sounds-bigfoot-recordings-les-stroud/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  A number of anecdotal reports of Bigfoot encounters have resulted in witnesses claiming to be disoriented, dizzy and anxious. Some Bigfoot researchers, such as paranormal author [[Nick Redfern]], have proposed that Bigfoot may produce [[infrasound#Human reactions|infrasound]], which could explain reports of this nature.<ref name="Redfern2015">{{cite book |last1=Redfern |first1=Nick |title=The Bigfoot Book: The Encyclopedia of Sasquatch, Yeti and Cryptid Primates |year=2015 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=978-1-57859-577-8 |pages=121–123 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KsGHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA121 |access-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212002435/https://books.google.com/books?id=KsGHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA121 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Alleged encounters====

In [[Fouke, Arkansas]], in 1971, a family reported that a large, hair-covered creature startled a woman after reaching through a window. This alleged incident caused hysteria in the Fouke area and inspired the horror movie, ''[[The Legend of Boggy Creek]]'' (1972).  The report was later deemed a hoax.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Charton |first1=Scott |title=15 Summers After Tracks Found, Fouke Monster Called Hoax |url=https://apnews.com/article/ea887a2b753c4eee87fc69891e08c391 |website=apnews.com |agency=Associated Press |access-date=March 31, 2021 |date=July 20, 1986 |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324181147/https://apnews.com/article/ea887a2b753c4eee87fc69891e08c391 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1974, the ''New York Times'' presented the dubious tale of [[Albert Ostman]], a Canadian prospector, who stated that he was kidnapped and held captive by a family of Bigfoot for six days in 1924.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=David |title=It's hard to prove that something, even a monster, does not exist |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/20/archives/stalking-the-sasquatch-its-hard-to-prove-that-something-even-a.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 22, 2021 |date=January 20, 1974 |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222145245/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/20/archives/stalking-the-sasquatch-its-hard-to-prove-that-something-even-a.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1994, former U.S. Forest Service ranger [[Paul Freeman (cryptozoologist)|Paul Freeman]], a Bigfoot researcher, videotaped an alleged Bigfoot he reportedly encountered in the [[Blue Mountains (Pacific Northwest)|Blue Mountains]] in Oregon. The tape, often referred to as the ''Freeman footage'', continues to be scrutinized and its authenticity debated.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kent |first1=Lauren |title=The 10 Most Convincing Bigfoot Sightings |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/10-convincing-bigfoot-sightings/ |website=outsideonline.com |publisher=Outside magazine |access-date=6 June 2023 |date=10 March 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103024423/https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/10-convincing-bigfoot-sightings/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Freeman had previously gained media recognition in the 1980s for documenting alleged Bigfoot tracks, claiming they possessed [[dermal ridges]].<ref name="Freeman2022">{{cite book |last1=Freeman |first1=Michael |title=Freeman Bigfoot Files |year=2022 |publisher=Hangar 1 Publishing |page=165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7CgEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT165 |access-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212002434/https://books.google.com/books?id=y7CgEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT165 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 26, 1996, Lori Pate, who was on a camping trip near the Washington state-Canada border, videotaped a dark subject she reported encountering running across a field and claimed it was Bigfoot. The film, dubbed the ''Memorial Day Bigfoot footage'', is often depicted in Bigfoot-related media, most notably in the 2003 documentary, ''[[Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science]]''. In his research, Daniel Perez of the ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' concluded that the footage was likely a hoax perpetuated by a human in a gorilla costume.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Perez |first1=Daniel |title=The Memorial Day Bigfoot Video: A Closer Look |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/memorial-day-bigfoot-video-a-closer-look/ |website=skepticalinquirer.org |publisher=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |access-date=6 June 2023 |date=1 September 2007 |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606213057/https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/memorial-day-bigfoot-video-a-closer-look/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2018, Bigfoot researcher Claudia Ackley garnered international attention after filing a lawsuit with the [[California Department of Fish and Wildlife]] (CDFW) for failing to acknowledge the existence of Bigfoot. Ackley claimed to have encountered and filmed a Bigfoot in the [[San Bernardino Mountains]] in 2017, describing what she saw as a "Neanderthal man with a lot of hair". Ackley contacted emergency services as well as the CDFW; a state investigator concluded that she encountered a bear.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McMillan |first1=Rob |title=Woman claims she saw Bigfoot; sues California to prove it |url=https://abc7chicago.com/crestline-sasquatch-bigfoot-sightings/3094471/ |website=abc7chicago.com |publisher=[[KABC-TV]] |access-date=6 July 2023 |date=16 February 2018 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707163752/https://abc7chicago.com/crestline-sasquatch-bigfoot-sightings/3094471/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Until her death in 2023, Ackley also ran an online [[support group]] for individuals claiming to experience [[psychological trauma]] as a result of alleged Bigfoot encounters.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rajput |first1=Tanisha |title=Who was Claudia Ackley? Famous Bigfoot hunter passes away at 51 |url=https://www.wionews.com/world/who-was-claudia-ackley-uss-famous-bigfoot-hunter-passes-away-at-51-612700 |access-date=6 July 2023 |work=[[WION]] |agency= |date=6 July 2023 |archive-date=July 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706115411/https://www.wionews.com/world/who-was-claudia-ackley-uss-famous-bigfoot-hunter-passes-away-at-51-612700 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2023, a woman named Shannon Parker uploaded a video of an alleged Bigfoot to Facebook. The footage went viral on social media and was shared via various news publications. Shannon Parker reported she and others observed the subject while riding a train on the [[Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad]] in the [[San Juan Mountains]] in Colorado. The authenticity of the video was debated across social media.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lagatta |first1=Eric |title='Feels like a hoax': Purported Bigfoot video from Colorado attracts skeptics, believers |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/10/13/bigfoot-video-colorado-train/71166686007/ |access-date=13 October 2023 |publisher=[[USA Today]] |date=13 October 2023 |archive-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014000727/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/10/13/bigfoot-video-colorado-train/71166686007/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Skeptics on [[Reddit]] speculated it was a publicity hoax perpetrated by an RV company located the area, Sasquatch Expedition Campers. The company denied the allegations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Factor |first1=Jacob |title=Bigfoot in Colorado? The "ever-elusive creature" may have been caught on camera from Durango train |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2023/10/12/colorado-bigfoot-sighting-narrow-gauge-train/ |access-date=13 October 2023 |publisher=[[The Denver Post]] |date=12 October 2023 |archive-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014002316/https://www.denverpost.com/2023/10/12/colorado-bigfoot-sighting-narrow-gauge-train/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Anthropologist Jeffrey Meldrum notes that any large predatory animal is potentially dangerous, specifically if provoked, but indicates that most anecdotal accounts of Bigfoot encounter result in the creatures hiding or fleeing from people.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Neuharth |first1=Spencer |title=Is Bigfoot Dangerous? |url=https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/anthropology/is-bigfoot-dangerous |website=themeateater.com |publisher=MeatEater |access-date=March 31, 2021 |date=September 16, 2020 |archive-date=November 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129001932/https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/anthropology/is-bigfoot-dangerous |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2021 [[Hulu]] documentary series, ''[[Sasquatch (TV series)|Sasquatch]]'', describes [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] farmers telling stories of Bigfoots harassing and killing people within the [[Emerald Triangle]] region in the 1970s through the 1990s; and specifically the alleged murder of three migrant workers in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ali |first1=Lorraine |title=Weed culture. True crime. Bigfoot lore. 'Sasquatch' has something for everyone |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-04-20/sasquatch-hulu-docuseries-duplass-brothers |access-date=April 21, 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 20, 2021 |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421004340/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-04-20/sasquatch-hulu-docuseries-duplass-brothers |url-status=live }}</ref> Investigative journalist David Holthouse attributes the stories to illegal drug operations using the local Bigfoot lore to scare away the competition, specifically [[Superstition|superstitious]] immigrants, and that the high rate of murder and missing persons in the area is attributed to human actions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Peter |title='Sasquatch': Director Joshua Rofé On Bringing Together Bigfoot, Weed & Murder In Hulu Doc Series |url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/sasquatch-director-joshua-rofe-bigfoot-weed-murder-hulu-doc-series-1234740335/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=April 21, 2021 |date=April 20, 2021 |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421074132/https://deadline.com/2021/04/sasquatch-director-joshua-rofe-bigfoot-weed-murder-hulu-doc-series-1234740335/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Skeptics argue that many of these alleged encounters are easily hoaxed, the result of misidentification, or are outright fabrications.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Judd |first1=Ron |title=The legend of Sasquatch won't die. (But if just one Bigfoot would — die, that is — Ron Judd would become a believer.) |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-legend-of-sasquatch-wont-die-but-if-just-one-bigfoot-would-die-that-is-ron-judd-would-become-a-believer/ |access-date=March 31, 2021 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=September 30, 2019 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506230427/https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-legend-of-sasquatch-wont-die-but-if-just-one-bigfoot-would-die-that-is-ron-judd-would-become-a-believer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>