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Once again, we don't really need the Conservation Dept. to explicitly state that you can't shoot Bigfoot. If they had to list every animal alive in your state and say whether yea or nay to shoot, do you know how long your Wildlife Code would be. No body would ever bother to pick one up, rather it is streamlined, more efficient and easier to understand to just list the game species and seasons of what you could hunt and when. How hard is that to understand? For an example; we don't list explicitly in writing that Bluejays, Owls or Herons and everything else not mentioned as don't shoot animals here in Missouri-unless there is "open season" on it, you're expected to know not to shoot it and would be prosecuted if you did if they (Conservation Dept) found out. This also gives the "long arm of Law" an upper hand when they prosecute you because it broadens the laws. Fines are determined by judges and are pretty broad itself depending on what you shot and the circumstance. Larger/heavier or rarer animals illegally shot ( out of/no season or invalid tags) seems to command higher fines from what I have heard/witnessed in the past. Wildlife fines are pretty stiff already, I've heard of fines ranging from $50 to over $50000 not to mention court cost, loose your right to hunt again, you would also loose your equipment/gear/boat involved and possible your vehicle if you drove there and maybe jail time depending on the severity. This is already the current game law/penalties of a lot of states, at least where I have hunted. I have known of poachers who were caught and people who "accidentally" shot stuff that they weren't suppose to also get prosecuted. I have been an avid hunter for almost 30 years. As of the Smedja shooting, I would think if he had came out publicly with a body, things would of been ugly for him legally and the body would of been confiscated from him as evidence to shooting out of season or no tags, possibly up to murder if it is as close human as some claim. Even he knew this as he stated in his interview when he said something to his buddy like "we need to get out of here, we don't have a tag for this." Most serious hunters are well versed in wildlife codes of the states they hunt. Even if they don't follow them, most of the time they know when they are breaking the law. If the Game Warden really believed Smedja did indeed shot something, they would of searched his house, car or anything else they wanted to associated with him and probably do so without needing a warrant as most States specify when you accept a Hunting License or Tag, you surrender your right to be searched anytime for what ever reason as it is stated in most States Wildlife Code. A Game Warden can walk up to you in the field, in your car/boat or at home, anytime, without warrant to make sure game laws and limits are not broken , you agreed to that by the actions of buying a license, don't believe me, give them a call and ask. I know in the states I have hunted, this was so. In Smedja's case, I believe that they thought it just didn't happen and when they showed up at his place, they did that just for show or curiosity because of all the internet bigfoot sympathizers that probably called their office moaning and groaning once they heard of the shooting. In my opinion, if he really shot something, then he's not telling the whole truth. If he shot a bigfoot, him being a avid hunter and all, he would of known he would be in trouble and realize he couldn't make money off of a body that would be confiscated from him. Fines and jail time, even when not that significant, can seriously turn an average working person's life down hill quick. What would be the next logical thing to do after the fact, coming from another hunter's take on the situation, I would take the body in pieces or whole depending on size, trophy hunter just can't resist. It would be hard to keep that secret to myself so even if I told people of the shooting, which he did, don't ever-ever admit you have the body because you would know if they (Game Warden) knew, they would legally take it from you. I think this is how it went down, either that or it didn't happen at all. I been around a lot of hardcore hunters all my life, I know how most of them think. Yes people are different but there are striking similarities. Here in Missouri if you have to shoot something not in season and don't have a tag for it, unless it was self defense, you have to call them first, get permission and surrender whatever you shot to the warden that WILL come out to investigate to determine if they want to prosecute. Free roaming wildlife is consider State's property here, even on private land, and we are only privileged to use/take according to game laws. Here's another example to keep in mind: the "Missouri Monster" a trophy world record whitetail deer ( Boone & Crockett score 333) was found dead near St. Louis years ago by some hikers. The Conservation Dept found out about it, came out to investigate to make sure it wasn't poached and confiscated the rack. The story checked out that it died of natural cause. Next the legal fight between the hikers and the Dept for the valuable rack followed. In the end it was considered the State's property because they owned the wildlife in the state and we are only privileged to use it. They are still the legal owners of that rack as of today. That is what will happen to a bigfoot body if one ever comes up. In the end laws are laws and people are people. Laws and steep penalties won't stop criminals, just look at rapers, murderers and so on. Sorry if I got off topic..

The one constant I have found in the BF world is the argueing back and forth between those who believe and those who don't. While it is certainly true there have been hoaxes perpatrated and there must be some misidentifications made by well meaning upstanding people, the vast numbers of reports has to indicate that something is out there. Even those staunch skeptics must surley see this as an indication that something other than the usual suspects is to blame. Be it Bigfoot, Aliens with big feet or ghosts with big feet, something is leaving really large tracks in the ground around the country. Scores of people are reporting seeing tall hairy bipedal creatures accross the country. This fact alone has to be weighed by those who disbelieve in a Bigfoot type creature as evidence that something is going on. If we could all collectivly agree, that the body of reports is overwhelmingly evident that somthing is amis here on planet earth, I think it would go a long way towards common ground where both sides of the debate could stand and perhaps work together to achieve the answer. To answer the question, yes bigfoot's existance could be disproven, when we figure out what creature is responsibile for the evidence being reported, If it does not fall within the boundries of the sugested BF profile we all know and love. Or we need the body of a nonexistant Bigfoot creature, either way would work.