Helpful Info. 10 Suggestions for securing your home

[Arcticdude]

I sold a property years ago because the owners son on a neighboring ranch built a house on a hill. His yard light could be seen for miles. On my current property I can climb up to the highest point and not see a single light in any direction.
I can understand having some motion sensor lights for convenience and security, but I can see no use for a light that's on all night.
I do plan on putting up a couple motion sensor lights on my house, shop, fur shed and barn.

 

[bill harrell]

Better yet, wire the sensor to an alarm in the house only you can hear. The element of surprise is in your hands then because they don't know they triggered anything.

 

[Dave2001]

5 dogs (we have 3 and daughter who lives in other half of house has 2). Nobody moves in the yard with us knowing it. In addition, the neighbor across the road has 4 BIG German Shepherds who grew up with out dogs and are best friends. If our, medium sized, dogs go after something (or someone), they will have a lot of help.

While I like those German Shepherds and never had an issue, myself. I am not sure I fully trust those dogs. They have been know to bite some of the other neighbors. But then again, the neighbors they bit are the ones who needed bit anyways. With those 4 dogs around (not ours), we don't get many trespassers.

In addition to the dogs, another neighbor who is further away brought in some animals including two geese and a turkey. (Used to be more but they seemed to have disappeared.) When someone stops in our driveway, the geese come running honking all the way. The Turkey is not far behind rustling its feathers. People who don't know these animals will not usually get out of their vehicle. So far the dogs and the foul seem to tolerate each other. There have been a few chases but I am beginning to think it is more of a game because a little while later they are all friends again.

Yep, it is a real zoo at my house. Anyone who wants to mess around will avoid neighborhood.

Also have motion lights all around the house and just received several motion cameras at Christmas. I have already installed the internet booster. Now just need to install the cameras. That will allow me to keep an eye on the place even when not there.

I LOVE my camera system, I have 10 around my property all are night vision cams too, can see my entire property on my tv or cell phone!

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

Layers. Security is always layers. As several have pointed out, the first is location, location, location.

Location: being in an area with a low population density
Location: not being visible from three miles or more away (even with binoculars)
Location: not having buildings, livestock or obvious crops visible from the nearest road

At that point you have already cut your chances of having a problem significantly.

Criminals are lazy and WTSHTF those who are low on calories to begin with, will pick off easier targets first.

It is kind of funny really. Rifle hunting season started here on Saturday. I needed to post a dog I found nearby so, got on Nextdoor. The post that was getting the most attention was one on "Why do I keep hearing gunshots? It is creeping me out!" all posted by people living in this newer subdivision that someone planted in the middle of nowhere for the "nice views"

...the comments and pushback were kind of typical of the clash of old Texas and the suburbanites without common sense. You just bought in a subdivision surrounded by large rural acreage properties and you want to know why you are hearing gunshots echoing off the hills? Three reasons. Deer, feral hogs, coyotes. Get used to it.

To say those high density (and I am not just talking about population) places are going to be some of the first targets in our area WSHTF would be an understatement. Those people have gotten too close anymore for comfort and that is why we have invested in BOL2.

 

[DrHenley]

Location: being in an area with a low population density
Location: not being visible from three miles or more away (even with binoculars)
Location: not having buildings, livestock or obvious crops visible from the nearest road

Those go together. When you have a high population density, it's difficult to find a location that is remote and thus not visible from a public road. Also, forests are generally difficult to see through with binoculars, LOL. Our buildings at the BOL are not visible from 200 yards away.

Here is a map of population density by county of the US.
The BOL is in a dark yellow county (5-25 per sq mi) although the part of the county we're in is more like southeastern Alaska (0.2-1 per sq mile).

My wife wants to buy land in North Carolina. Remote property there is scarce as hens' teeth, even in the mountains.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

Sometimes you just got to look for pockets.
If I look at the map, it says I live in >10000. Where I am is about 25 people on 500 acres

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

Where I was going with this is James Wesley Rawles back many moons ago when I was just starting to be able to afford real chunk of property, was using this map.

His dividing line was nothing east of the Mississippi and nothing west of the California ranges. He would flat out say don't live there much less put your BOL there.

It isn't about the distances of 20, 50 or 3v3n 100 miles or such. It is what will the population density become once all of the cities around you empty out.

It is about how many people in total will be hitting the countryside in your direction. Not what your population per square mile IS...what will your population per square mile BECOME?

If for instance, you are in a rural area between Ashville and Winston Salem 20 miles off of I-40. You would be less safe than if you were 20 miles off of 1-20 between Abilene and Midland.

This would be so because there are fewer large cities in that general area to empty out and more people who are more self sufficient to begin with.

How many other self sufficient people stand between your BOL and the cities? Person at mile 20 takes out one. Property owner at mile 25, takes out another, mile 29, 35, 50, 100...pretty soon whatever was headed your way is down to a manageable trickle. Some might drown crossing a river with a bridge that was taken out. Some may meet with a pack of wolves, a grizzly, snakes. The more that start out, the more that get through.

Everybody on the big East coast cities and their uncles will head towards the Smokies/Appalachians. Same on the other coast. The most population dense regions of the country migrating like a swarm of locusts.

Trees are not the only thing that can hide you (trees can lose their foliage and can also burn leaving you unexpectedly exposed), Canyons, hills and architecture can as well. BOL1 Relies on two of those things. BOL2 will utilize three.

Of course, now we have better images and urban sprawl.

By connecting the dots you can see the corridors of "drift" that are most likely to happen.

One means of creating a good security plan is known as The C.A.R.V.E.R Matrix
Criticality, Accessibility, Recuperability, Vulnerability, Effect and Recognizability

 

[Dave2001]

Those go together. When you have a high population density, it's difficult to find a location that is remote and thus not visible from a public road. Also, forests are generally difficult to see through with binoculars, LOL. Our buildings at the BOL are not visible from 200 yards away.

Here is a map of population density by county of the US.
The BOL is in a dark yellow county (5-25 per sq mi) although the part of the county we're in is more like southeastern Alaska (0.2-1 per sq mile).

My wife wants to buy land in North Carolina. Remote property there is scarce as hens' teeth, even in the mountains.

Im also looking for property in NC mountains, I want about 10 acres so far back in hills they have to pipe in sunlight and def OUT of cell phone range!!!