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OK, I did a search on the drop bears... Those spiders and snakes are the real deal. Here in CA we only have to deal with bears and they don't drop from trees; yet... The cougars (some call them mountain lions) can be problematic, rattle snakes and poison oak (which we are fairly resistant to). The best defense is first to have a good dog which we did have for many years but had to put him down in 2013. Second, be aware of where you are and what your doing and finally some double OO buck and a .44mag... I guess in Australia a flame thrower would be useful for those hanging spiders...

We've had our camp ripped up by a black bear (not the more aggressive brown bear) while we were sleeping in a nylon tent. My dog let us know right away as he was throwing a fit. I went out to see what was going on and Tug my lab had already chased the bear off. At the time I didn't know what it was, as it was about 4am and I couldn't see anything. I put on my head light and took a look around, while Tug stood his ground about 50 feet (whats that like 18 meters) away. I first noticed that the ice chest lid was broken off and tossed aside. My first thought was to blame it on the wife... Then I saw the contents in the ice chest ripped apart and floating in muddy water. I then walked over to the table to get a bigger flashlight and that's when I saw the bear prints pressed into the white table cloth... With the big light I was able to search up the hillside and that's when I saw the big glowing eyeballs... One pop from the 12 ga and he took off...

The cougar incident occurred when Lyn and I were cleaning bedrock in a hole we dug. We were down about 6 feet working quietly while Tug slept on the bank above. All of a sudden Tug leaps up snarling and tears down creek. I climbed out of the hole and started down the creek towards Tug where he was viciously holding his ground. When I looked up I saw a big cat about 3 times the size of Tug run up the hillside into the forest. Tug did not let up for another 30 minutes as he worked his way back toward our diggings. I could see nothing, but Tug could see, hear and smell the cougar. This cat stalked us for 30 minutes. Slowly Tug began to calm down to a low rumble and finally went back sleep. That's when we knew the coast was clear. The Cat smelled us and he was working up the creek to where we were working. Had we not had Tug, we would have been ambushed.

So I guess we all need to be careful in the bush. I don't really mind our (CA) risks as most are big and easy to shoot... Those creepy hanging spiders are big as birds and that's where this CA miner has to draw the line.
 
RotGrub said:
rocketaroo said:
We cant have guns, to scare the nasties away, but thats a good thing :)

You can't have guns? Who the hell made up that rule? What are going to do out in the brush, call the police? What about bows, swords etc...

Can't carry a concealed knife. You can have guns but it's fairly restricted. Jump through some hoops to get one.
 
Hay Rotgrub,
I see you updated your profile.
When Rocketaroo says we can't have guns, I think he means hand guns.
Our laws only allow hand guns for competition use, you can't legally carry one in the bush except in some specific circumstances.
Long arms are allowed but are also regulated through some draconian laws. No semi autos of any type or pump shot guns except in some specific circumstances.
Lever actions and bolt actions are OK but not on Commonwealth land which is where the majority of prospecting areas are located.
Unfortunately we don't have anything like the 2nd amendment here and the government has slowly whittled our rights away.

Welcome to Australia the Nanny state.
 
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I'm more nervous of "Bush ninja's" some people know them as ferral cats :eek:
Back in 1982 I was walking through the bush at night with a mate during a camping trip when we happened to see the bottom half of a freshly killed possum at the base of a tree.
It was then that I noticed a very low and long growling noise that soundes very close.
When I turned around, my face was level with a branch about 2 foot away from a very large and angry ferral cat with blood all over it's face.
It's the only time I've ever got scared in the bush and I would have gladly stomped over my mate to get out of there, fortunately he was of the same mind, as this beast was HUGE!!! About the size of a beagle.
So I shudder to think how I would react if I come across a Southwest Drop Bear.
Cheers Steve :D
 
kawman said:
a swift wack with my shovel will kill most animals.. my mate is aboriginal and eats a lot of wild life.. he is very dangerous to anything out in the bush when he is hungry.. he likes snake and croc meat best.. :)

kawman you're hilarious... I'm kinda thinking that it is you on your Avatar.
 
backcreek said:
Hay Rotgrub,
I see you updated your profile.
When Rocketaroo says we can't have guns, I think he means hand guns.
Our laws only allow hand guns for competition use, you can't legally carry one in the bush except in some specific circumstances.
Long arms are allowed but are also regulated through some draconian laws. No semi autos of any type or pump shot guns except in some specific circumstances.
Lever actions and bolt actions are OK but not on Commonwealth land which is where the majority of prospecting areas are located.
Unfortunately we don't have anything like the 2nd amendment here and the government has slowly whittled our rights away.

Welcome to Australia the Nanny state.

Sorry to hear that backcreek. I guess its an American thing. Where my wife is from, the public schools taught hunter's safety in the 6th grade... They don't do it anymore, but most everyone I know has several guns. In CA its a little tougher than say Texas or Wyoming but you can still buy pretty much whatever you need.

I gotta get me a fake one of those big ugly spider. Be a good laugh when the wife finds it in the tent...
 
I'm having a good laugh here.
The irony is exactly that all those nasties and we arm ourselves with shovels sticks and thongs (open toed footwear aka flip flops for the foreigners not the g string type)
I think you point out the real danger, bears and cougars creeping around hopefully easy to spot and hear, bloody brown snakes in the autumn wanna curl up in the tent for warmth or stop right where you want to walk in the summer, most of the dangerous creatures are camouflage extraordinaires with a passive aggressive nature.

Alot of truth in jest rather go into the bush and take my chances than hang around Mrs GT in a filthy mood so much safer and relaxing. Great thread guys keep adding the good the bad and the ugly.
 
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Goldtarget said:
I'm having a good laugh here.
The irony is exactly that all those nasties and we arm ourselves with shovels sticks and thongs (open toed footwear aka flip flops for the foreigners not the g string type)
I think you point out the real danger, bears and cougars creeping around hopefully easy to spot and hear, bloody brown snakes in the autumn wanna curl up in the tent for warmth or stop right where you want to walk in the summer, most of the dangerous creatures are camouflage extraordinaires with a passive aggressive nature.

Alot of truth in jest rather go into the bush and take my chances than hang around Mrs GT in a filthy mood so much safer and relaxing. Great thread guys keep adding the good the bad and the ugly.
Thongs are a handy weapon in the bush though. :)
 
And keep an eye out for those Geckos, they're BIG down here in Vic!!! :eek: :eek:
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Ya don't want one of these crawling across the ceiling when your in bed 8.(
 

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