Meet the Bigfoot hunters of the Hudson Valley — who claim the beast is in our midst
On a crisp, sunlit Sunday at Poet’s Walk Park in the Hudson Valley, hikers stream along trails overlooking the Hudson River, soaking in fresh air and postcard-worthy views.
Just a few hundred yards from the clusters of weekend visitors, however, a very different kind of outing is underway. A small group moves quietly through the forest, guided by longtime local Gayle Beatty. They aren’t here for exercise or scenery. Beatty is a dedicated Bigfoot researcher, and she believes the elusive creature is living nearby.
The dense stand of oak, beech, and maple trees—where glimpses of the river and the Catskill Mountains appear only occasionally—may look like any other picturesque upstate woodland. But Beatty and her team from Bigfoot Researchers of the Hudson Valley say the area is rich with signs of Sasquatch activity.
Today, they’re hoping to find more evidence.
Bigfoot is typically associated with the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest. The legend of Sasquatch, meaning “hairy man” in the Salish language, dates back centuries, while the term “Bigfoot” emerged in the 1950s. That makes a riverfront stretch near Bard College, roughly two hours north of Manhattan, an unlikely location for sightings—at least to skeptics.
Beatty insists the signs are hard to miss.
She points to trees that appear deliberately pushed over, dead animals found in water, and stick formations reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project. Motion-detection equipment has also captured unexplained activity.
“They’re more than just apes in the woods,” Beatty said while scanning the trees with divining rods. “They can be around us without us seeing them. They can cloak themselves.”
Founded in 2013, Bigfoot Researchers of the Hudson Valley responds to every reported sighting free of charge. Tips come from trail cameras used by hunters as well as from homeowners. What began as a small group has grown into a Facebook community of more than 6,300 followers.
Beatty, who also runs the Hook, Line and Sinker bait shop in Red Hook, says she has logged more than 300 reports ranging from Westchester County to deep upstate New York. The most recent came just two months ago, when a “juvenile” Bigfoot was reportedly seen on a property in Elizaville. The group even collaborated with Survivorman host and Bigfoot enthusiast Les Stroud in 2016.
Beatty’s own interest began decades earlier. In the 1960s, after being grounded by her parents, she hiked alone up Stissing Mountain in Pine Plains. While camping, she heard what she described as a “godawful scream” that terrified her.
“I ran all the way home,” she recalled. “I was white as a sheet.”
The mystery lingered until 2011, when she heard the same sound on the television show Finding Bigfoot. A quick search led her to reports of a daytime sighting on Lake Road in Pine Plains. From there, she began speaking with hunters, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts who shared similar stories.
“I started going out with friends just out of curiosity,” she said. “We found tracks, structures, hair caught on barbed wire—things I couldn’t explain.”
Among today’s group is Brian Herbst, a former tech worker who monitors the surroundings with motion trackers and electromagnetic field meters. Another member, Pat Kipp, an 80-something retired nurse from Claverack, says she has experienced multiple encounters, including one that left her backyard in disarray.
“The wind doesn’t tip over picnic tables,” she said.
Kipp believes Bigfoot can grow up to 10 feet tall and evade detection by camouflaging itself or even moving between dimensions. “You can’t see them, but they can see you,” she warned.
Beatty cautions that provoking the creature can be dangerous. She says customers have reported being pelted with rocks or pinecones while boating, or hearing piercing screams meant to drive them away. Some researchers believe Bigfoot can emit infrasound, causing dizziness or nausea—possibly explaining headaches experienced by one team member during the hike.
Despite its fearsome reputation, Beatty insists Bigfoot is usually not aggressive.
“Ninety percent of the time, they don’t want to hurt us,” she said. “Think more Harry and the Hendersons than monster movie.”
Before and after each outing, Beatty cleanses her team with white sage and leaves tobacco as an offering. She says encounters increase in winter, when the omnivorous creature may forage near human settlements.
She recalled reports of Bigfoot raiding dumpsters, including one late-night incident near a Dairy Queen in Wappingers Falls, where a manager reportedly spotted a female Bigfoot scavenging for food.
Belief in Bigfoot is on the rise. Dozens of podcasts are devoted to the subject, Sasquatch-themed tours regularly sell out, and documentaries continue to draw audiences. Surveys show belief among U.S. adults has climbed significantly in recent years, and Bigfoot-related merchandise now generates an estimated $140 million annually.
Social media has fueled the fascination, with platforms like YouTube and Reddit flooded with alleged sightings. Beatty says her group also conducts confidential residential investigations for people experiencing repeated activity near their homes.
These investigations involve searching for tracks, nearby water sources, and tree structures, then setting up trail cameras—though Beatty claims the creatures often avoid or disable them.
If someone does encounter a Bigfoot, Beatty advises calm and respect.
“Don’t throw anything. Don’t try to hurt them,” she said. “Put your hands up, say you’re leaving, and walk away.”
Running, she warned, could trigger a chase response.
Feeding Bigfoot is also strongly discouraged. Beatty described a 2014 investigation in Tivoli involving a man who regularly fed a group of Bigfoot snacks. When researchers arrived with night-vision equipment, the situation escalated quickly.
“The trees started breaking,” Beatty recalled. “They were throwing them down like pretzels.”
The incident ended after a mysterious blue light shot into the sky—an experience Beatty says changed everyone involved.
Not all experts agree with such interpretations. Matthew Moneymaker, founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, says he remains skeptical of claims involving psychic or otherworldly abilities.
“People sometimes go for the big wow,” he said, adding that Bigfoot may be a biological descendant of the extinct ape Gigantopithecus blacki.
For Beatty, skepticism comes with the territory.
“I’ve seen people disbelieve, then have their own experience,” she said. “All I ask is that people keep an open mind. We’re trying to learn how to live alongside them—because they’re not going anywhere.”
About Post Author
