Bounty is actually more preferable to airdrop (because of the risk involved in airdrops), but I don't think it's worth the stress because most projects end up being scam, or end up distributing coin with low or even no value. The best thing is to just calm down and learn from members of the forum
Depending on your luck as well as the project, it will pay you back or not. If the project is known and invested by everyone, of course they will pay the bonus. Their plan is not sold, then their number will be zero because they themselves do not have the capital to pay the cost of the capital call they invested.
I think everything will depend on team at the end of the day. Even with all these conditions you've said some bounty ended up being a scam when the projects itself is not and even end up being a scam. Kittyfight gathered 500 ETH during it's private sale, it ended up being a scam project, EMODOT is not a scam project, but it ended up scamming bounty hunters. The truth is bounty hunting is luck. Gathering information about a project is not always enough