Ned and Dan Kelly went into hiding in the bush. They were later joined by two friends, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart. On 25 October 1878, two groups of police set out to find the Kellys. They knew the two brothers were hiding in the Wombat Ranges, a mountain range between Greta and Mansfield. One group started south from Greta led by Senior Constable Strahan. Strahan said he would shoot the Kellys down like dogs. A second group led by Sergeant Michael Kennedy set off from Mansfield heading north. Three other policemen were with him: Constables Thomas McIntyre, Thomas Lonigan, and Michael Scanlon. They set up a camp at Stringybark Creek in a thick forest area.