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I'm happy to see the visitors vacated without further interaction. You never know what people are up to in the middle of the night. As everyone said, your pup is the hero. Good opportunity to understand your weakness and take action. Also good to know the PoPo is only days away if something happens. Warning shots are BS. Make sure you're always justified in firing. If you want to scare people, use fireworks. Most don't know the difference(based upon extensive social media research around July 4th.). |
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Quoted: Warning shots are BS. Make sure you're always justified in firing. If you want to scare people, use fireworks. Most don't know the difference(based upon extensive social media research around July 4th.). Yeah, I wonder if some sort of “bird bomb” type thing…. |
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Quoted: Yeah, I wonder if some sort of "bird bomb" type thing . Quoted: Quoted: Warning shots are BS. Make sure you're always justified in firing. If you want to scare people, use fireworks. Most don't know the difference(based upon extensive social media research around July 4th.). Yeah, I wonder if some sort of "bird bomb" type thing . |
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Quoted: Is there a thread on this incident? Nah, I posted about it in some other pitbull attack thread. The short version, that applies here, is: the other party also gets to talk to the police, and people are fucking liars. Dont role the dice on who the responding officer will believe. Guns are for killing, if you wanna scare someone buy some firecrackers. |
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Quoted: All these replies about warning shots... I was handcuffed and spent a whole night in a cell 2 weeks ago for firing warning shots. At a dog. DONT DO THAT Yeah. I get the sentiment but warning shots are terrible advice. Especially since a quick google search says that Michigan is a duty to retreat state. So OP isn’t in a great place legally to do anything like that. |
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Quoted: Yeah. I get the sentiment but warning shots are terrible advice. Especially since a quick google search says that Michigan is a duty to retreat state. So OP isn’t in a great place legally to do anything like that. Michigan is not a duty to retreat state. I was watching the Senate debate it in committee and later saw it passed. We are definitely a stand your ground state. |
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Quoted: Michigan is not a duty to retreat state. I was watching the Senate debate it in committee and later saw it passed. We are definitely a stand your ground state. Quoted: Quoted: Yeah. I get the sentiment but warning shots are terrible advice. Especially since a quick google search says that Michigan is a duty to retreat state. So OP isn’t in a great place legally to do anything like that. Michigan is not a duty to retreat state. I was watching the Senate debate it in committee and later saw it passed. We are definitely a stand your ground state. Good deal. Google apparently hasn’t caught wind yet. Warning shots are still a terrible idea. |
Lots of good advice in this thread, some not so good advice too.  Still no visit from the sheriff.  Three years ago my iWatch dialed 911 by accident in my sleep (holding the crown down for xx seconds) so when I woke up to my watch screaming at me I pushed on buttons until it shut-up. A minute later the 911 operator dials my cell phone and asks if everything is OK and I explain about the iWatch getting a new update and it going off by mistake and I'm so sorry. OK sir can I have your name and address? Thank you sir good night. About a half an hour later the door bell rings at 2:00 AM so I respond armed. When I see it's the sheriff I walk to the end of the entrance hallway and prop the gun up where everyone can see it but not touch it. I opened the door and the junior deputy is nervous about the senior citizen in his underwear with a gun down the hall so they invite me out into the 40 degree weather to answer 20-questions.  I can call 911 about a pair casing my house at 3:15 AM and four days later they haven't shown up yet. I think I fucked up and just invited the man into my life. For the Facebook thing I sort of want the advantage of surprise. I'm about 99.1% sure the deputies would know Mr. and Mrs. Crackhead once they see the video. I think I've seen the female half of the pair but I can't remember where. Otherwise I'll take the video to the VFW/American Legion/Youth Hunting groups I hang with and they'll know of the pair. I'd love to meet these two face-to-face ... not over a 12-gauge next time. Facebook will be my last effort as that gives the Crackheads time to work on their excuses rather than choking on them in real time. I've stuffed all my lawn care stuff inside the shop and garages, pulled the keys out of them, and even locked my Jeep parked inside the garage and I didn't do that in SoCal. The shop is locked, the shade is down, and I've order privacy film to treat the side and back door windows. I've run tremendously large gauge chains through welded parts to connect the machines together inside. There are 4K cameras inside both location. I've tossed 6 more lights on the "good night" scene so the house is much better lit up now. I've blocked one of the two entrances I planned on blocking so far. I've talked with three of the four neighbors within a mile and I'm hunting the fourth. I'm considering installing a 10th camera to sit even further way from the shop to cover the apron where I park the non-motorized junk now. New driveway alarm (a Dakota using MURS for longer range) and two receivers are on order. Thank goodness for the driveway alarm and pesky eskie doggo.  I went into town today and was looking for blue sedans with sunroofs and front plates to match the video ... lots of blue cars ... none with sunroof and front plate ... yet! I'll bring an iPad next time i visit town so I can save the sheriff the cost of driving out to me. |
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It's sad that you have to lock your stuff up. If they come back be prepared, and while no one rational wants to end a life, it sure would be good to make them strongly believe that returning once more with mal intent will end theirs. Good luck to you and stay safe. |
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Quoted: You need some cameras at face height. Cloud storage means no issues if they get vandalized and you'll get infinitely more useful footage, ie readable plates on vehicles, face shots and the ability to determine heights of intruders.  Cameras are kind of unique in that they do two things for us - they deter crime by being visible and two, they help solve the crimes afterwords (if the sheriff comes ).I have a four interior cameras, two on 7-foot ceilings facing the basement entrances on each end, a third in the unused guest bedroom facing it's private entrance, and a forth monitoring my "special" room. The cameras were $33 each, pan/tilt, 2K, have IR, fit inside a red Solo cup, and most importantly for me - they support the Apple private video standard meaning my video isn't analyzed in China nor stored there but instead analyzed inside my house on my machines and stored encyrpted in the iCloud. There's a fifth camera upstairs covering the entranceway/office/entry into the grand room in a hidden clock. For exterior cameras I have a solar WiFi camera on a 15' pole looking down at the entrance, one on the front porch, one on the side porch, one on the shop's wall (the one they parked in front of) and two more pan/tilt cameras on the shop and garage ceilings facing most of the doors. There are gaps in my system and backing the car out to hide the plate wasn't something I had planned upon ... I think the guy just did it to expedite un-assing his ass rather than approach the now lit up home close enough to do a bay-turn-about and head out nose first. But that said he left his lights off until he hit the street according to my wife (cell phone, dog control, first-aid, .22LR, and 94 pounds of hell's fury) who went to the center of the home and could see the drive while I worked the balcony sweeping around from the darkness on the far end of the building. I was so focused on bear hunting I didn't see them disappearing in the distance of the street. I slow swept the corner and they were gone. The local sow is about 180 pounds but there's a couple of big males north of that that swim in my pond this time of year to cool off. Scared the night right out of me the last two times I chased one off the balcony. All the doors are connected to a silent alarm system that notifies my phone and turns on specific lights to warn me there's been a breaking of condition Zebra after it's been set. There's also motion sensors both IR and microwave covering movement areas. I do have four trail cams covering the two other entrances to the 40 acre very remote property. I've got one spare camera new in box and I've been pondering between two locations. I'll likely pick the one I think works and duct tape it there for a week to sample it. #CountryDreamLifeHasRealLifeProblems |
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Quoted: Have you called the sheriff back and reminded them that you're still waiting? ^^this^^ I cannot fathom the fact that you haven't gotten to speak with anyone there yet. Even if they were busy with events, there's no reason they couldn't have taken your info and provided an email address to send the photos to. We do that all the time at my agency. |
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Quoted: The Eufy E220 is now $40, during a sale they were 3/$100. There is a newer model that does 4K: eufy Indoor Cam E30 and it's $60 but possibly not IP65 waterproof it that matters in your application. Quoted: Quoted: Link to $33 cameras? The Eufy E220 is now $40, during a sale they were 3/$100. There is a newer model that does 4K: eufy Indoor Cam E30 and it's $60 but possibly not IP65 waterproof it that matters in your application. |
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Quoted: OP, Make sure you understand how the law is interpreted. Your shop is not a dwelling because you don't live and sleep in it, and it doesn't sound like you run a business out of it. It is likely considered a storage building, shed or barn. This is part of why meth heads like to steal from detached garages, barns and shop buildings. They or their tweaker buddies have been through the criminal court system enough to learn the crimes that carry lesser risk and sentences if convicted. (a) The individual against whom deadly force or force other than deadly force is used is in the process of breaking and entering a dwelling or business premises or committing home invasion or has broken and entered a dwelling or business premises or committed home invasion and is still present in the dwelling or business premises, or is unlawfully attempting to remove another individual from a dwelling, business premises, or occupied vehicle against his or her will. Then I guess he'd have to use the criminal mischief during the night language. |
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Quoted: ^^this^^ I cannot fathom the fact that you haven't gotten to speak with anyone there yet. Even if they were busy with events, there's no reason they couldn't have taken your info and provided an email address to send the photos to. We do that all the time at my agency. Quoted: Quoted: Have you called the sheriff back and reminded them that you're still waiting? ^^this^^ I cannot fathom the fact that you haven't gotten to speak with anyone there yet. Even if they were busy with events, there's no reason they couldn't have taken your info and provided an email address to send the photos to. We do that all the time at my agency. Starting to wonder what the over/under is for this pair being related to someone in the sheriff department. |
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Quoted: remote operated sprinkler system nothing like getting soaked with ice cold water to sober you up good idea (they're not only home, but a/h also; lol) I've noticed when most people drive up to the house and start looking around (the hill naturally draws the eyes toward it) they quickly notice my firing range (along with a dozen or so 66% steel silhouettes painted white) in the dry wash. I haven't had any real issues from anyone; I assume they figure it out pretty quick. Thinking of hanging one on the inside of the gate post. Sounds like OP is on top of it. It's funny how the sketchier ones notice a security camera pretty easy isn't it? Maybe several silhouette plates strategically placed for 0300 target practice? A PA system suggesting if they're lost, they should get unlost? I had bought a Blink package, and it allowed me to talk via the camera (mostly used for occasionally talking to the dog while working nights). |
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Thanks for posting, OP. I have recently been thinking about security a lot. I have a Simplisafe system, so cameras and sensors are on the same setup. Was recently on vacation for a week, and the base station started throwing "wireless interference" errors. 2 big problems: I was unable to resolve the error remotely, and the system recorded continuously while erroring, which drained the battery cameras that are on the system quickly. In my opinion, both are major issues. The phantom interference was the root issue, which was resolved by a battery-out reset of the system. But draining camera batteries and not being able to self-diagnose a false "interference" issue is a major shortcoming. If it happens again while I am away, the system is useless. |
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Quoted: ^^this^^ I cannot fathom the fact that you haven't gotten to speak with anyone there yet. Even if they were busy with events, there's no reason they couldn't have taken your info and provided an email address to send the photos to. We do that all the time at my agency. time was over 5 min. there had to be a problem. |
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Quoted: Methheads looking for something to steal. Exactly this! had the same thing happen a couple of years ago. We are at the end of a dead end road & our house sits 100yrds from the road. I was just getting ready to go to bed, so all of the inside lights were off, & I was just getting ready to turn on the outside lights when an old POS truck, spray painted black, pulled down the driveway. They turned around and pulled to the end of my drveway & parked & turned off their lights. I snuck up on them & the same thing as you, male & female meth heads. Claimed they were looking for a friends house. I made it very clear that we are a shoot & shovel county that don't like meth heads looking for stuff to steal. I called the county & gave them their info & it turned out they had been stopped in town 2 hours earlier. Haven't seen them since. |
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Quoted: Texas penal code, originally in response to cattle and horse thieves: "In Texas, the use of deadly force to protect property is justified under specific circumstances outlined in Texas Penal Code § 9.42. Generally, deadly force is only permitted when preventing imminent commission of certain felonies, like arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, nighttime theft, or nighttime criminal mischief, and only if the property cannot be protected or recovered by other means, or if using non-deadly force would expose someone to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury." That's Texas, this is Whitmer's Michigan with a pinko bull dyke AG. |
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Quoted: Failure failure. You've been scanned. Quoted: Quoted: You were being probed, stay alert they'll be back! They lost the element of surprise and were mere seconds away from facing 12-gauge up close in a classic flanking move. If I had seen them monkeying around the rust yard I'd have entered the darkness of the yard and approached from behind from darkness once I was happy I knew which one was or wasn't armed I'd toss a flashing while Hannibal and BA open up with the .30 while Murdock attacks with homemade rockets from a helicopter gunship and the Face Man provides sniper cover from the roof shooting walnuts with an airgun. ... well may be right up to the point where the A-Team shows up.
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Quoted: No the house was lit up normal with the front and side porch lights lit up and the cars in the garage. There's a few "snow birds" that live along the street but this time of year, with schools out, is the time families visit their "camps" and fire up their second homes. My neighbor kiddy corner has an RV parked in this forest, the guy next to me is +90 and owes an abandoned farm, the guy three doors down is abandoned, that sort of thing. Lots of completely dark homes with nobody living on them here if you bother to look. My least paranoid/most friendly explanation is that they came here to pee ... but they had to drive all the way down the driveway ... they drove past an abandoned and very dark farm .... just to pee at the last house on the road? If it were my neighbors they would have just drove the extra minute to get to their house. There's no bars or businesses on the street leaving me to believe that they picked my house with intent. If it was that why drive up a drive just piss on the side of the road? you said your in the middle of nowhere and the nearest neighbor is 1200 ft away, they were there to rob you. |
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Quoted: You have a fleet of lawnmowers? Why do you have a fleet of lawnmowers? I have 4-5 acres of cut lawn and 35 acres of forest and open prairie. A zero-turn finish mower for the lawn. A tow-behind the ATV rough-cut mower for the buckthorns so the prairie remains open. A gas powered "weed whip" mower for the yarrow and cutting trails. An eGO 56v electric mower for finish work, it's leftover from my suburban lot. There's a dozen other things that might interest a meth head - lawn sweeper, chipper, snow blowers (3), ATV, SxS ... |
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Quoted: Updates? Still waiting on the sheriff. I understand there was a bombing in town yesterday.  Some freaky 19-year old zir/zem, blue-haired, trans threw a couple of Molotov bombs through the window of the RNC HQ in Iron Mountain here in the UP. Not clear if it was politically motivated according to the Marquette news.  So likely the feds/state police are going to get involved with this ass-clown's hanging and my prowler call goes another day. 
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Quoted: Exactly this! had the same thing happen a couple of years ago. We are at the end of a dead end road & our house sits 100yrds from the road. I was just getting ready to go to bed, so all of the inside lights were off, & I was just getting ready to turn on the outside lights when an old POS truck, spray painted black, pulled down the driveway. They turned around and pulled to the end of my drveway & parked & turned off their lights. I snuck up on them & the same thing as you, male & female meth heads. Claimed they were looking for a friends house. I made it very clear that we are a shoot & shovel county that don't like meth heads looking for stuff to steal. I called the county & gave them their info & it turned out they had been stopped in town 2 hours earlier. Haven't seen them since. That matches my experience so closely I wonder if it's a "thing" that they use successfully and share. |
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I wanted to go back to bed one summer night when I heard a vehicle start up my 1/10th of a mile driveway about 1am . I sat there by the window long enough I was getting sick of it. Nods out, carbine on the bed. Finally I went to the safe and grabbed a flare gun that has a 12 ga insert in it and launched a star cluster over them from my deck. Five seconds later brake lights, shift in gear and depart. Pretty sure it was parkers but I didn’t invite them so….out they go. |
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Good info on the driveway alarms. I wish they had a little more range. I have a spot(cattle guard) that is about 380 feet from the house but have a feeling the metal siding would interfere with the signal, especially at the max stated distance of 400 the ones posted list. My actual gate is about 1200' from the house so looking for solutions to that. I will be installing a new automatic gate soon and I do have power up there so may end up having to do some sort of wi-fi solution using a point to point set up. |