The 2026 Ohio Bigfoot Flap: What Happened in Portage County

Every few years, Bigfoot reports bunch up in one place over a short stretch of time. Researchers call it a flap. In March 2026, northeast Ohio had one of the most talked-about flaps in years. It made national news, flooded inboxes, and even got the county sheriff posting jokes.

Here's what was reported, who reported it, and what both believers and skeptics are saying now that things have quieted down.

The reports were collected and mapped by the Bigfoot Society Podcast and its host, Jeremiah Byron, who published a special report on March 10. All the locations below are in Portage County, just east of Akron. Portage County had 161,791 residents at the 2020 census; its county seat is Ravenna and its largest city is Kent. The flap played out in its quieter northern and eastern corners: Mantua, a village of about 1,000 people on the Cuyahoga River, and Garrettsville, a village of 2,449 in the county's northeast.

Byron noticed something else: the reports seemed to move east-southeast by about three miles a day. According to NewsNation, none of the witnesses had photos or video. Byron told the station a cluster like this hadn't happened in the region since the 1970s.

By spring, the reports had dried up. In a May 8 CNN story, Byron summed it up: "And it stopped just as quickly as it started."

CNN reported that the figures in the reports averaged about 8 feet tall and were seen in wooded areas along the Mahoning River. Byron has suggested that a sudden swing from winter cold to spring warmth may have put animals on the move. CNN noted that the March reports followed many of the patterns of past sightings: hairy, tall, brown or black, with a long stride and unusual sounds, sticking closely to small waterways. Many researchers believe Bigfoot travels along creeks and rivers; as Byron put it, "A lot of people think they, Bigfoot, try to follow the creek systems that give them a way to kind of keep out of (sight)."

The Mahoning River itself is a natural travel corridor. It flows through several northeast Ohio counties and crosses into western Pennsylvania, where it joins the Shenango River to form the Beaver River, part of the Ohio River watershed. Its name is often said to come from a Lenape or Shawnee word meaning "deer lick," because the area was once known for salt springs.

Once the story spread, so did the fakes. Byron told CNN he started getting AI-generated reports by email, up to about 1,000 emails a day at the peak. He said he only shares reports after talking with witnesses directly. After speaking by phone with the people who made the first reports, he was convinced they weren't making anything up. "It was obvious they weren't just wanting to get their name out there," he told CNN. "They were just freaked out by what they experienced, and they didn't want anything else to do with it."

Byron got into chasing Bigfoot stories in 2016. He describes his podcast as, more than anything, a forum where people can share experiences they were afraid to talk about. "They need someone to talk to," he said, "because they've never gotten that respect before."

That's a good reminder for all of us: in 2026, a dramatic photo proves very little on its own. If you think you've had an encounter, write down the details right away and report it carefully. Our how-to-report guide walks you through it.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office made headlines too. CNN reported that Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski posted a series of tongue-in-cheek posts about "arresting" Bigfoot, including the warning: "If you attempt to photograph Bigfoot, the picture will be blurry."

But the sheriff also said the office did get real calls. He told CNN affiliate WOIO that several residents described the same kind of thing: an early-morning walk, a hairy figure, a musty smell, and something big that ran off.

Not everyone was convinced. Benjamin Radford, a folklorist and deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer, told CNN he doesn't mock Bigfoot hunters but thinks the methods aren't working:

Radford says he doesn't look down on investigators: "My issue is they're not bringing good science to it." He calls himself the "token skeptic" at Bigfoot conferences, where he tells audiences, "It's crystal clear that whatever methods you're using aren't working." In Skeptical Inquirer he wrote, "At some point, a Bigfoot's luck must run out." But he also told CNN he'd be thrilled to be wrong: "If you find a Bigfoot, I want to be first in line."

Even some believers were cautious at first. Mike Miller of the Ohio Night Stalkers told CNN he initially wondered whether it was publicity, since there's a Bigfoot conference in that part of the state. After looking at the reports, he said he believes they weren't a hoax. "It's good to be skeptical," Miller said. He collects photos and recordings of strange howling and believes amateur researchers are filling a gap: "I think mainstream science doesn't pay a lot of attention to it. So, we're kind of the caretakers of that."

For the big-picture debate, see our balanced guide: Is Bigfoot Real? What Science Says.

Portage County isn't a random spot on the map. In the public BFRO dataset behind our sightings map, Portage County has more mapped reports (17) than any other county in Ohio, followed by Guernsey (14), Columbiana (12), Summit (11), Harrison (11) and Stark (10). Ohio as a whole has 283 mapped reports, one of the highest totals of any state (mapped reports in the public dataset through 2021).

The county's mapped reports stretch from 1962 to 2011:

That last point makes the 2026 flap stand out. Across all 283 Ohio reports, March is the quietest month but one, with just 12 reports. Only December (9) has fewer. Summer is Ohio's busiest season by far, with 106 reports, followed by fall (73), spring (53) and winter (51). August (37), June (35) and July (34) lead the months.

Ohio ranks second only to Washington in mapped reports overall, ahead of Florida (281) and California (277). It was also among the most active states at the end of the dataset: Ohio has 18 reports from 2020 and 2021, just behind Washington's 19 and well ahead of every other state. Since 2010 it has logged 74. Class A sightings (152) slightly outnumber Class B (131).

Northeast Ohio also has a deep Bigfoot history, from the 1978 Minerva Monster in neighboring Stark County to the legends of the Ohio Grassman. Get the backstory in Ohio Grassman & the Minerva Monster.

The places named in these reports are real communities where people live and work, and much of the land is private. If the flap inspires you to visit:

Flaps come and go. Some fade into local legend; others turn into research hot spots for years. Either way, the 2026 Ohio flap shows how much people still care about the mystery, and how important careful, honest reporting is.

We'll keep watching northeast Ohio. In the meantime, browse recent and historical reports on our Sightings page.