Most wanted man 'surviving on raw roo'

Malcolm Naden. Photo / Supplied

NSW's most wanted man, Malcolm Naden, is probably surviving on raw kangaroo or wombat and won't be captured any time soon, the mayor of the region where he is believed to be hiding says.

Locals are fast gaining a grudging admiration for Naden and his ability to use the rugged northern tablelands to evade capture, Walcha mayor Bill Heazlett says.

Naden, a former abattoir worker, has a $250,000 bounty on his head for the alleged murder of his two cousins and rape of a 15-year-old girl.

But despite a large manhunt, involving camouflaged police, high-tech heat-seeking devices, aerial patrols and mobile command posts, he continues to evade capture.

"I think in the short term, they haven't got much of a hope (of catching him)," Mr Heazlett told AAP.

"In a sense we're all sort of saying, these Aboriginal bushmen ... it shows you how good he really is.

"Obviously he knows the bush like the back of his hand."

Mr Heazlett, a farmer, said Naden would be more than capable of surviving - as long he wasn't fussy.

"If he has a gun, there'd be that much kangaroos and wallabies and wombats if you're prepared to eat them," he continued.

"The thing that would worry him would be lighting fire ... so it's not like eating bread which has been cooked before. I don't think raw kangaroo would go down very well."

Police told AAP on Tuesday there had been no sign of Naden since two local officers confronted him while investigating a reported break in in the area last week.

He has been on the run since 2005 but recent confirmed sightings in dense bush near Nowendoc, southeast of Tamworth, prompted police to focus their efforts.

Police reiterated a warning to the Nowendoc community on Tuesday to keep guns and property secure.

There are concerns Naden may be seeking to re-arm after a stolen gun he was using was recovered by police.

Two general duties officers came face to face with him on December 21 at a property in Niangala.

But Naden quickly escaped into the bush, leaving only the stolen gun behind.

"I think the community is slightly concerned obviously, there's a wanted man running around they're not exactly sure where he is," Walcha councillor Scott Schmutter told AAP.

"I think there's some level of frustration.

- AAP