It's a firm belief of mine, that roaming gangs will (after a SHTF event) be the primary threat faced by survivors. The vast percentage are likely to be opportunists, and those can be dealt with in lots of ways, but there are likely to be some that have brains behind them too.
Some of the specific challenges.ly monitoring communications channels.
3. Likely possess vehicles.
4. Well-provisioned.
5. Used to working together.
6. Likely a bit of berserker types here.
So, aside from the obvious (i.e. large armed force of your own or trying to remain undetected), what kinds of tactics have you devised to counter this threat?
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Things I've come up with.
1. Ruining the paths leading to your place (at least during the chaos period). (fell trees over roads, use other vehicles, dig ditches, etc.) Do this far enough away so they never even see your place (and can't get vehicles there without making a LOT of noise and effort to clear).
2. Booby traps that make a lot of noise and announce there is an intruder. This is a whole other threat all its own, but things to let you know someone is closing in.
3. Booby traps that cause death or harm. While I'd feel bad if these got innocents, during the chaos period, just too risky to have visitors. Both in the outer perimeter and path areas, as well as the outskirts of the property.
4. Scouts, folks who go out on patrol not to engage any enemy, but to report back to the base with intel (and warning).
5. Having a redoubt with supplies (a very hidden place where you can flee to if the group is too large, to then come back in and reclaim, or rebuild when they move on). Attacking from the redoubt will include completely sabotaging any vehicles of the bandits, with complete hit and run tactics until at a manageable number.
6. Large fields of fire, and hardened positions for sentries (so if they approach, they do so over open-ground and where they can be easily shot from a distance). Hardened positions made using cinder blocks (filled with rebar and concrete). Built after the SHTF with stockpiled materials. (or before SHTF, and disguised as something else, like planters, etc., which is my plan.) That way, just dig out the plants, and presto! Pillbox!
7. Posts in the ground every 3' in front of fences, to prevent vehicles from driving into fences to knock them down. (just large wooden fence poles, sunk in to make a vehicle barrier....can get the supplies before hand, then put in after a SHTF event). We always have spares of these for repair anyhow, so this is just having MORE of them.
8. Nightvision. Lots of ways to cheaply keep batteries charged (especially with FL sun). Nightvision will be a big plus (even if only 1st generation). I've done simulated night combat before, and it is simple, the side that has it, if the others don't....wins.
9. If I do have to leave, I plan to leave some goodies behind, but that are poisoned. (mostly booze and the most appealing foodstuffs). Depending on the desired tactics, could be either fast acting or slow acting poisons. Unless time is pressing, the slower acting (matter of days) one is my preference (both are lethal). Long enough to thwart any taste-tester moves by an overly clever bandit, and to spread more throughout their force, but quick enough to get back in soon. The cleanup will suck, and any bandits not partaking may either fight (or flee to return later), but we'd simply assess the situation as needed.
10. Initially trying to establish a dialogue, if they seem willing to do so (and seem too numerous or costly to fight). My usual method for communicating with strangers post SHTF will be this. A remote-controlled truck is sent out, with a two-way radio in the back. Sent to the stranger to use for conversation. I'll try to convince them that leaving us here, to have constant supplies, is a better option, and that for protection from them and other gangs (as now we are a vested interest), we'll pay tribute in what we have to offer (with ground rules). Failing this, we fight anyhow, rather than die on our knees, and enact a scorched earth approach. We'll make this willingness very clear during the negotiations.
