New York State Sightings Analysis
NOTE: It is now 2025. I wrote this in 2007. I used sightings data from 1960-2005. When using a closed set of years for an analysis of this nature the dates are largely arbitrary. A Bigfoot born in 1940 could be alive in 1970, but likely not in 2000, hence this was not an analysis of extant population numbers. This was an exercise in trying to find sightings clusters without going too far back in time to when land use patterns by humans could have altered the landscape of a given area. I chose the 45-year mark for two reasons. In terms of changing land use, the post-World War 2 suburban sprawl explosion started to wind down in the 1960's. Along with this I would estimate the lifespan of a Bigfoot to be approximately 45 years. Using related creatures as comparative subjects, exceptions notwithstanding, gorillas live up to about 40 years, and pre-modern technology humans lived to about 40 if they reached the age of 15. Unlike pre-tech humans and gorillas, Bigfoot would be more of a true apex creature in its environment as nothing likely preys upon it, thus 40 would be on the low end of their presumed lifespan.
I intend to update this later in 2025 with a range of 1980-2025.
Brad Gibson 2007
New York state sasquatch sightings from 1960 - 2005 are plotted on the maps included. I found five sightings clusters in various parts of the state. These five clusters border other states; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Four of the five clusters are on or adjacent to mountain ranges: The Adirondacks, Taconics/Berkshires, Catskills, and Alleghenys. In the adjacent county of each of the bordering states there was an unmapped but plentiful history of sightings; Erie Country in Pennsylvania, Sussex County in New Jersey, Berkshire County in Massachusetts, and Rutland County in Vermont. These areas span hundreds of square miles.
On the eastern edge of the state there are three clusters that are on a longitudinal path. The sightings are more frequent in the north in summer and in the south in winter. The northern most is in the Adirondack mountain region. Further south is in the Taconic/Berkshire mountain region. Furthest south is in the Catskills and Hudson Highlands.
This could be a sign of a seasonally based migration from north to south as the dates of the sightings supported more sightings in the north during summer, and more in the south during winter. The Adirondacks are a rough, barren place in the winter. In January the average temperature is approximately 16° in the Adirondacks with temperatures of 0° and below being common. In the lower Hudson Valley the average January temperature is 31° with below zero temperatures being rare. It makes sense that a non-hibernating species with relatively large food consumption requirements would have a limited, local migration south for the winter in response to extreme temperatures and lack of food resources.
The other two clusters to the west of this trio both border areas in Pennsylvania that have rich sightings histories. Another local seasonal migration from New York into Pennsylvania could happen here as well.
If Bigfoot maintain fixed territories these clusters may simply be distinct population areas.
There are some scattered sightings in the upper Central New York area. These sightings form a small, loose cluster. The reason I didn't include this as a cluster in my analysis is because most of the sightings in this area are around thirty years old, with very few recent sightings. However, I believe these sightings are just as interesting as they may show the remnants of a possible past Central New York migration band as they connect directly to the cluster that is on the Alleghany region.
What does all of this mean? Maybe something maybe nothing, but I believe these sightings clusters support the idea of Bigfoot existence in New York state with a seasonal migration in a limited capacity. If these sightings consisted of mis-identifications, hallucinations, or hoaxes, chances are they would be scattered throughout the state and not in clusters on or near forested mountain regions with climatic sensibilities. Only a few sightings fall outside of the clusters. Bigfoot are often thought of to be a forested mountain dwelling species, and this line of thought fits with these sightings.
The sightings data came from a variety of sources; Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us by John Green, Eastern Sasquatch Analysis by Craig Heinselman, Monsters of the Northwoods by Bartholomew, et. al, The BFRO, GCBRO, and Bobbie Short online databases. Class "B" type reports where the subject was not clearly identified, reports that did not give a specific location (town or city), and sightings without follow-ups are for the most part not included. Climate information came from Cornell university: http://nysc.eas.cornell.edu/climate_of_ny.html