Fact or Fiction? Best Counties to Spot Bigfoot in Montana

I want to believe.

Do large, hairy, hominid creatures live hidden in the mountains of the western United States? Most people would say probably not, but I suppose anything is possible. Hundreds of people have reported seeing Bigfoot in the US in recent decades and National Geographic documented the 1951 discovery of Yeti footprints in the Himalayas (paywall).

Who am I to call BS on Bigfoot sightings?

It seems highly unlikely that all sightings are fabricated. Washington state reports the most, by far. The Washington National Guard even posted an article on their website, where they note Sasquatch is their mascot. They wrote,

The Western Air Defense Sector, Washington Air National Guard adopted the mascot of Bigfoot and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week monitoring the skies of nearly 73 percent of the United States and Canada. Just like the Bigfoot of legend, the sector is rarely seen and rarely heard, but rest assured it continues to observe and – if necessary – serve as a messenger of warning.

Native American lore also recounts tales of Bigfoot (tribes have 50 different names for the creature) and sightings were reported by early white settlers in the 1800s and 1900s.

Head to the mountains of Western Montana.

The Bigfoot Field Researcher Organization tracks reports of Sasquatch in the US, and it appears that your best chance to spot Bigfoot in Montana is in the western half of the state. Here are the counties that have reported the most sightings in Big Sky Country.

Missoula County

BFRO reports nine sightings in Griz country. One witness shared these spooky details from an alleged 2018 encounter,

We keep hearing something large and heavy walking through the brush and rocks have been thrown at one of our tents. We are all very much in the belief that we are being visited by a sasquach.

Unexplainable, freshly broken trees were also reported in the vicinity at the time.

Lewis and Clark County

Areas surrounding the Capitol City report eight possible Sasquatch sightings. In 2015 a retired Special Forces member recounted seeing a strange creature. He wrote,

The gait of the walk was different than anything I have ever seen as well, it was almost like a saunter. After I passed the intersection I stopped and backed up to get a better look and it was gone.

Whoa.

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Gallatin County

BRFO notes four reports of possible Bigfoot activity that occurred in Gallatin County. The most recent was in 2016, but a 1993 encounter happened when three field biologists were conducting overnight research deep in the mountains south of Bozeman. The witness recounted,

In a moment of silliness (and stupidity), we all 3 started howling at the moon. When we stopped, something howled back at us. We were all terrified and literally peed our pants. It seemed to be really far away, yet really REALLY LOUD.

These were researchers well-versed in Montana wildlife, not a group of inebriated campers.

I'll keep an open mind if Sasquatch is real or not. Just do me a favor if you see one... promise you'll get pics/videos that don't look like they were taken with a potato.