VIDEO: Sasquatch tracker has his eyes on West Kelowna

The Okanagan is famous for sightings of the Ogopogo, but Robin Dei writes that off as folklore.

He says the real mystery worth pursuing here is the Sasquatch.

"There are Sasquatch here, yes," said local Bigfoot enthusiast Robin Dei, "No uncertainty."

KelownaNow met with Dei where Bartley Road in West Kelowna winds into the wilderness.

Dei says it's Sasquatch country.

"As far as the Okanagan goes, yeah," he said. "It's actually a great place for Sasquatch."

Hard evidence remains scant, but you can find photos of footprints and casting of footprints on his Instagram page.

Dei said he used to think the mythical beasts were nonsense.

"Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I probably thought it was like Ogopogo and all the different things, until I had my own experiences."

He claims to have spotted one with his own eyes

"I could see the hair, I could see the shoulder, I could see from the thigh up in broad daylight. It was just standing there," he said.

"I was frozen. Am I seeing what I am seeing?"

Dei is actively involved with groups such as the Bigfoot Researchers Organization.

And he claims to have tracked one down here, just west of Okanagan Lake.

"A friend of mine had given me a call and asked me to go help him investigate a sighting," he said. "about 20k up Bear Creek Main."

And that's when things got 'hairy', so to speak.

"I saw motion and I turned right and the biggest, blondish, whitish blond thing ran at my truck so fast that I braced for impact."

There was no impact, but Dei said the creature dwarfed his vehicle.

"I could only see the torso through the window. It was that big, and I thought it was going to flip the truck. It was awesome."

He accepts all of the disbelief.

"You can't tell somebody that they exist if they haven't had an experience, I guess," said Dei.

"It doesn't matter. Nobody is going to believe you anyways. I don't even care anymore. I just go up and have fun."

For more on the science and folklore around sasquatches in BC, check this out.