Hunting for Bigfoot Relies More on Science Than Skeptics Think

For many of us, Bigfoot belongs in the same category as UFOs and campfire ghost stories – fun to talk about, but not something we expect to find in our backyard. But for a passionate network of Bigfoot hunters across North America, the creature isn’t just a myth. For them, Bigfoot is a research subject, a year-round hobby, and, in many cases, a defining part of their identity.

According to a new book from sociologist Dr. Jamie Lewis, Bigfooters aren’t just wandering the woods with hope and a flashlight. They’re using scientific language, modern tools, and a surprising amount of fieldcraft to build their case.

“As a sociologist of science, I’m really interested in the ways that ordinary people create knowledge, using scientific rhetoric and technologies in attempts to prove their theories,” said Lewis in a press release. “As well as drawing from scientific practices, Bigfooters use a suite of modern technologies such as drones, thermal imaging, and parabolic dishes in their investigations.”

The Science Behind Modern Bigfoot Hunting

Lewis spent three years interviewing more than 150 people immersed in the Bigfoot world, from weekend hobbyists to television personalities. What he found is a community that consciously taps into scientific credibility to bolster its claims.

According to Lewis’ research, Bigfoot fieldwork isn’t aimless wandering. Instead, it’s skill-based surveying. Bigfooters track, collect, and analyze what they see as clues: footprints, hair, sounds, shelters, and the countless traces an unknown animal might leave behind. And while skeptics often dismiss plaster casts and grainy videos, Lewis argues the point isn’t whether the evidence is airtight – it’s that Bigfooters think they’re following recognizable scientific steps.

As Lewis explained, “Skeptics might believe that Bigfooters are rejecting science by chasing an animal whose existence has never been proved. But what my interviews showed were the ways in which Bigfooters draw on their idea of scientific practices to piece together fragments of what they believe is tangible evidence.”

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How COVID-19 Inspired Bigfoot Research

Lewis didn’t grow up dreaming of Bigfoot. His fascination started during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when he had time to binge his way through the sprawling universe of Bigfoot documentaries and reality T.V. The more he watched, the more he wondered: How do people outside scientific institutions decide what counts as evidence?

That question opened up the door to a full ethnographic study.

He reached out to Bigfooters, and they were delighted to talk. Many felt misunderstood by mainstream science and saw the interviews as a chance to explain their process.

“If we are to understand how people outside of the institutions of science attempt to collect evidence and make knowledge claims – and this applies much more widely than just to Bigfooting – we are not going to get very far if we dismiss their efforts a priori,” said co-author Andrew Bartlett.

A Brief History of Bigfooting

Descriptions of Bigfoot – towering, muscular, draped in coarse dark hair, and leaving those iconic giant tracks – have circulated for generations. Sightings stretch across North America, with hotspots in the Pacific Northwest’s dense forests.

Over the years, enthusiasts have collected eyewitness accounts, videos, footprint casts, and audio recordings, all fueling a phenomenon that has steadily grown. Research from Chapman University suggests more North Americans now believe in Bigfoot than ever before. Most believers think the creature is a real biological species just awaiting formal discovery.

“Bigfoot exists,” Lewis concluded. “Not necessarily as a biological creature, but certainly as an object around which thousands of Americans organize their lives, collecting and analyzing evidence, and making knowledge. The idea of Bigfoot has captured the imaginations of people for decades.”

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