Detecting with wild dogs

We all no there out there but has anyone ever had a run in with wild dogs while detecting? Ever been bailed up stalked or chased just wondering as we have a bit of a problem with them up here, I have seen one chase a roo past me but never been harassed
This is a trailcam pic taken from one of my blocks As I have been trapping a few for the farmer while detecting

The worst part about detecting with wild dogs in when a pack jumps out of the scrub and wants to play stick with your detector shaft, they usually have big sharp teeth and destroy the cables.
Trying to get your detector off them can be dangerous so best to leave it to them to decide they have had enough.

I have encounted alot of wild dogs while in the outdoors, but not while detecting in the GT.
Mainly in the East and North East of Victoria, though there are alot of wild dogs in the bush close to Melbourne's Eastern suburbs.
Dingo cross breeds exist and they usually howl more than bark. Waiting for a friend at Lunch time to do a job ( at work ) I witnessed 4 pups and a Mother Dog maul
a discarded Dead Deer on the side of a busy main road, within 1.75 hours from the CBD. They looked like Kelpie / cross Dingo breed. A few months later less than 1km from that spot I saw Wedge tailed eagles feeding on road kill, pulled over for a pic, was dead wild dog, part Dingo / part German Shepard, another car pulled up was a local and she was telling me about the dog problem in the district. When she left a pack of wild dogs started howling in the bush not to far from me, could not get to my car quick enough. I have informed one of three contractors assigned to eradicate wild dogs from Victoria with these sightings, despite the fact he lived 4.5 hours away and was on holidays he called me back and knew the area very well.

joe82 wrote:We all no there out there but has anyone ever had a run in with wild dogs while detecting? Ever been bailed up stalked or chased just wondering as we have a bit of a problem with them up here, I have seen one chase a roo past me but never been harassed.

I stopped on Bell's Line Of Road between the Pie In The Sky Cafe and the Mt Wilson Botanical Gardens on the way out of the goldfields. This is in the Sydney Blue mountains and it was probably around 2015 at close to 11pm at night. I set up my camera on a tripod on the side of the road and after about 20 minutes there was an atrocious sound of an animal being attacked and killed by a pack of wild dogs in the bush-land about 30 meters away from me. The sounds were horrific in the dark. I quickly threw my gear in the car and climbed sideways into the driver's seat and left the area. A year later I saw the skinniest looking dingo running alongside our car on the same road as we drove back to Sydney from Lithgow on the return from another trip to the goldfields.

I was told in 2009 about Wild Dogs being a serious pest in the Southern Highlands and that a number of locals taking matters into their own hands. There's said to be a tree in the goldfields on the South Coast (around the Braidwood area) that hunters are said to hang the bodies of the dogs from. I think most people like dogs but wild dogs are a very different creature. The problem we have in Australia is that carrying a weapon for self-defense is no longer a lawful excuse... Surprisingly, this also applies to carrying anything to defend against wild animals. Of course, anything on you that happens to be handy at the time you're attacked is presumably justifiable. Pepper Spray is often effective against dogs but we usually can't buy it here in Australia. It also doesn't always work on every dog (as videos on YouTube have shown).

There was a chap who was tasked with delivering the mail in the goldfields of Australia (I think it was either in SA or WA) in the 1800s and he claimed to be chased by a pack of "savage dogs" all night long, resulting in a record for speedy delivery. There was an engraving that went with the story. I also understand that groups of Dingos have at least once cornered a delirious prospector who was lost in the WA goldfields in recent years. He used a stick to fend them off and backed himself up onto a rock ledge to help protect his rear.

Whilst I haven't been stalked by dogs, I don't doubt that many hunting and pig-dogs roam the bush and may present a threat to a lone prospector. Wild dog attacks are on the rise in Australia... and these are not attacks by dingoes but domestic dogs gone wild and their offspring. I've read that Biosecurity Queensland and Bathurst Council in NSW are both dealing with large numbers of wild dogs that kill livestock (young calves and sheep). They almost always attack from behind (when taking lambs and calves) and do so silently (at first) and swiftly. But all the recent attacks seem to have occurred on Frazer Island by packs of dingoes (which are classified as "wild dogs") though they are native. I'm far more concerned about getting charged by wild pigs than a pack of dogs when I'm in the goldfields.

Cheers lads, do you guys have bounty’s on ya dog problem down there ? Shires around us of offer $40-$50 a scalp our shire offers $0 yay handy that is I have been pushing for a bounty but with not much interest until last weekend where 2 dogs jumped the fence at 2 separate locations on the edge for town ended up on the patios attacking demistic dogs playing with kids that sparked something to be done until then I will keep trapping and shooting when in the bush

In Victoria the Wild dog situation is real bad up around Omeo, Swifts Creek through to the North East. Has been media reporting on it, some videos on U Tube.
In the early 1990s me and a mate where in the Ovens Valley district looking for creeks to go trout fishing, out near Bright we were driving down a track in a pine plantation and seen
a wild Dog hanging in a tree that had been shot by Hunters, probably left there to warn the public. If you have ever seen the Movie: "Cujo", the dog looked like that, huge claws and teeth, all of a sudden we did not feel safe up there.

Yeah many times I’ve had the hair stand up on the back of my neck with the feeling your being watched while
Detecting , the ones I’ve trapped before have had massive teeth for a smallish dog no wonder they do so much damage

Up here in the TopEnd ...
not had any issues with either dingoes or pigs or buffalo ... i leave them alone they leave me alone ...simples

Arrrhhhh gods country ya lucky bugger I’m originally from Katherine, home of big boars and Barra up that way

joe82 wrote:Cheers lads, do you guys have bounty’s on ya dog problem down there ? Shires around us of offer $40-$50 a scalp our shire offers $0 yay handy that is I have been pushing for a bounty but with not much interest until last weekend where 2 dogs jumped the fence at 2 separate locations on the edge for town ended up on the patios attacking demistic dogs playing with kids that sparked something to be done  until then I will keep trapping and shooting when in the bush

Sorry to hear of this problem. I never envisioned anything like that down under. In some western states in the USA dogs seen without a human with them can be shot on sight. Was discovered that many that were killed were peoples pets out for a jaunt with other dogs. So the advice to people was keep dogs restrained at night or when you are not with them for there own protection and others. From stories I've heard it appears they are not afraid of of people and tend to be aggressive. We have no native dogs except for wolves and they are so few in number so far no issues. There have been reports of wolves killing domestic dogs. Has any effort been made to encourage people to keep pets secured in your area to slow down the cross breeding? Are there any pure strain native dogs left?

Yeah mate, there are pure breed dingos in the wild but not many the main problem is the cross breeding between wild dogs and pig dogs lost while hunting and the breeding with house dogs these animals can be aggressive and destroy native wildlife kill small cattle sheep and lambs attack them and watch them die before eating them they are a big problem here in North Queensland and all over the country

. This one was a bit to close to camp

Our prospecting club recently camped at Warburtons Bridge near Castlemaine. On the last day my wife was walking our dog on the road when she saw 2 hunting type dogs killing sheep. She didn’t have her phone so when she walked backed to camp she told me and i drove quickly to a nearby farmhouse. They knew the farmer and he arrived very quickly.
He shot one of the dogs and the other escaped. It was tracked back to someone living a few km away. The other dog was back home by then. The council rangers seized that dog, a bull mastif cross and we had to all make stat decs for the court case.
The farmer found 13 dead sheep and many more mauled. The dogs owner told the farmer he wasn’t going to pay anything but he was fined about $14000 anyway.

joe82 wrote:Yeah mate, there are pure breed dingos in the wild but not many the main problem is the cross breeding between wild dogs and pig dogs lost while hunting  and the breeding with house dogs these animals can be aggressive and destroy native wildlife kill small cattle sheep and lambs attack them and watch them die before eating them they are a big problem here in North Queensland and all over the country

Out here they have been known to just pack up and tear up a bunch of sheep or other animals just to be killing. People used to blame lions or wolves but it was discovered that it was domestic dogs and feral s that were doing the dirty work. People stared shooting them and when one was killed that was a pet, you know one that never left the yard, people began to get serious about restraining dogs at night or chaining them. My neighbor keeps hers in crates at night or in the barn with the sheep. She used to tell me her dogs never left the yard at night until i trail cammed her pets chasing deer on my property. I had seen them doing this previously so didn't shoot them but set up the camera which did the trick.
These hybrids and feral's are bloody vicious.

What are these hybrid dogs doing to your native animal populations? You blokes have had your share already with the frog and rabbit invasions you don't need this. To bad there wasn't a market for them....maybe china would buy them for meat they eat anything?

Yeah mate, they are up there with feral cats as far as damage to the native wildlife, there is a unwritten law here that’s if there’s a stray dog /cat on your property it disappears, that’s why I hunt as well as detect where I can just to try do a bit to keep numbers down

This is a real dingo trap that I got 3 ft deep under so cap rock that a Bungarra that got caught in and dragged it under the cap rock in it's burrow and died. By the way I though I had the FOOT of FAITH so was disappointed a little bit after a couple of hours swinging the pick.

Yeah that’s a bugger should have been yellow mate, that’s a proper old school trap it would take a bit to hide that in the ground for sure

They are a bit smaller these days

This bugger doesn’t no how lucky he is my finger is right where the pan of the trap is and he’s just missed it

Maybe if people in central NSW were not continually knocking off Eagles, hawks, Wild cats. dingoes and foxes there might not have been this god awful mice plague.

Here’s 2 more that won’t be breeding this year the smaller bitch near the log had 6 inside

Woke up the other morning to 3-5 dogs howling 100m from the hut around 4am managed a bit of gold aswell so a good weekend

I've read this topic with interest, when l was discharged from the army in 1970 l went and got my professional fishing licence for NSW and Vic rivers and lakes.
I also supplemented my income with shooting rabbits and foxes, then roos and pigs, wild dogs were common then, and l delighted in rolling them and cats were a real bonus.
But not long after the government withdrew our licence's because of pressure from recreational fishing saying we were taking all THEIR fish.

Then little Johnny Howard decided to disarm the entire population of Australia after the Port Arthur shootings, leaving us all victims of criminal's.

Hoddle Street wasn't enough, so they set up Port Arthur to get the message across to convince and protect the public.

We can all remember as kids we collected enough bottles and dead wool to buy a Daisy Air rifle and shoot cats and rats at the local tip, and later on get a .22 and go after rabbits and Hawk them around town for two shillings and six pence each.

Every one that lived out side the city had two or three rifles in a gun rack at the back windows of the ute, and Saturday mornings parked in the main street of town and didn't even bother to lock the doors.

I can honestly say l never heard of any firearms being stolen or anyone going crazy .

Now you can take a firearm interstate without jumping through a thousand hoops and then getting knocked back by the commissioner of police because he believes that only the police needs firearms and even the army is subject to the will of the police.
So, as far as wild dog attacks while enjoying the bush we are now all victims of dogs, criminals, politicians and our voters bad choice.

This is only my opinion, you, no doubt have yours but ask yourself are we better off as a society now or back in the sixtys, there weren't even any drugs on the streets until after the Veitnam war, when Mary Jane came home with the troops.

That brought back a lot of long forgotten memories.

Nailed it mate, I wasn’t around then but I have herd this over and over again and you are ( in my eyes 100% right ) thanks for sharing

Thanks Thunda, that was good reading, cheers Pete.

Don’t get me started on feral cats! One of nature’s worst killers not only for food but fun

I just a notification of this reply, l just got inside .
I was outside pumping out the bilge and done a sweep with the torch and low and behold two bright eyes sitting watching me, (bloody pervert cat)
So l slipped in and grabbed the .22 with a thermal scope and couldn't believe it was stupid enough to still be there. Pop !
I'll bury it in the morning, that made my day, also got two possum's a bit earlier raiding the remainder of the chook feed.
My oath l feel good, now I'll go to sleep with a smile tonight.

While trekking on Fraser Island ..." A Dingo took my B B  Boot " while we were sleeping in a small hiking tent about 20 years ago.

Thunda wrote:I just a notification of this reply, l just got inside .
I was outside pumping out the bilge and done a sweep with the torch and low and behold two bright eyes sitting watching me, (bloody pervert cat)
So l slipped in and grabbed the .22 with a thermal scope and couldn't believe it was stupid enough to still be there. Pop !
I'll bury it in the morning, that made my day, also got two possum's a bit earlier raiding the remainder of the chook feed.
My oath l feel good, now I'll go to sleep with a smile tonight.

Possums are a protected species in Australia.

Killing just one feral cat enables the reproduction of at least a million mice per year. It only has to eat one breeding pair to prevent that from happening. So imagine how many mice one cat can eat in any one year that would prevent the reproduction of literally millions of mice that would stop the billions of  dollars worth of damage caused by these little critters each year.

I know a bullet can solve a lot of problems aye mate but it is not always the best way.