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There is little likelihood that BF populations in the Appalachians and PWN have intersected since the European settlers surged Westward. They probably did not before that either because of the distances involved and isolation by the great American plains. In other words there are now pockets of diverse populations of BF that have several and perhaps hundreds of generations of genetic isolation. One can expect increasing genetic diversity and differences in appearance between distantly isolated groups. Perhaps the ones in Florida were isolated first because of the flow of settlement in the East Coast? The last to be isolated would be the ones in the PNW since that is were European settlement happened last. Just that might explain why those in the PNW may be more genetically healthy because interchange of individuals could still be conducted between various BF tribes. Genetic health would promote less genetic deviation and differences in appearance.

If the US government wants them extinct then they already are. Interesting theory,but highly unlikely. Of course the more plausible theory is the creature does not exist . Perhaps,at one time they may have and modern man drove them to extinction or decreased numbers that they are no longer a viable breeding population. Existing in small numbers in the dark forests.

I do believe we are looking at individual variation and maybe differing genus like trout populations in the east and west for instance based on possibly regional influences/barriers, but many of these guys may be trim like the most athletic NFL linebackers; I suspect you could call many of them massive. The way sasquatch have been viewed hauling away white-tails, razorbacks and elk I would say they have muscle mass above and beyond for sure in many cases. I was more talking height here than anything. My night-time education involved a 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 footer and I did not get the impression it was a juvenile sent on a counting coup adventure to directly approach me. It was not alone that night though and two others may have been on a counting coup mission. Aging in sasquatch is a little too far out there for me and others to probably speak to however. Based on some TN sightings they do suffer from bone infections or strokes, probably dental problems just like humans. I'm primarily in the southern appalachians now and have given thought as to how a wide body, tall sasquatch fits nicely in the North Cascades but maybe not so much in the Blue Ridge, having spent some time on both coasts now.

You are forgetting the big pushes out of Africa occurred during the last ice age. In my case the maternal side DNA marker L3 indicated an East African exit about 67,000 years ago and on my Paternal side the M178 marker indicated a exit out of East Africa 70,000 years ago. The Sahara was never a factor and the nile river valley and the middle east was much wetter than it is now. However the mid latitudes of Africa were probably plagued with water shortages. During ice ages much more of the earths water is tied up in the arctic and glaciation, and mid latitudes become very arrid. The half of the US not under ice was arid grasslands because the expanded polor zone pushes the jet stream where the storms form and ride South. I would guess drought and famine were larger factors in the push out of Africa than human wanderlust. Wolly Mammoths were Northern lattitude animals. Being herbivores they needed grass growing at least most of the year to have something to eat. The fact that the polar ice and extensive glaciation covered much of Europe and Northern Asia there was very little habitat left for the Mammoth. Concentrating them where human hunters were forced by the same ice to live also. Mammoth numbers had to have been much smaller because the elephant habitat in Africa and SE Asia in the last ice age is pretty much as it is today. Humans and Mammoths in the same habitat promotes hunting. The human pushes into Asia did not occur until about 60,000 years ago. That gave Asian elephants a big head start before being hunted. Remember the human spread into SE Asia and Polynesia began about 60,000 years ago. To island hop, humans needed boats. If they had them then they certainly had boats 14,000 years ago for the trip into North America. Probably different boats but Japan and parts of China have been sea faring for most of human presence. New evidence suggests that Europeans reached NA first about 23,000 years ago in boats out of ireland... Most likely following the ice sheet across from Europe. Most of Western Alaska and British Columbia are islands with deep inleted coast lines. Easy to traverse with boats but difficult to impossible to walk. Boats were and are still part of the culture and heritage of the Native Alaskans. It is more likely they arrived in boats than developed them after they came. As I mentioned the glacier fields are a formidable barrier. While some sort of North Slope of Alaska traverse East past the mountains into the interior of the Yukon Territory then South is possible, it would be as difficult as crossing antarctica on foot. The migrations of the camels and horses which migrated from NA to Eurasia, bison, and other herbivores predate the movement of modern humans. So humans did not follow them across. The last ice age started about 100,000 years ago. It had nearly ended by the time humans are thought to have come into Western NA. The lower sea levels were still present when the melt started and that is about the time the humans made the crossing. The camel migrated in an earlier ice age which have been going on for the last 2.5 million years. We have had many ice ages lasting about 100,000 years followed by interglacial periods lasting 10,000 to 15,000 years during the last 2.5 million years.

1 - Your opinion is based on nothing but assumptions. Derek owns his own business and has been booked for months in advance ( over a year ) out on work and has not had much opportunity to sit down and get the entire group together to discuss the results. Shane has been spearheading current efforts also in an effort to locate new nest sites to try and find fresh samples for testing. I will respond to hiflier separately as I have time, I am also starting work as I have moved and what time I do get it is out in the woods locally researching ( we all have day jobs ) reports. 2 - Yes, Derek and Shane spoke at one event this spring and Shane spoke at the other in OR just last month ( I was there holding the booth ), both of these should be on youtube. 3 - That is also nothing more than an opinion based on no substance. I am a member of the Olympic Project. Free time has been short for leadership in the OP and what time has been spared has gone back into field operation/expeds. I understand the frustration some have about this effort as it has been quiet for a long time now but things are still going on.

My wives family were big time mushers. They put on the Priest Lake sled dog race for years. Houndsmen do it differently. Just one hold for all the dogs and a strike platform on top. Plott Hounds are considered best for bear.

Tried a different sort of area last time out, just outside of a small town and beyond the farming belt around it. Camped above a nicely flowing stream, the green patch upper right is a farm field. Had a tolerable view while sipping on an Old Rasputin, watching a 4 point muley buck very warily make its way through the brush below and waiting for darkness to head down canyon to a nice petroglyph panel to offer a bit of tobacco and mojo to the Ancients in exchange for the view. Last time we were here we did the same nighttime hike down and when the wind shifted, there came with it a strong musky animal smell that even i picked up and i can't smell a thing out in this dry climate, uneventful this time, just a nice hike under a gibbous moon til it was obscured by clouds. Camped out on cots till the thunderstorm arrived at 3am, lightening illuminating the valley and distant mountains. i scrambled to get the tent set up and cots stashed, made it in with about 3 minutes to spare before the wall of wind and rain hit. It didn't last long, things quieted down to where we could hear 3 different packs of coyotes howling and yiping to one another along with a pair of great horned owls calling. That activity kept up intermittently til dawn. This area has had the most animal activity we've seen. I've scrambled around the state looking for the spot to dedicate a focused search, a lot of possibilities just need to take a block of time. Bi-pedal Bighorn:

Well there was a Bigfoot meeting in West Branch ,Michigan so my son and myself went up there to listen. I picked him up right after school and to off from Detroit to Northern Michigan. It took a while to get up there since we ran into a lot of traffic So when we finally made there it was Dark. So we drove up to Mio and went out to Foley Swamp where I had my first couple of sightings and set up our tent. It was raining when we arrived just like the first time back in 2000 when I had my very first sighting and the woods were very silent. We were the only ones camping out there and that made it great. My son enjoyed that as well as I did. We set up camp and the rained stopped and started our fire. We both sat around the fire as I drank my beer which was one M-43 beer and IPA beer which has an abv 6.8% which is brewed in Michigan. Our night was un eventfull even though we were hearing movement around us. We just blew it off as deer and thought nothing of it . We also heard the owls going off and that was cool to hear. every so often the woods would go silent but we were ok with that. Here are the few pictures I took. I am not a big picture dude unless it is related with these creatures. Campsite Here is where we heard the movement : Now this is early in the morning and it looked spectacular: Here is the swamp : Real picture perfect is it not and here is the a creek where it looks very squachy: Very spooky and looks like where Black bears might be. Here is when I wish small game was going on. We spotted this Grouse just staying motionless. Can you spot it. Here is a valley that I would like to hunt: Off course you have to place a picture of the road: