Yowiehunters Forum

Hi Everyone,
I am new here, first time posting and I wanted to share this with you all.
I live amongst D'Aguilar National Park and have had a few weird encounters lately.
So first one is these small sandy footprints I found leading up to our back verandah and stopped just before our security camera. Whats puzzling is that theres no sand here, we are ages away from the coast, there was no sandy footprints leading up to the ones on the deck and we have security cameras surrounding the house and driveway but not on this exact spot but to get to this spot you would have to pass a camera, there isnt anyway around it except if it came from off the roof and we checked all the footage and it came up with nothing, no sand or anything on the roof either.
I forgot all about it until I took my dog out to the toilet at 1am one night a few months later and she did her standard rush to the fence growling to scare off pademelons on the other side but this time she startled something much larger, it was tall, grey and hairy with clear defined head/shoulders shape about 6ft 5, it was huge and clearly stood out. It was crouched down origionally then got up really fast then made its way down the embankment out of my sight. Now this part of the property is very bushy, has a well overgrown dam and eventually backs down another bushy property then onto the national park.
My dog wasn't afraid of it she just growled at it til it left.
The next morning I went down there and as you can see from the photos theres a very well worn path up to the spot where I saw it standing and it has a very clear view of our house. No footprints in the dirt that I could make out but large snapped branches from the trees around there. Theres also a lot of flattened grass but that could be from pademelons.
Then I decided to check around the rest of the bush near the back of the house and noticed these reed plants all pushed over facing our house, these plants grow 8ft tall easily and are nearly as thick as bambo. Creepily this spot is in direct line of our bathroom!

Whats peoples thoughts? I at first thought the foot prints to be local kids as they are smaller than my size 7 feet but I would of caught them on camera entering the property and walking down to the back verandah. My other thought is a random human living in the bush sussing out our place (nothings gone missing) or possible yowie or junjudee or both?

More of the footprints

Sorry forgot to attach the photos

Hi, Just wondering which part of the range you live. Im about 10k south of Maleny. So far nothing strange here.

We are down the south end of D'Aguilar. Mount Glorious way.

When was this??

Looks like a Yowie that has sand caught in its feet.

Any sandy creeks near you.

No chance of an extra security camera pointing towards the back? Were there two separate locations your visitor seemed to be standing?

I can't offer any advice at all about deterrents or safety, but an extra security camera may be a deterrent at minimum, or may actually capture something to help clarify things.

I'm not sure if you have any exposed fence wire that could snag hairs. Might be worth a quick look.

Good luck. Sounds like an interesting situation.

To obtain footprints you may try this (it's a bit of work!):
Using a cultivator or rotary hoe, dig up the ground in a circle about 3 metres in diameter.
In the centre of the circle set a post about 1.5 metres high. Nail some plywood to the top to create a shelf of sorts.
Place some food (fruit, salt fish or cooked chicken) on the shelf.
Make sure the surrounding ground is raked clean.
Check the ground for prints in the morning.

To obtain a hair sample you might try this:

Obtain some PVC stormwater pipe about 0.8-1 metre long. Drill 2 holes opposite each other about 2 cm from one end.
Place some tasty cooked meat or salt fish between the holes and pass some wire through the food, securing it inside the pipe.
Place an end-cap over the end of the pipe closest to the food.
Coat the inside 2 cm of the far end of the pipe with pine resin (or a similar sticky substance).
Fasten the pipe to a post well above ground.
Check the pipe next morning to retrieve uneaten food and to check the resin for hairs stuck that would be from anything trying to retrieve the food.

Let me know if you get any hair and I can arrange for them to be independently tested for you.

Regards,

Mad Academic

Hi there AstridDoom

Welcome to the forums

Your location is perfect habitat for them if indeed it is a hairy visitor, I know you said you live amongst D'Aguilar National Park but does your backyard back onto vast amounts of bushland (national Park)? It may be that you have one thats taken a liking to your property for whatever reason, possibly a food source or other, if you have fruit trees or know of them being around, also do you have a sand pit or do any next door neighbours have one? I cant really give an explanation to the sandy footprints other than that.

I also agree with what aaq said above, if your worried about safety set up some cameras to try and catch the visitor.

Mad Academic wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:20 am To obtain footprints you may try this (it's a bit of work!):
Using a cultivator or rotary hoe, dig up the ground in a circle about 3 metres in diameter.
In the centre of the circle set a post about 1.5 metres high. Nail some plywood to the top to create a shelf of sorts.
Place some food (fruit, salt fish or cooked chicken) on the shelf.
Make sure the surrounding ground is raked clean.
Check the ground for prints in the morning.

To obtain a hair sample you might try this:

Obtain some PVC stormwater pipe about 0.8-1 metre long. Drill 2 holes opposite each other about 2 cm from one end.
Place some tasty cooked meat or salt fish between the holes and pass some wire through the food, securing it inside the pipe.
Place an end-cap over the end of the pipe closest to the food.
Coat the inside 2 cm of the far end of the pipe with pine resin (or a similar sticky substance).
Fasten the pipe to a post well above ground.
Check the pipe next morning to retrieve uneaten food and to check the resin for hairs stuck that would be from anything trying to retrieve the food.

Let me know if you get any hair and I can arrange for them to be independently tested for you.

Regards,

Mad Academic

Astrid,

If you're keen/comfortable doing this, you may get possums, rats, pademelons/wallabies, bats or something else taking the food, so you may find it untouched or may find it disappearing regularly.

People report our hairy friends as being keen observers which you have witnessed yourself. It might take some persistence/time to build up some trust that you're just generally putting food out, not trying to trap anyone.

So, if you have any interest in hair samples and you are comfortable trying some things, it may take a few goes to get a sample that is actually from your visitor. Footprints should be more obvious

MrLittleFoot wrote: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:01 pm When was this??

Looks like a Yowie that has sand caught in its feet.

Any sandy creeks near you.

The footprints are from earlier this year, the sighting about a month ago. No sandy creeks, no sandy dirt etc. Which is why its so puzzling!

aaq wrote: Sat Aug 10, 2019 10:48 pm No chance of an extra security camera pointing towards the back? Were there two separate locations your visitor seemed to be standing?

I can't offer any advice at all about deterrents or safety, but an extra security camera may be a deterrent at minimum, or may actually capture something to help clarify things.

I'm not sure if you have any exposed fence wire that could snag hairs. Might be worth a quick look.

Good luck. Sounds like an interesting situation.

I might have to get another camera for out there! Two locations but in close proximity of eachother. I might have a closer look as theres some old barb wire fencing from when the property was a farm. Cheers!

Mad Academic wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:20 am To obtain footprints you may try this (it's a bit of work!):
Using a cultivator or rotary hoe, dig up the ground in a circle about 3 metres in diameter.
In the centre of the circle set a post about 1.5 metres high. Nail some plywood to the top to create a shelf of sorts.
Place some food (fruit, salt fish or cooked chicken) on the shelf.
Make sure the surrounding ground is raked clean.
Check the ground for prints in the morning.

To obtain a hair sample you might try this:

Obtain some PVC stormwater pipe about 0.8-1 metre long. Drill 2 holes opposite each other about 2 cm from one end.
Place some tasty cooked meat or salt fish between the holes and pass some wire through the food, securing it inside the pipe.
Place an end-cap over the end of the pipe closest to the food.
Coat the inside 2 cm of the far end of the pipe with pine resin (or a similar sticky substance).
Fasten the pipe to a post well above ground.
Check the pipe next morning to retrieve uneaten food and to check the resin for hairs stuck that would be from anything trying to retrieve the food.

Let me know if you get any hair and I can arrange for them to be independently tested for you.

Regards,

Mad Academic

Thanks for the tips!

Dion wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 10:03 am Hi there AstridDoom

Welcome to the forums

Your location is perfect habitat for them if indeed it is a hairy visitor, I know you said you live amongst D'Aguilar National Park but does your backyard back onto vast amounts of bushland (national Park)? It may be that you have one thats taken a liking to your property for whatever reason, possibly a food source or other, if you have fruit trees or know of them being around, also do you have a sand pit or do any next door neighbours have one? I cant really give an explanation to the sandy footprints other than that.

I also agree with what aaq said above, if your worried about safety set up some cameras to try and catch the visitor.

Thanks! Our property is on 15 acres and quite bushy, then theres another property then the national park and the same with across the road, our property is used as a thoroughfare for dingos and wild dogs (and who knows what else!) No fruit trees but I do have a garden but I never notice anything missing except what the birds attack. No sandpit and the neighbours are too far away for someone to travel that far with sand on their feet. I am thinking cameras are the go!

aaq wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 1:03 pm

Mad Academic wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:20 am To obtain footprints you may try this (it's a bit of work!):
Using a cultivator or rotary hoe, dig up the ground in a circle about 3 metres in diameter.
In the centre of the circle set a post about 1.5 metres high. Nail some plywood to the top to create a shelf of sorts.
Place some food (fruit, salt fish or cooked chicken) on the shelf.
Make sure the surrounding ground is raked clean.
Check the ground for prints in the morning.

To obtain a hair sample you might try this:

Obtain some PVC stormwater pipe about 0.8-1 metre long. Drill 2 holes opposite each other about 2 cm from one end.
Place some tasty cooked meat or salt fish between the holes and pass some wire through the food, securing it inside the pipe.
Place an end-cap over the end of the pipe closest to the food.
Coat the inside 2 cm of the far end of the pipe with pine resin (or a similar sticky substance).
Fasten the pipe to a post well above ground.
Check the pipe next morning to retrieve uneaten food and to check the resin for hairs stuck that would be from anything trying to retrieve the food.

Let me know if you get any hair and I can arrange for them to be independently tested for you.

Regards,

Mad Academic

Astrid,

If you're keen/comfortable doing this, you may get possums, rats, pademelons/wallabies, bats or something else taking the food, so you may find it untouched or may find it disappearing regularly.

People report our hairy friends as being keen observers which you have witnessed yourself. It might take some persistence/time to build up some trust that you're just generally putting food out, not trying to trap anyone.

So, if you have any interest in hair samples and you are comfortable trying some things, it may take a few goes to get a sample that is actually from your visitor. Footprints should be more obvious

I can guaruntee the bandicoots and pademelons would have a field day if I left food out haha! Maybe if I put it up high it might discourage wildlife?
I am going go go out and have a thorough look to see if there are any more signs.
I dont mind them observing, it would be cool to actually properly see one though!

AstridDoom wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 1:24 pm I am going go go out and have a thorough look to see if there are any more signs.

Yep, that's what I would do venture into the bush a bit, follow the well worn tracks you mentioned, and look for signs.

You never know what you may find.

Keep us posted.

G’day AstridDoom, Interesting encounter you had there. Looking at the pic the scrub isn’t that far from your back door! Good luck with finding more sign

Just trying to rule out the obvious, what work do you do? Your not just bringing sand home on those boots from the job site are you?

Cheers

Tracker74 wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:02 pm Just trying to rule out the obvious, what work do you do? Your not just bringing sand home on those boots from the job site are you?

Cheers

I currently dont work and my partner was working away at the time and i didnt leave the house during the 3 days he was working at Warwick (on a shopping centre so not a job site either) I noticed them on the day he was coming home around midday when I went to put something in the bin. Plus the footprints are clearly feet and not boots. No sand on our 15 acres, bush between neighbouring properties and too far from them to have that much sand travel without leaving more prints elsewhere. No sand prints on the driveway, footpath or grass leading up to the prints, not even a spec on the grass (i got down and looked hard) no sand on the roof, no sand under the house, no sand on the water tank I checked around the whole house for any other prints and nothing!. Its stopped right before whatever left them would of been caught on one of our security cameras, now the prints led up to our bins which are located at our back door. We dont have rubbish collection here so we dont have wheelie bins, just two small ones we take up to the tip when they are full. It only ever happened the once and I havent seen any sandy prints of any sorts since. Its really spun me out, I've tried every logical answer and checked a weeks worth of security footage plus a weeks worth after and nothing. No idea at all.

Wingnut wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2019 3:08 pm G’day AstridDoom, Interesting encounter you had there. Looking at the pic the scrub isn’t that far from your back door! Good luck with finding more sign

Hi Wingnut, did a thorough search and didn't find anything out of place, no prints, no hair, nothing else bent or snapped. Followed a few pademelon tracks and nothing out of the ordinary. Will keep an eye out. Hopefully we get rain soon so it gets muddy (and our tanks get full!)

If you still have the sand, you could get it analysed by a geologist. They might be able to tell you where it came from.
Leave some apples and corn out by the back fence with a trail cam pointed at it.
Dont expect to get Yowies on the trail cam but you will see what is nibbling the food.
A large piece of watermelon thats too big for pademalons to move, might go missing completely without a video showing what took it.

ripperton wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:23 am If you still have the sand, you could get it analysed by a geologist. They might be able to tell you where it came from.
Leave some apples and corn out by the back fence with a trail cam pointed at it.
Dont expect to get Yowies on the trail cam but you will see what is nibbling the food.
A large piece of watermelon thats too big for pademalons to move, might go missing completely without a video showing what took it.

Aren't trail cams, particularly those relying on motion detection or those that flash IR, less than ideal for capturing hairy visitors?

I'm not sure of the passive IR/continuous recording options out there but my understanding is they would be more successful. Sorry I'm not being particularly helpful as I can't quote/link model numbers that do this.

Similar to security cameras - which was my original recommendation. Those that have IR illumination are really going to be more of a deterrent, which might be what AstridDoom is after, I don't know. If somebody hairy is going to be captured on camera and not deterred, it probably needs to be done with passive IR.

aaq wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:01 am Aren't trail cams, particularly those relying on motion detection or those that flash IR, less than ideal for capturing hairy visitors?

I'm not sure of the passive IR/continuous recording options out there but my understanding is they would be more successful. Sorry I'm not being particularly helpful as I can't quote/link model numbers that do this.

Similar to security cameras - which was my original recommendation. Those that have IR illumination are really going to be more of a deterrent, which might be what AstridDoom is after, I don't know. If somebody hairy is going to be captured on camera and not deterred, it probably needs to be done with passive IR.

Your quite right aaq, IR is a deterrent to the hairy's but so is any camera, like anything.... its trial and error, bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack but worse.

May wish to check out this thread and new cameras I found Brinno Timelapse and Security Cameras For those interested in something better than the ordinary Trail Cam.

Hi, AstridDoom.

Sandy footprints on your doorstep when there is not a bit of sand on your property or nearby. A mystery that needs to be answered but can't. I have my theories but I won't answer them on this section of the forum.
ripperton is right don't expect to get Yowies on a trail cam IR illumination or passive. These creatures can detect cameras from 100 metres away and they just do not subject themselves to being filmed.
The interesting dilemma is finding out about those sandy footprints not just where they came from but how they got there without leaving any signs of sand elsewhere. If they had sand on their feet and they had to walk across grass or lawn it would have been erased before they got to your verandah. Good luck with that.
Cheers.

I dunno. I see lots of planting pots, potentially with sand in them, and the sandy footprints looked moist.

Could have had a visitor doing some ninja concreting or brickwork...

Could have family dropping by after being at the beach...

ripperton wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:23 am If you still have the sand, you could get it analysed by a geologist. They might be able to tell you where it came from.
Leave some apples and corn out by the back fence with a trail cam pointed at it.
Dont expect to get Yowies on the trail cam but you will see what is nibbling the food.
A large piece of watermelon thats too big for pademalons to move, might go missing completely without a video showing what took it.

It was awhile ago now, prints are long gone but thanks for the geologist idea in case it happens again.
Might give a whole melon a go, if the whole thing disappears then I will get concerned, if it gets nibbled my chickens will be happy with melon treats.

Mike Paterson got dirt in his Sasquatch foot prints....in the fresh snow.
at 55s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvk7qYjN8qQ

aaq wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 2:33 pm I dunno. I see lots of planting pots, potentially with sand in them, and the sandy footprints looked moist.

Could have had a visitor doing some ninja concreting or brickwork...

Could have family dropping by after being at the beach...

The pots have soil in them, not sand Ive never used sand in my gardening. No work done on the house since ive lived there, we are very far from the beach and have security cameras set up and would capture anyone entering the property and to get to that location they would of passed cameras. Plus consisering I was home at the time I would know if someone drove into our driveway to visit (we live rural and have a long driveway). Trust me, I have thought of all possible theories which is why Im now here. It creeps me out how close it was to my back door (stopping just before a camera) and my dogs didn't notice, they usually go off if someone enters the property. Its not a nice feeling having someone or something lurking that close to your home especially when you cant figure out how they dodged cameras and cant find any other trace!

AstridDoom wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:46 pm Might give a whole melon a go, if the whole thing disappears then I will get concerned,

If a whole melon disappears, you wont have to get concerned. You just made friends with them.
You could even trade melon for more foot prints. Just ask them. Once they get a taste of watermelon,
and they know where to get it from, you will have their attention and establish a working relationship with them.
Dont expect to see one though. You'll just get lots of unexplainable things.

AstridDoom wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:01 pm

aaq wrote: Thu Aug 15, 2019 2:33 pm I dunno. I see lots of planting pots, potentially with sand in them, and the sandy footprints looked moist.

Could have had a visitor doing some ninja concreting or brickwork...

Could have family dropping by after being at the beach...

The pots have soil in them, not sand Ive never used sand in my gardening. No work done on the house since ive lived there, we are very far from the beach and have security cameras set up and would capture anyone entering the property and to get to that location they would of passed cameras. Plus consisering I was home at the time I would know if someone drove into our driveway to visit (we live rural and have a long driveway). Trust me, I have thought of all possible theories which is why Im now here. It creeps me out how close it was to my back door (stopping just before a camera) and my dogs didn't notice, they usually go off if someone enters the property. Its not a nice feeling having someone or something lurking that close to your home especially when you cant figure out how they dodged cameras and cant find any other trace!

I understand. I had actually pictured a hairy big fella or little fella on the deck and it would be extremely unsettling. I thought maybe you had some fruit/shoots in the pots and he/she had sand in the fur from the pots, for eg.

I'm sure it's a hairy, just not sure it's a floating/teleporting one.