A Tasmanian tiger hunter said he will live in the bush for two years to capture and prove the extinct animal is still alive.

Neil Waters said there is 'unofficial word' there could be up to 100 breeding pairs of tigers in the wild and he is determined to capture one.

Mr Waters will use hi-tech equipment he deployed in a remote part of Tasmania's North-East and is prepared to camp in the bush for a couple of years.

Tasmanian tigers were reported extinct 83 years ago after the death of the last thylacine in captivity in a Hobart zoo.

Neil Waters (pictured) said there is 'unofficial word' there could be up to 100 breeding pairs of tigers in the wild and he is determined to capture one

Mr Waters has received hundreds of reports from people who said they saw an animal that fit the description of a Tasmanian tiger.

'There were rumours the Tasmanian tiger was taken to the mainland but there is nothing to support those rumours. But the hundreds of people who have reported sightings cannot all be wrong,' Mr Waters told The Mercury.

He said if the rumours are true, that would make the Tasmanian tiger critically endangered and not functionally extinct as they are described,

Mr Waters will use hi-tech equipment he deployed in a remote part of Tasmania's North-East and is prepared to camp in the bush for a couple of years

Mr Waters has been investing his time and money into his research for five years

'This is a long-term project and I am prepared to give it a couple of years – or until my finances run out. My dream is to prove the thylacine is alive and well and have a management plan put in place to ensure their continued survival,' he said.

He purchased a property in Tasmania's North-East nine years ago and claims he has seen Tasmanian tigers in the area in 2010 and 2014.

These sightings inspired him to investigate further and purchase the technology needed to capture a tiger.

Tasmanian tigers were reported extinct 83 years ago after the death of the last thylacine in captivity in a Hobart zoo

Mr Waters is also determined to prove the images he captures are not doctored as they will be stored on SD cards coded to specific cameras.

'I have nothing to gain from faking anything. I don't want to prove a fallacy,' he said.

Mr Waters formed the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia, which is a registered body with 7300 members.

The group provides people with a place to discuss their sightings and for Mr Waters to share the lengths he has taken to find the tiger.