In One Ear: Trapping Bigfoot

Published 5:00 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

Did you know there is a Bigfoot trap in Oregon? Seriously, there is. Atlas Obscura says it’s near Jacksonville. Specifically, it’s in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, on the Collings Mountain Trail No. 943 near the Hart-Tish Park entrance, about 3/4 of a mile in.

The 10-by-10-foot wooden square, with metal bands, was originally built in 1974 by the North American Wildlife Research Team (now disbanded) after a local miner saw 18-inch footprints in the area. The team diligently baited the trap with animal carcasses for six years, but all they ever caught were some irate bears and a befuddled hunter — which is why the trap was locked open in 1980 as a safety measure.

In 2006, the U.S. Forest Service repaired the bedraggled contrivance, and it still stands. As far as anyone knows, it’s the only Bigfoot trap in the U.S. (Photo: Mario D. Vaden)