The U.S. County That Made Bigfoot Hunting a Felony

Quick Take

• An ordinance protecting a creature most people don't believe in ended up setting a legal precedent that has nothing to do with cryptids.
• Washington's Bigfoot protection law was signed on April 1st, a date so suspicious that the county had to publish it in the newspaper three times just to convince people it was real. See the ordinance's origins →
• The law had nothing to do with actually believing Bigfoot exists. The commissioners had a far more practical problem they needed to solve. Explore the real motivations →

While people still debate the existence of cryptid species like Bigfoot, one Washington County ensured the creature’s safety through legislation. Since the famous Patterson-Gimlin film appeared in 1967, purported to show Bigfoot in the wild, scores of researchers and hunters have looked for living proof of the creature. In response to these incursions into the forest, one Washington state county put a law on the books protecting Bigfoot from harm.

In 1969, Skamania County, Washington, passed Ordinance No. 69-01. This law, first believed to be an April Fool’s joke, made it a felony to hunt and kill any creature that fit the description of Sasquatch or Bigfoot. Breaking this law was punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Enacting a law to protect a quasi-mythical creature may seem silly or even appear to be a marketing stunt, but it actually follows established precedents.

Ordinance No. 69-01

Upon the release of the Patterson-Gimlin film in 1967, interest in the existence of Bigfoot exploded. In the Pacific Northwest, in particular, further stories of Bigfoot sightings and footprints spurred pilgrimages into the lush, dense forests where Bigfoot supposedly lived. Washington State’s Skamania County became a focal point of this phenomenon. Its untamed wilderness made it a likely spot for Bigfoot, so people headed there to find it.

The problem, however, was that many of these people showed up with high-powered rifles, eager to score a Bigfoot body. This concerned the Skamania County Board of County Commissioners, who felt it necessary to protect their county from the danger posed by armed hunters. In 1969, the county passed Ordinance No. 69-01. This law made any “premeditated, wilful and wanton slaying” of a creature known as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, or Giant Hairy Ape, “a felony punishable by a fine not to exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) and/or imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed Five (5) years.”

Because the law was adopted on April 1, 1969, and due to its unusual nature, many people initially thought it was a joke. Skamania County was serious, however, and used the Skamania County Pioneer newspaper to reinforce the law’s legitimacy three separate times that month. A law like this, protecting an unrecognized species, was the first of its kind. However, the ordinance’s underlying purpose inspired several other counties in the region, including Whatcom County in Washington State, to pass similar laws in the following years.

The Purpose of the Ordinance

Skamania County’s Bigfoot Ordinance established a precedent, one with a very real purpose. It relied on a safety-first conservation philosophy. Instead of waiting for scientific veracity, the county realized it was safer to prevent unregulated hunting than wait for species identification. This effectively prevented any ecological damage and helped ensure that people weren’t caught in the crossfire of reckless Bigfoot hunters firing rifles in the county forests.

In 1984, Skamania County amended the law. This reduced the offense to a gross misdemeanor. Simultaneously, it declared the county to be a “Sasquatch Refuge.” This change aligned with legal standards, as counties in Washington do not have the authority to independently create felony offenses (such classifications are determined by state law). It also reinforced the county’s reputation for being both quirky and protective. Ultimately, the county commissioners used the ordinance to give local law enforcement the authority to address reckless hunters in the woods, even though the species in question was unrecognized.

Nowadays, Ordinance No. 69-01 is something of a historical oddity. At the same time, it has helped attract eco-tourists to the area. Ultimately, it established a strong precedent for other counties and districts to meaningfully address public land safety issues and wildlife protection gaps.