Incident and self assessment

[ATCclears]

We had an incident a week ago. Wifey was doing her morning routine of feeding the animals in the barn, I'm on conference calls for work. She notices one of the horses is agitated and staring into the back of the property. She thinks it is a black bear (we periodically have them around), goes out of the back of the barn to look, and there is a homeless guy walking through 10" of snow, and about 30' from the barn. She dodges back into the barn and calls me in a panic.

I run out with sneakers, no socks, and a G19. The homeless guy is already gone but he is easy to track given the snow. I stay on the edge of our property and alert neighbors that way. A neighbor (retired LE) finds him on his property, escorts him off, and lets him know this is not an area with a 'Seattle-supportive' mentality.

Some self assessing after several days...:

• We rarely/never see homeless around here, and yet here was one and in 10" of snow.
• We don't have snow that often but I need to keep appropriate footwear and a jacket ready to go.
• I had my cell phone but I need to keep it and a GMRS-compatible radio ready to go. Most of the neighbors have them and would come up on a particular frequency if asked or knew there was trouble.
• I am thinking about keeping a rifle ready to go.

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[JustSomeGuy]

Sometimes it takes something unexpected to get the wheels turning. Glad it worked out ok and you're using the experience to think about and enhance your preps.

My herding dogs have been trained to patrol the property when they aren't actively being used for herding. I schedule and rotate their work schedules just like the other employees, and check up on them randomly to make sure they're doing their job and not slacking off. They have alerted me to and run off a pretty fair number of both two and four legged predators over the years.... just something to consider.

 

[308]

This made me realize the fact with some members of society TEOTWAKI already exists, and those folks regardless of mental state know how to survive on the bare minimum, and in the case of the OP, the visitor was quite fine getting up into someone's stuff regardless of the risk. Now imagine multiple people of a similar mindset prowling with zero give a youknowwhats.

 

[ATCclears]

@JustSomeGuy we have three dogs, but none were out that morning and all three are older/deaf. We've talked about adding a young dog to the mix. This may accelerate that thinking.

 

[P7M13]

Geese in the paddock. Will keep intruders away and make a heck of a noise.
So, had he holed up in the barn?
Place I run my dogs is a public garden which is a popular dog run area.
I have seen evidence of homeless sleeping in the photinia hedges, bedding left in place, human excrement areas in the ivy, etc. There's a shed with gardening implements. Seems they've taken to raiding the shed for stuff to use/sell.

 

[Labradorian]

I caught a meth head at my next door neighbor about 6 months ago. He wasn't violent but he did leave in a sheriff's cruiser. I've upped my game a notch since then.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

@JustSomeGuy we have three dogs, but none were out that morning and all three are older/deaf. We've talked about adding a young dog to the mix. This may accelerate that thinking.

My wakeup call came about a month after I bought the ranch from my dad. Caught 4 guys in one of my barns and held them there for over 2 hours waiting for LE to show up. Started looking for reputable breeders and trainers the next morning.

 

[Nosferatu]

Out here in the sticks, I keep one of those small 4-gun safes in the house as a "hot-safe" with a rifle, shotgun, .22 and my CCW handgun, all ready to go. All the other guns are in the big safe in the shop. Muck boots and jackets are a must here, so they are always in the coat closet by the door.

Between my Toller and the wifes 4 Dobermans, we know if something is awry. It's usually a raccoon trying to get in the chicken coop, or coyotes/mountain lion after a goat. I've never come across a human in the barn, but it wouldn't surprise me either. The goats would not be happy with that!

The radio is a good idea. I do have a GMRS license and we use them for vehicle-to-vehicle comms. I should get another handheld so we can have a pair ready. We only have 5 acres here, so there isn't a ton of ground to cover, but every bit of communication helps.

 

[Aero Denezol]

Sometimes it takes a scare.

Yesterday I called police non-emergency around midnight. Some thug life were parked in front of my house. To make a long story short, clearly up to no good. As they were leaving they did a slow roll to let me know they didn't appreciate it. That made me think about my family and all the "what ifs".

Out here in the sticks, I keep one of those small 4-gun safes in the house as a "hot-safe" with a rifle, shotgun, .22 and my CCW handgun, all ready to go. All the other guns are in the big safe in the shop. Muck boots and jackets are a must here, so they are always in the coat closet by the door.

I like this idea of a hot safe with long guns. I am far more comfortable with a carbine in my hands than a handgun. Better for handling multiple assailants, also.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I have a shovel mounted on the end of my 870.






lol, not really

 

[ATCclears]

I started a separate thread looking for feedback on a "hot" safe. I like the concept, hadn't thought about it before for a rifle.

"Hot" safe

After an incident last week I'm pondering a "hot" safe to keep a rifle and items ready to go. I already have a larger, "good" safe. This additional safe is primarily to keep items close by, and is needed given the grandchildren. Anyone have any experiences with the Moulec brand? This safe...

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[Frank RW]

I don't know the whole story, but seems a little "over the top". Wife "in a panic" and you chasing a homeless guy down in the snow with a semi in hand. That's some funny movie stuff there. But very glad it turned out okay and the family is fine. But still, seems a bit much. Eh, country folk.

 

[Sandaholic]

I don't know the whole story, but seems a little "over the top". Wife "in a panic" and you chasing a homeless guy down in the snow with a semi in hand. That's some funny movie stuff there. But very glad it turned out okay and the family is fine. But still, seems a bit much. Eh, country folk.

Not really. Could have easily gone completely sideways.

Wife doesn't notice meth head
Meth head gets the drop on her
rape, murder, you name it
gets away and man hunt ensues
but the damage has already been done

 

[Frank RW]

Not really. Could have easily gone completely sideways.

Well, yeah, there's a non-zero possibility that it was an alien too.

Hmmm... does she have an aversion to carrying while out-n-about?

Perhaps cameras could help too, let each other keep an eye out.

I just don't think some random homeless guy (assuming) wandering around on your property is enough to get, literally, up-in-arms about.

One-offs are always going to happen, but what's the pattern? Is it REALLY an issue? Perhaps time/money better spent on other security solutions? A few dozen self-defense courses is cheaper than about any firearm, and the skill goes wherever you do.

Just thinkin' out loud here, I don't know your situation and have no right to judge it. Just a "what if it were me" thinkin'.

 

[Sandaholic]

Well, yeah, there's a non-zero possibility that it was an alien too.

Hmmm... does she have an aversion to carrying while out-n-about?

Perhaps cameras could help too, let each other keep an eye out.

I just don't think some random homeless guy (assuming) wandering around on your property is enough to get, literally, up-in-arms about.

One-offs are always going to happen, but what's the pattern? Is it REALLY an issue? Perhaps time/money better spent on other security solutions? A few dozen self-defense courses is cheaper than about any firearm, and the skill goes wherever you do.

Just thinkin' out loud here, I don't know your situation and have no right to judge it. Just a "what if it were me" thinkin'.

I could potentially be less alarmed by a single guy in Camo, in the middle of the night, with his hunting setup and night vision gear. After saying "hey man, what's up?" It becomes clear he got turned around and should have been on the adjacent property which he had permission to hunt on.

^^^This guy was not where he was supposed to be, but is coherent, well kept (maybe ), and apologetic.

The meth head knows he isn't supposed to ransack another man's property, he just doesn't care. Not coherent, wild eyed, and not apologetic in the slightest.

So yeah, it's situational. But I personally see no problem at all with how it was handled.

 

[Stomper]

This made me realize the fact with some members of society TEOTWAKI already exists, and those folks regardless of mental state know how to survive on the bare minimum, and in the case of the OP, the visitor was quite fine getting up into someone's stuff regardless of the risk. Now imagine multiple people of a similar mindset prowling with zero give a youknowwhats.

Then I would give them 30+ freedom pills to cure their lack of "youknowwhats"...

 

[Nosferatu]

Well, yeah, there's a non-zero possibility that it was an alien too.

Anyone trespassing on my property is an illegal alien.

Perhaps cameras could help too, let each other keep an eye out.

I don't know about the OP, but wif-fi coverage out here is spotty, at best. I suppose I could put a gateway in the barn, but I'd have to run fiber to it.

We're in a cellular dead-zone at our place, so that's a no-go for us and many in rural areas.

Hmmm... does she have an aversion to carrying while out-n-about?

I just don't think some random homeless guy (assuming) wandering around on your property is enough to get, literally, up-in-arms about.

You contradict yourself there. If you don't think somebody trespassing on your property is something to "get up in arms about", then I don't know what to tell you. This isn't the city, we don't have regular patrols and when seconds matter, the cops are only hours away - if they come at all.

One-offs are always going to happen, but what's the pattern? Is it REALLY an issue? Perhaps time/money better spent on other security solutions? A few dozen self-defense courses is cheaper than about any firearm, and the skill goes wherever you do.

Just thinkin' out loud here, I don't know your situation and have no right to judge it. Just a "what if it were me" thinkin'.

I don't disagree that other security measures are important, but having a gun on you to investigate a stranger trespassing doesn't seem outrageous. This is a GUN forum, you realize? I'm guessing the arms necessary are already in his possession.

 

[msgriff]

I don't know the whole story, but seems a little "over the top". Wife "in a panic" and you chasing a homeless guy down in the snow with a semi in hand. That's some funny movie stuff there. But very glad it turned out okay and the family is fine. But still, seems a bit much. Eh, country folk.

Most "country folk" are capable of taking care of themselves and their families. They also have the sense of community to look after their friends and neighbors, and those neighbors do the same. As JustSomeGuy pointed out, any LEO help can be hours away. Those people aren't there to help you split wood. Many "city folk" usually freeze up when confronted with the choice of which bathroom to use. But like that old saying, "A man's got to know his limitations".

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Most "country folk" are capable of taking care of themselves and their families. They also have the sense of community to look after their friends and neighbors, and those neighbors do the same. As JustSomeGuy pointed out, any LEO help can be hours away. Those people aren't there to help you split wood. Many "city folk" usually freeze up when confronted with the choice of which bathroom to use. But like that old saying, "A man's got to know his limitations".

Just to flesh it out a bit...

The 4 amigos I caught in my barn were fixin' to help themselves to some of my horses and tack. They had all of the stalls open, leads on several horses and were in the process of saddling 3 others. 2 of them were armed with pistols. Fortunately, my spanish ain't too shabby and I got plenty of good experience in Vietnam on handling hostile prisoners.

 

[CRBMoA]

If you wind up in my back yard, at a minimum, you are trespassing on my property, and as I am abutted on three sides, unless you walked through the front yard, you also crossed my neighbors property.

Impossible to get there by accident, and you flunked the First Impression test badly.

And your only way out of my yard is back over the fence and onto the neighbor's property or trying to run past me.

If I go outside to greet you, I will not be bearing cookies.

As a suburbanite, I might just let you wander off rather than risk a bad confrontation, but I have no barn or valuables in the back yard to worry about.

It is almost like every situation is different.