Late nite visitor

[GunnyGene]

Had a little excitement last nite. Maybe some folks would call us paranoid, but we just don't get visitors out here in the woods late at nite. I'd already gone to bed, wife was still up reading when someone drove up to the house (about 1/4mile thru the woods). Wife comes to get me, so I throw on some jeans, grab my pistol, and head to front door. Turns out it was a young woman, who said she was a neighbor but I didn't recognize her, looking for her husbands cell phone, and did we happen to have found it out at the street end of the driveway.

Who goes looking for a cell phone at 10:30 pm on a country back road ? And why would it be on my drive in the first place? All this time I've got my hand on my gun which is behind my back, safety off and ready to rock.

Told her no, haven't seen a phone, she apologizes and leaves.

What I don't know is if she was alone or if there was somebody else casing the place while I was busy with her.

So this morning wife and I had a little "after action" debriefing. Her job will be to check out the back of the house if this ever occurs again, while I handle the known potential threat out front.

Does this sound paranoid to y'all?

 

[pawncop]

Not at all. Very wise on your part to debrief, review actions, and improve your response.

Evil is out there and does not announce when it will arrive.

Good job.

 

[Cooperhawk]

Nope, we live deep in the woods with almost a half mile drive. I would do the same. I carry all the time, even when at home. We have had lots of breakins in our locality over the years.


she was probably casing the place.

 

[RoninPA]

At that time of night, especially if you don't recognize someone, I would be suspicious also. Burglars will go to a house and if someone answers they make up some sort of a story and leave. If no one answers, they probably will bang on the door a bit more to make sure and if no one seems to be around, that is a good place to hit. In your case, a good "mark" because it is off the beaten path and no one around to see them do anything.

Anyone coming to my place (and I live in a residential neighborhood) after a certain time at night, I am very leery of their motives.

 

[Pierow]

My antennae would be up as well Gunny. Not second guessing at all but I would have had a hard time not asking the girl where she lived. My guess is if she were up to no good she would have recognized your posture and told her crew, if there was one, "this guy was packing and ready to rumble."

If it bothers you it may be a good idea to pay a visit to a few houses near you with a similar layout and see if the gal visited them as well. If I were a bad guy, robbing homes far from the main road would be appealing rather than the opposite. Gotta think like a bad guy sometimes.

Safe wishes, Pierow

 

[SAJohn]

My home is also out in the sticks. One of the first things I did when I first moved here was to install floodlights all around the house. I can turn night into day.

I have twice had a late night unexpected visitor. I answered these calls with both a revolver and a big dog at my side.

 

[GunnyGene]

Without going into details, we do have layered passive security around the property, which alerts us well before there's a knock on the door, in addition to a few other things. There have been some barn/shop robberies lately around here, but no home burglaries or breakin's.

This event also brings something to mind that I think is not high on a lot of folks minds. That being that if it's a woman at the door, it tends to make folks think there is no reason to worry. Big mistake, imho, and probably something that a bad guy/girl would take advantage of.

 

[stevemb]

Nope, I answer the door in what is known as the Bennie Goodman pose. Hand in armpit, gun in that hand. We had a mom-n-son team going thru vehicles here at night some yrs back. It's what started me on the CCW path. I also look out another window to pre-view who/whats at my door before opening.

 

[eveled]

My home is also out in the sticks. One of the first things I did when I first moved here was to install floodlights all around the house. I can turn night into day.

I have twice had a late night unexpected visitor. I answered these calls with both a revolver and a big dog at my side.

This is what I'd recommend. Also some sort of video, or even trail cameras would be a great idea. Also I would have called police to let them know. Be safe.

 

[JohnBoy]

I have lots of family and friends in law enforcement. They have impressed on me the importance of 'staying in the moment' - observing everything, getting descriptions, license plates, distinguishing features.

It almost takes some conditioning to do this as a person tends to get a little amped up with 'what's gonna happen next' thinking.

Hope it all ends well! Stay safe.

 

[pete44ru]

.

It would have been interesting to see her reaction, if you snapped her pic with a cel or security camera. :mrgreen:


.

 

[GunnyGene]

I found one of these to be a terrific tool in the arsenal. With outside lighting, this can be very effective at night for seeing a lot without needing to open the door. It mounts through any existing peephole, or newly drilled hole.

LINK

It can even capture stills if needed.

An optional motion sensor and a 'knock sensor' can be added to capture video when you're not home.

Interesting, thanks. Might have to check into this.

 

[Cooperhawk]

We recently purchased a Security System. I think it's fairly fool proof. Each door is guarded with an embedded sensor so that if the door opens at all, it sends a message to the Central System. It also has a glass breakage sensor, motion sensor, smoke sensor, temperature sensor, ect. If any of these are triggered it alerts the security company who then call the house and if no response our cell phones. If we tell them we are not at home they call the Sheriff.

If you are in my yard and the Sheriff drives in the drive, you will not leave with your vehicle. No room to get past the squad. You can run if you like.

The system has already paid for itself. We went South last Winter and were in Oklahoma City when the security company called at seven AM. The temp sensor had gone off and our furnace had quit working. It was well below zero. We called a neighbor who had the code to get in and he got the furnace folks in that day. Result, no frozen and burst pipes in the walls.

That happened to a neighbor last Winter. When she came home and turned on the water it flooded the walls and cost her may thousands. :shock:

We arm the system whenever we leave the house.

 

[FastEd]

Probably looking for something to steal. If you had not responded she and her partner would have busted in.
You are not required to be nice to strangers. Take charge of the situation and tell them to leave and not come back.
Glad to hear you, at least, had your pants on...

 

[Xsales]

Paranoid? NO

At 10:30 in the back woods is no place for a cell phone adventure

Likely, as said, casing the place

ALWAYS stay defensive or risk injury or death

 

[stevemb]

Systems, sensors, can fail. Co-worker lost items to break-in. System didn't notify police as per.. when he got home later, it tripped on him. Still no police showed. they never did get notified. Company did try to bill him again..he threatened legal action, they went away. I'm not trusting desk weasels at a terminal in some other state playing angry birds. Best of luck, stay safe.

 

[stevemb]

Talk to a live body at your local PD or Sheriffs Dept.. Ask them which services they trust. Then...

 

[ronto]

A similar event happened to me some years back. I live on a dead end gravel road a mile through the woods with no neighbors in sight. A stranger knocks on my door at 9:30 PM and claims he was lost. All the motion sensor lights go on and my dog starts barking like crazy and this guy looks like he's in a state of shock with all the lights on and a dog barking his head off. How does one get lost on a dead end road? I did NOT open the door and with my 357 in hand told him through the window next to the door that the main highway was 1 mile that-a-way. After he left I called and warned my neighbors and called the sheriff's office and informed them of the incident. This guy was obviously casing my house.
The point is, NEVER OPEN THE DOOR FOR SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW, especially after dark.

 

[mishtub]

Doesn't sound paranoid to me, sounds like common sense. Glad to hear you debriefed and have adapted your response.

 

[GunnyGene]

There's benefits and disadvantages to living out in the woods. When we built here 15 years ago, we took these into consideration, both to minimize a security risks and the freedom to do pretty much whatever we want.

Sorta took a "Hotel California" approach to the security part: (you can check out whenever you want, but you can never leave) :wink: .

No HOA's, no busybodies objecting to this or that, etc. I have land I can hunt and shoot on, grow a garden, build what I want, or dig a pond without some regulator interfering. Security downside (or maybe upside) is that we are responsible for ourselves and not dependent on the Sheriff to save our butts. I kinda like it thata way.

It's about 100yds from the front door to the eastern treeline, and I'll know if a vehicle is coming in long before they come in sight. :wink:

 

[graygun]

Did she arrive having alerted you via the security stuff...seems a little unclear? It does seem very suspicious;I'd be wary of going to a remote house at night down a very long driveway...bang to me!

 

[Cooperhawk]

Systems, sensors, can fail.

We have accidentally tripped the system ourselves and they called right away. In fact when I couldn't remember the password they were were going to call the police until my Wife reminded me what it was. So far they are quite reliable and the Sheriff approves of them whole heartitly. This type system involves very few false alarms.

 

[GunnyGene]

Did she arrive having alerted you via the security stuff...seems a little unclear? It does seem very suspicious;I'd be wary of going to a remote house at night down a very long driveway...bang to me!

Yes, and car headlights were off. First hint that something wasn't kosher.

 

[Precision32]

If someone pulled down my drive at 10:30 with the lights out, the first sound they would have heard is my 12 bore pump bark. It has a very good bark.

 

[GunnyGene]

Gunny,

Be on high alert over the next few weeks.

I wouldn't rule out something like this being a feeler for something to come.

Of course.

 

[jack]

On more than one occasion, during daylight, in a rural area, we have had people come to the door asking to come inside and demonstrate some product (a can of Pledge....really?). Usually a pretty girl comes to door, two guys sitting in SUV waiting to come in if she gets in. If I ask the girl a few questions, it's obvious the whole thing is just to "case" our house to see what's inside.

Anytime a stranger comes to the door, day or night, I have my EDC in my pocket. And, no.... they don't come inside ....... period!

 

[mohavesam]

Sounds like you may have been rubbed (no one says "cased" anymore). I'd recommend borrowing a backhoe and dig the hole in advance. You may need more than one hole.

All those anti-personnel guns and expensive hi-tech bullets in the safe and y' know, ya never get to shoot someone. Darn bad luck. :roll: :evil:

I too, live in the tall woods, with about 3/8ths of a mile between pavement and my door. We get a few city folks each year asking for directions, wondering where the road went (it ends at our garage), and sometimes a shaved-head, tatt'ed undesireable looking for their dog, etc. Weekenders are pretty bold sometimes.

No one gets past the fence/gate because of the dogs, I do have a shallow pit up the mountain a bit from my back door. Some may think I'm kidding.

 

[xtratoy]

Did you ask for her name? Ask her for her address? Maybe try to get her phone number in case you did find a phone? How she reacted to those questions may have told you everything you needed to know. If she couldn't supply an address or name real quick you would have had a better idea what she was up to.

 

[powder smoke]

Never can be too careful, good work Gunny.

Living in a secluded area is nice, but one needs to be vigilant. ps

 

[prairieviper]

Everything about this incident is suspicious. I would touch base with your local sheriff or whoever is the law enforcement agency for your property as they may know something you don't. At the very least, it will create documentation for you and give the sheriff's department some background should another incident occur.