He slept soundly as they broke into his garage and stole his white Toyota LandCruiser utility – which itself has become one of the most hunted vehicles in the nation.

"I'm pretty happy I didn't wake up, now I hear the sort of weapons they're supposed to be carrying," Mr Rogers said on Monday.

"But now they're supposed to be back – last I heard, the police thought they were four or five kilometres away from my place today."

NSW police searched two properties near Mr Rogers' homestead, around 18 kilometres north of Holbrook, after receiving a report on Monday afternoon that the father and son fugitives, Gino and Mark Stocco, had been seen by a truckie driving the stolen ute on the Hume Highway between Tarcutta and Holbrook.

But like every sighting over the past week, suspected or confirmed, it led to nothing.

The fugitives appeared to have vanished, just as they have been doing for their eight years on the run, and just as they have done right under the noses of police in Victoria and NSW over the past week.

While NSW police hunted around Holbrook and Tarcutta, Victoria police thought the two men might cross the border back into Victoria.

Victorian Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent said in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon that although there was no intelligence to suggest the Stoccos had returned, it was "quite likely" they could return to Victoria.

Since the Stoccos are alleged to have fired a high-powered rifle into a police car near Wagga on October 16, the men and their stolen ute – sporting a variety of number plates stolen from Tumbarumba, NSW, on October 21 – have been seen in Euroa, Bairnsdale and Gundagai.

On Thursday, October 22, near the hamlet of St James, east of Wangaratta, Victoria Police actually stopped them for the least of their alleged crimes – failing to wear seatbelts. But before the highway patrolman could work out who they were, the men reversed their ute into the patrol car, disabling it, and sped away in the direction of Yarrawonga.

Police initially dismissed the idea that they had stopped the Stoccos – the ute had an L-plate affixed, a yellow light on the roof and a larger hitch on the towbar. And it was thought the ute was an older model than the one police were hunting. It turned out that its number plates were among those stolen from Tumbarumba, and that it was the vehicle stolen from Mr Rogers.  

The two men have the best vehicle available for disappearing into tough bushland. The Toyota ute, a series 79, is equipped with a 4.5-litre V8 diesel motor driving all four wheels when required, and is known to motoring journalists and farmers as almost "unbreakable" in the roughest terrain.

"That's why they took it – they knew what sort of vehicle they needed," Mr Rogers said.

It has two fuel tanks – one of 90 litres and an auxiliary with 45 litres.

Even with such a large amount of fuel, Mr Rogers thought their range would be limited to less than 1000km.

"It's pretty pretty heavy on the juice," he said. "It's my farm ute."

He said the fugitives wouldn't have had much trouble stealing it. Like many farmers, he left the keys in the vehicle when he parked it in his garage. His biggest worry is that he left his wallet in the ute, too.

"They've been convicted of identity theft in the past," he said. "I really don't want them spending up, using my identity, and then find I've got to pay the bill."

Mr Rogers said he'd never met Gino or Mark Stocco, but was aware they had worked some time ago on a nearby property, Wandoo, which police searched on Monday but found no sign of the men.

"They're pretty cunning, obviously," Mr Rogers said.

In the past few days, Mr Rogers has taken delivery of a new ute he's had on order for months – a twin-cab Volkswagen Amarok.

"I've been locking the Amarok up at night," he said, a touch ruefully.

The small town is 44 kilometres south of South Gundagai, where the pair were believed to have stolen fuel from a petrol station on Saturday night.

Police cancelled a 2pm press briefing on Monday because of the unconfirmed sighting.

Units have been dispatched across the border and PolAir has been asked to target a specific area, comprising two properties, north of Holbrook, the Border Mail reported.

The 58-year-old father and his 38-year-old son have spent eight years on the run from authorities, and have been described as modern-day bushrangers.

Investigators have thrown everything into the hunt for the elusive men since they shot at two police cars in Wagga Wagga last week.

As the net closed in on the men on Monday, Commissioner Andrew Scipione urged them to give themselves up.

"You've gone past the point of no return," he said.

"It's time to stop, give yourself up and let us deal with what it is you've done. This has gone far enough. It's time to come in and talk to us."