Reported Bigfoot sightings vary, but according to folks like Curtis, 80 percent happen at night and are usually in the mountains, the foothills or near open spaces. Most involve a creature who is reserved, though a little curious. Bigfoot may watch a camp in the mountains from a distance, but is rarely aggressive. Some people reported their trucks or campers being rocked by a Bigfoot, but Utah Bigfoot expert Ryan Layton says that is rare. A foul odor usually permeates a Bigfoot encounter, he said.

While few scientists give Bigfoot's existence any credence, one who does is Jeffrey Meldrum, an associate professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University who has two zoology degrees from BYU. He is the author of the book "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science," a companion to the Discovery Channel documentary of the same name. Dubbed by some as America's "Bigfoot professor," he's been a believer ever since he came across 15-inch footprints a decade ago in the woods near Walla Walla, Wash.

"I'm not trying to proselytize that Bigfoot exists," Meldrum told the Associated Press. "I place legend under scrutiny and my conclusion is, absolutely, Bigfoot exists."

Most people scoff at Bigfoot reports — Meldrum's colleagues at ISU signed a petition when he hosted a Bigfoot symposium on campus and some of his fellow science professors want his tenure revoked. Detractors point out that to date scientists have not found fossil evidence to support the existence of a nomadic apeman.

Layton, an independent Utah Bigfoot researcher who lives in Layton, believes Utah Bigfoot sightings go largely under reported because the possibility of ridicule prevents many people from coming forward.

Layton has interviewed numerous people who claim Bigfoot sightings since 1980, and said he believes the majority told the truth — they saw something they can't explain.

Salmond helps maintain the Web site utahsquatchinggroup.com.

"I respect their viewpoint," new BFRO member Salmond said of nonbelievers. "I'm not here to convince them. … There's a lot of mysteries in the world still to discover."

Some purported Utah Bigfoot sightings

When the Deseret News first did an overall look into Utah bigfoot phenomena back in 1993, it found at least 36 total purported sightings/signs of the creature from 1977 on. In the 16 years since, there have been at least another 49 new alleged sightings (an average of more than one a month) reported in Utah.

Here's a sampling of some reported bigfoot sightings in Utah: