Yowiehunters Forum

Evening all.

Has anyone used a reflective surface like a good sized sheet of polished aluminium or similar to capture (and perhaps hold) the interest of our hairy bush dwellers?

Using a proper glass mirror would not be advisable due to the risk of injury if they were to take offence and smash it, but would they perhaps be intrigued by their own image being reflected back at them?

I have seen footage of other wild creatures (including great apes) reacting to seeing what appears to be a rival individual that has no scent, cannot be fought in a manner they would expect, and which would seem to copy the finder's responses in a way that might provoke any number of responses that could be captured by a researcher?

Do you think their interest may centre on the mirror long enough for them to ignore a field cam or recording device (which they seem to be able to detect and fiddle with with ease) and allow some footage to be captured?

Has anyone used trip wires to get photos like the old time nature researchers used to do before the advent of all this tech that yowies seem to be able to detect and avoid?

The old SLR cameras need no electronics or batteries, so are we more likely to get a lucky shot using the old tech rather than the new?

I'd be keen to hear your views on this, and any insights real or projected you all might come up with on these topics, these thoughts have been in my head for years. Apologies in advance if I've missed any similar threads that have already touched on similar questions.

I'm a bit concerned strong territorial confrontations may be possible, however, which could be dangerous, and though yowies may be familiar with their images in still water, they may be flummoxed by their reflection in a dry wood setting. Pretty sure the number of hairy folk who have experience with mirrors perhaps left out for them intentionally as 'gifts' wouldn't be that huge, so could this be a worthwhile experiment? You'd have to be damn carefull you didn't start a bushfire from reflected sun's rays, so securing it firmly in a shaded spot may be the go...

Shazz

Hi Shazzoir......That's thinking outside the square and it might work.....worth a try.

I was thinking you could look into a mirror to see what is behind you might work to get a look at one. I did buy some cheap reverse mirror glasses but they hurt my eyes.

''Has anyone used trip wires to get photos like the old time nature researchers used to do before the advent of all this tech that yowies seem to be able to detect and avoid?"

With modern, ultra thin monofiliment fishing lines, surely it would go undetected. It would however, be a very slow and laborious task having to reset it each time an undesireable animal triggered it.

Tim* wrote:''Has anyone used trip wires to get photos like the old time nature researchers used to do before the advent of all this tech that yowies seem to be able to detect and avoid?"

With modern, ultra thin monofiliment fishing lines, surely it would go undetected. It would however, be a very slow and laborious task having to reset it each time an undesireable animal triggered it.

I've often thought the trip wires are a great way to test their observations skills.
Black cotton or fishing line is virtually invisible to the human eye....maybe that would be the case with hairy folk

I'm not sure about the thickness of the wire on flash-bangs, however a couple of people I know were using these in the dead of the night. They say the creature was stalking towards them from tree to tree, and as it came to the wire, it looked down and evidently saw it, then changed direction to the other side of the trees to continue the advance. Their night vision is exceptional. Perhaps as Chris mentioned, black cotton may work.

Many Bigfooters have used mirrors in the past. I'm unclear to what result.



DMH

Thanks everyone, and Dean - I will see what I can find from US researchers' info/reports. Sound intriguing for sure, but I imagine results will vary.

Shazz

There is a term called "mirror test" used to test animals whether they would know in the end the image in the mirror is a reflection of themselves. Apes, elephants, dolphins and a kind of bird (can't remember) passed the test while some smart animals we thought, such as cats and dogs failed.

So I think it won't take long for a yowie to figure out and pass this expierence/knowledge to other yowies.

Would imagine they have seen their reflection in water considering they seem to spend a lot of time near or in water but seeing ones reflection doesn't always mean a sense of self awareness....they might just think they are looking at another Yowie.

What about a camera behind a mirror...?

Gavin wrote:What about a camera behind a mirror...?

I think this is an excellent idea!

Robert Dodson of Texas/Oklahoma has used a mirror-I don't believe he caught images of Sasquatch with it but I think there was activity around the mirror. If you haven't already, I HIGHLY recommend you look up his YouTube channel. He has captured images of Sasquatch and has many videos showing their eyeshine while interacting with him. He thinks 'out of the box' and has put a lot of effort into his research. He is quite the character, too-very bold. I DO think the Sasquatch like playing with him.

micathia wrote:

Gavin wrote:What about a camera behind a mirror...?

I think this is an excellent idea!

Seconded.. Great idea!

What's the range of an average field cam? Could it be a long distance away AND high up in a tree and focussed on the mirrored surface?

I like the two-way mirror idea, but again, glass may be too dangerous to place in case it breaks and harms the target...

Shazz

DaveR wrote:

micathia wrote:

Gavin wrote:What about a camera behind a mirror...?

I think this is an excellent idea!

Seconded.. Great idea!

I actually had another idea for a while, which is, to disguise your camera in a way that the front looks like the back and the back looks like the front. So if a yowie walks from behind the camera, it was actually standing right in the front.

The reason I had this idea is there are numerous accounts saying that camera didn't catch the image but the audio recording indicate activities at the back of the camera. It seems yowie know which is front which is the back, huh?

I believe if an alien put some sort of device in front of me, though my intelligence won't be able to tell what it is, at least I would know which is front, which is back.

micathia wrote:There is a term called "mirror test" used to test animals whether they would know in the end the image in the mirror is a reflection of themselves. Apes, elephants, dolphins and a kind of bird (can't remember) passed the test while some smart animals we thought, such as cats and dogs failed.

It's called Theory Of Mind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind