I lived in Paris, TX while going to watchmaking school. There isn't that much to do there. If they actually saw anything (rather than manufacturing it), it was most likely the local high school or college kids who had become bored with tipping cows and had moved on to something new in the way of hijinks.
So they found some place that looked like Jurassic ParK? Big deal. There are homes in the back woods out there that don't have electricity or running water yet. I'm certain there are places that may see a human visit once every century or so.
Plus, deer hunting being what it is in Texas, some hunter would have bagged a bigfoot by now, or at least brought it to our attention. The fact that the woodsy locals aren't talking tells me something, and believe me, those boys LOVE to talk.
Beanbag