Protecting your property is a challenge, especially if you live in a rural area. If there’s an intruder the police can take a long time to respond – and, if the prowler is intent on theft not violence, they might not even bother. You can sort of understand that, because their manpower is limited and they need to prioritize, but it isn’t a lot of comfort if your valuable possessions are being stolen.
Being vigilant and prepared to defend yourself is the best way to deter intruders, but it’s not foolproof. You can’t be awake all the time, and while you might wake up if someone breaks into your home, there’s a good chance they could roam around outside without being noticed. That gives them free access to anything that’s on your property but outside your house. A dog can give you some warning, but there are ways to silence a dog. So what options does that leave you?
You can increase your security more economically by placing some warning devices – basically, non-lethal booby traps – around your property. The non-lethal part is vital; if you set up devices that can injure or kill an intruder you’re likely to be in trouble. However, a device that gives you a warning is fine. So is something that makes things difficult for any unwelcome guests without being designed to actually harm them. An assortment of carefully placed traps around your property will let you know there’s mischief going on, and at the same time persuade the bad guys to go somewhere else.
Related: Scare Them Off Or Shoot Them Dead?
Making a Noise
One of the simplest ways to set up a very loud booby trap is to get a few cheap keychain personal alarms. These cost less than $5 each, but they can put out around 120 decibels of sound. Look for the type that goes off when you pull a pin out if the body – we have a tutorial on how to turn one of those into an alarm trap.
Personal alarms are battery operated, so they won’t work well in all weather conditions. Very cold weather will quickly drain their batteries, and humidity can damage their electronics, which are cheap and not well sealed (for the same reason, make sure they’re set up somewhere rain or snow can’t get at them). If you’re not sure about how well an electronic alarm will stand up to the weather, go for mechanical ones instead.
A simple option is to pick up some alarm mines. These are a spring-loaded mechanism with a metal stake at one end. All you have to do is push it into the ground, attach a tripwire then load it with a blank round. They usually take a .22 blank, but 12-gauge ones can be found – either will go off with an impressive crack when tripped. If you can get hold of used fuses from old smoke grenades – these sometimes turn up at gun shows – you can make your own very cheaply.
Other simple noisemakers can be made with tin cans. A bunch of them at one end of a tripwire will make a nice clatter when someone snags it, or rig a single can or other object to fall into an old metal pail or tub.
Let There Be Light
Security lights with an infrared sensor can deter intruders, but they’re usually easy to see. A smart thief will walk past your home in daylight a few times looking for obstacles, and they’ll probably see a security light. What they won’t see is an array of small, well concealed traps that can activate a light source.
The standard military non-lethal trap is the trip flare, but you don’t necessarily want these going off on your property – they’re pretty good at starting fires. A safer alternative is a cyalume trip flare. These are new, but already in military use – they have a NATO stock number. Instead of an actual flare they’re armed with a light stick; when the tripwire is triggered a hammer bends the stick and activates it. With a 5-minute ultra-high intensity stick it’s extremely bright, and your intruder probably won’t be too happy at suddenly being lit up. That’s likely to give him second thoughts about sneaking around your place. They do cost about $25, but you can improvise a similar one using a rat trap.
Related: 10 Common Home Security Mistakes
Terrible Tangles
Another military defense is a nasty thing called a low wire entanglement. This is made by sinking a load of stakes into the ground and running a web of barbed wire between them. Setting one up with barbed wire might get you into trouble, because it’s potentially a lot more destructive than barbed topping on a fence or wall, but plain old fence wire will be an effective intruder deterrent.
Wire entanglements work best in long grass, but if you put one in an area that’s shadowed it will still be effective at night – just make sure potential intruders won’t see it if they scout your property in daylight. To set one up, knock in a load of stakes across the area you want to cover. Angle iron stakes with notches cut at the top are best. Leave between six and 18 inches of each one projecting – vary it between stakes. Place them three to four feet apart, scattered randomly through the area. Now string fencing wire between the stakes. Don’t pull it too tight – leave an inch or two of play in each run of wire.
By the time you’re done each stake should be connected to each of its neighbors and you’ll have a cat’s cradle of wire at different heights. If you’ve set it up in long grass, tidy it up as best you can to hide the wire; if bare earth, scatter some grass seed across it and let it grow up through the tangles. With the wire concealed anyone who tries to walk through that area is going to quickly trip. Once that’s happened a few times they’ll either back out or have to proceed very slowly. Just to add to the fun you can string tin cans with a couple of rocks or old bolts in them from some of the wires – or add some tripwired traps.
Related: Home Security Tips From an Ex-Burglar
Have a Good Trip
When you’re setting up tripwires the most important thing is to make them as inconspicuous as possible. You can find military tripwire online, or use fishing line. Strong black thread is also good; it’s not reflective. Where you can, set tripwires in long grass. Don’t put them too high; between six inches and a foot off the ground is good. If you want the actual trap to be higher you can knock a U staple in below it and run the wire through the staple and up to the trap. Don’t make tripwires as tight as you can, either; temperature changes can make steel wire contract enough to set off the trap. You should be able to move the center of it an inch or two from side to side without the trap going off.
When you’re setting your non-lethal booby traps think about the routes intruders might use to get into your property, and cover them with your tripwires and entanglements. Areas that are out of sight of your windows, patches that have deep shadows at night – anywhere that lends itself to stealthy movement. If you can give anyone sneaking into those areas a nasty surprise they’ll probably back off, and if they don’t you’ll be forewarned and ready to deal with them.
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You just about got it right. Fasten the pull pin alarm inside with the trip wire going outside. When they run into the trip wire it pulls the pin and wakes you up. This way you don’t have to worry about the alarm being weather proof and the prowler can’t disable it.
Well I guess I should say it figures that you would put this on the net with under the guise of trying to help people that want to protect themselves. As it turns out you are one of your buddies are selling a f****** how to book two people who want to protect themselves. What a bunch of b*******
Youre just mad cuz you couldn’t break into this guys house
I love this!!! We live adjacent to a path that tweaker use to get to their “lair “.
With the owners permission, we have placed Do NOT
ENTER .. etc…. signs blocking and around the path only to have them flung aside. Any particular time of day we should set these?
Need to know how to secure my family ee live in mountains in w.virginia and have had threats to our life by a gang. Bur wr cant get help from lical police. But we have animals so some boobie traps wont work with house hold pets and the deer out side.
Sir, if you’re worried about your family’s safety, and the pets are preventing you from taking protective measures… Get rid of the pets
keep the pets, use your mind and boobie trap where they wont set them off. use height use zones with dog fence that people would still climb over, use lures and distractions, use landmarks like trees and stones. use pepper scents to keep animals away. there are many ways to do both then try to break into your own home as an intruder would. I have pets and traps, both work well
There aint no gangs in WVA.. Get a AR 15.
You’re wrong about that man. They call themselves the Detroit Boys and they’ve completely taken over this area selling heroin(well, fentanyl), meth and cocaine. The murders in Huntington, Charleston and several other large Wva cities are from these punks and they’re from Michigan, obviously, and Dayton or Columbus mostly. I’m curious as to why they can’t go to the police though.
You’re wrong about that. They call themselves the Detroit Boys and they’ve completely taken over most of Ohio and western WVa, They’re the top importers into the tristate, selling heroin(well, fentanyl), meth and cocaine. The murders in Huntington, Charleston and several other large Wva cities are from these punks and they’re from Michigan, obviously, and Dayton or Columbus mostly. I’m curious as to why they can’t go to the police though.
Could you isolate the animals in a spot where they won’t roam around the traps? (IDK what kind of animals you have).
I’m glad to see this. OK, ancient times, a gate when reeves attacked would be breached. a series of heavy planters, even water jars (talking 25-50 gallons) would all be in the way, easing invaders off the walk and into boobytraps. If nothing else, planters and water jars slowed invaders long enough for inhabitants of the house to arm. niio
I live on the woods in nepa area and recently my homes been vandalized and these same people keep comn and harassing me.ive take some steps to thwart them..including blocking with logs the path they use to come on my property. I’ve also taking shit..yes poop and smeared it on logs hoping they get a handful when grabbing onto logs to enter onto property.im goin to dig holes as traps hoping they sprain an ankle or leg or even break somethinh.ive even placed some steaks with poison on em for them to grab or step on even made 5 boards with nails in em for em to step on..im not playing..I ll hurt or kill an intruder screw the police.i do it my way.o don’t care how legal or otherwise it is.the intruders don’t care about me y should I care about them..I dont..
If they get hurt because of you, you can be sued. PA is a swamp unto itself and has been for generations of dem ownership. the more you fight them, the funnier it is to them. Put up cameras with motion detectors hooked to a computer to record. Doing that with raw human feces will get the state involved. Mine rats will wreck your property and complain. Dog works better, anyway 🙂
I went thru this crap for years with some creepy people. Have one arrested and their whole family went after you. I mean like they had 10-12 kids per generation. they voted in a block, so forget a judge siding with you. It never stopped, but I kept a record of every dirty thing on them I heard. If it had backup, it was used. Father a pedophile. 2 sons were rapists and one was a pedophile who pimped his younger brother. Son who pimped was divorced and not allowed to visit his children without supervision.
It wasn’t long before people lost all respect for them and refused to allow their kids to hang out with them. My family told them all to shut up, or else. Not much after that, the military sent a rep to me and asked about the one who pimped. He had been part owner of bordellos in several he had been stationed out of the country and specialized in little kids. Obama was president then, so the case was dropped, but like the captain said, there’s always room for one more perv in Leavenworth.
I wish you all the luck and am praying for you. But, no one wonders why I was so eager to get back home to Arizona. niio
I also live in the woods & had a man harrass me constantly over 10 years. Backing into my driveway, yelling (cursing) at me, spinning gravel at me with a vehicle, spying on me, 2 Rottweillers were let out if I was outside. Police were of little help. Legal system cost me $15,000 and got me nowhere either. Finally, I swore back (beyond angry) at him & told him I have tripwires on my property….hooked up to bombs. If you keep coming onto my property, well good luck. So he called the Fed’s and they came with their dogs & searched my property. I apologized & said “I don’t have bombs, I just said to defend myself after 10 yrs of harrassment.” He said since it’s considered a bomb threat (I used that word) it’s just protocol. I understood. And so did he that I wasn’t the villain here. So proud of him & grateful!
Deborah: There’s a lot of good people in the FBI.
Stray dogs. Electric fencing works. If you’re able and allowed, keep a hive of bees. They’ll go after stray dogs and the man, as well. If you think it best, a hollow log would work for them. Down here, Arizona, mesquite, cholla cactus, and wild olives will keep out pretty much anything. Up north, my sister planted a wall of hawthorns around part of her property to keep off trespassers, and rugosa roses along the front. Both are good good and medicine. niio
Why not live in a gray person house?
!) Do not landscape your yard.Mow it yourself.
2) if possible: drive a USED car( keep a newer one in your garage. keep the door shut at all times).
3)Try not to wear flashy clothes and expensive jewelry often. Keep your cell phone out of sight. Carry your lap top computer in a book bag.
4) Be careful about the trash you set out for city pick up( Amazon boxes can tip off a potential robber.
5) If you own a firearm; learn how to safely use it. Do not tell anyone that you own them.
!) Do not landscape your yard.Mow it yourself.
Mow what? When the ‘wild flowers’ die back, they can be trampled down as a mulch for the next crop. There’s an old joke here that someone wanted a real lawn, so they planted one and bought a lawn mower, then couldn’t figure who to use it. No one has them. They either let it grow ‘natural’ or spray it to kill anything green.
2) if possible: drive a USED car( keep a newer one in your garage. keep the door shut at all times).
Even the local millionaires drive older vehicles. It’s ranch country. Their planes are all new, of course!
3)Try not to wear flashy clothes and expensive jewelry often. Keep your cell phone out of sight. Carry your lap top computer in a book bag.
This is wisdon, be blessed.
4) Be careful about the trash you set out for city pick up( Amazon boxes can tip off a potential robber.
Amazon boxes are great if you have a garden. Or, a problem with porch pirates. Fill the box with used kitty littler. Let them figure it out.
5) If you own a firearm; learn how to safely use it. Do not tell anyone that you own them.
I get laughed at by little old ladies around here ‘cause I tell them I don’t own a gun. The Apache babe across the road likes to plink bikers with her .22 when they make too much noise. We have a lot of very nice, quiet bikers around. Would you shoot back at a little old lady? Not in Indian Country. Not if you want to make it to breakfast. BTW, Indian country is redneck country and goes from Siberia to the southern top of Argentina.