I love all things that are strange and mysterious. Things like the LochNess Monster, and the Jersey Devil, Chupacabra... ALL very much top of mind for me all the time. But none was more interesting than the KING of the Cryptids - Bigfoot.

There are massive marketing and tourism packages built around him. One of my favorite movies ever is "Harry and the Hendersons." I LOVE Bigfoot... but some big-brained nerd in England thinks he may have completely debunked its existence, and I'm not happy about it.

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Michigan has a pretty significant history with Bigfoot. Last year, he made a couple of appearances in the UP - once in October when he was involved in a "Gift Exchange" with a man, and then again back in June of 2022, when he prompted the Shelby Township to actually release a statement on their experience.

There are even Bigfoot motels in the U.P. and an entire website dedicated to sightings.

But researcher and data analyst Floe Foxon says he's run the numbers and has an explanation as to what our sightings of Bigfoot might actually be.

"Sasquatch sightings were statistically significantly associated with bear populations such that, on the average, one 'sighting' is expected for every 900 bears. Based on statistical considerations, it is likely that many supposed Sasquatch are really misidentified known forms.
"If Bigfoot is there, it may be many bears."

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Is this guy for real? He doesn't think we know the difference between a Bear and a Sasquatch? We're not stupid, just maybe a little deep in the water when it comes to drinking the Bigfoot Kool-Aid.

But he does provide some data to consider. Below is a map he provided of human density, bear density, and number of Sasquatch sightings in the U.S. and Canada, and I guess... there are some possible coincidences there.

'If it's there, could it be a bear?" Floe Foxon Research
'If it's there, could it be a bear?" Floe Foxon Research
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But, let's take a closer look at Michigan specifically, because these numbers aren't as "coincidental."

First, a map of Black Bear populations in Michigan. Obviously, the northern parts of the state (Upper Peninsula, and "upper" Lower Peninsula) have more wooded areas, so it stands to reason, there would be more black bears there.

Michigan Nature Association
Michigan Nature Association
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And second, we take a look at a map of Bigfoot sightings in Michigan from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. No surprise to Floe Foxon's research, the majority of sightings in the northern parts of Michigan line up with black bear populations.

bfro.net
bfro.net
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So YES, it is possible that SOME Bigfoot sightings COULD be misidentified black bears.. But... do me a favor real quick, compare that little clump of sightings in southeast Michigan to the Black Bear map.

Notice anything? Like, how the density of the Bear Population doesn't line up with the number of Bigfoot sightings?

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Yeah! Explain THAT one Floe Foxon! WHY would there be SO many Bigfoot sightings in an area near the most densely populated part of the state for humans, but one of the lowest populations of bears in the state?

So is it POSSIBLE he has a point for SOME of these Sasquatch sightings? Yeah... I guess. But that little bit of Southeast Michigan still gives me hope... Bigfoot still lives!

Fascinating Bigfoot Reports From Each Michigan County

Whether or not you believe in Bigfoot, it's still really entertaining to read about all of the times people claim they have come into contact with the creature. Below we're going to go through Michigan county by county and detail the most interesting Bigfoot encounter that's been reported there.