Over the years the descriptions of UFOs has varied widely, as we've said largely along the lines of current expectations.
But reports of hairy wild men or large man-like creatures seem pretty consistent which suggests to me there is something very real at work.
I'll skip the links and tell you about... "
Dr. "Jeff" Meldrum, .....a Full Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University. Meldrum is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy and the Department of Anthropology. Meldrum is an expert on foot morphology and locomotion in primates"
Also about
Dr. Todd Disotell
"The New York University Molecular Anthropology Laboratory conducts research relating to primate and human evolution. We are affiliated with the NYU Department of Anthropology, the Center for the Study of Human Origins (CSHO), and the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP)."
These are two respected, tenured for-real scientists that are most definitely
not the type to stick their necks out for something esoteric like cryptid.
Meldrum was presented with a plaster cast from a purported Bigfoot sighting. He's an expert on primate locomotion and when he examined a cast of a creature that had apparently suffered a improperly healed broken foot he had an epiphany; what he was looking was 100% real. The level of forensic detail required to fake something like that was beyond virtually everyone. He became a convert and has lent his expertise to people collecting samples, all sort of thing. You don't risk tenure for foolishness.
Disotell developed field test kits for field researchers to accurately collect & test various samples. He also developed something called 'Environmental DNA' which, rather than look at one specific sample looks at and entire
area. That actually had nothing to do with cryptids but was useful when applied.
An examination of Loch Ness revealed it to be full of big, scary-ass
eels that I bet explain all that.
To date they have not had that 'Eureka' moment but it doesn't mean they won't. That's real science and nothing to easily poke fun at.
From my own limited experience hunting - which I haven't done since the 90's - is that finding animal carcasses or remnants thereof never happens. I highly doubt anyone will ever stumble upon a body unless one day Bigfoot steps out in front of logging truck and gets plastered to it's front bumper.
Like China the US has vast regions that are very sparsely populated. Even areas where there are people are often very rugged, swampy, inaccessible or all of the above. Reports of Bigfoot like creatures come from virtually every state except Hawaii, as far as I know.
I see no reason why we need to reach to the paranormal to explain such sightings although if you want to dig there are certainly those who believe that.