There’s no point prepping for a crisis if, as soon as it hits, someone steals all your supplies and equipment. You need to keep your location secure against intruders.
The problem is thieves don’t tend to advertise their presence. They’re stealthy; they hide their intentions and sneak in, hoping to stay unnoticed.
What can you do to catch them?
Prepare The Ground
It’s a lot easier to catch intruders if you don’t leave them anywhere to hide. Look at your yard and identify anything that could be used for cover – and remember that cover doesn’t need to be man-sized; an eighteen-inch square is enough to hide behind. If you have kids you can use them to help you here.
Turn it into a game; get them to hide in the yard, then look for them from the house. Anywhere they hide successfully, an intruder could too.
Once you’ve found the sneaking places eliminate as many as possible. That doesn’t have to mean stripping your yard down to bare ground, either – you just have to take away places an intruder could conceal himself.
If you have large bushes it’s often possible to cut away the lower branches, so you can see if anyone’s sneaking. If you’re planting rows of crops, like beans or corn, try to have the rows pointing at the house so you can see along them, instead of at an angle to it so they provide a screen looters can shelter behind.
Chicken wire give less cover than a picket fence or wall. If there are walls you can’t remove, use thorny plants to make the dead ground behind them uncomfortable.
A good dense thicket of brambles will deter many prowlers. Poison ivy or even stinging nettles grow fast, and will make the area unwelcoming while the brambles grow.
Related: How To Identify Poison Ivy Growing In Your Backyard
Your aim is to get rid of any sneaking places you can, and force intruders out of the ones that remain. If they’re in the open they’ll be much easier to spot.
Shine A Light
It’s much harder to spot bad guys at night.
Even with dark-adjusted eyes, shadows make it much easier to hide – and the moon can cast shadows deep enough that even if you’ve cut back vegetation and lined your crops up just right, someone can lose themselves in the darkest areas. Make it much easier to catch them by setting up some lighting.
If you don’t fancy having your home lit up like a mall parking lot, don’t worry about it – you don’t want always-on lights anyway, for two reasons.
First, they’ll use a lot of power. Second, if your lights are always on that gives intruders a chance to study them, identify remaining shadows and work out the least visible way in.
The best solution is to install security lights activated by a Passive Infra-Red detector. It’s possible to beat these – but it isn’t really realistic.
If you set a few up to cover all approaches to your home it’s pretty certain that if anyone tries to approach, the lights will come on.
As you set up your lights make sure they’re not creating more shadows than they wipe out.
Early Warning
Of course, it’s hard to see and catch someone sneaking around your house if you don’t know they’re there, and you don’t want to spend all your time looking out windows in the hope of seeing something. Your security will be seriously enhanced if you have something to alert you to intruders.
Security lights can give you some warning; if you’re sitting inside and the lights suddenly go on outside, that lets you know something’s moving out there.
On the other hand it isn’t going to help much if you’re asleep, so a noisier alarm can be valuable too.
You’re asking for trouble with the law if you set lethal booby traps, even on your own land, but there are plenty trap options that can warn you of prowlers without harming them:
- Electronic noisemakers. Personal alarms usually go off when you push a button, but there are some battery-operated ones that activate when you pull out a pin. If you mount the alarm somewhere it’s protected from rain and snow, then attach a tripwire to the pin, you have a cheap and simple warning system. Just remember to test it regularly to make sure it’s holding its charge.
- Clattering cans. A simple bunch of old cans can make a fair amount of noise. Punch holes in two or three, thread strings through and hang them from a fence in a loose cluster so they clatter when anyone tries to climb the fence. Attach cans to the ends of a tripwire so when it’s pulled they fall into a metal bucket. Hang bunches in dark places – among the trees of an orchard, for example – where anyone sneaking around in the dark will walk into them.
- Alarm mines. Operated by a tripwire, these fire a blank cartridge when triggered. Most use cheap .22 blanks; others take a 12-gauge. Either should be loud enough to wake you up and give an intruder a fright.
Related: DIY TripWire Alarm Very Simple and Outrageously Loud (High Security Perimeter)
Any of these noisemakers are great for covering places you can’t see into so well. They’re good deterrents, too; a lot of the time, just tripping – or even seeing – one will persuade a thief to look for an easier target.
Another option is to set up wildlife cameras at strategic locations. These are discreet – they use infra-red to detect movement, as well as to illuminate the scene for their night vision cameras. They won’t deter intruders if they’re properly hidden, but if you’re suffering from pilfering a well-placed camera can catch the looter in the act and give you valuable evidence.
Crime is a sad fact of life, but you don’t need to accept being a victim. There’s a lot you can do to secure your property against intruders, deter many of them from sneaking around, and alert you when one doesn’t take the hint.
Prepping isn’t just about collecting the things you need to survive a crisis; you need to prepare to hold on to them, too.
You may also like:
This Hidden Survival Garden Will Keep You Well Fed When SHTF (Video)
24 Movies That Will Teach You a Lot About Survival
I am LOOKING forward to Raven Tactical Prepper EXPERT’s sage advice on this subject.
A friendly reminder that if Kyle Rittenhouse’s social media could be searched and pulled into court so can anything here if the Powers that be decide you’re an annoyance.
Michael,
FWIW: We live in an actor based reality and Kyle Rittenhouse was killed many years ago … at Sandy Hook. Just another “family” member being a paid traitor to sell advertising for his sponsor, FoxNews. I knew something was up when the FoxNews photos were fakes, composites, and green screens. if CNN paid for it, then FoxNews never would have gotten the “exclusive” interview.
No worries though, Jeff Epstein is back out committing more fake murders and crimes as David Dovi in Broward County, helping sell advertising for Fox. The Maxwell trial was a bomb, hardly any worthy photos or drama.
……
Think you might wanna rotate your storage of mushrooms for some fresher ones.
After reading a few of your comments your an odd person at best.
But then again you selected a troubled historical character as your screen name.
Michael,
Remember I’m not a person, I’m only an actor, b list at best, sent here to find John Connor, coming from the planet omicron persi eye ate. If I can repair my flux capacitor I’ll be able to fill all the energon cubes needed to jumpstart Voltron who shorted out because someone installed a 4 ohm speaker instead of an 8 ohm when the amplifier got turned all the way to 11 while listening to Baby Shark sung in Klingon.
And you have absolutely no clue the meaning of my screen name.
Time to refill your clozapine
Exodus 20 / Deut 5 Sorry I was replying to John Brown. If you looked up Civil War history about him he was quite the troubled soul.
From your previous comments on Ask a Prepper you seem to be well spoken.
Your screen name seems to be about the 10 commandments. Both references contain them.
Proverbs 14:9
Proverbs 30 verses 1-9 A mystery worth exploring
Forgive me Michael I thought thought you talking to me
John Brown, what’s your favorite flavor of Libtard Kool-Aid?
LOL! What planet are you on? Thanks for the laugh.
Display your ignorance in public forums often, Jonny boy?
It’s way to late! Everything, all communications have been recorded since WW2 and expanded before the Cold War . Operation Echelon. Now all of a sudden folks are concerned because it’s now readily available through so many private sources. Lawyers are having a field day! “Let’s go to the video tape” has new meaning in this brave new world!
Michael, let’s call Raven what he is – an immature, insecure, egotistical Wanna-Be that for some reason will not provide any useful information, do you think that might be because he really doesn’t know as much as he pretends to?
Dz actually his first useful comment I’ve read was today. Thus my response to it
Was hoping he will continue to post useful comments.
raven: dz isn’t the troll. The only reason we talk to you is we see the potential. We’re here to learn and to share. Michael and dz share and know what they’re talking about. Be happy Miz Kitty or ClergyLady haven’t got on your case. For that matter, Genny, Sage and others. They all understand the concept of verbal castration like an American Indian nana/granny. Havwe a good and happy New Year, and resolve to be family not be sullen.
you clearly need some help and i suggest you go find it.
dz: My money is on him being a sullen preteen of maybe a few years older. Or maybe as senile as kay niio
> Exodus 20 / Deut 5
> “think you might wanna rotate your storage of mushrooms for some fresher ones.”
Exodus 20 – 1599 Geneva Bible
16 Thou shalt not bear false [n]witness against thy neighbor.
May the LORD rebuke you.
> Michael
> After reading a few of your comments your an odd person at best.
If I am a prepper and you are a prepper, did it ever occur to you, I was trying to help?
What good is OPSEC if you do not ID the enemy, do not know their tactics, or know the end game?
It seems the LSM knows and mocks the sheeple right to their faces about what I posted. As an example:
“Steve Jobs = John Lennon” – Forbes Oct 6, 2011,02:05pm EDT
Steve Jobs dies: ‘Like when John Lennon died’ – Economic Times India
Steve Job’s Death Struck Like John Lennon – Bloomberg
Steve Jobs: ‘John Lennon of technology’ – France 24
> But then again you selected a troubled historical character as your screen name.
It is my real given name, just as Ed Chiarini did not hide behind a fake name, neither do I.
The so called “white hats”, “Q”, “black hats”, the actor (it WAS BJ Armstrong) known as Obama, DJT, CAP, etc. all know who I am and where I live. My guardian angels look after me.
If you thought I was using a pseudo did it ever occur to you to look up John Brown’s last recorded words before they hung him?
Nice copy snd paste job Jonny boy. Monkeys can do the same.
Who here has a largy roomy poopchute ?
You left out the ides of a video survaliance systems. they can be purchased on the cheap and alert you to movements. plus they have options for IR mode for night time attacks.
the audible alarms setups … for 150 bucks you can get a base station and 4 pods…. and each has a different tone…. so you know where the movement is.
Kyle was a hero
Thank you for a good comment, Raven.
Kyle is still a Hero. The Jury was ALSO Heroes given the obvious efforts of Burn Loot Murder to DOX the Jurors.
Home security is a difficult project with the “law” seemingly on the side of the Criminals.
I raise bees and thus have a Beware of Bees signage. So far it keeps almost all visitors away from my home. That and with my Geese I have to pick up my packages at FedEx and such.
Noisy watchful Geese are one of the best deterrents and they provide splendid benefits too!
Caesar’s legions used geese as pickets for early warning of anyone approaching their camp. Geese forage for their own food, lay eggs, and provide tasty meat. Just because a tactic is centuries old doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant to security today. Win, win, win.
Raven, it’s about time you grew up and posted something worth reading, keep it up.
raven: Great post, thoughtful, and thank you. niio
Wow — cheaply? I looked and was quoted thousands. How about more info on this? Thanks.
you would have to install it yourself…. hensce this is a prepper page…..
amazon has plenty of options some are wireless and some are hard wired in.
Im a security expert and consultant
i have worked in this industry for over 40 years and owned my business for 25-35 of that
The reality is : your on Your own in todays enviornment
be wise : Lots of motion activated lites
lots of local sounders which let the outside know you know they are there
noise makers
Dogs , animals which bark are best
always have a back exit pattern in place
remember you cannot take on the kind of people there is due to wrong decisions by your politicians
Safety in numbers
and Barriers between you and harms way
alert those around you and make sure you keep a distance
Free man: I have a mountain xolo, one of the ancestor of the Chihuahua, the standard (about 40 lbs). One very good thing we always liked about them is, they only bark when sure something is wrong. If someone comes to the door, he barks but pack of dogs barking across the road only excite him. If the big kitties (a mountain lion and bobcat use town as part of their territory) he barks. Stay cats, no. Very quiet dogs, but also tornadoes of energy when they want to play or explore. Have a prosperous New Year, niio
This article doesn’t answer the question posed in the headline. “If someone is sneaking around your house, what do you do?”
It discusses ways to set up alerts and surveillance, but it doesn’t talk about what actions to take if there IS a human intruder. That’s the big issue, I’d say.
Anne First Thing is to do some research on YOUR Areas “Castle Doctrine ” to learn what is permitted by law. Some places you are Required to Retreat (yeah really) some you can only defend Inside your home and some your yard also BUT Given the Feds habit of abusing “Hate Crime ” that’s a problem.
Be advised if the police know you have a recording security system they’re going to “ask” for the recording. I ‘d have my Lawyer decide to give them a COPY as Sadly some Prosecutors have Shown EDITED versions to the jury.
We already live in a state with out rule of law.
Anne,
I have had to use our State’s “Castle Doctrine” twice in the past 7 years. When an armed felon willingly breaks into your home intending murder or bodily injury, we have the right to take the intruder down by any means necessary. Both left my home feet first, neither survived the experience. I had bought insurance expressly for that. I was bailed out in hours, had a lawyer almost instantly, and kept my mouth shut until I was able to have my counsel ask all the questions he wanted to defend me in Court. The Prosecuting attorney called the “incidents” justified, and I walked. The families tried to sue in civil court, but lost both times. One family was deported back to Mexico. After dark falls, unless a person was expressly invited to your home, they have no business tresspassing to forcibly break in. They paid the ultimate price for their mistake.
Now, I have to live with what I did, but my family was safe and unharmed which mitigated the feelings and nightmares a lot. And, with the Insurance and knowing how to act during a break in, my family grew up and I have grandchildren now. That, by itself, was justification for my actions.
One very important point: if you are planning to use lethal force to defend yourself in a similar situation, be sure to take classes in the use of such force. When to defend yourself legally, and when not to. If some intruder is stealing a full gas can, or even an empty one, let them have it – they probably needed it more than you did. BUT, if a felon’s intentions are to grab you or anyone in your family inside your home, then you have the obligation to defend yourself or your family with lethal force. The U.S.C.C.A. has an excellent insurance policy for these types of attacks, check with them about it, and take some classes from them about the use of lethal force and what to expect after. I found their people extremely knowledgeable, and their “insurance” most comforting. You can find them on the internet easily, and talk to them before anything else you do.
Sorry you had to go through that, twice. That could not be an easy thing to have to do. Kudos to you though, for protecting your family! I am definitely going to look into this insurance. Is there any particular plan that you would recommend? I live in an area that shootings and home invasions are increasing exponentially
I have my concealed carry licence(Ohio), but have been thinking about getting insurance. Any advice is appreciated.
Fred,
Your family is blessed that you are willing to do the hard thing.
More than 40 some odd years ago, I was alone in a friend’s secluded house when someone came to the door after creeping around outside. I had zero training but the homeowner had told me about a gun in the house. It was a big ol’ noisy revolver so I pulled back the hammer. Once the guy heard that sound, he left. I had called for the police but they never showed up. I had a second incident about that same time with a guy trying to get in my own house. My house had close neighbors so I suspect that a neighbor must been seen by the creep. That time, again, the police never showed up. Both incidents were in the northend of Seattle.
There have been other incidents from years ago when the police, in that area, might or might not show up. Of course, now, with all the crazy going on, who knows. We all need to be in charge of our own safety.
Please be aware that the firearms used in a self defense situation are highly likely to be taken by responding police and stored in the evidence room until the reports and investigation is complete.
I ‘d not mention if I had any more. Red Flag states are even more aggressive about “securing all weapons “.
Nice to have a forgotten one at a friend’s house. Just saying
isn’t that great your thin blue line takes you’re property and steals it…. under the code of law….
if shtf you’re better off not calling the cops
To Jeff:
Just getting back on. The U.S.C.C.A. Had “cookie cutter” plans of three different levels when I contracted with them, but they are very comprehensive. I worked with “Legal Shield” when the incidents happened. I am with both now because the two companies complement each other. You really cannot have enough coverage when it comes to a legal shooting. The way TV sensationalized a shooting these days is criminal by itself.
In the “court of public opinion”, you are most certainly guilty before being proven innocent. That is the way it is. This almost makes you wish you could have shot the intruder, and simply walk away. That is, if nobody saw you do the intruder in and you dragged the body into your car and dumped it somewhere to let it turn into a “cold case”. Simply put: no body, no crime unless you are seen or caught in the act. This is not something I would recommend to anybody. Although this looks appealing, somebody is going to hear the gunshot, see your car in some place it shouldn’t be, or snitch on you. So, get the coverage, do it the honest way, and never “assume anything”. Never “assume” the cops are there to “help you”. Things are greatly different from the days of “Dragnet” on TV. Even in police eyes, you are guilty as hell. You did it, you are guilty. You follow your lawyers advice – say nothing except “I exercise my rights under the 5th Amendment” and stay shut up no matter what the cops say until you get to see your lawyer. Then, another piece of advice: quiz your lawyer as to his success rate in court before “spilling the beans” to him. He may boast, but taken with a grain of salt, his success background will usually come out. Watch how the cops act around him, if they do not like him, that is worth judging how successful he is in Court. If you have heard of him before in the news getting somebody off a murder charge, then he is your man. But until you get bailed out after being arraigned, say nothing, absolutely nothing about your incident because cops these days do not recognise lawyer-client privelage. Legally, they are supposed to do this, but audio and video “bugs” have become so sophisticated you cannot see them. Wait until you are out of any police controlled building and in a windowless room to spill your guts out about the shooting. I am not kidding you on this. Do what your lawyer tells you to do. There are many videos on YouTube that expound keeping your silence until advised by Counsel. Watch them now, not after the incident. You can refuse a court appointed lawyer for another more experienced lawyer if you do not have what I call “incident insurance”. Be respectful to the Judge, the prosecuting attorney, the cops, but keep your mouth shut until you are off premises (bailed out).
Also remember this too: cops can legally lie to you to get information out of you. Yes, they can legally lie to you. I do not like this, but they do it all the time. So, keep your mouth shut until you are out of their grasp. Taking “the Fifth” sounds like you are proclaiming that you are guilty as hell, but it is a right they dare not deny you. You have to believe in your Constitutional Rights, no matter how it looks like or sounds like to you. Make no “deals” with cops like copping to a lesser charge just to get away from them temporarily. This NEVER works (remember, they can lie to you anytime they like). Only on a lawyer’s advice should you do ANYTHING, and that is only if he/she is a very good lawyer with a very good track record.
All of this “advice” comes from my own experience, but I am only one person. Use your lawyer to your best advantage, laws change over time, people try to influence a court’s findings by public gatherings on TV (usually, and it DOES influence jurors). Stick to your lawyer and say nothing publicly to anyone, even your closest friends or family. Use no liberal lawyers, politics has no place in the courtroom. I hope that this is read by many, I am no lawyer, but I used one twice, and their advice is what I pass along to you.
If you can afford to do this: move to a safer place, one that has a lower crime rate. Use an “honest realtor” if one should exist. Trust no one, look at crime statistics online for a possible area to move to. Avoidance is usually the best plan to protect yourself and any family you have. Harden your home against break ins even if there hasn’t been a crime in years. There is always a first time in a “crimeless” neighborhood. And being a little paranoid never hurt anyone. Always be aware of your situation around you. The experts call this “situational awareness”, if something looks out of place, check it out immediately. Keep ladders out of sight, windows locked, doors with locksmith recommended locks and one or even two deadbolt above and below with the strikers and door hinges mounted with long strong 6″
(At least) screws. Use steel doors, or very thick, strong wooden doors with peep holes or very small windows. Make sure your window locks are tight and in good condition. Your sense of comfort and safety will increase exponentially with these measures you take. Most felons are “hit and run” types. The more frustrated they are trying to get in, the lesser chance they will hang around. They will go search for easier pickings.
Good advice from someone who has experience on the subject.
You beat me to asking the question, Anne. How you react depends on a number of factors. If we’re in the middle of an SHTF situation then I don’t mess around. If we’re in the thick of things and it’s going quite badly and someone decides to SNEAK around my house or garden in the middle of SHTF then I’ll put a bullet through their leg. My neighbours and friends don’t sneak around my property. If they start doing that then I’ll go out armed to ask them why. I’ll make it crystal clear to them that what they’re doing is unacceptable behavior and if they persist there will be repercussions.
uArminite, if we are in the middle of a serious SHTF and you intend to shoot an intruder, please don’t risk yourself or family by “then I’ll put a bullet through their leg.” If you are going to shoot an intruder you really should “shoot to kill”, and depending on the actual circumstances at the time, through the head if you can, or at least center-mass.
YES a Base Station with 4 Motion Sensing Pods works.
Used for 10yr now.
Even better if you have motion sensing alert cameras(CCTV)(Non-recording) and motion sensing or always-on lights on all 4 locations.
Is it a squirrel, or small dog in your yard or a Threat ?
I have both covering each entrance and my outside car.
Front, sides and back.
Come in my yard and I am going to know it.
Also, most sensitive of all, 2 small barking dogs inside, “They” dont miss a thing.
I have all this since as a 10yr+ competition multi-gun shooter, I don’t want to have to go that route.
I don’t think anyone wants to go that route unless you are a psyco. Unfortunately, circumstances may dictate otherwise. Sounds like you have an awesome setup! I’m slowly trying to build up to this (as cash allows) I don’t want to have to take someone down either, but I will if I have to
As a retired LEO, I have had three K-9s over the years. Sadly they are all in doggy heaven now, but I have a little rescue dog that I swear would hear a cat walking outside at night. She’s the best alarm system I could imagine. All of the things said here make sense, and I agree with them. Anne Gordon commented about what to do IF there is an intruder. All I can say is that sometimes, if society has deteriorated, be prepared for any situation. Ultimately, it is you or them. I know what my choice would be.
That does it! I am done posting on this website. Since Claude “upgraded” his site I have only sporadically been able to access it with my computer. Last night I was able to access it but when I went to post a fairly lengthy post I got the message that the headers were too big and it was rejected. When I went back to see if the message had posted it had disappeared.
This morning I posted a long reply to this article on my iPhone and partway through 20 minutes of trying to type one finger on the iPhone keyboard the message disappeared. Claude’s website is the only one of several I post on where I have this continuing problem. For those who are computer literate than I the error message is that the header is too large and it was rejected. I am running the second most recent version of Mac OS on my computer because the guy I pay for computer advice said in his opinion it wasn’t worth the hassle of installing because there wasn’t sufficient difference between the next to the latest and the latest.
I will be lurking but I will not be posting until the site is fixed. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to write a long text on the tiny iPhone keyboard to have it disappear?
Left Coast Chuck, SIGH.
I’m not a “I-” anything fan but you be you friend. My CHEAP Android Pone has Zero Issues posting here.
Stick around.
I PUSHED THE THUMBS DOWN BY MISTAKE
Left Coast Chuck isn’t the only one who has had problems posting here. Claude seems to want to sell everything he can, covering up the messages you try to see and respond to with ads. Now, I realize that Claude needs to make money, he needs some money to keep this website open and make a profit, we need his knowledge. The old knowledge in two books really is necessary in case of an EMP attack. But we all know that he can learn from us, too. What we remember from our youth, what we did on our old family farms to get by is priceless.
But you cannot block the screen with ads so big, you cannot see the posts everybody makes, and the answers to questions made. This is counterproductive and upsets people who bought the books and want to talk about them. We WANT to “prep”, and we want to talk about our projects, and we do not want our posts covered with ads. Put them at the top or bottom of our posts, listings, and comments so they do not obscure anything. Claude, the posts we make draw interest to your books because people want to KNOW the info in them. Just because L.C. Chuck is long winded shouldn’t end with his posts being eliminated. There are a lot of webmasters out there, find one that will make us ALL happy.
Sorry to hear that, your wisdom is greatly appreciated.
I follow several guys on telegram with similar wisdom, but I will miss you and your thoughts.
> Can you imagine how frustrating it is to write a long text on the tiny iPhone keyboard to have it disappear?
No, because I try not to use any products sold by the actor named John Lennon aka Steve Jobs.
Even with Android (I favor Ubuntu on my desktop) you can type your reply in a text editor, save it, then cut and paste into your reply. If it is longer then 255 characters, then take that as a hint to be brief and not a boor.
Most companies that have a work force culture that leads to high suicide rate , changes the way they do business.
Macintosh / apple just installs anti suicide nets in their windows.
Not a fan of that company myself.
Look at them like I do Walmart to be honest.
Besides that, yes I understand the frustration.
weak people kill themselves…. i have no sympthany for that
Raven, I think he’s talking about computers.
always copy before posting
I agree with Raven. Suicide by stupidity should be done before that person is able to breed. That way the tendency is bred out of the human genome before it gets a chance to spread between generations. This sounds extremely cruel, but a wasted human life is a loss to all of us.
Left Coast Chuck,
Use your computer for any long messages. And yes, I have had messages disappear after all the hard work of sharing important information.
Mary: Most of the time I cannot access the site from the computer. I get an error message something along the lines that the header was too large and was refused by the server whatever that means.
I have noticed that after I have opened the site on my phone I get one chance to open the site on my computer but any post I type disappears before posting. Once that dingle shot is used I have to go back to the phone which is what I am doing now. I am not sure what text program I could use on my phone that would use a larger keyboard.
LCC: Can you slave the phone to the computer? On occasion I had to write a posting on the computer, email it to myself, then copy and past. niio
I hope your difficulties with the site are soon resolved and you resume posting. I have always enjoyed your posts: full of common sense, wisdom, and humor. You also know how to spell and use correct grammar, things sadly lacking in those under 40.
Sorry, I have no answers to help with your situation, however, I, for one of many, will sorely miss your posts.
Cant say that I will miss reading the thesis that you post every time that you comment here. After the first few hundred pages I lose interest, fall asleep, would rather watch paint dry. Just get to the point and say it, quit droning on endlessly. This is probably your shortest post ever but it still took 3 paragraphs to say I quit.
I have a recording IR /daylight system for the house..
The alarms were triggered by birds/wind.
Distracting pain in the ass.
We did have some local vandals, I set out a ring of inexpensive game cameras.
Six months later, we caught them doing the same thing.
Since I have 2 very boisterous and noisy boxer dogs, I can’t set any trap lines, they would take them as an obstacle course.
I have questions about how to monitor my large back yard with a system that won’t be disturbed by letting them out at night, and they sometimes just want to run and jump. The front is covered , and the dogs will let me know if we are breached. Any suggestions?
Any person who makes it inside will have a very difficult time, so I’m good there.
Kathy have your backyard system shut off while they are outside.
JUST Remember to turn it back ON when they are inside.
Honestly with two boxers DO you NEED a security system?
The dogs alert you to grab a long gun and extra magazines.
Michael, I have two large dogs and one small dog (the yapper) and I still have a motion sensor video system. The dogs get our attention, the video is to verify what has occurred if needed. Has come in handy a couple times to see who was messing with things outside – turned out to be neighborhood kids using stuff from people’s yards to create a “racecourse” to ride their bikes around. Also got video of some scruffy looking characters that appeared to be “casing” the neighborhood. They were later “confronted” and they have never been recorded on my system since.
They are complete chickens. Terrified of anything that moves. I know they will protect inside the house, thank goodness.
Thank you for your help!
kathy: Even toy poodles with try to protect their owner. We have a mountain xolo and they’re very quiet dogs. if he barks, know someone is outside. He’s opposite of the dachshund, who would bark at anything he thought as out there. the problem with this one, the xolo, is he’s still a pup and rambunctious. But, this too will pass. niio
red, your Mountain Xolo’s behavior sounds a lot like my two large dogs I got from shelters, they are usually very quiet but if they do bark, they are loud and serious, and do get your attention. My son’s miniature schnauzer, that has been living at my house for over a year now, is a yapper, barks at everything, including barking at me and anyone else when we get home and are unlocking the front door.
dz: best yappers we ever had were dachshunds. And they have the brass to back it up. When Wichi (little bird/slut 🙂 was still small, some neighbor kids decided they didn’t like my younger kids and trained their rottie to snarl and jump at them. this is probably because the youngest, she was 5 then, beat the living daylights out of both boys for harassing her. Just after they got Wichi their rottie tried to break thru the fence to get at her and Wichi tried to eat him alive. the father came over that night all bitter about paying over 500 to a vet, and I told him. He’s completely deaf, but speaks well and reads sign. He went home, told his wide and they beat hell out of the boys. After that, my baby girl got a card and a gift every birthday. She an LT in Navy today, and still has a small problem with becoming a werepuppy at a taste of sweets 🙂 Dachshunds rock. Happy New Year. niio
Keep this in mind if placing a wireless security sign in your yard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlNkQJzw4oA
Left coast Chuck:
Use your microphone button on your iPhone keyboard, and dictate what you want to say, including punctuation. Press the keyboard icon when done, and proof read for auto correct errors. To quickly and accurately get to an error, lightly rest your finger on the space bar on the keyboard, until the keybooard grays out; at this point you can accurately drag your flashing cursor to the error. Remove your finger from the screen, which enables the keyboard again so that you can make the correction.
Let us know how you make out with the tip
You will know how LCC does with it when the 350,000 word message is posted when he explains how to get water from a faucet.
I got some solar powered motion detector coyote alarms for my chicken run and realized they would also be good for general outside security, so got a few more for the fence and tree. They always catch me walking by when set to alarm. They come with a remote for easy on/off.
I HAVE THE BEST DETERRENT…MY PITTI! SHE STARTED BARKING ONE NIGHT AND I CAME DOWN STAIRS AND SHE WAS POINTING TOWARDS THE FRONT DOOR AND GROWLING LIKE CRAZY, SO I KNEW SOMEONE WAS IN MY FRONT PORCH! i HAD FOR GOTTEN TO LOCK MY PORCH DOOR!!!!! I HAVE BEEN ROBBED 3 TIMES SO I DO KNOW BETTER! WHEN I LOOKED THE NEXT MORNING I COULD SEE WHERE WHO EVER WAS TRYING TO DIG INTO THE DOOR FRAME TO LOCK MY SCREEN DOOR!!!!!!! FUR BABIES ARE THE BEST ALARMS EVER!!! I DO HAVE SENOR LIGHTS ALL AROUND MY HOME AS WELL. BUT HE WAS IN THE PORCH AND THOSE LIGHTS GO OFF AFTER 30-60 SECONDS! LIKE YOU SAID WHEN YOU ARE ASLEEP YOU DO NOT KNOW!
I’ve had my CCW for 20 years. The class was given by a local police force. The one thing that I have remembered all these years was the when to shoot “Four Pronged Threat”. To be legal these things MUST be present:
1. There must be an immediate threat
2. To yourself or others
3. Of death or great bodily harm
4. And the means must exist to carry it out.
Every “what if” can be solved with this formula and knowing it has been a great comfort. I live in AZ which is one of the best gun friendly States. No CCW required for concealed carry. Constitutional Carry and therefore, if you are legal to own a firearm then you are legal to conceal.
I have 4 Blink cameras and they do a great job. Battery operated so no wiring to be done. Batteries last according to usage. The one in my shed lasts for 18 months and the one on my front door lasts for 6 with heavy traffic. They record to the cloud and keep until I delete them. The one at the front door has voice capabilities so I can speak to them without opening the door. A little more costly than most (roughly $80.00 per camera) but running wires on a manufactured home in a nice community is difficult. IR night vision and notification can be turned off during the day when the furry kid takes over.
Be safe and enjoy the families during the holidays,
Dave
I love Arizona. Cactus, Mountains, deserts and Saguaro Cactus.
I didn’t even read this. Any question we answer can be used by the government against us. Don’t fall victim to phishing questions. Claude, all the best intentions can’t be undone when the storm troopers come for you!
Rick, I’m not sure about before, but after the “Patriot Act” was passed, the DHS has been “monitoring” all internet and cell phone activity for years now. Everyone in the US is on a “watch list”, the question is, how much effort does it take to sort through the massive amounts of data to find real threats, and what happens when the government abuses their authority and illegally uses their monitoring to target “political enemies”? Oh yeah, that’s already happening, so our best option is to just blend in along with millions of other “deplorables” and not attract enough attention they decide to send the “storm troopers” your way.
gotta thank the republicans for that one….
Yet it’s the Democrats who spied on a sitting President.
dz: Prior to that, all emails were sent to Ireland. The clintons started that. What they do is look for words that might show a problem. Anything American Indian is watched, and this is common for the dems. they follow hitler’s hate for us, who called us mongrels and Jew lovers. I resemble those remarks 🙂 niio
red, me too, from my great-grandparents on both sides but most of the family didn’t discuss it much. The main thing that was inferred to us kids was the guys that married natives were disinherited so they moved west and made livings as farmers and loggers. My dad was a logger, the aunts and uncles I knew were mostly farmers, all are dead now so there is no one left to ask about family history.
The above recommendations have included various cameras and such. I have never considered something like a doorbell camera as I suspect that they are too easily hacked and some jurisdictions allow the local gov. to look in on them. I have even quit going for walks around my neighborhood as often because I know that there are all those Ring cameras on people’s doors. They might mean no harm but I know that there is a Mrs. Kravits is busy looking at it.
What opinions are out there regarding the security of those cameras?
Sage: If the camera is activated by the doorbell, and recording activity in the house, would that help? My son was going to put one in rather than a motion sensor because there’s too much nightlife around here. Javelina pigs, a couple of big kitties (mountain lion and bobcat), coyotes, stray pets. For that matter, tumbleweeds 🙂 Happy New Year! niio
My neighborhood has a custom among the LDS kids to leave surprises (good ones) on people’s porches, ring the bell and run away. It’s a quirky thing but, it happens. It probably wasn’t the LDS kids but someone with more cash in their pocket, but late one night, my door bell rang. No one was there but, instead, an $80 noble fir Christmas tree. I have been asking around but no one will admit to it. It might be nice to know who it was but part of me likes the mystery.
I have four legged creatures that come through my front yard too. In this morning’s snow, I can see that something four legged was out there.
Things are changing though. When I first moved here, the main roads closest to me had a high percentage of farm equipment. It has changed. Traffic is sometimes bumper to bumper when getting closer to the intersections. The field by me is now being filled with townhouses. In my teenaged years, there was the option of moving up to a First Nations community in B.C., into a much quieter area. Of course, the problem up there involves bears. But, I have had some bear stew and it is quite tasty. 🙂
Happy and Blessed New Year!
Red,
I put sagebrush in my on-line name as I was digging up some in the far back corner of my yard at that time. I was sure that I was done with sagebrush but a couple of days ago, a tumbleweed tumbled into my yard. 🙂
Sage is a nice nick-name. Much better than mine, old fart 🙂 And, I pulled some tumbleweed seedlings today. be blessed. niio
Sagebrush Lin, I’m not sure if hacking a doorbell camera would cause you any problems except if someone with criminal intent were able to turn the camera off or delete the recordings. For going out and about, unless you are a 100% recluse or an isolated hermit you will probably be seen on some security cameras somewhere, so I think it would be better to go about your business and try not to attract unwanted attention while doing it, as in the “Grayman” concept. Be the “nice lady” out walking the neighborhood and waving at folks, while discretely paying attention to everything going on around you while out and about. Information is a valuable commodity, but you also need to be prudent about how you use it.
dz,
All of our electronics are Chinese made. A Chinese company gifted several drones to our police departments. Who knows what extras have been installed? That is the culture of electronics. There is too much evidence of how insecure they are.
I agree, all of us have been on camera, repeatedly. Even those who would like to stay a recluse have been on camera. There is some remarkable technology out there.
I am replying to this because some thing is being left out about self defense.
First off I can not afford the self defense insurance.
For those out there on SS with a very fixed income like me that does not have the money, here is some advice.
1. Make sure the intruder is inside your home before you shoot. (We have stand your ground law here but that is not to say your in your rights to shoot someone on your property. If they are a danger to you then shoot if you have too.)
2. If you have to shoot some one, then SHOOT TO KILL. There is two main reasons for this the first is if you only injure the intruder then that intruder has a chance of taking you out. Secondly if the intruder lives then he can start legal actions and you could lose everything including your freedom.
3. If you are involved in a shooting then when the officers ask you what happened or for you statement then only say ” I feared for my life and I acted in self defense.” and only that if the officers insist on more then invoke the 5th amendment. This puts you where any attorney would want you.
4. If they decide to arrest you then say absolutely nothing except that you can’t afford an attorney and want one appointed to you. Only Talk to you attorney away from the police station.
But look for all kinds of legal issues in most justified cases the prosecutors will not pursue the case if they are not liberal types.
So if some one comes into my home without my permission then they will be shot with no exception.
I can’t remember what it’s called, but there’s an insurance out for farmers and ranchers. It was, last time it was needed, 5 bucks a month. Any homeowner’s insurance policy should contain something like that. Donno if that would cover having to shoot someone, but like i was told by a cop from Philly, make sure they’re in the house. Then the cops can cover for you.
For folks in ag, it covered hunting accidents and I remember an uncle who killed a teenager who broke a window. He fired and the kid fell out, then down the porch roof to the ground, but when the parents tried to sue, the ins company offered a counter suit and they backed off. niio
I have a shotgun, a shovel and 300 acres of wooded property. problem solved.
Prepper: Pappy and Grampa would add a small herd of feeder pigs to that. 12 hungry pigs and even metal parts of clothes disappear. Both of them on occasion had a need to sell off the entire herd. But then, neither of them were ever busted for owning stills and so on. Plant what deer love to eat, persimmons, mulberries, chestnuts, pecans or other nuts. Get rid of black oaks because of toxins. The deer will thrive. niio
old prepper, having the shotgun is good for close quarters, but also depends on how many are attacking and from where each is attacking from. Think about a competent shooter with a .30 caliber rifle and decent optics, maybe even a decent suppressor, scouting you out from those woods. You may want to do a serious assessment of your perimeters and how a real threat may approach, doing your own “scouting” of the paths they can use to remain concealed from you, and then try to figure out what you might be able to do to counter that, such as some sort of alarm and/or cameras sending you information. Dogs are always good, but if I was scouting and discovered dogs, I might decide to eliminate the dogs, preferably quietly with drugged or poisoned food, but would strangle, knife, or shoot if needed. Try to think like your enemy and what they might do to attack you.
My house is protected by the 12 legged 250 pound security system. They can hear a squirrel stretching its arms in a nest 200 yards away. If someone is stupid enough to ignore the deep howls of bloodhound and labs and break in they have 3 sets of inch long fangs to deal with. That gives me plenty of time to employee the rest of the security system made by S&W, Ruger, Mossberg. Etc.
Scott, I have dogs and they are good for when intruders are trying to enter the house, but what if attacked from distance? That is where cameras and alarms can help. My neighbor has a camera mounted on a pole above his roof, which greatly enhances the distance he can monitor the surrounding area, with live feed to a stand alone system that records 24/7.
People with nefarious looking intent sneaking around? This is what I do. I retreat into an interior room and lock the door. I call 911. The cops will come…eventually. I ready the weapons. If the intruders break in I will yell the police are on the way. Maybe they’ll get a clue and run off, maybe not.
I don’t have a duty to retreat in my state. I just choose to. The intruders are welcome to all the stuff I have in the living room and kitchen. It’s insured. If they steal it, I get an upgrade. Only a crazy person would steal the sentimental stuff I have out there. Seriously, who wants a ceramic cat figure my aunt gave me?
If the intruders decide to break into the bedroom? Well, did you ever see that horror movie where the stupid teen goes down into the creepy basement? It will end like that for them.
so you would let them destroy everything you worked for and prepped up here…. Seems strange to cowardly hide…
raven: how do you know Eric keeps anything where it an be found? That was uncalled for.
Eric: That’s great. I completely agree with all but the cellar. No cellar under the house, but we do have a great, sunlit garage. After dark it is very different. From spring (late February) thru to early fall (mid-Nov.) it’s a hangout for black widow spiders, lizards, and assorted creepy crawlies including Mouser, a rattler. One visit by her and no more rats, on 2 legs or 4. But, most of us in Arizona feel that way about her. Since so many died of hantavirus up in Shiprock, no one kills them. Mouser and we have an on-going deal. She keeps her fangs to herself, we don’t eat toasted devil worm on a stick. As long as temps are above 50F, she’s around. If there are too many Mousers, then hawks and roadrunners have a feast. niio
Raven Pepper Expurt:
Well first of all they can only destroy or take so much before the cops arrive. Second, as I mentioned, it’s all insured. The $1000 computer that I bought 3 years ago that’s worth $200 used I can replace with a new $1000 computer that works better. I am, however, accountable to God, who will rightfully ask rather pointedly why I shot someone over chump change. Again, if they come after me personally, the gloves come off. I will paint the house red with their blood.
If that’s cowardly to you, all I can say is that’s your problem. Or projection.
Eric, the Magpie that calls himself Raven is too cowardly (or incompetent) to post anything worthwhile, he’s really not worth bothering with except for some cheap entertainment on this bog – he’s actually very gullible and not nearly as smart or experienced as he claims.
In a real SHTF situation …Identify your trespasser from concealment, if a threat, shoot center mass if you want to stay alive as any less will expose you to returned fire.
Better judged by twelve than carried by six.