Let's think about this...

The thing is foraging by pulling bark off a tree, with no tools.
No tools have ever been found.
No constructed habitations have ever been found.

Skunk Apes live in an inhabited area. But after hundreds of years it's an unknown species. But very elusive species such as mountain lions and bobcats can be tracked, hunted and successfully killed. But no skunk ape has ever been tracked? Not even with dogs?
True Believer: But they hide!

So do mountain lions and bobcats.
True Believer: But Skunk Apes are smart!

So are chimps and gorillas, but they can be found in remote areas of Africa if one looks.
True Believer: They're smarter than chimps and gorillas.

But they make no tools or even the simplest habitations?
True Believer: They hide their tools and habitations.

That well? If they live in a constructed habitation how do they hide it that well? What about tools? They never once lose a tool, or abandon a broken one?

True Believer: They're smart enough to know that humans are bad news, so they really try.

So they're really smart... But they pull bark off trees with their bare hands? They don't practice agriculture or hunt with weapons or use fire to cook food or fashion even the simplest clothes.
True Believer: Well... yeah! They're one with nature!

So they're really smart and take super elaborate precautions against being seen, and hide their habitations and tools... and they let a random guy watch without running away.
True Believer: This one got caught by surprise.

So they can be caught by surprise, but just once in awhile?
True Believer: They get seen lots of times. My uncle used to see them all the time.

But they're super elusive, right?
True Believer: Right!

What about dead bodies?
True Believer: They hide their dead!

Oh yeah? How? Where? They bury them? They'd get dug up by scavengers or long dead bones would get dug up by construction equipment. They burn their dead? But they only use fire for this one thing and we never see a Skunk Ape cremation in progress? Come on. And Skunk Apes never get hit by cars, drown in a river and float downstream, etc., etc.?
True Believer: But my uncle saw them all the time.

Dude.