Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Basic Home Security Tips

I keep an eye on a few vacation homes for some friends.
I do a daily walk about, shake doorknobs and the like.

One guy had been around about a week and just left last night.
I went to his place first thing this morning just to be sure he'd locked up all his exterior doors. He has 5 doors and more than once he's forgotten to lock one.

I go walking up to his place and right at the base of the stairs that lead up to his elevated stilt home sits a 8 pound sledgehammer and a 30 inch crow bar. I know he'd been working with those two tools while he was here and it was he that'd left them set there.

I couldn't help but think of the time one of my homes in Montana was robbed. The thieves went through the front door with MY splitting maul that I kept by the wood pile right outside my door.

Thieves are opportunist, I didn't have to make it so easy for them.
I know a thief could easily bust out a window with a rock to gain entry but you don't have to give them the damn rock.

What's sitting around your place in plain view?

It sounds simple and even stupid but maybe some would never consider thinking about it if they've never been robbed with the use of their own devices.

I have some fenced, gated remote properties.
If I install a gate I install a power opener.
I guess I'm just too lazy to get out of the truck, I gotta have a button it get in.

I also install a fake lock and chain.
The gates close against the back of the gate post, the chain just wraps around the post, not the gate.
I mean I could lock the gate with the chain but then I'd have to get outta the truck..

This fake lock and chain works so well I had the power company cut one to gain entry after I'd told them to just pull the clevis pin out of the opener, the gate wouldn't be locked.

They were rather apologetic about that when I arrived.
They installed one of their locks to repair the chain after they realized what they'd done.
Now it's really secure looking with "two" big badazzed locks on it.

About those clevis pins that come with those openers.
Remove them and replace them with a bolt and nyloc nut.
Gotta leave them a little loose so they can pivot.

The nyloc nut makes it to where a guy has to have two tools to remove it. Just a simple little step to help deter a thief or trespasser.

What do you have?
Something simple and obvious once you realize it?

You ever think that piece of firewood works as well as splitting maul or a chain on a gate stops a truck?

Don’t be a Wet blanket. What you said is true but there are varying levels of security and various levels of determination.
JeffA makes some very valid points. You don’t have to make it easy for them!

Slow down a thief and increase the degree of difficulty, and they may look elsewhere.

My Grandad always said it “keeps the honest people honest”.

Jeff, good topic. How about the extra fuel cans and cooler I keep in my truck bed during hunting season. I run a cable from a tie down point in the truck bed, and through the jug handles to the coolers where it's locked. It's annoying to unlock when I need the gas jugs, but if it keeps a lazy thief from walking off with my stuff at the grocery store parking lot, great. A crescent wrench to take the tie down point of the bed would be all they need, but I'm counting on them being in too big a rush or too lazy or too unprepared for that. So far I still have my stuff.

A friend who lives in Atlanta spent a small fortune adding security cameras and lights around his house. He was never robbed before but felt it a prudent step. Since he added all the security, he has been hit twice in three years. He decided to downgrade on the security paraphernalia.

If it looks like you're really trying to protect something, burglars take note. But it's best not to leave out the welcome mat for them either.

But then again, the shovel I keep in the bed is loose, and they could use that to knock in my windows to steal whatever is in the cab....

Put ya a big muddy pair of size 14 boots on the front porch so it looks like a grown ass man lives there.

Holler at me, I got some that need to go the Goodwill.

Deer gambrel hanging off of a tree limb in the front yard. A transmission beside the sidewalk.

How’s about crocs?
😉

Pre-dig a hole with the excavator the size and shape of a grave out by the front entryway.

^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^

I hear you. We did some renovation many years ago. Put the old stuff on the curb marked free. No takers. Marked it up twenty bucks and it disappeared.

[quote=JeffA]
About those clevis pins that come with those openers.
Remove them and replace them with a bolt and nyloc nut.
Gotta leave them a little loose so they can pivot.

The nyloc nut makes it to where a guy has to have two tools to remove it. Just a simple little step to help deter a thief or trespasser.
/quote]

I've replaced our gate clevis pins with a pad lock and before that I went with a nyloc nut on an allen headed bolt.

BEWARE OF DOG!!! signs. Dog or not.

I found this video interesting. He said the average burglar only stays for 8 minutes and spends almost all that time in the master bedroom so he hides his stuff in the pantry.

I put 3/8 lag hook on both sides of every door going through casing into stud. Have a length of 1/4 link chain that hooks from one side to other. Someone is almost always here. If someone kicks my door in they're not getting far. At that point they've sealed their fate. I live in a rural area, but there's thieves & drug addicts everywhere.

Pretty close to the top of my drive I have a sign that says ....trespass here and I'll crap on Your Grave.... if you get by that ....on the shop door there's a sign that says video recording in progress and then I have old Bank cameras screwed up near doors and entries nice and obvious ...you will be feeling pretty guilty taking my stuff...

Sign:

We don’t call 9-1-1

We call 8-1-1