For a creature that may or may not be real, Bigfoot sure does get around! Known under various alias: Sasquatch, Yeti, American Black Bear, ect., just kidding about that last one, but you get the picture, Bigfoot is a creature of many names.

Why so many names? Wherever Bigfoot is sighted, the locals add their own name for the creature to the Bigfoot lore. Seen by few but still recognized the world over, other names for the creature across the globe are the Yowie in Australia, Orang Pendek, Almasty in Siberia, and Anisaus in the Native American tongue, just to name a few.

Sasquatch has even been known to pop down to the Carolinas every now and again, though the low number of sightings in both states in comparison to others, would seem to suggest the shaggy man-like being hasn’t yet decided to take up permanent residence in either state. The area was all abuzz November 2, 2024, when a deer hunter had the creature happen upon him while he was hiding in a ground blind. The hunter said he saw the creature at approximately 6:30 a.m. on private land just west of Peak, in Newberry County, SC. He described what he saw as ape and man-like, about seven to seven- and-a-half-feet tall with long brown hair and an ape-like face and arms.

The Citizen Times reported August 7, 2017, on a tourist who encountered Bigfoot while vacationing in Henderson County, NC. The man allegedly saw the beast while walking his dog Zippy. Undaunted, the man managed to capture footage of the creature with his phone camera.

While BetOhio.com ranks North Carolina 1.7 in Sasquatch sightings in the United States, researchers have isolated five counties where one is most likely to catch a glimpse of the elusive cryptid: Montgomery County with a 33.3% chance, Cleveland County with a 15.4% chance, Onslow County with a 15.4% chance, Macon County with a 14.3% chance, and coming in last, Swain County with a 11.1% chance of sighting a Yeti.

The results are surprising as Montgomery County is in the central part of North Carolina, versus the western, mountainous region of the state, where one might more readily expect a sighting. A possible selling point for Bigfoot, Montgomery County is home to the Uwharrie Mountains.

According to reports compiled by private researchers, in Montgomery County alone, at least nine reports came in from the Uwharrie National Forest possibly related to Sasquatch from June 1990 to June 2020. Incidents reported involved sightings, strange knocking and grunting sounds, thrown rocks, and tampering with campsites.

Not left out, Sasquatch also likes to visit South Carolina. The top five locations in the state for spotting a Bigfoot, according to www.thestate.com, are; Lee County with an 8% chance, Oconee County with a 4% chance, Orangeburg County with a 4% chance, Berkeley County with a 4% chance, and Horry County with a 3% chance of sighting the beast.

All the so called “evidence” for the existence of Bigfoot is circumstantial and consists of grainy photos, eyewitness sightings and accounts, along with the occasional extra-large footprint.

The lack of concrete evidence, such as DNA from hair fibers or skin, or most glaringly, a body, leads many to believe what people are actually seeing are black bears, which have increased exponentially in the region as Bigfoot sightings have also climbed.

Bear-Ology & God’s Creation Wildlife Museum in Plymouth, North Carolina, reported roughly 2,000 black bears in the state 50 years ago. Now, the population has grown to where there are bear sightings in all 100 North Carolina counties.

If you believe Bigfoot is a real creature separate from the American Black Bear, you are not alone. A CivicScience survey conducted in mid-July suggests, “13% of U.S. adults said they agree with the statement, “Bigfoot / Sasquatch is a real, living creature.”

In May 2020 the numbers were lower across the board for this same poll at 11%, giving the July numbers an 18% increase.

Breaking down the numbers from the study further, 15% in the Western U.S. reported a belief in Bigfoot in comparsion to 13% in the Midwest, 13% in the South, and 11% in the Northeast.

Belief in ‘conspiracy theories’ in general seems to be on the rise over the last two years, with similar increases reported for polls that state: “The Loch Ness Monster is real” or “Aliens have visited humans on Earth.”

What do you believe? Is the truth out there?