The Pines, Watagans: Are These Are Yowie Calls?

[Titla]

Hi guys, this is classic. Was just watching a small Australian Bushcraft YouTube channel called 'Bushcraft And Camping Adventures'. The channel has nothing to do with yowies and the channel owner appears to have little to no awareness of them either.

Was just watching one of his videos from March 2018 where he recorded his one-night bush camping trip to The Pines Campground in The Watagans. However as he's a bushcraft guy, he didn't actually camp at the campground, but parked at The Pines Picnic Area and hiked into the bush away from any trails or human occupation to camp for the night.

He cut up some wood and constructed a survivalist bed, a little fence, and cooked his dinner. All this is recorded in the video.

In the morning, he said that there were "footsteps in the night", and "one persistent one for a while". Then he said "and there was a walk by, something walked by us, possible two, on either side of us". "Us" meaning him and his camp as he was alone

Then as he was filming later on that morning he was puzzled by a series of strange calls out in the forest. The calls occurred while he was recording, are part of the video and are pretty clear. Three or four calls in a row.

About the calls he annotated on the video, "Some highly unusual 'animal' calls were occurring, I still have no idea what they were...".

As there are members here at the AYR forum who have experience with yowie calls, I was wondering if you'd listen and say whether they sound like yowie calls or something else.

One other thing, I went through his video library and he has two other videos with these titles:

"I spend the night alone in Australia's serial killer forest || Strange voices in the dark"
"Something (or someone) visited my base camp while i slept - left unusual objects behind."

I haven't watched those two videos yet so couldn't tell you any details.

Anywho, I'll link the video with the calls below. Start with timeframe 16:50 where he talks about the footsteps in the night, then go to timeframe 20:20 where you can hear the calls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEImal32G4&t=34s

[Titla]

God dammit, I made a meal of the title. Grammar lessons needed

[Titla]

And just to let you know, I read the Description of the video where the objects were left and it was also in the Watagans. I think possibly the same place at The Pines.

[AL Pitman]

So what was the requirement of the fence ?
Fences are constructed for 2 reasons
1 to keep things out and 2 well to keep things in .
He was even perturbed that he didn't have time or make the effort to complete the perimeter ??
Hmmmmmmm
I must be nice to be blissfully unaware like that supposedly !

[Titla]

I know I thought the same thing. At least he's getting out there which is more than can be said for most mate.

[ripperton]

I liked the calls. Hard to put an animal to that sound but didnt appreciate the hoaxed chocolates. (different video)

[Titla]

I liked the calls. Hard to put an animal to that sound but didnt appreciate the hoaxed chocolates. (different video)

Bloody hell you're right, the video about the objects being left is just him playing funny games. He got me.

[Titla]

Admin if you're able would it be possible to fix the title on this thread? I don't believe I'm able to edit it myself. Thanks.

[yowiedan]

There is a bird that does make a loud noise in the mornings, it sounds very similar to this noise. Birds can make all sorts of sounds, not just tweet tweet. Also after the noise comes from the animal and then travels through the bush the sound can change as the waves from the sound hit trees and bushes etc that changes their wave pattern. So that cam be a factor in what we hear, the noise comes distorted from its original sound.

[Yowie bait]

I heard three raspy calls and can see why you would think it's a yowie but i dont know what it is?

[Titla]

Me neither, I'm far from knowledgeable on animal calls of the Australian bush so am whoafully unqualified to judge. But to me it does sound like something that could come out the mouth of a
human-like creature. Even possibly a yowie mimicking an animal call. The Pines is my next camping trip for sure, and it's closer than Barrington Tops!

I have heard a couple of reports of somewhat forthright yowies messing with sleeping tent campers in The Pines Campground. I tried to bring those reports up again the other day but for some reason couldn't find them. But from memory I think that particular spot at The Pines is a proper hotspot. And closer to me than Barrington Tops

[Titla]

Here is an alleged North American bigfoot howl, it has a very similar quality of note to The Pines video here. Very similar pitch too. The call structure is a little different, but it does sound like they're coming from the same kind of voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2TnbQBTDXY

[Robert P]

it looks like he has walked from The Pines picnic area to around to the back of Turpentine Casuarina camp area. there are a couple of sneaky camp spots around there. This is not far from where someone posted a report on this site that, during storm activity a yowie fell out of the trees and landed on his car. I have seen over the years quite a few feral dogs in this area.
Cheers Rob

[bassplyr]

I can't comment on the actual video in the OP. But those calls from the Sequoia national Park video here are very close to what I heard in the southern Sierras of California near independance peak. Which is not far from the sequoias. Cut our fishing trip short as those calls started like in that video relatively far away and progressively came closer to where my friend ande I were fishing over a half hour period. When it got to maybe 100-200 metres away we booked for his truck with our gear. The calls continued to follow us along the trail not far behind us while we were jogging to the truck. We felt whatever it was was attempting to drive us away from the pond as it was the only food source in the area and we figured it was claiming it for its self. Was what got me into researching Sasquatch and yowies.

[Titla]

Wow awesome scary account! They do know how to intimidate, but at the same time they show remarkable restraint given what they're really capable of. Probably one reason they've survived, if we really wanted to humans could really bring the rain down on them so they do have to keep a low profile and not stir the hornet's nest.

[BushcraftAndCampingA]

Hi guys,

My name is Craig, im the guy from the Bushcraft And Camping Adventures YouTube video being discussed. Stumbled across this chat and am excited to contribute - hopefully the thread hasnt died yet... Feel free to fire any questions at me.

Firstly, the video in question is over a year old, just for context, and suffice to say is not the best video ive ever done lol. In regards to content being discussed...

When i first visited Watagans over a year ago, the sounds in question were more common. On some occassions they sounded like screams and were in the dead of night, so did not record them. I recall one incident where i lay listening to growls and screams for a good 30 minutes. No fear, just curiosity. They eventually faded as if they never came. On other occassions the same calls you can hear in the video sounded both nearer and further they are in the video. In recent times I have not heard them even once. I camp in Watagans very regularly - camped out there on at least 10 separate occassions over the last 12 months. I will be returning there this weekend actually.

About the area... I never made a Yowie/Bigfoot/Yahoo connection to the area, BUT i HAVE seen some interesting things such as scratch marks on trees (recorded in my videos), trees snapped at about 6 feet (recorded on video, though pretty sure its natural not intentional) and even strange symbols left on my bushcraft bed while i was not at the camp (they appear like runes and were written in charcoal left from my fire, also recorded on video). I also used to notice much more wildlife in the area but have recently seen a steep decline in this too (could be related to the lack of strange calls meaning likely a wildlife connection).

I have never once felt threatened or even remotely nervous in the area. Its a beautiful peaceful spot where the connection to nature runs deep.

About myself... interestingly, I have a background in Yowie/Yahoo mythology and tracking, but it was over a decade ago and (clearly) has left my consciousness, as i never made any connections at Watagans. I did have a small group on a website name AboveTopSecret (over a decade ago at least) and we mapped out all the East Coast Australia sightings we could find and attempted to draw parallels and determine habitats and places most likely to have a sighting. We determined that Yowies enjoyed thick tree cover, a water source and caves nearby, as almost all sightings had these 3 things in common. We were going to start doing tracking expeditions but things never eventuated.

To say I am excited to go back to Watagans with Yowie in mind is an understatement - I plan on doing a video there focusing on this - is there anything in particular i should read/watch/know??

Hope to hear back form some of you!!

[Titla]

Hey Craig, this is awesome, a big welcome to the forum. I'm off to The Pines right now so have to run, however I'll pick your post back up when I return. Take care.

[ripperton]

- I plan on doing a video there focusing on this - is there anything in particular i should read/watch/know??

Dont "plan on doing a video". We already have enough YouTubers parading themselves around for the sake of views.
Try to come up with some genuine research content and just use photos.
You wont last long in here hoaxing chocolates.

[BushcraftAndCampingA]

Hey Craig, this is awesome, a big welcome to the forum. I'm off to The Pines right now so have to run, however I'll pick your post back up when I return. Take care.

Have fun man and take care. I look forward to hearing bout your trip.

Dont "plan on doing a video". We already have enough YouTubers parading themselves around for the sake of views.
Try to come up with some genuine research content and just use photos.
You wont last long in here hoaxing chocolates.

I understand where you are coming from, but you clearly dont know how i operate (nor could you be expected to at this stage). With me, what you see is what you get - sometimes im a bit of a clown and i dont apologise for that. The chocolates video was a joke, and i dont apologise for that either. But what youll never get me with is BS, so when i say i 'plan to do a video' i simply mean this: my channel has zero content relating to this topic, nor do i want my channel to be about this topic. However, there is (in my opinion) a cool story to be told here that i want to cover. And lets not pretend ill get any significant views for a video about yowies... its not exactly ground-breaking. Its something that ill do because i will enjoy doing it, thats all. YouTube is a story-telling medium afterall, and each person tells that story in his or her own way. Im no fool, I wont be making a mockery of the topic or myself and i wont be faking anything. Ill tell a story, provide contextual information and any relevant 'evidence' and if people enjoy that story then its smiles all round. As people who share an interest, i see no need for anything other than community and support. As i said, i can entirely understand your perspective, but lets not jump to conclusions. I respectfully look forward to more positive discussions

[Dion]

Hi guys,

My name is Craig, im the guy from the Bushcraft And Camping Adventures YouTube video being discussed. Stumbled across this chat and am excited to contribute

Hi Craig

Firstly welcome to the forums.

I have watched a couple of your videos..... the one above and a few others, and I have to say I quite like them.

I regards to your Yowie video and as you may have guessed already, people here can be a little sensitive to hoaxers. We have had a few of them in the past and they quite often leave or are banned for many reasons. Having said that I dont get the impression you are one of them, as you said yourself you are just a no BS bloke having a Yarn and telling a story, thats the feeling I get myself anyway.

I look forward to watching your latest video on the Yowie.

Cheers.

[Yowie bait]

Hi guys,

My name is Craig, im the guy from the Bushcraft And Camping Adventures YouTube video being discussed. Stumbled across this chat and am excited to contribute - hopefully the thread hasnt died yet... Feel free to fire any questions at me.

Firstly, the video in question is over a year old, just for context, and suffice to say is not the best video ive ever done lol. In regards to content being discussed...

When i first visited Watagans over a year ago, the sounds in question were more common. On some occassions they sounded like screams and were in the dead of night, so did not record them. I recall one incident where i lay listening to growls and screams for a good 30 minutes. No fear, just curiosity. They eventually faded as if they never came. On other occassions the same calls you can hear in the video sounded both nearer and further they are in the video. In recent times I have not heard them even once. I camp in Watagans very regularly - camped out there on at least 10 separate occassions over the last 12 months. I will be returning there this weekend actually.

About the area... I never made a Yowie/Bigfoot/Yahoo connection to the area, BUT i HAVE seen some interesting things such as scratch marks on trees (recorded in my videos), trees snapped at about 6 feet (recorded on video, though pretty sure its natural not intentional) and even strange symbols left on my bushcraft bed while i was not at the camp (they appear like runes and were written in charcoal left from my fire, also recorded on video). I also used to notice much more wildlife in the area but have recently seen a steep decline in this too (could be related to the lack of strange calls meaning likely a wildlife connection).

I have never once felt threatened or even remotely nervous in the area. Its a beautiful peaceful spot where the connection to nature runs deep.

About myself... interestingly, I have a background in Yowie/Yahoo mythology and tracking, but it was over a decade ago and (clearly) has left my consciousness, as i never made any connections at Watagans. I did have a small group on a website name AboveTopSecret (over a decade ago at least) and we mapped out all the East Coast Australia sightings we could find and attempted to draw parallels and determine habitats and places most likely to have a sighting. We determined that Yowies enjoyed thick tree cover, a water source and caves nearby, as almost all sightings had these 3 things in common. We were going to start doing tracking expeditions but things never eventuated.

To say I am excited to go back to Watagans with Yowie in mind is an understatement - I plan on doing a video there focusing on this - is there anything in particular i should read/watch/know??

Hope to hear back form some of you!!

Researchers seem to often get results with the audio recorders. Also look for birds acting strangely as ive heard they can give away the hairy blokes position if theyre around. The first Yowie report by Henry James Mcooey in 1882 said he noticed the yowie because it was being swooped and darted at by birds.

Also if you hide something not edible and are very obvious about it, you might find it gone or disturbed the next day. Hope thats a help!

[BushcraftAndCampingA]

Hi Craig

Firstly welcome to the forums.

I have watched a couple of your videos..... the one above and a few others, and I have to say I quite like them.

I regards to your Yowie video and as you may have guessed already, people here can be a little sensitive to hoaxers. We have had a few of them in the past and they quite often leave or are banned for many reasons. Having said that I dont get the impression you are one of them, as you said yourself you are just a no BS bloke having a Yarn and telling a story, thats the feeling I get myself anyway.

I look forward to watching your latest video on the Yowie.

Cheers.

Thanks man, appreciate the kind words. TBH, i dont blame people for trying to defend a passion - searching around, Yowies/bigfoots/etc already have ALOT of rubbish, and this only dilutes the statistical likelyhood that they exist - i mean a highly endangered and equally deceptive species of hominid still roaming the bushlands of Australia is not that far-fetched... i believe the stat is that humans have only explored half the planet and discovered about 15% of the likely species here - speaks for itself.

Ill be honest, ill film the video this weekend when i go to work on my bushcraft shelter... but if it doesnt turn out, i simply wont post it. Will see how it goes.

Researchers seem to often get results with the audio recorders. Also look for birds acting strangely as ive heard they can give away the hairy blokes position if theyre around. The first Yowie report by Henry James Mcooey in 1882 said he noticed the yowie because it was being swooped and darted at by birds.

Also if you hide something not edible and are very obvious about it, you might find it gone or disturbed the next day. Hope thats a help!

Interesting. Im fairly in-tuned with the birds in the area. I have a family of Eastern Yellow Robins that visit me everytime im there and we have a full trust situation going, its actually pretty cool. I also see Lyrebirds, Currawongs and other species im not sure of. So their behaviour will be noticed if it changes, so will certainly keep an eye out.

In terms of things going missing.... curious you mention that. Do Yowies have any history of using or collecting weapons? I made a great spear a while back that threw like a dream. I placed it against my shelter in a place where it couldnt be blown away or fall over and when i returned it was gone. Ive never found it since. I initially assumed people found my shelter (it has happened before) and simply took the spear, but i wander if a local Yowie liked my handywork instead?? Anything's possible i guess.

[Austral]

There is many years of experience here on this forum but no one is an expert and when someone says things as a matter of fact they are full of it. just make your own way through this subject.

[Yowie bait]

Hi Craig

Firstly welcome to the forums.

I have watched a couple of your videos..... the one above and a few others, and I have to say I quite like them.

I regards to your Yowie video and as you may have guessed already, people here can be a little sensitive to hoaxers. We have had a few of them in the past and they quite often leave or are banned for many reasons. Having said that I dont get the impression you are one of them, as you said yourself you are just a no BS bloke having a Yarn and telling a story, thats the feeling I get myself anyway.

I look forward to watching your latest video on the Yowie.

Cheers.

Thanks man, appreciate the kind words. TBH, i dont blame people for trying to defend a passion - searching around, Yowies/bigfoots/etc already have ALOT of rubbish, and this only dilutes the statistical likelyhood that they exist - i mean a highly endangered and equally deceptive species of hominid still roaming the bushlands of Australia is not that far-fetched... i believe the stat is that humans have only explored half the planet and discovered about 15% of the likely species here - speaks for itself.

Ill be honest, ill film the video this weekend when i go to work on my bushcraft shelter... but if it doesnt turn out, i simply wont post it. Will see how it goes.

Researchers seem to often get results with the audio recorders. Also look for birds acting strangely as ive heard they can give away the hairy blokes position if theyre around. The first Yowie report by Henry James Mcooey in 1882 said he noticed the yowie because it was being swooped and darted at by birds.

Also if you hide something not edible and are very obvious about it, you might find it gone or disturbed the next day. Hope thats a help!

Interesting. Im fairly in-tuned with the birds in the area. I have a family of Eastern Yellow Robins that visit me everytime im there and we have a full trust situation going, its actually pretty cool. I also see Lyrebirds, Currawongs and other species im not sure of. So their behaviour will be noticed if it changes, so will certainly keep an eye out.

In terms of things going missing.... curious you mention that. Do Yowies have any history of using or collecting weapons? I made a great spear a while back that threw like a dream. I placed it against my shelter in a place where it couldnt be blown away or fall over and when i returned it was gone. Ive never found it since. I initially assumed people found my shelter (it has happened before) and simply took the spear, but i wander if a local Yowie liked my handywork instead?? Anything's possible i guess.

I can think of many scenarios before blaming yowie taking your spear. Fellow bushcrafter or even confiscated by a park ranger for example. You may even find your spear on youtube as part of a yowie research video. I have no idea if they use tools. Apparently they use clubs to whack trees so that could be classified as a tool.

[Titla]

Hey Craig it's nice to hear from you and a pleasant surprise the hear you've got a background on the subject.

I wanted to ask you a question about your Watagans trip. When you said you had a "walk-by" and other walking around your camp, could you tell whether they were biped, and were you able to see whether these walkers were navigating with a torch?

If they're biped but are walking around the bush in the middle of night without lights, that could rule out humans and point to yowies. Particularly when combined with the vocalizations you caught on film, which if they are indeed yowie vocalizations, would have to be among the best and clearest audio we have of them. A real gem.

I just spent two nights at Olney Headquarters campground which is just around the corner from The Pines Campground. I'm sure you know it. I checked out all four campgrounds and my favourites were Turpentine and Casurina, particularly Casurina. However I didn't have the nuts to camp in those campgrounds as there was no-one else there and I'm now a bit chicken camping in the bush lol. However I hope to work into those campgrounds in time as I think they're in the best positions for yowie investigations.

There were a couple of other campers at Olney Headquarters so I camped there but back 50 metres into the bush. On the first night after I went to bed I was a bit paranoid about yowies doing walk-bys lol.

Spent a lot of yesterday hiking around Howes Road, going down game trails, bushbashing here and there, but unfortunately came across zero field evidence.

Later on that day back at camp I was taking a whiz just outside my camp when my eyes went up and looked straight at into two absolute plumb tree breaks side by side. I had been hiking all over the place looking for sign when it turned out the only sign was 10 metres from my tent lol. I'm glad I took a whiz in that spot as I wasn't looking for sign around my camp and could easily have missed it.

The thicker tree has a 2 inch diameter and is broken 6'10" off the ground. The smaller tree is 1.75 inch diameter and is broken 6'3" off the ground.

I did my own break of a skinny 1 inch tree and determined a break occurs about forehead height.

Therefore if they are yowie tree breaks, then the yowie that broke the thicker tree would have to be around 7-foot or a little taller. As for the thinner tree, a yowie would have to be no shorter than 6'6" to break that. There is no chance of a human breaking either of those two trees, I had a pull on them and they're nowhere near within human capability. They weren't done by cutting blade either, they've been snapped manually.

I think these breaks are good candidates for yowie tree breaks, the heights and diameters fit nicely, and they seem too clean to be natural. And both trees point together as they meet the ground.

I know I'm making a big deal out of a little sign but I'm stoked as this is the first potential sign I've found in the field.

Here are some pictures:

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[BushcraftAndCampingA]

Hey Craig it's nice to hear from you and a pleasant surprise the hear you've got a background on the subject.

I wanted to ask you a question about your Watagans trip. When you said you had a "walk-by" and other walking around your camp, could you tell whether they were biped, and were you able to see whether these walkers were navigating with a torch?

If they're biped but are walking around the bush in the middle of night without lights, that could rule out humans and point to yowies. Particularly when combined with the vocalizations you caught on film, which if they are indeed yowie vocalizations, would have to be among the best and clearest audio we have of them. A real gem.

Mate i wont lie, it was over a year ago and i dont recall it precisely well, however i will recount what i recall.

The walk-bys were in the dead of night, no torches used. Near enough for me to clearly hear them, but far enough away that i didnt see anything. i didnt pull my torch out to try and see what they were. In my opinion, i could not place if bipedal or not but i remember they moved rather quickly, walked past my site at a steady rate. Not running but a brisk pace. I would imagine Yowies would sound heavier than these but having never experienced the real thing, who knows!

I wander... is there any way to 'invite' or 'welcome' them in? I would love to establish myself as friendly and a non-threat. Though given the amount of times ive camped there, they would already know this i guess.

quote=Titla post_id=55367 time=1567579603 user_id=42643]
I just spent two nights at Olney Headquarters campground which is just around the corner from The Pines Campground. I'm sure you know it. I checked out all four campgrounds and my favourites were Turpentine and Casurina, particularly Casurina. However I didn't have the nuts to camp in those campgrounds as there was no-one else there and I'm now a bit chicken camping in the bush lol. However I hope to work into those campgrounds in time as I think they're in the best positions for yowie investigations.

There were a couple of other campers at Olney Headquarters so I camped there but back 50 metres into the bush. On the first night after I went to bed I was a bit paranoid about yowies doing walk-bys lol.

Spent a lot of yesterday hiking around Howes Road, going down game trails, bushbashing here and there, but unfortunately came across zero field evidence.

Later on that day back at camp I was taking a whiz just outside my camp when my eyes went up and looked straight at into two absolute plumb tree breaks side by side. I had been hiking all over the place looking for sign when it turned out the only sign was 10 metres from my tent lol. I'm glad I took a whiz in that spot as I wasn't looking for sign around my camp and could easily have missed it.

The thicker tree has a 2 inch diameter and is broken 6'10" off the ground. The smaller tree is 1.75 inch diameter and is broken 6'3" off the ground.

I did my own break of a skinny 1 inch tree and determined a break occurs about forehead height.

Therefore if they are yowie tree breaks, then the yowie that broke the thicker tree would have to be around 7-foot or a little taller. As for the thinner tree, a yowie would have to be no shorter than 6'6" to break that. There is no chance of a human breaking either of those two trees, I had a pull on them and they're nowhere near within human capability. They weren't done by cutting blade either, they've been snapped manually.

I think these breaks are good candidates for yowie tree breaks, the heights and diameters fit nicely, and they seem too clean to be natural. And both trees point together as they meet the ground.

I know I'm making a big deal out of a little sign but I'm stoked as this is the first potential sign I've found in the.
[/quote]

They are nice breaks and near identical to one near my site. Same height, same tree width, etc. The tree near my site was rotted somewhat and didnt seem to have been felled by another tree falling on it as it was still hung up in the canopy.

The way your trees are placed looks quite intentional - really interesting! Hope sone other more knowledgable members can come on and check them out, they look quite unnatural.

Hope you enjoyed your campout. Im very familar with those sites you mentioned, but never camp in them - i hate camping near people. If i can be seen or heard then its a bad spot lol. BTW how bad is the road in lately lol?! Needs to be graded desperately

[Titla]

There are ways to invite them into your camp, however only a brave and experienced few try to do so alone deep in the bush, and usually such people are armed while doing so.

I think perhaps you haven't got the fear of doing that in you due to not having been exposed to a lot of witness testimonial. Before I did so I too always camped away from campspots, however that's changed now. One of my last trips before going on the hairy man research route I hiked and camped for 3 nights in the Barrington Tops about 20 km from the nearest campground or common hiking trail, no worries in the world. Now after thoroughly studying hairy man behaviours I'm not near as easy camping alone in the bush.

Anyway beside that, to attract them to your camp you could try a smelly barbeque, but I think the best way to have them investigate you is tree knocking. Best to do so at night as they are up and about then, and do single tree knocks and keep doing them until they come.

Double and triple knocks apparently are supposed to send more serious messages so I'd stick strictly to single knocks. If they knock back with anything but single knocks I'd consider getting out of there pronto. It's not always easy to produce a good wood knock so you could take a solid piece of wood like an axe handle. Just make sure whatever you use it produces a decent wood knock.

When they come in you should be able to hear them. They'll stay in the trees and won't come in face to face with you to say hi, unless it's to kill you, which is unlikely too. To see them, shine your torch at them and you will be able to see their eyes shining as they are one of the very few primates with nocturnal vision.

If they start engaging in intimidation tactics like growling, throwing stuff, stomping around, breaking branches etc, take heed of the warning signs and leave. You might have to leave your camp and come back for your stuff the next day. Afterwards when you go to bed you could have them messing with you while you're trying to sleep, which is not something even the bravest are comfortable with. If that happens, you probably might want to either stay up and sit guard, or leave.

There are also a lot of missing persons from National Parks both in Australia and North America. These have been plotted and the locations coincide with hairy men sightings. They aren't oversized leaf-eating gorillas, they are natural predators and should be accorded a similar respect as any other large natural predator.

Best thing if you want to attract them to your night camp is camp near your car and have a couple of buddies with you. Doesn't even have to be a camp, you could just drive in to a pre-planned spot and start single wood knocking, making sure to not get more than 2 or 3 km from your car. In that case you could probably do it alone, but have an escape route at all times, don't make it easy for them to flank you or block you off from your escape route.

Unfortunately yowies are more aggressive than their North American cousins and the North American variety can be testy enough as it is!

Haha the road to The Pines was bloody terrible lol. About 2 years ago I bikepacked from Dora Creek to camp the night near The Pines Picnic Area and the road was pretty corrugated back then. I did it in a car this time so couldn't say if it's any worse than before. There is a 40 kph speed limit however I found I had to stick to under 20, sometimes 10.

Glad you like the tree breaks

[BushcraftAndCampingA]

Perhaps this is naivety, but if they were predatory animals then wouldnt they have outted themselves already due to the fact that they could be baited like other wild predatory animals? Ive always viewed them as highly intelligent and very intuitive to the energy of people and places. Is this accurate or have i painted the picture i want to see and ignored what i dont want?

It creates an interesting issue for me though. If there is a genuine threat then perhaps i want to leave it alone entirely. One of my greatest joys is the freedom of camping and being in nature, I would hate to have the ruined. Ill have to give this real thought.

My campsite is not entirely out of reach from the car anyway though. If i had to leg it, I could get to the car relatively quickly. This is all really interesting. Might go read more witness accounts lol

[AL Pitman]

I reckon just stick to what you have been doing, maybe leave out some treats for them and some tools eg a hammer or even another spear when you turn in for the night.
I’ve heard that they are fascinated with trinkets as well . Keeping the masses amused usually maintains harmony Lol

[Titla]

Perhaps this is naivety, but if they were predatory animals then wouldnt they have outted themselves already due to the fact that they could be baited like other wild predatory animals? Ive always viewed them as highly intelligent and very intuitive to the energy of people and places. Is this accurate or have i painted the picture i want to see and ignored what i dont want?

It creates an interesting issue for me though. If there is a genuine threat then perhaps i want to leave it alone entirely. One of my greatest joys is the freedom of camping and being in nature, I would hate to have the ruined. Ill have to give this real thought.

My campsite is not entirely out of reach from the car anyway though. If i had to leg it, I could get to the car relatively quickly. This is all really interesting. Might go read more witness accounts lol

I agree in some part to what you say, in my view they quite intelligent and in some part can sense your intentions. However if you listen to the range of testimonials you'll see that just because you are no threat doesn't mean they won't see you as one, or just be testy because they feel testy. They might play intimidation games with you. They are complex and aren't all love and light. As well, even though they know you're not a threat they sometimes still don't want humans in particular territories or disturbing them, just a matter of competition and dominance.

Before you've just been minding your own business so they've been minding theirs, but here you're talking about going in there and disturbing them, drawing them in to you ensuring an interaction. That's a different kettle of fish. Personally if I had a bushcamp hideout that I wanted to keep a safe place I wouldn't use it for that purpose, I'd do it somewhere else.

There is a practice you might know of called "habituation" which is where people work on building their trust. Apparently gorillas take about 8 years of constant effort to become habituated to humans and it seems to be even harder with the hairy men, although not impossible. They are exceptionally paranoid of man. Some hairy men will react more positively to an interaction while others will not, it's not for sure that you'll get grumpy yowies. I was just giving you the negative scenario so you know what could happen.