“Skamania County, Washington makes it illegal to kill Bigfoot”
TRUE! The hunting, killing, or harassment of Bigfoot (Sasquatch) and other undiscovered species within Skamania County is prohibited.
Skamania County sits in the heart of Pacific Northwest Bigfoot territory. In 1969, the county passed an ordinance making killing Bigfoot a felony. The law was updated in 1984 to designate Bigfoot as an "endangered species" and reduce the penalty to a misdemeanor. The ordinance covers Bigfoot and any other "undiscovered species." It's partly a tourism gimmick, but it's also real legislation on the books. The county has embraced its Bigfoot heritage as part of its identity.
Where the story gets it wrong
Many take this ordinance as evidence that Skamania County officially 'believes in Bigfoot.' In reality, the 1969 law was partly a public safety measure meant to stop armed hunters from shooting at shadows in the woods. The 1984 revision downgraded the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor and reclassified Bigfoot as endangered; the law also serves as a tourism draw.
Skamania County Ordinance No. 1984-2: "The Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, or Giant Hairy Ape are declared to be endangered species of Skamania County and there is hereby created a Sasquatch Refuge, the boundaries of which shall be co-extensive with the boundaries of Skamania County." The ordinance makes the premeditated, willful, and wanton slaying of Sasquatch a criminal offense, punishable as a Gross Misdemeanor if with malice aforethought.
- Current status
- Never Enforced
- Enacted
- April 1, 1969
- Penalty
- Originally up to $100,000 fine and/or 10 years; reduced in 1984 to gross misdemeanor