YOWIE CELEBRITY CHEF

[ripperton]

In the same Lower Blue Mountains valley as my previous trail cam experience but accessing from a different point, Im experimenting with various food arrangements. I chose an impossible location that is on a 10 meter cliff face and quite difficult for me to get to.
Its a very small cave looking recess in the cliff face about 100m from a fire trail.
I went with traditional corn cobs on a rosy bed of fresh strawberries. Very presentable, I suppose. Im a mechanic not a Chef.
Then left it for a week.

[Bluedog]

Looks the goods Ripperton, I know I would eat it!

[ripperton]

The placement has a slight overhang of rock and the soil remains dry even in rain this afternoon when I went to check.
All the strawberries were gone without trace, no stems no white flesh like we eat them... could have been birds.
The corn gets interesting. All the husks seem to have been individually removed from the cobs and dropped back on the floor of the placement.
2 out of the 3 cobs were missing completely without any trace of kernels and the third cob was perched precariously on a ledge 1 meter lower down, half eaten and still half covered with its husks. The kernels under the husks were not eaten.

[ripperton]

Forgot pics in last post

[ripperton]

The best pics are the remaining cob. Does not look like it was eaten by a bird.
Looks like the kernels were sheared off by teeth.
Lets analyse.

[ripperton]

Looks the goods Ripperton, I know I would eat it!

Thanks BlueDog

On my return, I made plenty of noise. Wood knocks, woops, talking to them, calling out Yowie even wore HiVis jacket.
No response, no mindspeak no woodknocks, no foot steps.
Next dish, Im thinking Walnuts, Kiwi fruit and a bottle of orange juice. Wonder how they would handle Gorgonzola ?

[hillbilly]

The Blue Mountains is home to a lot of possums. Not saying that this is your culprit. A trail camera could assist with your answers. I had my corn taken from the vegie garden a few years back, and the cheeky possum would sit on my verandah eating them and leave me the cleaned cobs. In warmer months your strawberries will be taken by reptiles too. Blue tongue lizards love strawberries, as do many birds.

[ripperton]

Good feedback. Been trying to get away from trail cams but would come in handy in this situation.
There were no lizard or possum tracks in the cave area. A Bluey would have left a lot of tracks after a strawberry frenzy like that.
Possum makes sense on the corn cob that fell down the cliff. A Yowie would have gone after it.
Possums have prehensile front paws that could peel off the husks but where are the 2 missing cobs.
Would need absailing gear to get down that cliff.
Will deploy trail cam on this site but want to select foods that only a Yowie would like ?

[yowiedan]

Best thing to do is tie the food up on fishing line and hang it at least 7 foot from the ground so no ground dwelling animals can eat it other than a Yowie that tall. The fishing line won't let possums crawl down it either. Then train you trail camera on the food while it is hanging. I have two trail camera's that have been out in the Blue Mountains for four weeks now.

[Jim]

I wouldn't discount birds from being the culprit. The fact that only the kernels that were already exposed were eaten would suggest something with limited dexterity had been tucking in? Like you say, a possum would have stripped the lot.

[ripperton]

K but what about Junjudee's though. Hope they are friends with Dooligahl so they can get a leg up.

[yowiedan]

Newbiewssss?????

[Bluedog]

Newbiewssss?????

Newbiewssss?????, yowiedan? Please elaborate?

[yowiedan]

Newbiesssss meaning your all making the same mistakes we did way back in the day. You have to listen to the guys and girls who have been there and done that and learn from their mistakes and take that on board.

[inthedark]

Newbiesssss meaning your all making the same mistakes we did way back in the day. You have to listen to the guys and girls who have been there and done that and learn from their mistakes and take that on board.

Not all of us :p

Some of us sit at home, waiting for someone else to produce evidence. Or do regular night hikes but don't look for 'sign' because finding it would be terrifying. Or interrogate their local Ranger ...

[inthedark]

Best thing to do is tie the food up on fishing line and hang it at least 7 foot from the ground so no ground dwelling animals can eat it other than a Yowie that tall. The fishing line won't let possums crawl down it either. Then train you trail camera on the food while it is hanging. I have two trail camera's that have been out in the Blue Mountains for four weeks now.

Has anyone done this? If so, they must have captured the food thief on camera?

[ripperton]

Making some tricky variations here. Lots of food but some of it is still packaged.
12 Kiwi fruits on a bed of bellino baby tomatoes with a bottle of squeezed orange juice
and another 6 Kiwi fruits still in package. Lets see the blueys get into that.

[ripperton]

Also attached the trail cam to a nearby tree but not trained onto the food.
Its pointed away at 90 degrees at the only possible human entry path.
Come to think of it its the only way a bluey or goanna could get in too.
The hairies will have to climb up the sheer 10m clift. no probs.

[Yowie bait]

Looks nice enough. Itll be interesting to see what happens with that orange juice.

[Bluedog]

Good work Ripperton, but I can't help think your offering targets the health conscious yowie , maybe a six pack of VB stubbies and a couple of meat pies for the average yowie bloke would be worth a crack? On a more serious note, keep up the good work, maybe you could share a photo of the cliff and entry point?
Cheers Bluedog

[ripperton]

Looks nice enough. Itll be interesting to see what happens with that orange juice.

Yeah, when I got there with the usual racket,wood knocks, yells and HiVis jacket, I opened the orange juice bottle
and took a big swig in full view of surroundings so "they could see" how to open it and that it was safe to drink.
When Im in this place I get the impression that they are very vigilant and fast to move in on and quietly monitor
anything thats new and interesting.
Being routine also gains their trust. Same day of the week same place same clothes.
Those tomatoes are delicious too, I have them as snacks in my fridge.

[adventurer]

Best thing to do is tie the food up on fishing line and hang it at least 7 foot from the ground so no ground dwelling animals can eat it other than a Yowie that tall. The fishing line won't let possums crawl down it either. Then train you trail camera on the food while it is hanging. I have two trail camera's that have been out in the Blue Mountains for four weeks now.

Has anyone done this? If so, they must have captured the food thief on camera?

I have done this exact thing with Ron, but had no cams on it. I had hung apples and bananas if i remember right. We stayed out there and came back and all fruit and fishing line was gone.Dee

[AL Pitman]

I am sorry Bluedog
Its gotta be 4X , XXXX

[inthedark]

Still not clear on why no one is training their cam onto the actual bait?

Can someone help me out here?

[hillbilly]

Still too cold for bluetongues, so that's good.
I agree with facing camera directly at the bait. Keep it well back, like 4 or 5 metres, giving a nice wide area shot. What is your reason for not facing the bait?

[inthedark]

What is your reason for not facing the bait?

I have an explanation, but I don't like it. So I'm hoping for something better. That not a single researcher in 50+ years - anywhere in the world - has trained cams on a well placed bait, is highly suspicious.

[ripperton]

Its because Im not trying to get Hairys on video. Its been tried to death and its not possible. (Rusty222)
Im doing something different, Im trying a different tact. I just want to be friends with them and entertain them
with fun human food. And nobody does food like humans.
They want to maintain their anonymity so I let them. I respect their needs and dont try to cheat or fool them.
I get called noob but I know them better than most members here. I know exactly how intelligent they are.
You cant fool them so dont try.
Im trying to get other things on video to find out what is capable of scaling down that entry path.
Im using all fours climbing down there using rocks for foot holds.
The funny thing about the trailcam placement is you cant approach it from behind like Yowies usually do.
The tree is overhanging the 10m void, you would have to float in the air to touch it from behind.

[inthedark]

Its been tried to death and its not possible.

How is it 'not possible' though? I'm very curious about this!

Meantime, I like your efforts with the food. You buy some nice groceries . Meantime, whereabouts (generally, not specifically) are you in the Blue Mountains?

[David]

Its because Im not trying to get Hairys on video. Its been tried to death and its not possible. (Rusty222)
Im doing something different, Im trying a different tact. I just want to be friends with them and entertain them
with fun human food. And nobody does food like humans.
They want to maintain their anonymity so I let them. I respect their needs and dont try to cheat or fool them.
I get called noob but I know them better than most members here. I know exactly how intelligent they are.
You cant fool them so dont try.
Im trying to get other things on video to find out what is capable of scaling down that entry path.
Im using all fours climbing down there using rocks for foot holds.
The funny thing about the trailcam placement is you cant approach it from behind like Yowies usually do.
The tree is overhanging the 10m void, you would have to float in the air to touch it from behind.

I have to agree with you. About 8 years ago I became interested in an area of Namadgi National Park after a report of an encounter by a group of hikers from Outward Bound who were camping at an area near Smokers Trail at Corin Forest. The campers were visited by a large hairy creature during the night which scared some girls at the time.

Around this time I was very interested in the research being conducted by Russell from the Rusty222 youtube channel who reported feeding a group in his area down the far south coast of NSW and decided to try and duplicate the experience if there were indeed any yowies in my area. I found a large granite rock outcrop that was shelteted on three sides with a flat rock nestled in where I could place fruit.

The first time I placed a selection of apples, a mango, bannanas and plums and returned the next day to find all of the fruit gone, the peeled bananna skins on the rock and a mango seed seemingly 'placed' on a nearby log. I returned with a modified cardash IR camera (that's all I had) the next day and reset more fruit with the camera looking at it. When I returned the fruit wasn't touched apart from some nibbles which when I took the camera back home showed to be birds.

When I returned to place the camera again all the fruit was again missing with the peeled banana skins left on the rock and a mango seed again placed on the same fallen tree. I replaced the fruit and set the camera again. When I returned the fruit was again left with only the nibbling of birds recorded on the camera. When I returned with the Camera the fruit was once again gone. It was obvious that whatever was taking the fruit was aware of the camera and kept its distance.

From that point on camera there or not the fruit was left and I can only assume that whatever had been taking the fruit had left the area.

[micathia]

I know a story a hunter shot a rabbit that he wanted to leave for next day. He wrapped the rabbit body tightly only to find out next day that rabbit is gone. It was unwrapped carefully, and body gone.